Noah slipped past Hagrid's hut, heading toward the Forbidden Forest.
At the forest's edge, light still managed to filter through the tops of the smaller trees. But only a few meters inside, it quickly began to fade, swallowed by shadow.
"Let's make some preparations before moving on."
He stopped and sat by a large tree.
With a tap of his wand, his clothes shifted into black garments. Gloves covered his hands, and not a single patch of skin remained visible.
From the inner pocket of his shirt, he pulled a small object.
"Engorgio," he whispered, and the item swelled into its true form—a mask.
Once he slid it on, Noah was ready. When he moved again, he was like a living shadow gliding through the forest gloom.
Though sunlight no longer lit the woods fully, it wasn't dark enough to rob him of sight. He didn't need to conjure a light—something that would only act as a beacon to every monster nearby.
As he advanced, Noah memorized landmarks, using his entry point as reference. That way, he could move faster on later expeditions.
He didn't expect to find what he sought on the first attempt. From the castle towers, he had seen the forest's vastness. It stretched so far he could never glimpse its end—a world unto itself, built of giant trees and hidden dangers.
A perfect place for secrets. A perfect place for refuge.
His pace was swift, and in minutes, he was deep within the forest, with nothing but trees and darkness surrounding him.
The forest was silent. Too silent. And somehow, that silence was the scariest thing of all.
"At least it's peaceful so far…" Noah immediately regretted the words. It felt like raising a massive red flag.
The next moment, he had to spin sharply.
"Damn it."
An attack came out of nowhere, forcing him to drop flat to the ground. Even then, more followed in rapid succession. Rolling across the dirt, he dodged four more strikes before leaping up, his weight shifted by magic to create distance. Only then did he see his attackers.
Spiders. Damn spiders.
At least twenty of them encircled him within a twenty-meter radius. The smallest was the size of a dog, the largest the size of a cow. And in the distance, more were approaching.
He felt a tingle of danger at his back, spun, and blasted three away with a swing of his wand.
He didn't stop. Another sweep, more spiders thrown aside, some legs snapping. His movements were fast, precise. Each strike bought him a heartbeat more.
But he refused to use fire. His deadliest weapon, held back for two reasons:
First, he didn't actually want to kill the spiders. He hadn't come tonight to massacre the forest's creatures—only to explore, if possible, peacefully.
Second, fire in this darkness would be a flare visible to every monster for miles. Once discovered, he would lose the chance to roam unseen.
He doubted his presence would be welcome.
"Shit." Noah stopped abruptly. Something didn't add up. The spiders attacking him were progressively smaller—reckless ones. The largest only watched from a safe distance.
Too deliberate to be coincidence.
"I need to get out. I've been careless."
He bolted, body lightened to boost speed, intent on reaching the forest's edge. This attempt was lost—he couldn't take another step without running into trouble.
But as he searched his memory for bearings, he realized the densest cluster of spiders had gathered precisely on the path he needed to escape. Almost as if they knew.
Noah's brow furrowed, but danger spiked again—he had to twist aside.
This time, it wasn't a spider's strike. A arrow buried itself where he'd just stood.
He raised his head. On a dirt rise stood a centaur, glaring down at him. Rage burned in his eyes.
Noah opened his mouth, but froze as more emerged beside him. Soon, more than a dozen centaurs had bows drawn, arrows ready.
Noah tightened his grip on his wand. His mind raced through possibilities.
"Surrender, and I may show mercy," the first centaur ordered.
"May I ask how I've offended you?" Noah asked coolly, glancing between the spiders behind him and the centaurs ahead.
"Surrender, hateful creature," the centaur bellowed. "Your sins are the worst of all."
Noah frowned. Sins? Hateful creature? He was baffled.
"What sins? I don't recall ever wronging you."
The answer was a volley of twelve arrows. Enough to terrify a young wizard.
But Noah was no ordinary boy. The arrows froze in midair, spun, and turned back toward the centaurs. He didn't release them—only held them there, trembling, ready to fire.
"Not exactly calm, are you?" he said evenly. "I don't know who you've mistaken me for, but this is my first time here."
