They're back. They're all back.
This moment, just like that moment.
Harry rolled swiftly across the ground, narrowly dodging the spear thrust at him by a centaur. Arrows whizzed past, unable to even graze the hem of his robes—some buried themselves in the barren earth, while others found their mark in the centaurs themselves.
And Harry—Harry wielded a totem pole with wild, sweeping force, striking down centaurs around him as if he were playing Whac-A-Mole.
Whoosh!
A longsword sliced through the air with a sharp, tearing sound. Yet, when it struck the totem pole, it only managed to carve out a shallow groove—let alone break through its thick, sturdy frame.
In the next instant, Harry stepped onto the totem and launched himself into the air. At some point, a warhammer had already appeared in his grasp—jump attack!
He swung it down viciously, aiming for the centaur's skull!
Boom!!!
A deep, muffled sound rang out.
Panting heavily, Harry landed atop the centaur who had tried to ambush him and scanned his surroundings.
There weren't many centaurs left standing. In fact, Harry wasn't even the main force taking them down—it was Hagrid.
At this point, Harry could swear on his favorite little gingerbread cookies that Hagrid was absolutely not the full-blooded human he always claimed to be. His towering height and massive build could still be explained away as an extraordinary genetic anomaly, but this level of defense? No human could withstand this.
Outnumbered, Hagrid had taken multiple spear thrusts and blade strikes, yet the worst that had happened was his coat getting torn in a few places. Even getting smacked in the head a couple of times didn't seem to faze him.
Of course, Harry wasn't about to discriminate against Hagrid's heritage or anything—he was just feeling competitive.
How could a Tauren be outdone by someone else in a battle against centaurs?!
This was a disgrace!!
Even if this was a battle where they were holding back—it was still against centaurs!
Harry steadied his breathing. Just then, another centaur charged at him, roaring in fury over the sudden attack on their tribe.
"FOR THE HORDE!!!"
With an even louder roar, Harry tore the totem free and charged straight into battle!
Boom!!
Anyone who's never been hit head-on by a galloping horse can't possibly understand the sheer force of impact—Harry's totem did strike the centaur's chest, but in the next moment, both he and the totem pole were sent flying.
"Harry!!"
Noticing the situation, Hagrid let out a panicked shout and rushed over, catching the airborne Harry in a diving save.
To be honest, the experience wasn't great—Harry felt like he had slammed straight into a brick wall, with no way to absorb the impact.
Because Hagrid was the brick wall.
"Cough, cough—I'm fine, Hagrid!" Harry coughed twice and hurriedly patted Hagrid's arm. "Now put me down!"
"Look out, Hagrid!"
Newt's alarmed cry rang out from behind them.
Hagrid instinctively turned while still holding Harry—just in time to see a massive beast swatting a centaur away with a single swipe.
It was enormous, with the head of a tiger, long flowing red fur, and razor-sharp fangs and claws.
"…Oh, sweetheart, you're gorgeous," Hagrid breathed in awe, entirely out of instinct. "A Zouwu, right?"
"Wait! Don't look at it like that, Hagrid!"
But Newt's warning came too late.
The next second, the massive feline twisted in midair, and its long tail lashed out—smashing straight into Hagrid.
Hagrid barely had time to turn and shield Harry before taking the full brunt of the blow on his back.
Harry could swear that the combined damage from all the centaurs tonight didn't even come close to the pain of being slammed into the ground while trapped in Hagrid's arms.
"…Get off, Hagrid," Harry gasped. "You're too heavy."
"What? Oh—Merlin, sorry, sorry! Are you alright, Harry?!"
Hagrid scrambled to his feet in a panic, checking on Harry—only for Harry to grimace and hurl the totem pole over his shoulder.
Straight at the centaur behind Hagrid.
Boom!!
The centaur staggered, then was promptly tackled to the ground by Hagrid—who proceeded to hammer two solid punches into its head.
It went out like a light.
Very peacefully.
Battles during adventures always seemed to break out suddenly, and Harry had long since grown used to it—fast to start, fast to end.
Centaurs weren't accustomed to living in massive tribes, so they couldn't launch overwhelming numbers like the ones in his memories… Plus, they were physically weaker than the centaurs he remembered.
Sending the last struggling centaur off into dreamland, Harry leaned on his totem and casually plopped down on the ground.
He was a bit tired. And a bit sleepy.
The Forbidden Forest's centaur tribe only had about thirty or forty members, tops—but even if they were pigs, taking them down without magic was still exhausting.
