"I am also very happy to see you," Firenze nodded toward Harry and Dudley, then glanced at Ron and Hermione, who had hung back, not daring to approach.
"Did you come to find us for something?" Dudley asked directly.
Firenze did not answer immediately but instead looked up at the starry sky. The cold moonlight shone down, making his hair appear translucent and crystal clear, as if emitting a silvery-white light.
"The celestial signs are in complete disarray," Firenze said.
Harry and Dudley exchanged glances. They remembered that when Firenze first appeared, he had said that Harry's celestial signs were in chaos and becoming more and more chaotic.
"Does this predict anything?" Harry tried to ask.
Firenze shook his head. "I'm not sure either, Harry. Your fate can no longer be seen clearly. I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing. My people tried to interpret it, but unfortunately, they all failed, and some were injured because of it."
"Originally, I didn't plan to look for you. I was just taking a walk in the Forbidden Forest at night, thinking about some things, and unknowingly walked here, and then you appeared," Firenze said, looking at Dudley and Harry.
"Isn't this also a kind of guidance from fate?" Dudley said with a light laugh.
"You're right, so I didn't rush to leave but waited for your appearance," Firenze said.
After he finished speaking, everyone fell into silence for a while. Obviously, Firenze had not come specifically to find them, so he didn't have anything he wanted to tell Harry, just repeating what he had said last time.
As for Firenze's claim that Harry's celestial signs could no longer be divined, Dudley had actually known the reason for a long time. That was his appearance. The chaos in Harry's celestial signs had started shortly after his birthday, which also happened to coincide with the time of his return. As for why Harry's fate could no longer be predicted, it was entirely due to Dudley's Beyonder status.
At Dudley's level, divination was difficult to have an effect on him, and he even had some anti-divination effects. The centaurs' observation of celestial signs was actually a form of divination, and the object of their divination, Harry, had too close a relationship with Dudley. This meant that when they were prying into Harry's fate, they were also intentionally or unintentionally prying into Dudley's fate, which was not allowed.
This was why Harry's fate could not be divined. In fact, if the centaurs were willing to try more, they would find that the fates of many people around Dudley would also be in some chaos, and the closer the relationship with Dudley, the more obvious this chaos would become.
"I should go back now. Be careful," Firenze said, then turned to return to the Forbidden Forest.
"Wait," Dudley stopped him.
"Is there anything else?" Firenze looked at Dudley.
"I wanted to ask, is there any area in the Forbidden Forest where a fire dragon can be raised?" Dudley asked.
Since he had met a centaur living in the Forbidden Forest, it was better to ask Firenze directly. When Norbert hatched, he could be taken to live in the Forbidden Forest.
"A fire dragon?" Firenze's gaze slightly tightened. "What do you mean?"
"Well, there's a Norwegian Ridgeback that might need to be raised in the Forbidden Forest after a while. I was wondering if there's a suitable place, preferably near a water source, so it doesn't burn down the forest," Dudley said.
Harry and the others looked at Dudley in shock. Should they really tell the centaurs about this? Probably no one would agree!
"With all due respect, the Forbidden Forest is not suitable for raising a fire dragon. Dragons are too violent and almost impossible to tame. The centaurs will not agree to raise a fire dragon in the Forbidden Forest," Firenze said directly.
"Firenze, you also know that darkness is coming. In such a situation, if there was a tamable Norwegian Ridgeback living in the Forbidden Forest, wouldn't you, and even Hogwarts, be safer? I can assure you that if that Norwegian Ridgeback is difficult to tame, we will immediately send it away and not bring disaster to the Forbidden Forest."
Firenze looked at Dudley seriously, confirming whether what Dudley said was true and not some fairy tale.
After Dudley finished speaking, he fumbled in his pocket. He had come out in a hurry today and hadn't brought anything, making it difficult to discreetly activate the Briber's ability.
It seems I need to carry some small things with me in the future, Dudley thought to himself.
But just then, Dudley felt something hard in his pocket. It was a whistle. He had put it in his pocket during Christmas and forgotten to take it out.
"This whistle is for you. If you find a place, you can blow the whistle at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, and I'll have Hagrid notify me," Dudley said while walking toward the centaur.
Firenze glanced at the whistle Dudley handed him but did not take it. "I don't think there is room for negotiation on this matter. Fire dragons are not welcome in the Forbidden Forest. Sorry," Firenze refused again.
Dudley's gaze flickered slightly. He couldn't just throw the whistle at him. Although that could activate the Briber's ability, such an obviously abnormal action would surely make the centaur realize something was wrong later on.
"Harry's fate can no longer be pried into, which means that the fate of the wizarding world has undergone a great change." Given Harry's identity as the Boy Who Lived, his fate could, to some extent, predict the fate of the wizarding world. This was also why the centaurs had always paid attention to Harry's fate.
"In the current situation, shouldn't we take fate into our own hands? The chaos in the celestial signs might not be absolute chaos. It has given us the right to choose. The right to take fate into our own hands."
"Chaos represents infinite possibilities, and order is hidden beneath chaos. Accept it, and you might see another side of fate," Dudley said, once again offering the whistle in his hand.
"Chaos is a ladder. Order also has its shadows!"
Firenze looked into Dudley's eyes, his mind constantly replaying Dudley's words. As if possessed, he stretched out his hand and took the whistle from Dudley's hand.
"Heaven's will cannot be defied, but now, Heaven's will is no longer present," Dudley smiled and looked up at the starry sky above the Forbidden Forest. The bright stars twinkled in the cold night, emitting a warm light that made one feel as if the entire sky belonged to them.
"You've convinced me." Firenze took a deep look at Dudley, put away the whistle, and turned to walk into the depths of the Forbidden Forest.