The unicorn is a pure, kind, and beautiful creature, one that does not attack humans. They are benevolent beings, and few would harm them.
Unicorns are powerful and agile, making it difficult to harm them. Yet, such an incident has occurred, and the situation has escalated severely.
The black-robed wizard was dangerous, evoking a sense in Zhao Lun as though he were facing a mighty and ferocious beast.
Looking at him, Zhao Lun immediately realized he had encountered the fallen Dark Lord in his most desolate state.
Without hesitation, he cast a spell and immediately dodged to the side. The next moment, a pale green attack struck where he had been.
Boom! The area seemed as though it had been bombarded by a bomb.
The shockwave sent Zhao Lun flying.
"Damn!"
Zhao Lun muttered an old curse, surprised by the devastating effect of this life-taking curse. No wonder it had destroyed an entire street in the past.
Before he could regain his footing, an intense sense of danger struck again. Without thinking, Zhao Lun kicked out and dove to the side.
Boom! The noise was identical to the previous one, but unfortunately, it still missed.
"Fool!!"
The furious scream caused the black-robed wizard to momentarily pause.
"Master... Master..."
Seizing the opportunity, Zhao Lun cast another spell.
"Shatter!"
The black wizard's robe tore, and he staggered for a moment.
"Fool! What are you standing there for! Kill him! Kill him!!!"
The shrill scream finally prompted the black wizard to act swiftly, charging toward Zhao Lun.
Zhao Lun was already prepared. After casting another attack, he quickly accelerated his movement.
"Whistle!—"
"Bang!!!"
"Crash!"
A sound from afar cut through the air and exploded, forming a spectacular burst of light.
Zhao Lun had sent a firework to Hermione.
"Master... Master, someone's bringing news!"
The black-robed figure panicked.
"Retreat!!"
A hoarse voice ordered their withdrawal.
Zhao Lun watched them from a distance until they left, then approached the unicorn.
It was a young unicorn, looking at him with fear.
"How could anyone harm such a lovely creature?"
Zhao Lun waved his hand, and the unicorn vanished.
Rustling—
Footsteps approached.
"Allen!"
It was Hermione. Her voice reached him before her presence did, sounding somewhat panicked.
"It's fine now!"
"Quick! Someone's coming!"
Zhao Lun called out to her, and before she could speak, they both cast the invisibility charm and quickly made their way toward the school.
The two soon exited the Forbidden Forest.
"Look, it's Harry and Malfoy and the others."
Hermione noticed Harry, Ron, Neville, and Malfoy, who were preparing to head back.
"Don't speak, hurry and go back!"
Zhao Lun urged her to keep quiet.
"I suspect things are getting serious, so we need to be cautious from here on."
When they parted, Zhao Lun spoke briefly to Hermione, then they each carefully made their way back.
The next day, the school was calm, as though nothing had happened.
Clearly, the Forbidden Forest incident had been covered up.
Hermione dared not act recklessly. When she came to find Zhao Lun, she did so carefully, looking around at the other students with a wary gaze.
Yesterday's events were unforgettable for her.
She had many questions, but the tension of the situation left her no time to ask, especially with the exam fast approaching.
During the written exams, they had to use the special quills provided, enchanted to prevent cheating.
For the magical exams, like Professor Flitwick's test where they had to use the levitation spell to make a pineapple dance, or Professor McGonagall's transfiguration exam where they had to turn a rat into a snuffbox— the more beautiful, the higher the score; the less accurate, the more points deducted.
Snape's potion exam had everyone on edge, and many nearly collapsed, but luckily, the test was not that difficult.
The final exam was History of Magic, a subject based purely on memorization. Zhao Lun's memory was impeccable, and his light brain recordings solved any problems.
All in all, the exams covered what they had recently learned.
For Zhao Lun, the exams were a breeze with no pressure; he completed each one flawlessly.
While others were stressed and pulling their hair out, Zhao Lun remained at ease, and many students envied him.
After the exams, Zhao Lun didn't relax. He spent time in the library, taking notes and looking up forbidden curses like the Killing Curse.
"Restricted Section! Requires a professor's consent!"
Madam Pince stopped him from entering the restricted area.
One day.
