Harry and Ron's screams had faded into the distance long before I crossed the boundary of the forest.
By the time I reached the lawn, the spiders no longer gave chase.
Good.
Let Aragog keep his brood tight and his temper tighter—if Harry and Ron ever stepped into that forest again, even Hagrid's scent wouldn't save them.
With their little "investigation" handled, I could finally get back to meaningful work.
Work that mattered.
Back to dealing with the infestation before it spilled over into Hogwarts threatening the school.
Tonight's victory had weakened one of the final major colonies, even giving the great Aragog pause to consider his next actions very carefully.
Soon, the entire northern stretch would be cleansed.
But that alone wasn't enough.
Spiders were certainly XXXXX monsters of disasterous preportions, but thats when dealing with them as a swarm, if you considered just Aragog himself, then at best he'd be rank XXXX.
But the forbidden forest was long a habitat for magical creatures, Hagrid simply brought in some new ones, but he wasnt the only one.
Newt Scmander likewise a lover of all creatures had spent his time filling the forest with all manner of monsters that would carve out territory and make a home in the ancient depths.
The most dangerous and violent taking the center core territory for their own while the weaker ones took up territories closer to the edge save for a few with outsider blessings such as the spiders using Hagrid favor who negotiated with the Centaurs on their behalf.
For Cassius as a year two student leading year 1-3 subordinates, the outer rim was the deepest he was willing to go, but in doing so he could carve out a territory of his own, a region of the forest close enough for him to visit but also safe enough for a infant or adolescent true dragon to reside once Serepha hatched from her cocoon of evolution.
Thankfully the residents of the outerrim nearest hogwarts were fairly docile leaving the spiders themselves apart.
Centaurs, and Unicorns were the most common resident of this region.
Centaurs being intelligent half-breeds, appearing half man, half horse.
But dare to call one a half-breed to his face and you'll likely find an arrow lodge in your own a moment later.
Unicorns not having a large population and generally avoiding humans due to fear of their insatiable greed.
Occasionally Werewolves would also be seen, followed by Thestrals, Trolls, and Hippogriffs in the deep Rim.
(Inner outer rim)
Having decided to take a more casual strolla round the forest during the daytime, i alighted from the castle seeing as it was a weekend slipping out from under the teachers vigilant gazes.
Moving down the steep hill heading for the forest, delighting in the smell of spring morning dew tickling my nose as i got closer to the forest and the stench of darkness that came with it.
That was when the whisper came.
"You're walking too heavy-footed."
I didn't jump, but only because I'd trained myself not to.
A pale girl stepped out from behind a willow trunk as though she'd been waiting there for hours.
Dirty-blonde hair.
Wide silver-gray eyes.
A necklace of corks.
And an expression of dreamy confidence that no sane person should've worn while standing alone in the Forbidden Forest at sunrise.
"Luna."
She beamed.
"Cassius."
I narrowed my eyes.
"Why are you here?"
"I'm always here," she said simply, gesturing to the trees. "They like me. And I like them. But today…"
She stepped closer, voice dropping in conspiratorial excitement.
"…today I followed you."
"…Why?"
"Oh." She tilted her head. "No reason, your head was full of nargles last time, so i felt i needed to come and try to help you out."
I blinked. "That didn't answer my question."
Luna just smiled.
Infuriating girl.
"So," she added, hands behind her back, "I had a thought."
"Should I be concerned?"
"Mmm… possibly."
"…Alright then. What thought?"
She pointed deeper into the forest.
"I challenge you."
My brows rose. "Challenge me to what?"
"To see which of us can find and tame a unicorn first."
She said it as if she were inviting me to tea.
"…Tame?" I echoed. "You understand that unicorns are dangerous, yes? And proud? And extremely selective about who they allow near them?"
Her expression grew mischievous. "That's why it's a challenge, Cassius."
I crossed my arms. "And what exactly is the wager?"
"You." She pointed to me."Or me."
She pressed her fingers to her chest. "Whoever loses belongs to the other."
I stared at her.
She stared back, completely serene.
"…You're serious."
"Very."
"…Why?"
"Because you're interesting," she answered lightly. "And you do things no one else does. And I want to see what else you get up to, so best way to do that is stick by your side!"
There were moments—very rare ones—when I genuinely wondered if Luna Lovegood was insane...or if she was the most perceptive person in the entire school.
"Fine," I said finally. "If you lose, you join me in Draconis."
"And if you lose," she said, voice soft and airy, "you obey me."
We shook on it.
Her grip was surprisingly warm.
"Lead on, Cassius," she said. "You're the one trying to make friends with the forest. I'm only here to watch."
"Watch…?"
"Oh yes," she said with a small skip in her step. "I've always wanted to see a unicorn up close. And I think watching you earn its trust will be beautiful."
I wasn't sure whether to feel flattered or wary.
Probably both.
She had just declared a challenge and then immediately after basically stated she wasnt going to compete only watch.
We moved northwest, where the ground softened into moss and the air hummed lightly—as if charged with innocence itself.
Luna kept pace beside me effortlessly, humming a tune with no recognizable melody.
"You've been fighting the spiders," she stated, not asked.
"Yes." No point lying to Luna.
She was most likely a Legilimens, one who had the ability to sense the feelings of others rather than being like dumbledore and capable of reading their minds.
"They're afraid of you."
"They should be."
That seemed to end the conversation there but still she happily bounded after me like a bunny as i headed deeper and deeper into the forest, leaving the spider regions for the night assaults and instead going for greener pastures.
The pair of us passed a flock of thestrals, witnessed centaurs in the distance scouting us out before deciding we posed no danger and moving on.