RUN!

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The fear of the unknown, like an elusive adversary, haunts the battlefield of existence. It is the shadowy veil that clouds the clarity of choices, turning each step into uncharted territory into a perpetual struggle. However, it is in this arena of confrontation that true warriors are forged, daring the darkness to conquer the unknown and unveil the intimidating face of their destiny.

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|May 26, 1992| Forbidden Forest|

 All the concerns Lilian had about this punishment appeared through the vision he shared with Skotádi. 

A dark silhouette, covered in a long cloak giving it an appearance similar to a Dementor, was crouched in front of a unicorn, draining it of its blood. 

Lilian knew they were in trouble. They must not be spotted by this thing about which he had no information.

 Although Lilian considered himself strong for his age, he wasn't foolish enough to confront a creature unknown to him.

He signaled Harry and Malfoy to be quiet and follow him silently. Something that the Malfoy heir did not appreciate; being commanded to be quiet by someone of his age outraged him.

"On what grounds do you think you can command me, Potter? I must inform you that my family..." 

Before he could finish his sentence, Lilian cast a silencing spell on him, blocking any sounds he could make.

 After that, he whispered for the two to hear, "Shut up, Malfoy, or I'll leave you to die here. There's a creature drinking unicorn blood in that direction not too far from here. Unless you want to face it, you better shut up and follow me. We'll hide behind the trees and exit the forest."

Harry and Malfoy were shocked by this, and they vigorously nodded their heads, to which Lilian ordered them to follow him.

 Although in his heart, Malfoy wondered why he had to follow a blind person to escape a creature, fear pushed him to simply follow orders.

 Harry, on the other hand, trusted his brother, but he couldn't help but feel that sense of unease. He could especially feel his scar starting to hurt.

As they moved cautiously, taking care to hide behind the trees under Lilian's command in case the creature sensed them in any way, Fang, the dog that Malfoy had brought with them, sensed danger. 

As Hagrid had warned, he ran for his life, leaving the three young wizards stunned by the dog's cowardice and the danger they were now in.

Lilian quickly ordered, "Run!" An order that was immediately executed, with a comical situation, such as Draco Malfoy screaming for his life while running but still under the effect of the silencing spell. 

The creature they were fleeing was closing in on them faster than they were running.

Understanding this, Harry and Lilian agreed through their telepathic link to confront it head-on, waiting for Skotádi, whom Lilian had sent, to return with Hagrid.

 Stopping to face it, the two brothers noticed the wand in the creature's hand. There was no longer any doubt; it was indeed a wizard or witch in front of them.

Lilian, skilled in his mastery of transmutation in combat, began by summoning spikes of earth beneath his enemy, hoping to injure them severely.

But unfortunately for him, the wizard dodged to the right, putting him in the line of fire of Harry's [Expelliarmus], which sent his wand flying.

"Harry, how many times have I told you that you rely too much on that spell? You could have hit him with Incendio or Gelatio."

"Don't worry, Lilian. I disarmed him with this spell, and..."

Before Harry could finish his sentence or Lilian could warn his brother, a branch torn from a tree flew swiftly towards him, knocking him unconscious with a blow.

This horrifying sight in Lilian's eyes brought back unpleasant memories—those of seeing a family member lying motionless on the ground. While he remained frozen, feeling Harry's lifeless body on the ground, the wizard retrieved his wand.

Turning towards his opponent, his mana vibrating with anger, Lilian cast the largest [Bombarda] he had ever produced.

Destroying everything in its path, the spell created a trench connecting Lilian to the wizard who had managed to protect himself with a [Protego].

Lilian gripped his cane with both hands, slamming it on the ground, creating refractions of light that formed the famous illusions Lilian considered inferior, each going in a different direction while the real one remained invisible, carrying his brother away from the battle.

Lilian preferred prioritizing his brother's survival over the experience of a real wizard duel. Thus, he moved away as quickly as possible, carrying his brother on his back. From a distance, he could hear a rather serpentine voice repeatedly uttering the name of the curse that haunted his nights.

'This voice... no, it's impossible. He's clearly dead. I remember very well that cursed day when that bastard killed our parents and ended up vaporized by the consequences of Mom's ritual. It can't be him.' Lilian thought so loudly.

He was so disturbed by the voice he heard that he stumbled on the ground, removing the illusions he had applied. Seeing his target further away, the clearly tired wizard approached the children with victory in mind.

Only a few steps away, the wizard pointed his wand at the brothers, a cruel smile discernible beneath his cloak. But before he could cast a spell, a herd of centaurs blocked his path and intimidated him.

The wizard, now in great numerical inferiority and fatigued, fled the scene by disappearing into the forest.

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(POV Lilian) 

Damn, damn, damn... I failed. I failed to defend myself, to defend Harry... to defend my little brother, my family. What was the point of all these hours studying magic if I couldn't even touch my enemy with my spells? Damn, what did I do wrong? There's not even half of my mana left; Bombarda and the illusory duplicates took a large part of it. Damn.

After wallowing in my thoughts for enough time, I shifted my attention to our supposed saviors. I don't know their perspective on us. I know that centaurs are mostly peaceful, but some can be very territorial. We need to be cautious.

"You don't need to be so cautious with the wizard. My group and I are not here to harm you and Harry Potter; we're here to protect you."

I sighed upon hearing these words. He knows my brother, and if he wanted his death, he wouldn't have done anything. So, I suppose he's an ally who was against Voldemort.

"I must thank you and your group, Mr. Centaur. We were really in a rather precarious situation that could have turned out badly without your help. By the way, my name is Lilian Potter; I am Harry's twin brother," I said with a deep bow. We really got out of that by luck... or fate.

I turned to my brother, thinking about it. It's true that my brother's divine contract is still active.

"You owe us nothing, Lilian. The infamous being you were fighting should normally be hunted down by our group for the murder of several unicorns, but unfortunately, he always manages to escape, injuring several of us in the process."

"Do you have any idea who that person was? He seemed oddly familiar to me. But I find the direction my thoughts are going disturbing and impossible, so I would like to know if you have a clearer idea than me of his identity."

"I'm afraid your thought is correct, Lilian. In this world, nothing is impossible. We centaurs specialize in astrology and divination, and unfortunately, all they could tell us is that a great evil, now considered dead, is attacking unicorns to ensure its survival."

What he said shocked me. But before I could inquire further, Hagrid and the whole group arrived towards us.

"Oh no, Harry! Damn, Harry!" Hermione and Ronald rushed towards Harry and me at full speed.

"Is everything okay now, Firenze?" It seems that Hagrid knows this centaur well, and his name is Firenze.

"Yes, everything is fine, Hagrid. Your young students just had a very bad encounter with the unicorn killer, but they're fine now. Harry Potter is just unconscious from the shock he seems to have received to the head."

"By Dumbledore, thank you. I don't know what Professor McGonagall would say if they were seriously injured during their punishment with me."

"Hagrid, I know you need to discuss what happened with Mr. Firenze, but I think we should go back to Hogwarts and debrief on the incident later."

The gentle giant that Hagrid was nervously looked at Harry before agreeing with me.

"Yes, you're right. I think that's punishment enough. Let's go back to Hogwarts."