Chapter 299: Return to the Forbidden Forest, Encounter, and Centaurs
Reluctantly, Aiden lifted the oppressive dream from Bellatrix's tormented mind and carefully cleared away the fabricated traumatic memories, since he still required her services for future operations.
A virtual persona quietly detached itself from his consciousness, slipping away to lurk within her mental landscape like a shadow waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
"Is she completely under our control now?" Astoria asked, watching with professional interest as Aiden completed his psychological manipulation of the infamous Death Eater.
"Not exactly. I need her original, authentic personality to remain intact. Only at the most critical moments will I trigger her complete breakdown," Aiden explained, shaking his head thoughtfully. "Subtle influence is far more valuable than obvious control."
"What a pity. I was genuinely hoping to use her reputation to intimidate those stubborn fools back in Knockturn Alley," Astoria said with obvious regret, already imagining the possibilities.
The two departed the modest house, leaving no trace of their presence behind. Bellatrix slowly opened her eyes to find herself lying on the worn sofa, apparently having suffered through nothing more than a particularly vivid nightmare.
She shivered involuntarily and quietly slipped out into the night, her mind still focused on the vital task of recruiting new followers for her beloved Dark Lord.
Returning from the romantic streets of Paris to the familiar countryside of Britain, Aiden moved with supernatural stealth as he infiltrated the depths of the Forbidden Forest. Among the many dangerous magical creatures that called these ancient woods home, besides the giants and goblins, the third major potential threat was the proud centaur herds.
These creatures possessed both the capability and temperament to incite widespread rebellion, and they might potentially be swayed by Sister Tom's persuasive offers of freedom and revenge.
The giant situation had already been permanently resolved by Aiden's direct intervention, and the goblin populations should theoretically be bound by mandatory contracts and kept under careful surveillance.
Aiden's final target during this clandestine mission was the centaur tribes, and the very thought of dealing with them made his expression darken considerably.
As a race completely obsessed with prophecy and divination, Aiden harboured genuine dislike for their kind. After all, the ancient feud between Spectators and diviners was both well-known and deeply rooted in fundamental philosophical differences about the nature of fate and observation.
Seeing substantial displeasure appear across Aiden's usually composed features, the ever-considerate Astoria moved closer and gently rubbed his face with her soft hands, trying to soothe whatever troubled thoughts were plaguing him.
"What's bothering you so much?" Astoria asked with genuine concern, her voice carrying all the warmth of someone who truly cared.
"You'll understand completely when you meet those insufferable creatures," Aiden replied, forcibly suppressing the growing displeasure in his heart through sheer willpower.
Meanwhile, during Hogwarts' regularly scheduled Quidditch match, Hagrid was attempting to discreetly locate Harry and Hermione without drawing unwanted attention to his mission.
Unfortunately, his massive frame and obvious nervousness caused him to collide with numerous spectators, making him even more conspicuous than if he had simply walked normally through the crowd.
Hagrid waved frantically to Harry and Hermione from across the stands, gesturing for them to approach. Hermione tilted her head in confusion and pointed to herself questioningly.
Hagrid nodded vigorously in confirmation, so Hermione reluctantly pulled the match-obsessed Harry away from the exciting aerial combat and followed the groundskeeper toward the forest's edge.
Hagrid led them both through increasingly dense undergrowth until they reached the heart of the Forbidden Forest, where ancient trees blocked out most of the afternoon sunlight.
"Hagrid, where exactly are you taking us?" Harry called out with growing concern, stumbling slightly over a hidden root.
"Hagrid, what's happened? You seem really worried about something," Hermione added, her analytical mind already trying to piece together the puzzle.
"I didn't want to involve you kids in this mess, but since Dumbledore was forced to leave, I might be expelled from Hogwarts at any moment," Hagrid explained sadly, picking up a wildflower and nervously pulling at its delicate petals. "I just can't bear the thought of leaving him here all alone and defenceless."
"Entrusting this particular individual to young wizards is genuinely far too dangerous for everyone involved," a clear, spring-like youthful voice rang out from the canopy above.
"Aiden!" came three simultaneous exclamations of delight.
Hermione, Hagrid, and Harry looked toward the source of the familiar voice with expressions of pure joy and relief.
Aiden and an unfamiliar girl were casually perched on a sturdy tree branch like a pair of elegant birds, their presence somehow managing to be both surprising and perfectly natural.
Crack, crack. A massive giant suddenly stepped out from behind an enormous tree trunk and reached out with one enormous hand, attempting to grab the two dragons sitting peacefully in the branches above.
Astoria reacted with lightning reflexes, reaching out to catch the giant's approaching palm in her deceptively delicate grip. She leaped gracefully down from the tree and, with a tremendous burst of supernatural strength, threw the startled giant to the forest floor with bone-jarring impact.
Without hesitation, she drew her curved blade from its concealment, clearly intending to send this potential threat directly to whatever afterlife awaited violent giants.
"Whoa, whoa, stop immediately! Please, this is my brother!" Hagrid rushed forward frantically, his face pale with terror at the near-disaster he had witnessed.
"Oh, really? I'm terribly sorry!" Astoria was genuinely stunned for a moment, then quickly hid the deadly blade behind her back and offered an awkward but charming smile of apology.
Aiden also dropped gracefully from the branch and winked meaningfully at Astoria, only to feel a pair of pale little hands wrap around his waist and deliver a sharp, punishing twist.
Aiden's expression remained completely unchanged as he calmly faced the others, giving no sign of the minor domestic violence occurring behind his back.
