Silver Tracks and Black Shadows
Harry and the group, with Sirius leading the way, ran out of the castle without looking back, but stopped right at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. The line of dark, twisted trees looked like a boundary between the real world and something entirely different.
"We're going… into the Forbidden Forest?" Hermione asked, clearly nervous.
"We have to find him," Daphne said firmly. Although Red was a small, rather wild dragon, the creatures that lived in the forest could seriously hurt him… or worse.
"Shouldn't we tell Wanda or my mother?" Draco suggested, glancing back at the castle as if expecting one of them to appear at any moment.
"We should've done that the moment we saw him run off… we rushed it," Harry admitted calmly, not letting remorse take over.
"It's fine. I'm with you," Sirius said, with a carefree smile that clashed with the tension of the moment. "I entered this forest countless times when I was a student. Dumbledore always makes it sound more dangerous than it really is. Only a few creatures, like the Acromantulas, are truly lethal. Hagrid makes sure the most dangerous ones stay away… at least from the nearby areas."
"Are you sure, godfather?" Harry asked, eyeing him with distrust.
"Of course. We used to explore it with your father when Remus transformed. I know this forest better than my own pockets. As long as you stick close to me, you'll be fine."
Without further discussion, Sirius stepped confidently into the trees. Harry followed after a brief hesitation, and the others did the same, wands at the ready just in case.
Inside the forest, a constant gloom hung in the air, even during the day. The air was thick, and the branches seemed to whisper among themselves. Harry took the lead, searching for signs of Red. He soon found clear evidence: broken branches, claw marks… and scorched bark.
"We're going to get into so much trouble," Hermione muttered, more to herself than to the others. "Aunt Wanda and Draco's mother are arguing with the headmaster for wanting to send us here… and here we are, walking in voluntarily. I'd rather take a regular school punishment."
"Don't worry, Hermione. If anyone gets in trouble, it'll be Sirius," Daphne said with a reassuring smile, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"That's… surprisingly true," Draco added thoughtfully.
"Ahem… I can hear you, you know?" Sirius called from up ahead, raising an eyebrow without stopping.
"I think I found something," Harry announced, crouching next to an exposed root. A silvery shimmer stood out against the damp earth.
Sirius quickly approached, and upon seeing the liquid, his expression turned serious. "This is… unicorn blood."
Silence fell instantly.
"Do you think Red…?" Sirius asked, his voice low and tense.
"I don't think so… but he's clumsy enough that it could've happened by accident," Harry murmured, worried. He knew well the curse that hung over unicorn blood: it prolonged life… at a terrible price.
Sirius pulled out his wand and brought it to his lips. "Appare Vestigium."
A puff of golden dust emerged from his wand and dispersed into the air. Soon, a glowing figure appeared: Red's ethereal form crossing the clearing. He stopped next to the bloodstain, sniffed it… and then ran to the side with a fierce expression.
"Let's go," Sirius said immediately, breaking into a run after the projection.
The others followed at full speed.
They ran for what felt like endless minutes until they finally found him. Red was sitting beside a fallen unicorn, breathing heavily. His sides were covered in deep wounds, and his white coat no longer shone as it once had.
"Red…" Harry murmured, approaching carefully. The little dragon didn't react aggressively. He only swayed his tail slowly, eyes fixed on the unicorn.
Harry then noticed something else: black blood stains on a nearby tree's bark… and a severed human arm.
Without wasting time, he knelt down and pulled a small pouch from his robe. From it, he swiftly extracted vials and potions.
"Godfather, use the spell again. I want to see what happened here," Harry requested, not taking his eyes off the unicorn. He was already pouring potions onto the wounds and giving others directly into its mouth.
"Easy, friend. I'll save you."
Sirius nodded and repeated the enchantment.
This time, the vision was more intense: a hooded creature was drinking the unicorn's blood while it was still alive. Red suddenly appeared, lunging at it and biting its arm. The creature screamed, pulled out a wand, and tried to cast a spell, pushing the dragon away. Red dodged, zigzagging like a living arrow, and leapt back into the attack. With one bite, he tore off the arm. Just as he was about to continue, a centaur appeared on the scene. The creature fled immediately upon seeing him. The centaur observed Red for a second, didn't interfere, and then vanished among the trees.
When the projection ended, everyone remained silent.
"…I think we owe Red an apology," Daphne said, surprised.
"That bite was impressive. He's really more dangerous than he looks," Draco muttered, still astonished.
"Can you save him, Harry?" Hermione asked, approaching the unicorn. It was just a baby… perhaps only a few months old.
"Yes," Harry replied with full determination. He continued applying potions, and though the wounds began to close, the process was far too slow. Every so often, he gave it another dose straight into the mouth to keep it alive.
After several minutes of steady work, the wounds finally stopped bleeding. The unicorn was still breathing weakly, but no longer on the verge of death. Even so, it would be left with terrible scars.
It was then that a light appeared between the trees.
"What are yeh doin' here?" boomed a deep voice.
They all turned instantly. It was Hagrid, wearing his usual leather coat and wearing an expression somewhere between confusion and alarm. His eyes immediately landed on the wounded unicorn.
"No… no, no, no. Yeh can't hurt the unicorns! Their parents'll go mad… By Merlin!"
"Hagrid," Sirius intervened quickly. "Harry saved him. We got there late, but he healed him."
"Did he? Oh… sorry, I panicked," said the half-giant, placing a hand on his chest in relief.
"He needs a safe place to recover," Harry pointed out, still kneeling beside the creature.
