When it came to hunting in the jungle, Link was absolutely second only to Hagrid in all of Hogwarts.
There was no special reason for it.
It was simply family tradition.
Hermione, Harry, and the others all knew this very well.
So when they heard Link speak with such killing intent, Harry's heart immediately jumped into his throat.
"Link," Harry said anxiously, "you're not really planning to kill Grawp, are you? He's Hagrid's brother… well, half-brother on their mother's side."
Link didn't answer. He only gave Harry a smiling, unreadable look.
That made Harry unsure whether Link was silently admitting it, or if he'd just been joking with them earlier.
He wanted to keep asking, but Emily spoke up from the side, "You mean the giant Hagrid brought into the Forbidden Forest? Why do we have to find him?"
"Because Umbridge's volunteers are also looking for him," Link finally said.
"Anything they want to accomplish, we have to do our best to stop. That's the essence of struggle. And besides, if Umbridge finds him first, it'll be a huge problem. Hagrid, as the one who brought a giant into the Forbidden Forest, will definitely be fired."
Emily nodded after hearing that.
She wasn't worried about Link at all. Since Link was willing to say this out loud, it meant he already had everything under control.
"It's not just that! She also wants to use this to attack Link!" Hermione suddenly added.
Link glanced at her, saw the worry all over her face, and smiled.
"It's fine. She won't succeed." Link spoke confidently, but that still didn't wipe the concern from the faces of Harry and the other two.
They had been frightened by Umbridge's recent habit of threatening expulsion and execution at every turn. They'd gone from not taking her seriously at all to seeing her as something like a tiger or a monster.
Link found this amusing.
But he didn't bother explaining further. He simply led everyone straight toward the Forbidden Forest.
———
The Forbidden Forest in winter was far more beautiful than in any other season.
Because of the trees blocking the way, there was snow here too, but it wasn't very deep.
The excess snowflakes had all turned into a silvery coat, draped over the trees and plants.
Sunlight filtered down through the sparse winter canopy, shining onto the black-and-white snow-covered ground and then reflecting back, lighting up the entire forest. Those trees wrapped in silver looked like crystal sculptures, so beautiful they seemed unreal.
Unfortunately, Harry had no mood at all to appreciate this fairyland.
Because his judgment had been wrong.
Hagrid really had left plenty of marks along the path before, but after so many days of snowfall and animal activity, those traces had long since disappeared.
The more confident he had been earlier, the more awkward he felt now.
After leading Link and the others crunching through the snow for a while longer, Harry finally stopped. He turned around and said, stammering, "S-sorry, Link… it seems we… uh, we might be lost."
By the time he got to the end, Harry felt like his face was burning. He wished he could just bury his head in the snow and suffocate himself.
And from everyone else's perspective, he really didn't look much different from being on fire.
His head and face were already drenched in sweat.
Thick steam stubbornly poured out from the top of his head even through his woolen hat, forming a visible plume in the air. It was quite a sight.
Hermione was in a similar state.
But unlike Harry, she was furious.
Looking at Harry's miserable, useless expression, Hermione wanted nothing more than to punch him twice. After all, this was a matter of life and death for Hagrid.
"Hermione, don't make things harder for Harry," Link said. "I still have a backup plan."
The moment he said that, Ron immediately perked up, eyes wide as he exclaimed, "A backup plan? Link, that's so like you, thinking everything through!"
Link didn't answer. He couldn't exactly say that from the very beginning he hadn't expected much help from Harry and the others.
Shaking his head, Link pulled a small wooden handmade whistle out of his pocket, put it to his lips, and blew hard. But no sound came out at all, leaving Hermione and the others completely baffled.
Just as they were confused, a series of crunching footsteps in the snow sounded from the distance.
"Centaurs?!" Sigefin was the first to realize what it was and blurted it out.
In the magical world, centaurs were no less rare than dragons, especially since they preferred to live in seclusion. So even though they lived in the Forbidden Forest, this was the first time Sigefin and the others had ever seen them.
Three centaurs, carrying bows and wooden spears, galloped out from around the dense trees and appeared in front of Link and the group.
They looked closer to people of Mongolian descent, except their noses were longer and flatter, giving them a stronger beastlike appearance.
Even in such cold weather, they wore only filthy leather coats, and their horse-like lower bodies were completely bare, without a single scrap of cloth, making them look cold just from seeing them.
"Honored Morning Star, we didn't expect you and your companions to arrive so quickly."
The leading centaur bowed respectfully to Link, which startled Harry and the others.
They had interacted with centaurs before because of Hagrid, and from their experience, the centaurs of the Forbidden Forest were arrogant to an extreme degree. These creatures seemed to possess an innate sense of superiority over wizards, and since they were usually taller as well, looking down on people, literally, was second nature to them.
But the attitude of these three centaurs was respectful to an almost eerie degree.
Especially since they were calling Link the Morning Star.
Harry vaguely remembered that this was the most exalted star in centaur star-worship.
How could it possibly be used to refer to Link?
They couldn't figure it out at all.
What they didn't know was that the centaurs respected Link so much because a few years earlier, Link had fought Voldemort's soul fragment from Riddle's diary.
That battle alone had destroyed nearly one-fifth of the Forbidden Forest. Every creature in the forest had been terrified, and the centaurs were no exception.
So when Link later approached the centaurs again, these beings, who already revered fate, didn't have even the slightest thought of resistance and simply submitted.
As for the title "Morning Star," it was something the centaur elders had invented purely to cover up the truth that they'd caved in out of fear. Judging from the results, it worked extremely well.
And since he had already become the highest object of worship in their beliefs, Link naturally didn't bother being polite to his "followers" and waved his hand.
"No more nonsense. Lead the way. We're going to find that giant."