"Aiden, where have you been all these days? I need to tell you how sorry I am," Harry began, his voice thick with emotion. The guilt of believing he had caused Aiden's exile through his own mistakes had been eating away at him constantly.
"Nothing dramatic has happened to me. I've already sent word to Aunt Molly, so the family knows about my current situation. I've been doing quite well lately, so please don't waste energy worrying about me," Aiden replied with a reassuring wink.
However, several smoking Howlers currently decorating Astoria's office could serve as evidence that Mrs Weasley was anything but calm about her nephew's circumstances.
"What exactly are you doing now? Are you actively evading the Ministry's pursuit?" Trust Hermione to immediately focus on the most important strategic question.
"Not exactly evading anything. We're dealing with magical creatures being actively recruited by Death Eaters for their cause," Astoria explained, finally putting away her curved blade with obvious reluctance.
"You are?" Hermione asked with a slight frown, studying this new arrival carefully.
"Astoria Greengrass," Astoria said warmly, extending her hand for a proper introduction. The moment their skin made contact, Hermione's suppressed memories came flooding back in a rush.
"Astoria, but you... how is this even possible? Why would I have forgotten..." Hermione stammered, somewhat overwhelmed by the sudden return of lost experiences and emotions.
"Calm down, just breathe slowly," Astoria said soothingly, patting Hermione's back while releasing a gentle Beyonder ability to ease her distress.
Astoria guided the confused girl aside to rest and recover, while Harry, Aiden, and Hagrid turned their attention to Hagrid's enormous and rather intimidating giant brother.
"This is Grawp, my little brother," Hagrid explained, beginning to sob with a mixture of joy and sorrow. "I found him when I travelled to the giants' main gathering place for Dumbledore's mission. Our mother passed away some years ago, and Grawp was being constantly bullied by the others because of his relatively small stature. I simply couldn't abandon him there. He would have died from their cruelty."
"We'll do our absolute best to help take care of him," Harry promised earnestly, patting Hagrid's massive arm in what he hoped was a consoling gesture.
Suddenly, the thunderous sound of galloping hooves echoed from deeper within the Forbidden Forest, growing louder with each passing second.
"Those must be the centaurs approaching," Hagrid said grimly, clutching his crossbow with white knuckles. "They've become increasingly dangerous and unpredictable recently. The Ministry has been continuously restricting their ancestral territory, and I think they might be preparing to start an open rebellion against wizard-kind."
"Excellent timing. Now it's our turn to take action," Aiden announced with obvious satisfaction, beckoning to Astoria with practised efficiency.
Before departing, Aiden pulled out a carefully sealed letter and handed it directly to Harry with serious intent. "Make sure you give this to Professor Snape personally. Don't let anyone else see it first."
Astoria immediately moved to follow, and both figures Disapparated with barely a whisper of displaced air. Just before vanishing completely, Astoria managed to wave a cheerful goodbye to the still-recovering Hermione.
"Who exactly was that girl?" Harry asked with obvious curiosity, watching the spot where they had disappeared.
"That's classified information," Hermione replied with a mysterious wink, then led the way back toward the relative safety of Hogwarts castle.
At the centaur settlement deep within the forest's most ancient sections, Aiden materialised with Astoria and prepared to enter the tribal grounds diplomatically. However, a full war party of centaurs burst out from the surrounding undergrowth with weapons drawn, their powerful bows aimed directly at the two unexpected visitors.
"How can there be exactly two people approaching when the prophecies spoke of only one?" A particularly burly centaur stepped forward, his tone filled with genuine confusion and growing suspicion.
Aiden simply opened his heterochromatic eyes and glanced at the speaker with mild annoyance. The dragon's supernatural might washed over all the surrounding centaurs like an invisible tsunami, instantly knocking every single one unconscious where they stood.
Astoria's delicate features also showed clear displeasure at their hostile reception.
"Was that supposed to be an example of their famous prophecy abilities?" Astoria asked with obvious disdain, frowning at the unconscious forms scattered around them like fallen leaves.
"Being constantly watched and analyzed doesn't feel particularly pleasant, does it?" Aiden observed, raising his eyebrows meaningfully at her growing irritation.
"But their prophecies aren't even remotely accurate, are they?" Astoria said, deliberately changing the subject to avoid dwelling on uncomfortable implications.
"They can no longer sense my true nature or predict my actions," Aiden explained patiently. "My current physical form is composed entirely of woven dreams and illusions, and the constantly shifting tides of the collective unconscious sea make it nearly impossible for anyone to locate my authentic essence."
"So in order to avoid being locked onto by prophecy magic, I would need to reach your current level of advancement?" Astoria asked, feeling somewhat frantic at the implications.
"Mm-hmm," Aiden hummed in confirmation, then took the lead as they entered the centaur tribal grounds.
Inside the settlement, two distinct factions of centaurs were engaged in a tense confrontation that threatened to erupt into violence at any moment.
One faction was led by the aggressive Bane. They had already equipped themselves with battle armour and war bows, clearly prepared to march out and engage in glorious combat against their wizard oppressors.
The opposing faction was led by the more moderate Ronan. These centaurs remained deliberately unarmed, their stance peaceful but determined.
From their expressions and the emotional ripples flowing through the collective unconscious sea, Aiden quickly learnt that Ronan's group was desperately trying to prevent their hot-headed kinsmen from launching a suicidal war against the vastly more numerous and technologically advanced wizard population.
The stage was set for either diplomacy or devastating conflict, and the outcome would depend entirely on how skilfully Aiden could navigate the complex web of centaur pride, prophecy, and political ambition.