Chapter 141: "Duel in the Forest Part - 2"

Meanwhile, Harry had already slipped away. He didn't stick around to listen to their conversation; he had other plans. As soon as they reached Hagrid's hut and he had a good sense of where the group would enter the forest, Harry sped off on his own mission. He was in search of the injured unicorn, having spotted signs of unicorn blood near the forest's edge earlier.

Moving swiftly through the forest, Harry was actually flying—a technique he had learned from Voldemort's memories. This method of flying was reminiscent of the flight technique seen in the "Dragon Ball" anime series, where characters use Qi to hover and navigate. Here, however, magic was the source of power for flight.

This advanced magic allowed him to float and navigate quickly through the air. The only catch was that it required a significant reserve of magical energy, which, fortunately, Harry possessed.

With a swift and silent flight, which allowed him an excellent vantage point over the forest, Harry quickly spotted the silvery bright injured unicorn lying on the ground a short distance away. Nearby, a sinister, hooded figure—clearly Quirrelmort—was preparing to prey on the unicorn for its blood.

Without a moment's delay, Harry swooped down, shouting, "Stupefy!" aiming a stunning spell directly at Quirrelmort. The dark figure, alert and agile, leaped to the side, narrowly evading the spell. Harry was cautious with his spell choice; he needed to ensure nothing went wrong and harmed the unicorn accidentally.

Immediately after, Harry cast a stasis spell on the unicorn to stabilize its condition and prevent further harm, ensuring it would survive a little longer while he dealt with the imminent threat.

Harry's attention then snapped back to Quirrelmort, who, realizing his cover was blown, started to sprint away through the underbrush. Harry chased after him. Quirrel's speed was no match for Harry's superhuman speed and Harry quickly caught up.

Quirrelmort, cornered and desperate, spun around, his wand slashing through the air as he shouted, "Avada Kedavra!" The deadly green light of the Killing Curse shot towards Harry, who reacted just in time.

A huge block of stone appeared in the path of the spell, blocking the deadly curse. Quirrelmort, panting heavily from the exertion, didn't let up; he fired curse after curse, each met with large stones and barriers quickly conjured by Harry, effectively stopping the spells in their tracks.

Harry found that his opponent was too weak. Either Quirrel's body was too weak to exert Voldemort's full strength or Voldemort in his current state was weakened.

As the duel continued, despite Quirrelmort's desperate attempts, his magic was waning; the continuous exertion was draining him visibly.

Harry observed Quirrelmort's fading strength and decided to prolong the duel to exhaust him completely before delivering a decisive blow. However, just as the tide of the battle seemed to turn fully in Harry's favor, a sudden noise—a whimper—interrupted the focus of their duel.

---

Deep in the forest under the night sky, Charles and Malfoy, accompanied by Fang, pushed deeper into the woods. Their constant chatter, a mix of petty disputes and jokes, seemed to be their way of masking their nervousness about the dark, dense forest around them.

Suddenly, Malfoy tensed. "Did you hear that?" he whispered.

Charles paused, listening. "Yeah, I heard it too. Let's see what it is."

Malfoy bit his lip, hesitating. "But what if it's whatever's been attacking the unicorns? It could be dangerous. Maybe we should send up the red sparks now?"

Charles shook his head, his voice firm. "No, that might scare it off. We should try to see who or what it is first. You're not scared, are you?"

Malfoy straightened up, trying to look braver than he felt. "If you're not scared, then neither am I."

With a mix of curiosity and caution, the two boys moved toward the source of the noise. As they got closer, they began to see the flashes of light from spells being cast.

Peeking through the bushes, they stumbled upon a scene they hadn't expected: a fierce duel unfolding in the darkness, spells flashing back and forth. They were about to back away when a stray spell hit a nearby rock, sending shards flying towards them. One struck Fang, who yelped and bolted back towards Hagrid.

Startled by the sudden chaos, Draco turned and fled successfully, but Charles wasn't as lucky. In his panic, he tripped over a root and tumbled to the ground, his heart racing as he realized how dangerous their situation had become.

---

Harry and Quirrell were alerted by a noise and turned to see Fang and two boys trying to escape. Recognizing Charles Potter among them, Quirrell seized the chance to eliminate him and escape from the challenging situation.