"Shut your mouth, despicable demon," a younger centaur snarled.
Noah tilted his head. The suspended arrows shuddered, then multiplied. Again. And again.
In seconds, twelve became over fifty—each hovering, aimed at the centaurs.
"Shall I?" Noah asked, voice edged with irony, though the mask warped it into a deep, distant rasp.
"For your ignorance, I'll assume you don't know who is truly behind the attacks," he said.
"Of course we know. It's you," the younger centaur spat.
"Silence," the elder commanded, stepping forward. His eyes fixed on the figure cloaked in black, composed even while holding dozens of arrows aloft.
A distortion hung around Noah, warping his outline, making his true size impossible to gauge.
The centaur's gaze climbed, and froze.
The mask.
Carved like black stone, raw and imposing, as if ripped from an ancient mountain's core. Jagged fissures ran across its surface—not flaws, but cracks glowing with spectral darkness, like shadows struggling to escape into the world.
No mouth. No ornament. Only two eye slits, sharp and predatory. Through them, no iris, no pupil—only emptiness.
Hollow. Lifeless.
It was like staring into an abyss, a void that swallowed the observer whole.
Fear. A primal fear made the centaur stumble back. This thing must die, he thought—but the words caught in his throat.
"Surrender!" the younger centaur shouted, unable to hold silence.
"Fools," Noah sighed. "But I'll tell you who's behind the attacks. It might spare you some suffering if you ever cross him."
"If you encounter the one responsible… run. That's my apology to you."
"Apology?" a centaur echoed, confused.
Noah didn't wait. The arrows shot forward like lightning. The centaurs reeled, scrambling to react. But Noah was already moving.
He dashed straight toward the spiders. Without the great spider among them, he only faced dozens—hundreds—of cow-sized horrors. As he neared, he swung his wand in a circle.
A storm of black fire erupted, swirling around him before sweeping forward.
Spiders shrieked, writhing in agony as flames devoured them. Leaves, trunks, everything before him turned to ash. A pocket inferno blazed in the forest's heart.
But there were too many. And the centaurs were right behind him.
"Damn it."
He exhaled, decision made.
His mind sank into calm. Emotions drained away.
A single firm step sent veins of fire racing across the ground, erupting in explosions.
Black fire cloaked him, hiding his form. Then it spread outward—ten meters, a hundred, a full kilometer.
The dark forest was consumed by living flame, intent on devouring all.
"The one who attacked the unicorns is none other than Voldemort."
His voice carried through the fire, reaching the centaurs, making them shudder.
They did not pursue. They could not—no one could walk through those flames.
"Focus on extinguishing it," the elder commanded. If they did nothing, the forest would burn.
But before they could act, every flame vanished.
"He is… not our enemy," one whispered.
Noah emerged near Hagrid's hut, still inside the forest, mask on, exhausted. He slumped against a tree, sliding down its trunk.
"Bloody centaurs and spiders," he cursed, breath ragged.
Thinking back on the clash, he realized how much he still had to improve.
His life hadn't truly been in danger—this time. But if he'd been deeper in, or slower to notice the trap, it might have ended differently.
And these had only been spiders and centaurs. Troublesome, yes, but manageable—especially with fire. If the great spider had been present, fleeing would've been far harder. And if stronger creatures, resistant to magic or deadlier in attack, had joined in… the challenge would have been brutal.
This was his first real fight. Not perfect—but acceptable.
"Killing is far easier than holding back," he chuckled.
If he hadn't cared about keeping a friendly status, he could have reduced the forest to ashes.
Sighing, he changed back into his regular clothes, shrank the mask, and tucked it away. Normal once more, he left the forest.
"I still need to figure out how they found me."
That mystery gnawed at him. Only by solving it could he be more careful next time. Because despite tonight's chaos, he had no intention of stopping. If anything, he was even more excited.
That damned snake-face turned this place into a hunting ground of fear. If I run into him, I'll kick his scaly ass all the way to Azkaban.
The thought amused him, his spirits lifting.
Careful not to be spotted leaving, Noah slipped back toward the castle. When he found other students, he blended in easily, as though he had simply returned from a stroll along the lake.