Forbidden Forest

12th September 1991, Hogwarts

A notice was pinned on the board in our common room that made most of the other first-year snakes around excited. Today, we had our first Flying lesson. Malfoy again started boasting about how good he is at Quidditch and how fast he is on the broom.

Well, I don't know if he is fast at flying, but with his tightly slicked hair, he surely is aerodynamic.

After three in the afternoon, I, with the rest of the little snakes, arrived on the grounds where we would have our first Flying lesson. It was a clear breezy day. At a distance from the grounds, I could see the Forbidden Forest whose trees were swaying in its darkness.

There were twenty-one broomsticks lined up neatly on the soft grass and each of us took a spot next to one. I chose a broom at the end and Tracey took a broom right next to me. Daphne then stood next to her.

The school brooms sure looked old. Really old. Worn out with some twigs sticking from them at odd angles, they looked like they will turn into splinters and dust with just a slight gust of wind. I would bet that even Dumbledore learned how to fly with these brooms when he was young.

Soon, the Gryffindors arrived too and our teacher, Madam Hooch, started the lesson after she arrived too. She had short grey hair and yellow eyes like a hawk.

"Well, what are you all waiting for?" she barked. "Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up. Stick out your right hand over your broom," called Madam Hooch at the front, "and say 'Up!'"

"UP" everyone shouted.

I glared at the broom that hasn't moved at all. The intent is important after all, and it must have sensed my thoughts about it being useless as I can fly by myself. So I directed my intent on the broom. 'Up, or I will burn you down into cinders.'

The broom immediately shot up into my hand while trembling slightly. It stopped after my hold on it changed into a tight squeezing grip and I loosened my destructive thoughts about it.

Madam Hooch then showed them how to mount their brooms without sliding off the end, and walked up and down the rows correcting their grips. When she got to, she eyed my grip and said. "You can ease your grip, Ms. Green. It won't fly away on its own."

After she checked our grips on brooms, we had to jump and rise a few feet from the ground and then come straight back down. But before she could blow on her whistle as a signal, Neville suddenly rose into the air.

"Come back, boy!" Shouted Madam Hooch but the nervous and scared boy was still rising higher and higher.

Is she really a teacher? He is flying for the first time and doesn't know what to do. And everything she does is shout at him. Couldn't she use her broom to fly up to him and help him? Or couldn't she just use her wand?

Neville soon slid sideways from his broom and fell face down on the grass with a thud and nasty crack.

I didn't try to help him as I didn't see any reason for doing so. We weren't friends and we talked only one time. Well, it was more of an introduction than a talk. And I know that he will only end up with a broken wrist and some bruises, nothing difficult to heal for the school nurse. He will probably only have to drink some nasty tasting potion and he will be alright tomorrow.

After Madam Hooch took Neville to the hospital wing, Malfoy, who was acting like a git again, and Harry rose into the sky. Then, after the Wizarding World's Savior showed his talent, angry McGonagall appeared.

Though she looked royally pissed, I know that she wasn't there to punish him, but to scout him into the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

Madam Hooch then returned and the Flying lesson could continue. Though it was a rather boring lesson and I could only concentrate on the Mandrake leaf that was stuck on the roof of my mouth with a Sticking Charm.

...

At night, I again sneaked out of the dorms as usual. But my destination wasn't the Room of Requirements or the Restricted Section this time. Tonight will be my first time visiting the Forbidden Forest.

Although I don't know any secret passage that leads outside, It was easy for me to get out of the castle unnoticed. I just had to arrive at the middle courtyard of the castle and fly away while being concealed.

The Forbidden Forest was a dark old place with dense humongous trees. They were mainly pine, beech, and oak trees from what I could see. The undergrowth was full of moss, knotgrass, and thorns. Fortunately, there were some paths or I would have to constantly hover above the ground. Not that it would be a problem but I came to like the feeling of being barefoot.

It doesn't matter that the other students see me as an eccentric person as I don't need a lot of friends. That sounds like a bother. And Professor McGonagall must have told the other members of Hogwarts staff that I have some problems with my head so it doesn't matter. Additionally, If I am being seen as eccentric, others will not think much, or they will entirely overlook the thing that I am going to do in the future.

The old magical forest holds many secrets and houses many creatures. Some are friendly or could be considered friendly, but most of them are dark or dangerous. And one of my goals tonight is to hunt a certain dark dangerous creature.

After a short walk through the forest, when I was quite a distance from the castle I stopped. I looked at Woody who was on my shoulder and asked him. "Are you ready?"

After he nodded with what I thought was a resolute expression on his small face, I put him on the ground and took a few steps back.

I focused on my connection with him, raised my right hand, and slowly channeled my Demonic Energy into his small figure. Before my eyes, he started to change and grow. Half meter... 2 meters... 5 meters... soon, a 10 meters high humanoid creature stood before me. My cute little Bowtruckle turned into something that looked just like the Ents, the Keepers of forests, from the Lord of the Rings.

Woody's now very tall body was covered by dark brown bark, on his back and shoulders grew dense branches with crimson leaves, and on his head were two thick bare branches that looked like curved horns. His face was almost featureless as he only had a pair of dark eyes and a wide, saw-edged mouth.

