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[Thursday Evening - 11:23 PM]
The alert jolted Darius from light sleep.
[PRIORITY ALERT: Subject Quirrell detected exiting quarters wearing traveling cloak. CAM-THIRD-FLOOR showing Subject approaching third-floor corridor. Movement pattern consistent with forest-bound trajectory. Assessment: Hunt commencing. Partner intervention required NOW.]
Darius was out of bed instantly, his body responding before conscious thought fully caught up. He'd prepared for this—clothes ready, wand secured, emergency supplies packed in a small bag that had been waiting under his pillow.
His roommates slept on, undisturbed. The enchanted dummy he'd prepared earlier that evening lay in his bed, covered by blankets, realistic enough to pass casual inspection.
[Time-critical operation: Subject Quirrell estimated 8 minutes ahead. Partner must reach forest edge before Subject enters too deeply. Recommend fastest route: Main staircase, ground floor, side exit near Herbology greenhouses, direct path to forest boundary near Hagrid's hut.]
Darius moved through the darkened castle like a shadow, his wandless notice-me-not effect and enhanced reflexes allowing him to navigate with supernatural speed and stealth. The main staircase cooperated, not shifting or playing its usual tricks. Past the Entrance Hall, through the side corridor, out the rarely-used door near the greenhouses.
The night air was crisp and cold, carrying the scent of earth and growing things. The Forbidden Forest loomed ahead—a wall of darkness against the star-scattered sky, ancient trees swaying in a wind that seemed to whisper warnings.
Darius reached the forest edge just as a cloaked figure emerged from Hagrid's hut area, moving with purposeful stealth toward the tree line.
Quirrell.
[Visual confirmation: Subject Quirrell entering forest via main trail. Gait analysis shows confidence, no apparent nervousness. This is experienced infiltration, not first attempt. Lighting wand detected—Lumos variant, dim illumination. Partner should maintain 50-meter following distance, use enhanced night vision to avoid detection.]
Darius slipped into the forest behind his quarry, his nano-enhanced vision rendering the darkness as clear as twilight. He could see Quirrell's back ahead, the professor moving with practiced ease through undergrowth that should have been treacherous in darkness.
The forest at night was alive with sound—rustling leaves, distant animal calls, the creaking of ancient branches, and underneath it all, a sense of watching presence. The trees themselves seemed aware, their attention focused on the two humans invading their domain.
[Environmental analysis: Multiple magical signatures detected. Centaur patrol estimated 200 meters northeast. Unicorn presence detected 400 meters ahead, central glade area. Subject Quirrell trajectory: Direct toward unicorn location. Assessment: Subject has prior knowledge of unicorn habits, possibly from previous reconnaissance.]
Quirrell moved deeper, his wand-light dancing off tree trunks and creating eerie shadows. Darius followed like a ghost, his footfalls silent, his breathing controlled, every sense heightened by nano-assistance and his own enhanced capabilities.
Then Quirrell stopped.
Ahead, visible through a gap in the trees, was a glade bathed in moonlight. And in that glade, drinking from a crystal-clear stream, was a unicorn.
It was more beautiful than Darius had imagined—pure white coat gleaming like liquid silver in the moonlight, horn spiraling up from its forehead with an inner luminescence, movements graceful beyond anything mortal. The creature embodied purity, magic in its most innocent form.
And Quirrell was preparing to kill it.
[Alert: Subject raising wand. Spell formation detected: Killing Curse preparation. Time to cast: Estimated 8 seconds. Partner intervention: CRITICAL URGENCY.]
Darius didn't hesitate.
He thrust his own wand toward a cluster of trees thirty meters to Quirrell's left and whispered the most powerful banishing charm he could manage. "Depulso Maxima!"
The trees exploded outward with a thunderous crack that shattered the forest's silence. Branches flew like projectiles, and the ground itself seemed to heave from the magical impact.
The unicorn's head snapped up, eyes wide with alarm. It bolted, disappearing into the forest with speed that made it seem to vanish rather than run.
Quirrell spun toward the disturbance, his wand raised defensively, his face twisted with fury. "Who dares—"
But Darius was already moving, circling wide through the undergrowth, putting distance between himself and the disturbance he'd created. He'd worn dark, non-descript clothing specifically to avoid identification.
[Subject Quirrell scanning area. Wand movement suggests detection spells. Partner should maintain maximum distance and concealment. Notice-me-not effect: Active. Recommend complete stillness for 30 seconds minimum.]
Darius froze behind a massive oak, controlling his breathing, his heart hammering but his mind crystal clear. Through the trees, he could see Quirrell's wand-light sweeping the area, the professor searching for whoever had interfered.
Then another sound cut through the night—hoofbeats. Multiple sets, approaching fast.
[Centaur patrol responding to disturbance. Estimated arrival: 45 seconds. Subject Quirrell detection probability by centaurs: High. Recommend Partner retreat to avoid being caught between Subject and centaurs.]
But Darius stayed frozen, watching as four centaurs burst into the glade from different directions, their bows drawn, their expressions fierce in the moonlight.
