The Demiguise touched Evans's outstretched hand with its large paw, responding to the human's greeting. It looked Evans up and down, remembering that its mother had once told it there was a type of human who could understand their speech, and when approaching such humans, they would naturally feel a sense of kinship.
However, this human gave it a stronger sense of kinship than what its mother had described. From the moment it saw him, it couldn't help but feel genuine goodwill.
It was a strange feeling, but not unpleasant at all.
Moreover, this human had saved their lives and given them freedom.
"Thank you," the Demiguise said in a low voice, its tone full of sincere gratitude.
"Don't mention it. Those poachers are universally despised. Any decent wizard would have helped," Evans smiled and smoothly changed the subject.
"Have you always lived here?"
Although this was indeed a vast plain very suitable for Demiguise habitat, he remembered that Britain shouldn't naturally have this type of creature.
He was curious about where this particular Demiguise had originated.
The large ape-like head tilted thoughtfully, considering for a long time before answering with obvious hesitation:
"I've been here since birth, but according to my mother, she was caught by a flash of light and then appeared here."
"A flash of light?" Evans frowned, catching this crucial phrase and pressing for more details: "Did your mother ever describe what kind of light it was?"
The Demiguise pondered for a while, then slowly shook its head with apparent regret.
"No, Mother never told me about these things in detail, but she did mention that she didn't originally appear on this plane. She escaped here from very far away." It nudged its snout northward with deliberate direction.
"I remember her saying that when she first arrived, there was a vast lake nearby with many terrifying plants she'd never seen before. Some even tried to bite her, frightening her into running away quickly."
"A great lake?" Hearing this description and looking in the direction the Demiguise was indicating, a flash of inspiration struck Evans's mind with startling clarity.
His gaze sharpened as he pulled out that mist-covered map from his pocket, tapping a spot at the northern edge of the obscured area, then another where he currently stood.
Connecting the two points and extending the line in the direction the Demiguise had indicated, Evans gradually furrowed his brow with growing concern.
The northern edge of the mist was where he and Hagrid had released Norbert and also where they'd discovered that cursed Chimaera.
That little Chimaera had mentioned before that its mother was cursed while going to a distant lake to catch fish for it.
Originally, he'd assumed that so-called great lake was just another dangerous location, possibly with some wizard's ancient seal or protective ward.
But hearing this description again today, Evans felt something was fundamentally wrong.
Being transported after a flash of white light. This description was remarkably similar to some kind of triggered teleportation trap.
If it were just a dangerous wizard's cursed seal, it shouldn't include such sophisticated transportation magic. Moreover, Demiguises lived naturally in the Far East, and setting up a trap to teleport a magical creature from Asia to Britain would require absolutely astronomical amounts of magical power.
Why go to such extraordinary lengths to design such a complex trap specifically to teleport magical creatures to the Forbidden Forest?
Furthermore, with this new information, many things Evans had previously been unable to understand suddenly had possible explanations.
During his school years exploring the Forbidden Forest, he'd noticed that the variety of magical creatures was incredibly rich, and rare beings were far more numerous than in other magical forests across Europe.
Creatures like Thestrals, very powerful beings with extremely difficult reproduction cycles, had a surprisingly large population at Hogwarts. Valuable creatures like unicorns also thrived here, establishing over a dozen separate habitats throughout the forest.
Beyond these native British magical creatures, the Forbidden Forest also housed many beings that absolutely shouldn't appear naturally in Britain.
Taking his own friends as examples: Wampus cats from America, Erumpents from Africa, Occamies from the Far East, and the previously encountered Chimaera that should live exclusively in Greece. All of these lived comfortably in this vast forest.
And this forest surprisingly contained many areas perfectly suitable for their specific living conditions, as if deliberately designed to accommodate them.
Tim had been in the Forbidden Forest for a relatively short time, less than five years total, but his other friends seemed to have lived in this forest since ancient times. He'd personally heard the Erumpent Raymond mention that its ancestors had lived in the Forbidden Forest for countless generations, over fifty generations by current count.
Unicorns reached breeding age around twenty and lived up to 150 years. If their ancestors had also been transported by that so-called white light like the Demiguise's mother, how long had this phenomenon existed? What era did it first appear in the Forbidden Forest?
Or rather, which came first: this mysterious transportation system or the Forbidden Forest itself?
Evans couldn't help but shudder, his gaze toward the north filled with deep wariness and growing apprehension.
He needed to return to the castle and research this matter thoroughly. After checking historical records, he'd need to find a way to gather people to explore that so-called great lake safely.
It would be best to bring Dumbledore along. That would maximise their chances of survival. And he had perfectly good reason to ask for the headmaster's assistance.
After all, Hogwarts was the only major institution near the Forbidden Forest and the only place with easy access to it. If there was such a major hidden danger lurking in the forest, shouldn't the headmaster be deeply concerned?
If he really couldn't persuade Dumbledore to join the expedition, he'd at least need to gather some other powerful helpers. Perhaps the formidable Professor Snape, Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, Senior Newt... or he could wake up Sothia to call Madame Maxime and French Deputy Minister Shari...
Hmm, thinking about it more practically, bringing Dumbledore would definitely be more convenient and effective.
Shaking his head and temporarily setting aside this troubling matter, Evans chatted with the Demiguise for a while longer. After the young wizards had assembled and prepared their equipment, he led them to return all the rescued magical creatures to appropriate habitats in the forest.
Without those dangerous poachers, this forest was relatively safe for the creatures. With XXXXX-class combat power like the Demiguise protecting the area, probably no dark creatures would dare cause serious trouble.
By the time they finished returning all the magical creatures to their proper homes, dusk was approaching rapidly. Before bidding farewell to the Demiguise, Evans tapped his wand with practised precision, and a silver-white protective mark gradually appeared on the Demiguise's neck.
"If you encounter any danger, focus your mind on this mark. I'll sense the distress signal and come to help as quickly as possible."
Hearing this generous promise, the Demiguise's large black eyes flashed with deep emotion as it spoke in low, solemn tones: "Thank you for everything."
"You're very welcome. See you next time." Waving goodbye to the Demiguise with genuine warmth, Evans turned to face the young wizards who had been working hard throughout the entire day. With a gesture, a long string of bound, unconscious dark wizards floated obediently beside him.
"Let's go; it's time to head back to Hogwarts. After we return, I'll send these criminals to the Ministry of Magic immediately. Your bounty money will be distributed within a week."
"Hurrah! Long live Professor Kahn!" Fred and George's enthusiastic voices echoed through the forest with obvious joy. Then over a dozen broomsticks rose into the darkening sky, returning toward Hogwarts in the gathering dusk.