As for the rogue wizards who had come to seek centaur divinations? They had all Disapparated the moment the fight broke out. A few particularly curious ones had lingered, hoping to witness the battle up close…
But now that it was over, the moment Harry looked their way, they awkwardly forced smiles—before Disapparating at lightspeed.
"I never imagined, Harry, that I'd actually end up fighting the centaurs of the Forbidden Forest," Hagrid groaned as he wobbled over and collapsed onto the ground, burying his face in his hands. "How am I supposed to explain this to Dumbledore? I even put you in danger!"
"This wasn't how it was supposed to go… Merlin…"
Despite being a massive, burly man, Hagrid looked like he was about to cry.
"Don't worry about it, Hagrid." Completely unfazed, Harry actually burst out laughing. "I'll help you explain it to Dumbledore—after all, the centaurs were the ones who threatened us first, weren't they?"
He couldn't help but smile. Sure, they couldn't kill them, but beating centaurs up was incredibly satisfying—especially after learning about their history and temperament from Newt.
"You can still laugh?!" Hagrid gawked at him in disbelief. "You're bolder than your father ever was!"
"Yeah, I definitely wasn't expecting that totem pole to be a weapon," Newt added as he sat down with his suitcase. "Honestly, I was stunned when I saw you use it to take down a centaur."
Even now, the old man was still gasping for breath—this fight had been a bit too much exertion for his age.
"I had no choice," Harry said seriously. "He charged at me first. I was forced to fight back."
"Well, yes, that's technically true," Newt hesitated. "But… centaurs generally refuse to harm children. They consider it a great dishonor—even when it comes to children of other species."
"Really? Then they shouldn't have shown hostility in the first place," Harry shrugged. "Not that it matters now. They're our enemies, aren't they?"
"That's the problem, Harry," Hagrid said worriedly. "Centaurs already don't like wizards, and they're very proud of their race. Even if they started it, the fact remains that they're the ones lying on the ground. I don't even want to imagine what'll happen when they wake up…"
"Then let's just kill them all," Harry suggested seriously. "It's too dangerous to leave a hostile centaur tribe lurking in the Forbidden Forest. What if they attack other Hogwarts students?"
The air went completely silent.
Only the crackling of the campfire remained.
Newt and Hagrid stared at Harry, utterly dumbfounded.
"I-Isn't that a bit too extreme, Harry?" After a long silence, Hagrid finally stammered, "I mean, wiping them all out is just..."
What Hagrid actually wanted to say was that it was madness and evil, but he felt he couldn't say that to Harry. After all, the centaurs were the ones who had shown hostility first—Harry had only fought back in self-defense. Even coming up with such an idea stemmed from concern for the other students.
So kindhearted, Harry. He had just escaped danger himself, yet he was already thinking about the safety of his fellow students. A little extreme, maybe, but his intentions were good.
...The more Hagrid thought about it, the more moved he felt.
"Extreme? I don't think so." Harry scratched his head. "You can't just leave an enemy alive and then regret it later when they slaughter your loved ones. By then, it would be too late."
"When you put it that way... it does sound like you have a point, Harry." Hagrid hesitated. "But there's still the Ministry of Magic..."
If he had to choose between Hogwarts students and the centaurs of the Forbidden Forest, Hagrid wouldn't hesitate for a second—he would always choose the students.
Stubborn, proud, short-tempered, vengeful, and especially hostile toward other races—Hagrid knew centaurs all too well.
"The Forbidden Forest was designated as a living area for the centaurs by the Ministry," Hagrid furrowed his brows. "If we were to kill them, I don't know how the Ministry would react." Due to his past experiences, Hagrid had always harbored a certain fear of the Ministry.
"I doubt the Ministry would care much about this," Harry said seriously. "The Forbidden Forest never truly belonged to the centaurs, and no wizard would ever consider giving Hogwarts' land to them. Just like how you, Hagrid, hate how the centaurs act like they own the place."
"Newt already said before that the Mag—"
"Ahem! Ahem, ahem!" Unable to listen any longer, Newt let out a loud, deliberate cough. Seeing how the conversation had already progressed to the stage of discussing execution methods and consequences—dragging him into it as well—he couldn't help but interject. "I think things haven't gotten that bad yet. No matter what, wiping out an entire group of centaurs is far too cruel."
"But leaving them alive puts Hogwarts' students in danger," Harry argued. "The centaurs already see the Forbidden Forest as their territory, and now we've fought them. If everything you've said about centaurs is true, then they definitely won't just let this go."
"I can't deny that," Newt nodded. "But Harry, you're still a child. You have to remember, tonight, it wasn't just us and the centaurs out there. Do you recall the wizards who ran away?"
"They'll leak the information," Harry realized. "It'll turn into negative press for Hogwarts."
