Leonard's eyes darkened as he studied the plain-looking box of chocolates. He didn't even have to open it to catch the bittersweet scent of cocoa mixed with something faint and unusual. A potion. That was the smell.
A silver gleam flashed through his eyes as he shifted into Magical Sight. What looked like ordinary chocolate now revealed a swirling reaction of potion. As the moments passed, the reaction grew slightly stronger.
"So it really is a potion," Leonard said. The corners of his mouth lifted, but there was no real smile in his eyes. "A potion hidden in chocolate, growing stronger with time. Is it a Love Potion?"
Most potions weaken as time wears on, their effects fading away. Love potions are the exception—the longer they sit, the more potent they become.
Padma probably thought things between them hadn't made any real progress, or maybe she lacked confidence and turned to something external. Leonard hated that. A love potion was basically a short-term Imperius Curse, forcing the drinker to fall for someone. It was vile.
He put away the other gifts, but wrapped this one with a Mending Charm, planning to send it back when he had the chance.
He wasn't about to waste time stewing over tampered chocolate. If he had free time, he'd rather check on the little Unicorn.
He headed to the kitchen again. Since the Christmas feast had just been prepared, the house-elves hadn't made any new desserts—only some cookies and bread remained. Leonard didn't mind. Under the house-elves' puzzled stares, he packed plenty of bread and cookies before leaving.
Outside, the courtyard bustled with students playing in the heavy snow. To avoid being noticed, Leonard cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself, then followed the snow-cleared path Filch had left on his way toward the Forbidden Forest.
By the time he neared the forest, the path was buried again. Leonard trudged through the snow, each step sinking unevenly. Cold seeped into his shoes as snow slipped inside, and he frowned at the icy sting.
Thankfully, he didn't have to go far into the woods before a unicorn appeared, lingering nearby. With its help, he quickly made it to the botanical garden.
Even in a snowstorm, the botanical garden looked like spring. Evergreen or not, every plant thrived freely, strengthened by materials taken from fire dragons. The unicorns lived comfortably in this warm haven.
The mild temperature kept the grass fresh and green, so food was never a concern for them. If they didn't wander out from time to time, Leonard might've felt he was keeping them in captivity.
When they saw him, the unicorns trotted over to greet him, sniffing around to find the source of the scent he carried. The little Unicorn was the fastest, bounding around with the most energy. The others naturally made space, letting the young one approach him.
Seeing the carefree, bouncing little Unicorn made Leonard's chest tighten. Its magic still hadn't stabilized. Whatever that potion had been, it was still working silently, changing something.
As the little Unicorn nudged him for food, Leonard let out a quiet sigh. He pulled the bread and cookies from his pockets and handed them out to the unicorns.
While they happily crunched away, Leonard kept his eyes on the small one, gently stroking its head again and again.
For the next few days, Leonard stopped by the botanical garden daily to check on it. Under Magical Sight, he saw subtle changes in the little Unicorn's magical state each day. The pattern felt strangely familiar, yet he couldn't remember where he'd seen it before.
Troubled by the thought, Leonard threw himself into the library. From potion manuals to history books, he read everything that might have the slightest link to ancient magic or old potions.
He found nothing. Not a single text mentioned ancient magic, and that mysterious potion left no trail at all.
Throughout history, no one has ever possessed Leonard's magical vision, nor could anyone possibly match his methods for identifying potions. Therefore, attempting to find potions based solely on what his magical vision revealed was little more than wishful thinking.
This inevitably made Leonard worry about the little unicorn's condition. He had no way of knowing what would become of it as its magic continued to shift.
The thought weighed on him. Every time he visited the little Unicorn, he brought piles of sweet treats, hoping they would at least make it happy. The little Unicorn, unaware of Leonard's worries, only knew that his visits meant delicious food.
The warm scent of grains, honey, and milk had completely won it over. It had lost all interest in dried fruit and hay and now ate almost nothing but sweets.
Feeling both anxious and guilty, Leonard spoiled the little Unicorn without hesitation, bringing something different every day. Sometimes it was cream cookies, sometimes honey-glazed cakes, or fruity candies, and of course the maple pancakes he'd first introduced it to.
The pancakes remained its favorite. Whenever it tasted the fluffy cakes, it would happily stomp its hooves as it finished them, not even leaving a drop of syrup behind.
Time slipped by quietly, and the little Unicorn's magical changes grew more intense. Compared to the beginning, its magic barely resembled what it once had been.
Christmas break was almost over, and the professors were slowly returning to the school.
That day, after finishing his homework and finding nothing useful in the books he consulted, Leonard headed for the kitchen.
The little unicorn's final transformation was likely imminent. Whether it would live or die would soon become clear. The thought made Leonard's heart grow heavier. He truly cared for that lively, adorable, innocent little creature.
Under the complicated looks of the house-elves, Leonard gathered a large number of sweets again and made his way toward the Forbidden Forest.
Snow had fallen for days without stopping, leaving even the area near the botanical garden without much food. Even if he didn't worry about the adult unicorns, he had to make sure his little Unicorn was fed, so he brought even more than usual.
This time he had brought its favorite pancakes, hoping they would cheer it up.
But something was off. As Leonard neared the forest's edge, he didn't see the unicorn that usually came to meet him.
"Strange," he said, glancing around the trees with his arms full of sweets. "Why isn't the unicorn here to meet me today?"
He had grown used to the daily pickup. Suddenly losing his usual ride made him feel unexpectedly uneasy.