Harry's mind went completely blank.
Everything had happened so fast he barely had time to process it. First, a cloaked figure leaning over to drink unicorn blood. Then, out of nowhere, a guy wearing a creepy white mask riding a literal skeletal horse. The masked guy rammed the cloaked figure away and stole the unicorn corpse... What in the world was going on?
Before Harry could even catch his breath, the cloaked figure swayed, stood up, and turned around stiffly.
Harry's heart skipped a beat. Even though he couldn't make out the face beneath the hood, a primal fear gripped him. It was as if he was born to be terrified of this very entity.
Right on cue, a piercing, blinding pain erupted from the lightning bolt scar on his forehead. It hit him so hard and so suddenly it felt like someone had driven a thousand blazing needles into his skull. Harry let out a muffled groan, his vision spotting with black as his knees buckled.
He had no idea how much time had passed.
"Are you alright?" a gentle voice drifted into his ears.
Harry snapped back to reality. Standing beside him was a centaur he had never seen before. The cloaked figure was long gone.
"Are you injured?" the centaur asked, offering a hand to pull him to his feet.
Harry shook his head, desperately trying to steady his breathing and calm his racing heart. "Who were those two?" he asked, his eyes darting between the centaur and the empty clearing.
Firenze fell silent for a moment. When he finally spoke, his voice carried an immense weight. "The one drinking the blood of the unicorn is a soul completely consumed by darkness."
"And the other one?" Harry pressed, still feeling the phantom sting in his scar.
Firenze looked toward the direction Maurise had vanished into, pondering for a much longer time.
"As for the other," the centaur murmured, a rare hint of bewilderment tinting his voice, "we cannot read the trajectory of that particular star. Bane is too impatient. But one thing is absolutely certain. That rider is no friend of ours..."
Harry felt utterly lost. The answer was incredibly cryptic, bordering on absolute nonsense. Following that bizarre exchange, the centaur introduced himself as Firenze and gestured for Harry to climb onto his back.
"Harry Potter, do you know what unicorn blood is used for?"
---
Meanwhile, Maurise effortlessly shook off the two centaurs tailing him and brought his undead steed to a halt in a secluded clearing.
He had the skeletal unicorn drop its prize and vaulted off its back, his own heart still hammering against his ribs. Snatching a unicorn corpse right out from under Quirrell's nose... Now that he actually thought about it, what an absolute rush!
Maurise couldn't help but hum a cheerful little tune. The upbeat melody felt completely out of place in the gloomy Forbidden Forest, but it perfectly captured his current mood. He crouched down and began a thorough inspection of the unicorn corpse. Since it was a magical creature, the Shrinking Charm had worn off in mere minutes.
The body was in pristine condition. Aside from a deep, fatal gash on its neck, there was practically no other damage. Even the horn was entirely intact. Maurise deduced that the cause of death was likely the Killing Curse. Judging by the diary he had picked up earlier, Quirrell was definitely dabbling in some extremely dark magic. Furthermore, Quirrell's only goal here had been the blood.
The reason was painfully obvious. Unicorn blood possessed incredibly potent life giving properties. Even someone hovering on the brink of death could cling to life if they managed to swallow a few mouthfuls. And Quirrell, based on Maurise's observations, already had one foot firmly planted in the grave.
Of course, a miraculous remedy like that came with a horrifying price tag. Anyone who slayed a unicorn and drank its blood would be cursed for all eternity, doomed to a pitiful half life.
Unicorns really were delicate, high maintenance creatures.
Maurise shook his head. This was exactly why he refused to hunt them himself. Who knew what kind of ridiculous, sticky curses he might accidentally catch? Unless it was absolutely necessary, Maurise had zero desire to harm such pure, beautiful beings.
But...
He glanced back down at the corpse. Well, finders keepers. He wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Praise be to the bounties of nature! Or rather, praise be to Quirrell's hard work.
Maurise immediately decided to attempt an undead transformation ritual. It would be incredibly fascinating to see if he could turn this pristine corpse directly into an undead minion.
No time like the present. Using Transfiguration, Maurise conjured a brush and a bowl, scooped some water from a nearby puddle, and turned it into a thick red pigment. He then began painting a complex magical array on the forest floor.
Half an hour later, the array was complete, and the unicorn rested right in the center.
"The world of the living has not forgotten you, and the slumber of death is not your final chapter."
The moment the incantation left his lips, the array flared to life with a crimson glow.
However, what happened next was completely different from any ritual Maurise had ever performed. The array started flashing violently, looking remarkably like a magical hazard light. Then, a soft silver radiance seeped out from within the corpse, sketching a hazy, ethereal outline in the air. It was the unicorn's spirit, looking exactly as it had in life.
The spirit stood silently over its own body. It raised its head, its ghostly eyes filled with overwhelming sorrow and fierce indignation. Maurise watched as the creature let out a silent, defiant neigh before dissipating entirely into the cold night air.
At the exact same moment, the entire magical array crumbled into useless dust.
Clearly, the transformation had failed.
Seeing this, Maurise let out a resigned sigh. The result wasn't exactly surprising. His current version of the undead transformation array lacked the power to forcefully enslave a soul, and this particular unicorn's spirit clearly had no intention of submitting.
Not that it mattered much anyway. He was in no rush.
The unicorn was dead, and its soul couldn't linger in the mortal realm forever. Once the spirit completely moved on, he would naturally be able to complete the ritual. The only downside was that a soulless undead unicorn would probably be just as dim witted as his skeletal dog and skeletal mount. It would only be capable of following the most basic commands. If given the choice, Maurise vastly preferred undead minions that retained their souls, much like Tin and Cinder.
So, the million dollar question: what should he do with the body right now?
Maurise pondered for a moment. He cast a specialized stasis charm over the corpse to prevent decay, then used Transfiguration to fashion a simple, sturdy coffin out of nearby wood. He carefully placed his new prize inside, sealed the lid tight, and layered several scent masking and concealment charms over the wood.
Finally, he dug a deep hole right there in the clearing, tossed the coffin in, and buried it thoroughly.
Mission accomplished!
Maurise dusted off his hands. The stasis charm would hold strong for an entire month. He planned to come back and dig it up once the summer holidays officially began.
Time to head back. Having wrapped up his midnight heist, Maurise climbed back onto his skeletal unicorn and quickly vanished into the shadows of the forest.