"Wizard," one of them—a chestnut stallion with battle scars—spoke with cold authority. "You trespass in forbidden territory. You hunt what must not be hunted."
Quirrell's wand remained raised, but even from this distance, Darius could see his hesitation. Four centaurs, all armed, all clearly hostile—even for Voldemort's host, this was a threat.
"I-I-I was merely e-exploring," Quirrell stammered, his public persona snapping back into place. "I h-heard a noise and c-came to investigate—"
"You lie," a black centaur mare interrupted. "We smell your intent, wizard. The trees whisper of your purpose. You came to spill innocent blood for dark magic."
"The forest remembers," another centaur added, this one older with a gray-streaked coat. "You have walked these paths before, hunting in darkness. We have watched."
Quirrell's facade cracked slightly, calculation replacing fear in his eyes. "I have done nothing—"
"You have done nothing yet," the scarred leader corrected. "Because we stopped you. This is your only warning, wizard. Enter our forest again with murder in your heart, and we will not be so merciful."
The centaurs' bows remained drawn, arrows nocked and aimed. The threat was unmistakable—leave now, or die here.
Quirrell clearly recognized he was outmatched. Without another word, he turned and retreated back toward the forest edge, his movements quick but not panicked, his wand still raised defensively.
The centaurs watched the fleeing professor until the forest swallowed him whole. Only then did the tension ease—bows lowering, hooves shifting against the damp earth.
Darius remained perfectly still in the shadows, scarcely breathing.
A younger centaur broke the silence.
"Was that what the stars warned us of?" he asked quietly. "That death?"
"We stopped it," another said, uneasy. "Didn't we?"
Murmurs spread, low and uncertain. Eyes lifted instinctively toward the sliver of sky visible through the canopy, searching for reassurance written in constellations that no longer aligned the way they once had.
The elder stepped forward at last. "The stars foretold many endings," he said, voice calm but firm. "Tonight, they shifted." A pause. "We did what had to be done. No more questions."
As the others bowed their heads, the elder turned slightly, his gaze resting on a patch of darkness between the trees. Nothing was there—yet his expression tightened, thoughtful.
Then he turned away, and the forest closed in around them once more.
[Threat assessment: Subject Quirrell retreating. Centaurs maintaining vigilance but not pursuing. Partner should wait for both parties to clear area before own retreat. Intervention: Successful. Unicorn saved. Partner identity: Protected.]
Darius waited, barely breathing, as the centaurs conferred quietly in their own language. After several minutes, they too departed, moving deeper into the forest toward where the unicorn had fled—presumably to ensure the creature's safety.
Only when their hoofbeats had faded completely did Darius emerge from hiding. His legs felt weak with delayed adrenaline, his hands trembling slightly from the sustained tension.
[Mission assessment: Complete success. Objectives achieved: Unicorn protected, Partner undetected, centaur intervention triggered, Subject Quirrell hunt failed. Strategic advantage: Maintained. However, Subject will attempt again. This represents delay only, not permanent solution.]
"He'll try again," Darius whispered, beginning his careful retreat toward the castle. "He has to—Voldemort needs the blood."
[Affirmative. But tonight's failure complicates their timeline. Voldemort's form weakening according to overheard conversation. Each failed hunt increases desperation, potentially leads to mistakes. Partner has purchased time—both for unicorns and for strategic preparation.]
Darius made his way back through the forest, every sense alert for pursuit or observation. But the night remained quiet, the forest seemingly satisfied that the immediate threat had been driven off.
By the time he slipped back into Hogwarts through the side entrance. The tension, the physical exertion—all of it combined into bone-deep weariness.
[Time check: 12:47 AM. Recommend immediate return to dormitory. Partner requires rest. This unit will continue monitoring camera feeds for Subject Quirrell's reaction and any conversation with Voldemort about failed hunt. Tomorrow's intelligence: Critical for assessing their next move.]
Darius climbed the stairs slowly, processed through Ravenclaw Tower's entrance, and finally reached his dormitory. His roommates still slept, undisturbed. The enchanted dummy in his bed had done its job perfectly.
He dismissed the dummy with a quiet cancellation charm, slipped under his covers, and finally allowed himself to breathe normally.
One unicorn saved, he thought as sleep began to claim him. One small victory against the darkness.
But he knew—they both knew—that this was just the beginning. Voldemort wouldn't give up. The hunt would continue. And eventually, Darius would need more than clever distractions and centaur intervention.
Eventually, he would need to confront the monster directly.
[Sleep protocol: Initiating. Partner's performance tonight: Exceptional. But increased vigilance required. Subject Quirrell now aware someone interferes with their plans. Paranoia will increase. Future operations: More difficult. Rest well, Partner. Tomorrow brings new challenges.]
Tomorrow, Darius thought drowsily. There's always tomorrow.
And somewhere in the staff quarters, a serpentine face hissed with fury at the night's failure.
The game continued. The pieces moved. And Halloween drew inevitably closer.