Chapter 53: Little Annie's Forbidden Forest Adventure (Part 2)

“Huh? It looks like there’s something going on, hmm!”

Annie gave a cold snort and, with a sudden turn, jumped lightly and ungraciously from the silver back of the unicorn, Anna, landing steadily on the grass.

Annie was very unhappy right now! Why was it always like this? Why did some death-defying things always have to come and provoke her just when she was having fun? Did they think she wouldn't find them just because they were hiding in the woods? How ignorant—a bunch of stupid things!

She had been playing with Anna for a long time; running freely through the Forbidden Forest was a very novel experience for Annie. After their bout of madness, they had originally intended to rest on this relatively flat patch of grass for a while. But who could have guessed that shortly after they stood on the grass, a group of four-legged monsters would emerge from the dark, dense forest to surround them?

However, Annie was not afraid. She merely frowned, looking with great distaste at the creatures slowly emerging from the shadows.

Were they Centaurs? Oh, no, that wasn't right—should they be called Man-Horses? What were they trying to do? Was it a robbery? Or a kidnapping? If so, they had definitely picked the wrong target!

“Human little girl, the Forbidden Forest does not welcome you. I advise you to leave our forest immediately.” After a group of Centaurs surrounded Annie and the unicorn Anna, a leading Centaur stamped his forehooves heavily on the grass twice, trotted forward a couple of steps, and drew his bow, aiming an arrow threateningly at Annie.

In the wizarding world, Centaurs are a very proud and stubborn magical species. They hold themselves in high regard and look down on humans. According to records, long ago, Centaurs seemed to have fought wars with wizards, though the final outcome was quite comical.

At that time, the Centaurs, who only knew how to shoot bows and arrows and possessed no magical resistance, were thoroughly dealt with by ancient wizards. The cruel reality made them understand: although Centaurs had two more legs than humans, strength is not calculated by the number of legs, and war is not a competition of who can run faster!

Consequently, after the war, the number of Centaurs began to plummet like a landslide, until to this day, they are almost on the brink of extinction! For some unknown reason, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has rarely permitted this group of Centaurs to live in the Forbidden Forest—perhaps to protect them as rare magical creatures? Centaurs should be considered a type of magical creature, right?

“Oh? *Your* forest? Are you threatening me? Let me tell you, I hate it most when people point bows and arrows at me. The last person who did that has already been turned into charcoal.” Seeing this Centaur dare to point a bow at her, Annie gave a cold laugh. Her right palm flickered with magic, and in the next instant, a glowing, scorching fireball floated into existence.

Annie claimed to be familiar with these Centaurs; in Valoran, there were many Centaur tribes, and she had seen or heard of many. However, the one she had heard of most was the Centaur ghost, Hecarim, from the Shadow Isles. He was an evil undead creature who had once slaughtered countless humans who dared to step onto the Shadow Isles, and furthermore, he was the vanguard of the evil undead, loathed by all living beings on the continent of Valoran.

And now, the Centaurs of this world dared to attempt to attack her? Annie felt they must also be evil; as long as something was evil, she could rest assured in burning it away.

Seeing a magical fireball emerge from Annie's hand, its red light even illuminating the surrounding dense forest, the Centaurs began to grow restless. Then, while continuing to aim their bows and arrows at Annie, they slowly backed away a considerable distance—a distance they deemed relatively safe—with expressions of slight unease.

They had originally only intended to expel this human little girl who had intruded into the Forbidden Forest and seduced a unicorn. In their view, humans were greedy and ugly; frequently, evil human wizards used pure maidens to entice ignorant juvenile unicorns, only to attack them and obtain precious magical materials from their bodies. This was not the first time such a thing had happened.

Moreover, just last year, an evil wizard had repeatedly intruded into the Forbidden Forest and brutally killed an adult unicorn. That monster had even gone so far as to risk being cursed by drinking its blood! Therefore, since then, any human who dared to intrude into the Forbidden Forest and attempt to lay hands on a unicorn was a target for expulsion by the Centaurs.

They had originally thought this would be an easy task because, through prior reconnaissance, they believed the little girl had entered the forest alone and had not discovered any other wizards providing support. But how could they have imagined that this human little girl was actually a powerful witch? The Centaurs could already feel the powerful magical fluctuations from that fireball.

“Wait! Bane, don't act hastily.” At this moment, a Centaur shouted loudly in English as he leapt from the nearby bushes into the space between the two opposing sides. He first stabilized the Centaur who had first provoked Annie before turning to look at her.

“Hello, little girl. May I ask... you should be a student from Hogwarts, right?”

“Hmph! So what?” Annie snorted noncommittally. She wasn't a student at all!

She was a specially appointed professor of Hogwarts, not a student! However, she disdained explaining anything to these annoying Centaurs; she was already prepared to strike first and burn them all if they made any sudden moves.

It was only that Annie currently had a slight doubt about whether she should strike first, because the unicorn Anna had been advising her from the side, pleading with her not to act, which was why she had endured until now.

But one thing was certain: if they dared to fire an arrow first, they were dead! No amount of persuasion would work! Because Annie's mother, Amoline, had instructed her: *Never show mercy to an enemy who attacks you.* Those were the words of the Shadow Witch herself!

As one of the relatively enlightened Centaurs, Firenze was kinder than the others and more eager to contact the wizards of the outside world. Thus, upon appearing, he worked hard to appease his own kin.