{Whad the hell did you do to that little twig?} Asked Agony.

{When will you stop calling Woody a twig? And this state he is in is only temporary. It last as long as he has enough Demonic Energy.}

Though this isn't the maximum size that Woody can grow into, I have a feeling that Woody will turn berserk with too much Demonic Energy flowing in his body. So it will take some practice if I want to turn him into a hundred meters tall giant Ent.

I looked up at Woody and asked him. "Can you talk in this form?" He answered with a low grunt and shook his head.

"Can you still conceal yourself?" I asked him another question. He stood still for while and then shook his head again. Well, that's a shame, but it makes sense as his current form isn't suited for assassination.

I flew up and seated myself on his head between his horn-like branches. I pointed to the depths of the dark forest and exclaimed. "Onward!"

Woody grunted and with heavy stomps walked forward while I was enjoying the ride and the sights around us. So, this is how Woody feels every day. It's fun.

On the way, we walked near a clearing bathed in the moonlight, and in it was playing a small herd of Mooncalves. They are cute funny-looking creatures. They have smooth pale grey fur, four short legs with flat webbed feet, very long necks, and bulging blue-green eyes on top of their heads.

Another thing that we encountered was a carcass of a snow-white Unicorn. What a pity. I sighed at the sight of the unfortunate beautiful creature that symbolizes purity. Looks like Voldemort already started to hunt Unicorns for their blood to gain power in his current parasitic form.

I jumped down from Woody's head and walked to the body. It was still a little warm. I spread my magic around but didn't sense anything magical near. So Quirrell-mort should have left already.

I squatted down and closed its empty eyes. You can rest in peace.

Now then, let's get some materials. It's already dead and it will be a pity to not make use of the situation. Looks like today is my lucky day.

From the pocket of my robes, I took out my shrunken enchanted trunk and placed it on the ground. Then I tapped on it three times with my wand and the trunk changed back to its original size. From it, I took out a set of glass vials and filled them up with the Unicorn's silver-blue blood. It could be useful for some rituals or something. I also took a few of its tail hairs. If I can't find some use for them I can always sell them to Ollivander or Wandshop in the Knockturn Alley.

Looking at the dead body again, I fired a Severing Charm and cut off its horn, and stored it in my trunk along with the vials and tail hairs as a Unicorn's horn could be used as a potion ingredient. I shrunk the enchanted trunk and put it back into my pocket.

I wonder if Wizards hunt Unicorns for their horns with the belief that they have aphrodisiac effects like normal humans hunt rhinoceroses because of this nonsensical rumor.

We continued on our way to the depths of the Forbidden Forest. The trees were becoming bigger and denser. The trees' branches were forming a tight net that didn't let pass even a silver of moonlight. And in the darkness, I finally sensed my prey.

I patted Woody's head as a signal for him to stop. Then I pulled out my wand and cast a silent Stunning Spell. With a thud, a horse-sized black hairy spider fell onto the thorns on the ground.

Acromantulas. They are dangerous magical creatures that originate from Southern Asia. Despite being spiders, they are social creatures that form large colonies with hundreds of members. In the runic alphabet, they symbolize the number eight because of their eight eyes.

They are also quite sought-after commodities. The highly toxic venom contained in their fangs is valued at 100 Galleons a pint and their spider silk is a highly durable and magic conductive material, that is one of, if not the best for making magically enchanted clothes.

My other goal tonight was to hunt an Acromantula and have Agony devour its silk gland, assimilate it, and add the Acromantula silk's properties to her Webbing Generation ability. She then would be able to shoot out highly magic conductive webs that I could straighten with my magic.

'Agony, it's your turn now.'

{On it.} She replied and two purple goo tentacles shot out of my back. One pierced the giant spider's abdomen and the second pieced it through its eyes, killing it, and ripping out its brain.

Suddenly, a big mouth filled with sharp teeth and a long tongue opened on my belly. Then the tentacle threw the spider's brain into it and with a gulping sound the mouth closed and my belly turned back to normal.

{Hmm, rather good but humans' brains are still better.}

Having a Symbiote sure is weird sometimes.

The goo tentacles then returned and disappeared back into my body.

'So, what's the result?' I asked her

{You can try it yourself.} Agony said and covered my right arm. I held out my now dark purple arm with sharp claws instead of fingers and from my wrist shot out a line of webbing that connected with a nearby pine tree. The webbing had silver-white color with a purple tint.

I tried to channel my magic through the webbing and my magic easily seeped into it, making the webbing shine a little. I willed it and the webbing started to constrict around the trunk of the tree it was latched onto, snapping the tree in half with a loud crack.

This will do for now. I will do more tests later. I vanished the webbing with the Vanishing Spell and spoke. "Woody, we are done here, so you can change back."

A small green sapling started to grow from Woody's head right next to me, which soon grow into a Bowtruckle with two red leaves on its head. I picked him up and flew up into the air. I turned around and observed how the giant wooden body, which was now nothing but a hollow husk, quickly dried up and then scattered into dust.

I put Woody into my pocket, activated the Presence Concealment, and flew back to Hogwarts. It's time to go to bed.