Zhao Lun noticed Harry, whom he hadn't paid attention to for a few days. When he looked at him again, Harry appeared pale, disoriented, and anxious.
"Wow! Harry! What happened to you? You look awful! Did you not rest well last night?"
Zhao Lun asked him.
"No, I had a nightmare," Harry explained when he saw Zhao Lun.
In his dream, a shadow cloaked in a hood, blood dripping from its mouth, appeared. When he awoke, the scar on his forehead was burning with pain.
"My forehead has been hurting all the time. It's happened before, but never like this, so often."
"I think this isn't an illness; it's a sign, a warning that danger is coming."
Harry slowly shared his experience, but the people around him didn't believe him, which made him feel disappointed.
"Don't blame them," Zhao Lun handed him a fruit, taking one for himself.
"When people face certain things, they're always reluctant to think the worst, and what you're saying is exactly the kind of terrible thing most people want to avoid. So, they instinctively choose to disbelieve."
"Do you believe me?" Harry asked, surprised.
"Why wouldn't I?" Zhao Lun replied sincerely.
After Zhao Lun's words, Harry seemed to feel relieved and no longer obsessed over the matter. He had now considered Zhao Lun a trustworthy friend.
Later that afternoon, it seemed Harry had discovered something, and he rushed to Hagrid's hut. After returning from there, he discovered the issue and went to solve it.
They performed quite impressively, passing through several hurdles and eventually reaching the final door, where they encountered the final person.
It was none other than Quirrell.
"It's you!" Harry exclaimed in surprise.
"Wow, I'm not too late." At that moment, Zhao Lun suddenly barged in.
"Allen? What are you doing here?" Harry was stunned, as he had consumed all the potion, and without it, one couldn't pass through here.
"Do you think Snape's potion can stop me?"
Zhao Lun proudly held up a bottle of potion he hadn't yet drunk.
"Huh? Professor Quirrell, are you two having a chat? Alright, I'll leave you to it, but I'll take a look at this mirror. I've heard it's quite magical, and I'd like to see it."
Zhao Lun "pretended" to be surprised, though he was warily observing Quirrell, carefully guarding himself.
Suddenly, a rope flew toward him, turning into a devil's snare, attempting to bind Zhao Lun.
Zhao Lun swiftly dodged, and his wand shot out flames, burning the rope to ashes.
"Hey! Professor Quirrell, attacking students like that isn't right! I'd like to hear your explanation," Zhao Lun pointed his wand at him.
"Ha!" Quirrell scoffed dismissively and continued talking to Harry, "Didn't expect this, did you, Potter?"
"I thought it was Snape—"
Then came the moment of truth, and Zhao Lun didn't interrupt, simply watching with his eyes and ears while his brain recorded everything. Watching the real-life version of the 'final confrontation,' Zhao Lun was quite excited; it was far more thrilling than what he had seen in the movies.
When the truth was finally revealed, Quirrell quickly summoned a rope that turned into the devil's snare to trap Harry. "If you don't want Potter to lose his life, stay back!" Quirrell said, using Harry as a shield.
"Ah!? Quirrell, as a professor, is this how you attack students? Don't you have any shame?" Zhao Lun was speechless at Quirrell's shameless actions. He realized he had underestimated this professor's level of shamelessness.
"No time for idle chatter," Quirrell said in a low, hoarse voice.
"Allen, don't interfere—ah!" Just as Harry was about to show his resilience, Quirrell's curse struck, causing him excruciating pain.
"Go away!" He warned, then ignored Harry, grabbing him by the arm. "You've meddled too much, Potter. You were wandering around the campus on Halloween..."
Zhao Lun was completely disregarded, and it seemed the Forbidden Forest incident hadn't been linked to him.
A few steps later, they arrived at the Mirror of Erised. "This mirror is the key to finding the Philosopher's Stone..." Quirrell was getting excited, his words becoming more scattered as he neared success.
Finally, the true mastermind, Voldemort, revealed himself, and the battle between good and evil began. Harry, entwined with the enemy, managed to prevail, thanks to the protective charm, and secured the Philosopher's Stone.
As for Quirrell, he turned to dust.
Everything happened in the blink of an eye.