“Rest assured, little girl. We Centaurs never attack human children, let alone a magical student. The reason we are doing this is only to protect the unicorns in the forest. As long as you leave the Forbidden Forest on your own, we will never harm you. What do you think of this suggestion?” After speaking, he slung his bow over his back and spread his hands to show he had no ill intent and was unwilling to be her enemy.

“Hmm? Not great!” On what grounds were they forbidding her from playing with Anna? Did they think Anna was their pet cat or dog? Hmph! If that were the case, they would be even more unforgivable.

To think these Centaurs still dared to be so rude! Annie was already mentally prepared for battle. She was already thinking: once she cast a protective shield against arrows, should she use *Scorch* first, or just go straight for a fireball?

Hmm...! *Scorch* might not be good; this was a forest, after all. If the power was too great and she accidentally caused a forest fire, it wouldn't be fun. If it came to burning things, Annie was an expert, but she wasn't very good at putting fires out. So, she would use a fireball; after all, she was very proficient with her *Shattering Fire*. She could definitely split it into enough fireballs to burn them instantly while ensuring she didn't accidentally burn too much flora.

“Oh, Merlin's beard! What are you...? What on earth is happening here? Hey! Fang, you idiot! This way, over here! Come here, quickly!”

Just as Annie was about to strike, a deep, hurried voice suddenly rang out, and a giant emerged rustling from the bushes. Following him was a giant dog, though the dog's courage seemed somewhat mismatched with its size; upon seeing the situation on the grass, it huddled timidly behind the giant. If the giant hadn't been holding it, it probably would have turned and run away already.

“Oh, Merlin! Ronan, Bane, Magra, and Firenze? What are you doing?” Hagrid, the Keeper of the Forbidden Forest, naturally knew these Centaurs! Although their relationship wasn't particularly good, it wasn't too bad either; at least, these Centaurs gave him some respect.

“And... you are, Professor Annie? Why are you here too? Oh, and an almost adult unicorn? That is truly rare! You all? What exactly is going on?” After seeing the situation clearly, Hagrid finally noticed the tense standoff, leaving him momentarily unsure of what to do.

“Coming to play, of course. Why shouldn't I be allowed to come here?” Annie recognized this big fellow. He had appeared in the professor's seats during the opening ceremony because he was so conspicuous; Annie had simply glanced at him and remembered his unique, massive build.

“You... you are a professor at Hogwarts? Alright! This is all a misunderstanding, truly a misunderstanding!” Upon hearing Hagrid say the little girl before them was a Hogwarts professor, the Centaurs stirred. After exchanging glances, they obediently put away the bows they had been aiming at Annie.

“You must believe me, Hagrid, and Professor Annie. I swear, this is entirely a misunderstanding! We thought someone was trying to kidnap a unicorn, so we...” Since this little girl was a professor of Hogwarts, the Centaurs naturally did not dare to continue the confrontation. The deterrent power of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was quite significant to the Centaurs; even with all the courage in the world, they wouldn't dare trouble an active professor. Thus, Firenze quickly stepped forward to explain, attempting to ease the tension.

“A misunderstanding? You certainly have a sense of humor!” Hagrid shrugged, breathing a sigh of relief. Of all people, why did they have to provoke this little girl? He knew how powerful Annie was.

That was close. If he had arrived a little later, perhaps not many of these Centaurs would have been left. As for how high Annie's combat power was, Hagrid didn't even dare to imagine; he just knew that no matter how strong this group of Centaurs was, they certainly wouldn't be as strong as a dragon or dozens of Aurors.

“Very well! We are sorry to have disturbed you, Professor Annie, and Hagrid. Well then, goodbye.” Having confirmed the other party was a Hogwarts professor, the Centaurs lost interest in staying. After offering a brief apology to Annie, Firenze began to lead his companions away.

“Hmph!” Seeing the Centaurs tactfully apologize and leave, Annie extinguished the flame magic in her hand, though she was still very unhappy. Next time they dared to point bows and arrows at her like that, they were dead!

Seeing the crisis averted, the unicorn Anna, who had been anxiously trying to mediate, also approached. After nuzzling Annie affectionately a few times, she also said her goodbyes and left. She had enjoyed playing tonight, but it was time to go back; otherwise, she would be punished for returning late.

“By the way! Professor Annie, if I remember correctly, don't you have a class tonight? It should be almost seven o'clock by now, right?” Hagrid naturally remembered Annie's first public lecture, though he had no intention of auditing it; after all, he needed to patrol the Forbidden Forest at night. If he hadn't arrived just in time, a major incident would surely have occurred here!

“Eh? Class? Oh right, class... Oh no, I'm doomed, I'm doomed! I'm going to be late!” Annie finally remembered that she had a public lecture tonight, and it was her very first one after being promoted to professor!

Unfortunately, because she had been caught up in play just now, she had completely forgotten about it. More importantly: in the last two days, it seemed she hadn't remembered to prepare her lesson! Her big sister Hermione had specifically suggested it to her. She was truly doomed; this wasn't fun anymore! With that thought, Annie didn't bother saying goodbye to the big fellow in front of her and hurriedly cast a *Disapparate* under his very nose. A flash of blue light erupted and quickly vanished.

The clearing in the Forbidden Forest returned to its usual state, as peaceful and dark as ever. Hagrid looked at the spot where Annie had disappeared, shook his head, muttered a few words, and continued on with his giant dog, Fang, carrying his large lantern to continue his patrol! Every night, he had to conduct a routine patrol in the Forbidden Forest; that was the basic duty of a Keeper.

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Revision

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(End of Chapter)