"No—negative press for you." Newt sighed. "If people find out that the centaur tribe in the Forbidden Forest has disappeared..."
"You're Harry Potter. The Daily Prophet won't— Ah! Dumbledore! And Professor McGonagall! I'm so glad you're here."
The atmosphere shifted suddenly as Newt stood up, looking at the two figures that had appeared by the campfire. He almost seemed relieved.
Honestly, discussing magical creatures was one thing, but Newt didn't feel qualified to handle educating children. Now that Dumbledore and McGonagall were here to take charge, things were finally back on track.
"Newt, my old friend—so good to see you again! I thought you'd be stopping by Hogwarts first," Dumbledore greeted warmly, embracing Newt.
"I had to tend to some injured centaurs first, so... well... anyway, back to business, Dumbledore." Newt gestured toward the fallen centaurs around them. "I'll leave this to you."
"Oh, I hadn't realized your healing skills had improved so much—these centaurs seem to be sleeping quite soundly," Dumbledore remarked with his usual humor as he glanced around.
"This is no time for jokes, Professor Dumbledore!" Professor McGonagall snapped, looking as if she might faint. "Hagrid! And Mr. Potter! What on earth is going on?!"
Adjusting his totem, Harry stepped toward Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall, while Hagrid followed behind him, looking guilty and afraid to speak.
"Sorry, I was the one who informed them," Newt whispered as Harry passed him.
Harry simply shook his head, signaling that he didn't mind.
"We're victims too, Professor McGonagall," Harry said first. "We were invited to the centaurs' ritual, but when I questioned their method of divination, they turned hostile. We had no choice but to fight back."
"Merlin's beard!" McGonagall clasped her hands together, her face pale as she surveyed the chaotic scene. "How could you— I mean! Mr. Potter! This is centaur territory!"
No one could quite describe what McGonagall felt when she arrived via Apparition and saw centaurs sprawled across the ground.
Dumbledore had received an urgent message from Newt, detailing the situation. Without hesitation, he had brought McGonagall with him.
"I'm sorry, Professor McGonagall! This is all my fault!" Hagrid suddenly blurted. "I was the one who insisted on taking Harry to see the centaurs' divination. That's why this happened!"
"Don't apologize, Hagrid!" Harry patted Hagrid's leg. "I already said, the conflict with the centaurs wasn't our fault. You have nothing to apologize for."
"You don't seem to understand the gravity of your actions, Mr. Potter!" McGonagall reprimanded. "I had thought you were a mature young man, someone who knew what he was doing and had a strong sense of justice—that's why I stopped your detention. But look around you! Not only did you ignore the safety of yourself and your friends, but you also attacked the centaurs in the Forbidden Forest!"
"There's no rule against attacking centaurs in the school regulations, Professor," Harry replied calmly. "And they were the ones who showed hostility first."
"Because you questioned their divination during a sacred ritual! That was a provocation, Mr. Potter!" McGonagall snapped.
"I'm sorry, Professor, but as a fellow shaman with divination abilities, I cannot tolerate frauds parading around under the name of divination, speaking vague nonsense to deceive others. As far as I know, fraud is a crime punishable by Azkaban," Harry said, showing no remorse and making no effort to hide his disdain for the centaurs.
"And since when has this world forbidden people from speaking? Since when is questioning not allowed? Have centaurs already taken control of wizards?"
"Of course not," Dumbledore interjected before McGonagall's temper flared further. "And yes, this world allows for questioning. Professor McGonagall is only concerned that you put yourself and those around you in danger, Harry."
"I appreciate your concern, Professor McGonagall," Harry said sincerely, bowing slightly. "But rest assured, I only acted because I was confident in my decision."
Strangely, despite Harry's apology, McGonagall looked even angrier.
"Rather than dwell on how this happened, I believe our priority should be the retaliation that the centaurs will surely launch," Harry said, meeting Dumbledore's gaze. "They are hostile toward wizards, see the Forbidden Forest as their domain, and have a strong sense of revenge and racial pride."
"Then tell me, Harry—what do you propose?" Dumbledore's expression turned serious.
"For enemies, the best solution is to eliminate them all," Harry said calmly. "No one can guarantee what the centaurs might do. What if they suddenly charge out of the forest and kill a student?"
"Kill them?" McGonagall gasped. "That's against the law!"
"Actually, it isn't, Professor," Harry explained respectfully. "Centaurs do not consider themselves human. They see themselves as beasts, meaning wizarding law doesn't protect them."
"Actually, it does," Newt suddenly interjected. "Under the Magical Creatures Protection Act."
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