Raising his wand, Quirrell yelled the lethal curse, "Avada Kedavra!" aiming directly at Charles, who is helplessly sprawled on the ground. The bright green light of the curse speeds towards Charles, his face etched with terror.

Just in time, Harry summoned a large stone that intercepted the deadly spell, protecting Charles. Harry then positioned himself between Charles and Quirrell to prevent another attack.

Realizing he could not win the duel, Quirrellmort used the brief moment Harry was distracted with Charles to cast the most powerful spell he could muster under his weakened condition—the dangerous Fiendfyre.

As a massive, snake-shaped fire surged toward him, Harry reacted swiftly. He conjured a robust dome of magic, effectively containing the fiery blaze to prevent it from spreading and consuming the Forbidden Forest. The potential destruction from such uncontrolled Fiendfyre was immense; it could have obliterated this part of the forest and all its inhabitants if not contained.

In the middle of this chaos, Firenze the centaur appeared, launching arrows at Quirrelmort. Seeing no opportunity to counterattack Harry while he was preoccupied, and facing the new threat from Firenze, Quirrelmort chose to flee the scene in frustration.

Firenze then approached Harry and said, "Wizard Arthur, other centaurs are coming. You keep the fire under control. I will take this boy out and come back to help."

Charles, regaining his senses and still in shock, blurts out, "Who are you? Who was that guy? What are you doing in Hogwarts? I nearly died here."

Harry chose not to respond to Charles's questions, instead gesturing to Firenze to take him away. Harry was frustrated because Charles's presence had cost him the perfect chance to defeat Quirrelmort once and for all. Now, he would have to wait for another opportunity.

With Firenze and Charles moving away from the scene, Harry turned his attention back to the daunting task at hand—the fierce fire still raging within the magical dome he had conjured.

Settling his nerves and focusing intensely, Harry conjured a counter-fiendfire, his fiendfire was shaped in the form of a thunderbird and it started battling Quirrelmort's serpent-shaped fire. The clash was intense, with Harry's thunderbird eventually overcoming the snake. After the battle, Harry carefully extinguished his own magical fire.

Looking around, Harry surveyed the aftermath. The duel had scorched the earth, leaving a barren, circle-shaped clearing in the middle of the dense forest. The ground was charred, devoid of any life that had been there before.

Now that the immediate danger had passed and he was alone, Harry couldn't help but feel irritated at the two first-year students whose untimely interruption had allowed Quirrelmort to escape. If only they had arrived a minute later, Quirrelmort might have been defeated for good.

As the sound of hooves echoed through the forest, Harry saw Dorran and several other centaurs approaching, bows at the ready.

"Thank you for your help, Wizard Arthur. You have protected our home," Dorran said, gratitude clear in his voice.

Harry, tired but determined, responded, "There's no need for thanks. I was here to end the dark wizard's threat for good, but those unexpected visitors threw a wrench in my plans. He won't get away next time."

Concerned about the unicorn, Harry asked, "Where is the unicorn? It needs healing."

Dorran looked solemn as he replied, "Hagrid and his group are with the poor child now. They believe it's too late for the unicorn and are planning to put it out of its misery."

Harry didn't want to give up on the unicorn yet. "Tell them to leave the forest. Once they're gone, I'll try to heal the unicorn. I believe it can still be saved, but I don't want to be seen while working on it."

"Understood," Dorran agreed, preparing to send the group away.

Once the coast was clear, Harry approached the unicorn. By now, he had become adept at treating such injuries and quickly set to work. The unicorn's wounds were severe, but Harry's skilled hands managed the healing efficiently.

Before leaving, Harry made one last request to Dorran, "If the dark wizard returns, let me know. I'm exhausted now and need to rest, but keep me informed."

With a final nod to Dorran, Harry disappeared into the night, his thoughts already on his next encounter with Quirrelmort. He checked his map and saw that Quirrel was back inside the school, so no immediate threat lingered.

However, Harry was certain Quirrelmort would attack again soon. Today's interruption meant Quirrelmort would be desperate for the unicorn blood to sustain his decaying body. Harry was ready; next time, he would make sure no intruders could disrupt his plans.