#295 - Chapter 295: Forbidden Forest Pursuit

The sudden scene stunned Harry, Hermione, and Ron instantly; everyone seemed frozen in place.

"Great Black snatched Scabbers?" Hermione exclaimed.

Has the rivalry between pets reached this point?

Harry was also stunned, his brow furrowed as he tried to understand the situation before him.

Ron was completely dumbfounded, his eyes wide and mouth open, staring blankly at the open window.

"Such a big dog, with such a petty heart?"

Ron's face paled as he thought of a terrible possibility.

Did Great Black snatch Scabbers to bite him to death?

Crap!

Professor Slughorn was waiting for the three of them to return Scabbers; now what were they going to tell the professor?

Could it be that he would have to dig into his own pocket to compensate Professor Slughorn?

That was two hundred Galleons; how long would he have to work for that?

Before he could say anything, Harry suddenly stood up abruptly, his tone resolute: "I'm going after Scabbers and Great Black; you guys wait here for Hagrid."

"What? You can't go alone!" Hermione immediately objected, her eyes full of worry.

Ron also panicked: "That's the Forbidden Forest! It's too dangerous to go in at night!"

Even during the day, the Forbidden Forest was a place Hogwarts students avoided.

Moreover, the sky outside was already completely dark, and faint sounds came from the depths of the Forbidden Forest, as if countless dangerous creatures were lurking.

However, Harry didn't hesitate any longer; he opened the door and dashed out.

He couldn't worry about so much!

He had many protective items on him, and with his current strength, he could venture into the Forbidden Forest.

Hermione and Ron were unwilling to let him take the risk alone, and without a word, they chased after him.

"Wait for us, Harry!"

In Harry, Hermione, and Ron's minds, Great Black was just jealous of Scabbers, so it wanted to avoid them and harm Scabbers.

And even if it wanted to harm Scabbers, it shouldn't have gone deep into the Forbidden Forest; at most, it would only be wandering on the outer edges of the forest.

After all, Great Black was just an ordinary big black dog, and the Forbidden Forest was equally dangerous to it.

However, to the trio's surprise, the periphery of the Forbidden Forest was quiet and still, with no trace of Great Black's presence.

The Forbidden Forest was pitch black, and even with their eyes wide open, Harry and the others couldn't tell which direction Great Black had run.

Harry took out his wand and gently waved it in front of him.

"Reveal tracks!"

Instantly, trails of faint white light appeared on the ground.

The footprints on the ground were intricate and complex, including Hagrid's, Great Black's, Fang's, and various small animals'.

Fortunately, the footprints appeared at different times, and their brightness varied.

By differentiating the brightness, Harry and the others could clearly distinguish that the brightest canine footprint went straight into the depths of the Forbidden Forest through layers of bushes.

"That's the way; let's go!"

Harry took a hand-held magic lamp from his undetectable extension bag and took the lead, following the footprints on the ground.

However, the footprints on the ground showed no sign of stopping, and the trio kept going non-stop, unknowingly reaching the depths of the Forbidden Forest.

Ron was the first to lose heart; he said in a trembling voice.

"We've chased this far, but we still haven't found Great Black and Scabbers; I think we should go back."

"If Scabbers really gets bitten to death by Great Black, we can just compensate Professor Slughorn."

Harry shook his head: "The professor said that the cage for Scabbers is a specially made alchemical item; without the key, ordinary people can't open the cage, let alone Great Black."

"So, Scabbers should still be safe."

"But..." Ron said with a bitter face.

"The Forbidden Forest is too dangerous; I heard Fred and George say that there are werewolves in the depths of the Forbidden Forest, so we really don't need to risk it for two pets."

"Look, the moon is already out; it's very late, and I think Professor Slughorn will definitely understand us."

Harry looked up and, sure enough, could see the shadow of the moon in the distance through the gaps in the leaves.

Just then, they heard a wolf howl in the distance.

Instantly, Ron's hair stood on end, and he quickly covered his mouth.

Merlin's Forbidden Forest!

As soon as he mentioned werewolves, a wolf howl came from inside the Forbidden Forest.

Could it be that Fred and George didn't lie to him; there really were werewolves in the Forbidden Forest?

Was he too jinxed?

"Harry, I know you're anxious and want to help the professor find Scabbers," Ron couldn't help but persuade, "but you heard it too; there really is a wolf howling."

Harry frowned; he was really unwilling to retreat from the Forbidden Forest like this.

Along the way, he thought of too many unreasonable things.

For example, from the moment Great Black saw Scabbers, it showed a desire to attack.

In Hagrid's hut, Great Black's gaze never left Scabbers, and occasionally, it even revealed a hint of human-like hatred; at the time, he even wondered if he had seen it wrong.

Great Black also knew to wait until Hagrid left before snatching Scabbers.

Moreover, logically speaking, animals are more sensitive to the dangers in the Forbidden Forest, but Great Black didn't stop at all and kept drilling into the depths of the Forbidden Forest.

Unreasonable, really unreasonable.

This really didn't seem like the behavior of an animal!

Professor Slughorn taught in Auror training class that when many unreasonable things gather together, it means there must be a problem.

Did Great Black have a grudge against Scabbers? Or was it deliberately luring the three of them into the Forbidden Forest?

He couldn't go back now; if he didn't figure out the problem, he wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.

Harry took out a two-way mirror and handed it to Ron: "Ron, things aren't right; I have to figure out the answer."

"Use this mirror to ask Professor Slughorn for help, in case we fall into a trap."

"Harry," Hermione said worriedly, "I suspect Great Black might not be a dog..."

Before she could finish speaking, Harry interrupted: "Then I need to go see what's going on even more."

The trio became more vigilant and continued to chase; after a while, they came to a sparsely wooded area.

Great Black stood there, its eyes fixed on the figures of Harry and the others; beside it was the cage containing Scabbers.

Harry tried to look harmless and smiled as he slowly approached Great Black.

"Great Black, you're too naughty; how can you run around at night?"

"Come on, let's go back together."

Just as Harry was ten meters away from Great Black, he suddenly raised his wand.

"Full Body Bind!"

As if expecting it, Great Black dodged Harry's spell the moment he raised his arm.

Just then, two beams of spell light attacked from the left and right, trying to block Great Black's escape route.

"Stupefy!"

"Petrificus Totalus!"

Great Black dodged the incoming spells in a panic and then suddenly darted behind a thick tree.

When it reappeared, Great Black had turned into a man with waxy white skin, a thin frame, and tattered clothes.

He casually used a Shield Charm to block Harry's spell and then said in a hoarse voice.

"Harry, your spells are good, with the style of your father when he was young."

"And you are also very brave, not going to find the professor; this makes things much easier..."

Just as he had guessed.

Great Black was transformed from a person; he was an Animagus!

Seeing the hideous man who looked just like the one on the wanted poster, hatred surged from Harry's chest and quickly occupied his entire mind.

He didn't bother to listen to what the man was saying, raised his wand directly, and roared angrily.

"Sectumsempra!"