The three centaurs exchanged glances, their faces lighting up with joy. The leading centaur even dropped to his knees on his front legs and said, "Thank you! Honored Morning Star! You have finally turned your gaze upon your loyal people! This time, please make sure you kill that damned demon!"
Link nodded perfunctorily, clearly not taking it to heart.
But Harry nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard that and couldn't help saying, "You really plan to kill Grawp? How can you do that?"
The moment he spoke, everyone's eyes turned toward Harry. The centaurs' expressions darkened immediately. If Link hadn't been there, they probably would have started shouting at him already.
Even Link's casual expression grew serious. He stared at Harry and asked, "Why can't I?"
"Because he's Hagrid's brother… even if they're only half-brothers…"
Harry answered instinctively, but his voice grew weaker toward the end, and he lowered his head.
"Do you know what kind of place the Forbidden Forest is?" Link said flatly.
"This is the largest magical creature reserve in all of Britain. Its ecosystem was built after countless experts carried out complex projections."
"Any creature released into the forest is supposed to undergo strict inspections, because once an invasive species appears, this fragile ecosystem will be destroyed."
Link took a deep breath and looked toward Hogwarts Castle as he continued, "From that perspective, Hagrid is an unqualified gamekeeper. More than ten years ago, he stuffed Acromantulas into the Forbidden Forest to breed, which led to these dangerous creatures spreading everywhere and nearly wiping out weaker species."
"And now he's brought a giant into it!"
"Do you have any idea that giants have absolutely no natural predators in the Forbidden Forest?"
"On top of that, they have astonishing appetites. If this isn't dealt with in time, in a few years there probably won't be many living creatures left in the forest!"
"Most importantly, giants are dangerous, evil creatures that threaten students' lives!"
"Umbridge's punishment of Hagrid is actually not wrong at all. After causing such a massive crisis for Hogwarts and the Forbidden Forest, he deserves to be thrown into Azkaban!"
Harry's face turned deathly pale, without a trace of color.
Link's harsh questioning left him completely at a loss for words.
Because deep down, Harry agreed completely with Link's conclusion.
Hagrid really had gone too far.
Sometimes Harry himself couldn't understand what Hagrid was thinking.
He was someone who loved magical creatures to the point of madness.
In daily life, he wouldn't even bring himself to crush a fire snake born from a magical campfire.
In class, he constantly drilled into students the idea of loving magical creatures.
Yet this same Hagrid had done something so foolish…
Yes, foolish.
Harry could only describe Hagrid with that word now.
After all, anyone who could do something like this was either stupid or evil.
Link ignored the three of them, who were clearly stunned into silence, and also ignored the centaurs, who were so moved by his words that they were practically in tears.
Turning instead to Newland and Sigefin, who had remained silent the entire time, standing there like wooden posts, he said, "All right. Now that we have guides, the main work from here on out will fall to you two."
Hearing that, Newland and Sigefin exchanged looks, both of them visibly shaken.
From the way Link spoke, it sounded like he intended for the two of them to deal with the giant.
This was easily the worst news they'd heard in the past two months.
That was a giant.
Magic History, The Second Wizarding War clearly recorded that the casualty ratio when Aurors fought giants was an astonishing five to one.
Even elite Aurors at their peak had to trade five lives for one giant. So could the two of them, students who hadn't even graduated from Hogwarts yet, really handle a giant?
Newland and Sigefin couldn't understand it at all.
But after exchanging a glance, they still clenched their teeth and nodded at Link.
That conflicted expression, terrified out of their minds, yet unable to refuse, made Link shake his head repeatedly.
"Can't you trust me a little? How could I possibly send you off to die? Take these."
As he spoke, Link reached to the weapons belt at his waist, unhooked four bottles of potion, and tossed them over.
Newland and Sigefin scrambled to catch them, each ending up with two bottles, then immediately grew confused.
As top-tier students about to graduate from Hogwarts, both of them had taken the NEWT-level Potions course. They might not be able to brew every potion on the market, but they certainly recognized all of them.
Yet the red and blue bottles in their hands had no labels at all, and their appearance didn't match any potion they knew.
At that moment, Link explained softly, "These two potions are called War God's Roar Elixir and Mind Stimulation Draught. They're ancient potions that enhance combat ability. Drink them before the fight. I believe that giant won't be your match then."
"Yes, Lord Flamel!" ×2
Newland and Sigefin both responded at once, and the way they looked at the potions in their hands completely changed.
They knew just how precious ancient potions were.
At the very least, the fact that Link was willing to give them something so valuable proved how highly he regarded them.
Both of them happily put the potions away, already planning to make sure they didn't drink them all later, at the very least, they wanted to leave some residue behind to study.
This had nothing to do with profit. It was simply curiosity about ancient knowledge.
Watching how delighted they were, Emily shook her head.
For a long time now, whenever Link brewed or obtained a potion, he would always give Emily a copy as well. As he put it, that was called being prepared.
That had been the case with Felix Felicis, and with all sorts of other random potions too.
Her relationship with Link hadn't deteriorated at all, so Emily felt that if these so-called ancient potions were really that good, Link should have brought them to her first.
But this time, she hadn't received any news about them at all.
So the truth was obvious.
War God's Roar Elixir and Mind Stimulation Draught definitely hid some unknown side effects, and Newland and Sigefin were Link's test subjects.
Once she realized that, the look Emily gave Newland and Sigefin was filled with sympathy.
[T/N: I hope you all are enjoying the book and if you are, please do give some reviews, be it bad or good, and keep commenting in the chapters to let me know that there are actually people reading it. It makes my day and I really read every single comment that comes on every one of the books. Even reply to some comments if I can. Have a nice day, y'all~]