Upon hearing Hoare's question, Drad Harry exged gnces and each made a gagging face.

  "Who wants to go with him!" Draco said with disdain.

  "Malfoy challenged me to a duel, but we got caught by Fild were puo help Hagrid with some work," Harry expined cheerfully, as he was already an old acquaintance of Hagrid's.

  When he found out the punishment was to help Hagrid, he felt it wasn't a punishment at all, but rather a fun outing.

  Draco, oher hand, was disgruntled. "I'm going to write to my father! How dare Dumbledore make me work for that half-giant!"

  "Malfoy, you shouldn't talk about Hagrid like that."

  The two of them gred at each rily, as if they were about to start a fight at any moment.

  Hoare's eyes lit up at the mention of the Forbidden Forest.

  The Forbidden Forest!

  It's a pce teeming with tless rare herbs!

  And the Forbidden Forest, especially at night, might just hold some ued enters.

  "I'll go with you," Hoare offered.

  Harry and Draco were both taken aback, especially Draco, who nearly screamed, "Are you crazy? Why would you want to go to a pce like that?"

  Hoare shrugged, indig that no matter what they said, he was going with them.

  Naturally, Drad Harry couldn't argue with Hoare.

  So, when Hagrid, who was expeg Harry, opehe door and saw the people outside, he was filled with questions. Two Slytherins and Harry had e together!?

  Hagrid, slightly bewildered, held onto Fang.

  "We'll split into two groups now, Harry—"

  Hagrid's shy aed expression was obvious to anyone, and Hoare took the kerosene mp from Hagrid's hand. "Drad I will go that way, and Harry, you go with Hagrid over there."

  "Take Fang with you. If there's any danger, she'll bark," Hagrid said, handing over Fang's leash.

  Hoare shook his head in refusal, took the mp, and led Dra the other dire.

  Behind them, Harry could be heard expining to Hagrid, "Hagrid, Henry is my friend. He's really capable, don't worry..."

  Hoare had his reasons for not taking Fang.

  Fang was a hunting dog raised by Hagrid. If Hoare wao do something against the school rules, Fang would definitely bark and draw Hagrid's attention.

  Hoare pulled out his sack, ready to "sweep" the area.

  ---

  The Forbidden Forest, located on the edge of Hogwarts.

  Hogwarts students were usually not allowed into the Forbidden Forest, but under special circumstances like detention or Care of Magical Creatures csses, students could ehe forest's edge under a teacher's supervision.

  If Hoare hadn't entered this opportunity, he wouldn't know when he'd be able to ehe Forbidden Forest.

  The various herbs in the Forbidden Forest had loed Hoare.

  Unfortunately, the headmaster had always strongly opposed taking him there, and every time he wao try new materials, it was Headmaster Snape who went to the Forbidden Forest to fetch them.

  "Hoare, look, is there someone in that tree ahead?" Draco's voice trembled as he practically g to Hoare's back.

  Hoare dragged Draco along, feeling helpless. In a world with magic, wasn't it normal to have other things? Was there really a o be so scared?

  "That's just the branches swaying..." Hoare said with exasperation.

  This was the Nth time he'd said this to Draco.

  Draco was now jumpy, startled by any rustle or movement.

  Hoare wished he could just leave him at Hagrid's hut, as Draco was pletely deying his herb-gathering mission!

  Their progress was slow, and he hadn't even filled a small bag!

  Hoare was very displeased.

  Hoare held up the kerosene mp to light the way, allowing him to carefully identify each herb.

  It wasn't that he didn't want to use Lumos fht, but he was worried that using magic for illumination might scare away some timid animals or pnts.

  Like... unis.

  "Hoare, is that a branch too?"

  In front of them appeared a bck mass of something unknown.

  It was crouched over a severely injured uni, sug its blood.

  Draco's legs began to shake, and he had learo fort himself, though it ity...

  "Oh, no, although I don't know what that is, it's definitely not a branch," Hoare said in a cold tone, shattering Draco's fantasy.

  "Merlin... Merlin, I'll go get that half-giant..." Draco said with a quivering voice, releasing his grip on Hoare, nearly colpsing to the ground due to weak knees.

  If Hoare hadn't been quick to catch him, the creature would have beeed by their otion.

  In su unknown situation, Hoare dared not act rashly.

  Suddenly, in a fsh of inspiration, a memory struck Hoare's mind, revealing a se.

  The person crouched over the uni, sug its blood, lifted his head to reveal his face.

  It was Quirrell, who was still lying in the infirmary, driven mad.

  Hoare khis was the inal story's plot.

  But to know that Quirrell had gone mad was something Dumbledore had certified.

  To feign madness under Dumbledore's watchful eye was nearly impossible.

  Hoare wasn't sure if the "person" before him was still Quirrell.

  If it was Quirrell, he could ha.

  But if it wasn't Quirrell, then who could it be?

  Who would go mad and drink the forcibly offered uni blood?

  This was cursed and could never be undone.

  The only mad person Hoare knew of was Voldemort.

  The sound of swallowing, apanied by the metallic st of blood, drifted over, sending shivers down his spine.

  Hoare felt surrounded by the st of blood, and he was remely nauseous, his uen dinner ing in his stomach.

  "Ugh."

  Hoare heard a retg sound and almost thought it was himself.

  But his hand was still c his mouth, so it couldn't be him.

  Hoare turned around.

  Draco was leaning against a tree, the sight was a bit unbearable.

  The sound of something rustling on the grass behind them made it clear that Draco's retg had startled the creature.

  Hoare couldn't worry about anything else, not even Draco's soiled robes, as he grabbed Drad tossed him into a nearby ditch.

  Ohis big guy was stored away, he could let loose.

  He had to strike first, defeating the creature before it could react.

  Hoare estimated that the creature was 0.1 of a Voldemort, with an 80% probability.

  Hoare could have chosen to run, but seeing the uni on the ground, he had other ideas.

  Uni blood was known for its powerful healing aorative properties.

  And this was exactly what the Squib Potion needed!

  But it had to be willingly given by the uni; otherwise, the blood would carry a malevolent curse, leaving the person's body in a half-dead state, with a dark and inplete soul.

  So Hoare po put on a good show and save the uni.

  The sound of wind approached from behind, and Hoare calcuted the distaurning around to cast "Petrificus Totalus" with wandless magic.

  The creature fell to the ground with a thud.

  Its cloak fell away, revealing a familiar face from memory.

  Old acquaintance Quirrell.

  Quirrell's eyes were filled with surprise, astohat someone so young could use wandless magic.

  Then a vicious glint fshed in Quirrell's eyes, filled with murderous i.

  This eleven-year-old child had more talent than he ever did, and leaving him alive would be a disaster.

  Yes, that's right.

  This Quirrell was not Quirrell, or perhaps it was more accurate to say that his body was called Quirrell.

  But the one trolling this body was om Riddle.

  He had another, more widely known name: Voldemort.

  0Niffler0