"I'll take him to my cabin. Don't worry. I'll return him to his parents afterward. They're… complicated, even if they're peaceful beasts. When they see one of their own wounded..."
"Then we'll leave him in your hands," said Harry with a sigh.
"Time to head back," added Sirius, glancing around uneasily. "I don't want their mothers chasing me for this."
Everyone nodded. They began walking back, with Hagrid carefully carrying the unicorn in his arms.
Red walked beside Harry with a triumphant air, as if he had just saved the world… or at least his new companion.
Harry glanced at him sideways, unsure whether to feel proud… or worried.
Sometimes Red was a complete disaster. But other times… he was simply a hero disguised as chaos.
…
Meanwhile, high atop the headmaster's tower, the atmosphere was cold—almost unnaturally so. Dumbledore remained seated with his hands folded before two women who showed no intention of hiding their disdain.
Narcissa Malfoy sat with her legs crossed, chin held high and a frosty gaze, like a noblewoman ready to pass judgment. Across from her, Wanda Maximoff appeared distant—though that wasn't entirely accurate. Her scarlet eyes, still glowing with arcane power, were fixed on one of the walls, as if she were gazing beyond the very stone itself. The portraits of former headmasters hanging in that direction visibly trembled, many of them huddled together with expressions of pure terror.
"Fuuu… This discussion is pointless," Wanda finally murmured, letting out a sigh filled with annoyance. Her voice was soft, but the air around her vibrated with restrained tension.
She rose calmly and approached Narcissa, whispering something into her ear.
Narcissa raised an eyebrow, gave a slight nod, and stood with lethal elegance. Her eyes, sharp as daggers, locked onto the headmaster.
"Dumbledore, let's put an end to this charade," she said clearly, with not a trace of emotion. "If you ever endanger our children again, I'll use all the power of the Malfoy family to have you removed from this post… and I'm certain the Greengrass, Potter, and Black families will stand with me."
Dumbledore looked at her with his usual calm, though his fingers tensed ever so slightly. "I would never put a student in danger, Mrs. Malfoy. You may rest assured."
Wanda cast him one final fleeting glance—devoid of any cordiality—before leaving the office without another word.
Narcissa called softly, "Dobby."
The small elf appeared with a light pop.
"Take that dragon to the farm. And make sure they keep it away from anything flammable."
"Yes, ma'am," said Dobby with a bow before vanishing with another soft pop.
"Aren't you going to use the Floo Network?" asked McGonagall from the corner, where she had remained silent like a sphinx throughout the entire meeting.
"We'll say goodbye to our children… and catch a mangy dog," Narcissa replied with utter seriousness, then turned and followed Wanda without further explanation.
…
On the other side of the castle, the group had just emerged from the forest. They accompanied Hagrid to his hut, where they laid the young unicorn on a large bed of straw. Though still weak, it was breathing more steadily.
"Sorry about the dragon mess… I spoke with Dumbledore. He's a great man. Don't worry. It's a shame I didn't even get to see him," said Hagrid sadly, trying to hold back tears.
"Don't worry, Hagrid," Draco replied calmly. "I asked my mum to send him to a farm. Maybe you can visit him when you have time."
"Thank you…" Hagrid murmured, touched.
"Well, we'd better head back before your mothers find out," said Sirius with a hurried smile, urging the group to move.
Everyone nodded.
But as soon as they opened the door… they froze on the spot.
Two women were waiting for them outside: Narcissa Malfoy and Wanda Maximoff.
Both with arms crossed. Both with expressions that could make a basilisk tremble.
Sirius swallowed. "Ah… well… we were just visiting Hagrid. Good friend, by the way. Do you know him? He's the groundskeeper… very kind man..."
Harry, Hermione, Draco, and Daphne exchanged looks as if they were victims of a full-body Bind Curse.
"It's your first day as a responsible adult… and it already seems too much for you, dear cousin," said Narcissa, her tone as cold as a winter storm. "Perhaps we should request you be reassigned to bathroom duty while we decide which of us should take your place on the school board."
"Wait… let me explain…" Sirius began, but his voice sounded like a man recalling war trauma.
"Maybe Lockhart wants a partner," added Wanda, folding her arms without taking her eyes off him.
Sirius turned pale.
Harry sighed. He couldn't let his godfather die here and now, a victim of his loyalty.
"Mom, it was our fault," Harry said seriously, stepping forward. "Red escaped. He went into the forest and encountered something. He saved a unicorn. We asked my godfather to guide us… he knows the forest."
Wanda looked down at her son. Her green eyes were serious. "You're not off the hook either. Especially with Professor Flitwick," she said firmly.
Harry fell silent… and slowly turned his head toward Sirius, giving him a look that said: I tried, godfather. I really tried.
Draco, for his part, received an equally sharp look from his mother. He didn't say a word. He just swallowed hard.
"Go and accept whatever punishment Professor Flitwick decides. We've given him permission to increase it as much as he sees fit," Narcissa declared.
Without resisting, the four nodded… and bolted toward the castle as if their lives depended on it. And they probably did.
Meanwhile, Sirius was left alone. Or rather, at the mercy of two powerful, furious, and determined women.
He maintained a tense smile.
"I spent years in Azkaban. I can handle anything…" he thought.
Then, just behind him, a soft throat-clearing was heard. The half-giant was also trying to sneak back into his cabin. But it was too late.
Wanda and Narcissa's gazes shifted to Hagrid.
Sirius sighed in relief. At least he wouldn't suffer alone.