The Fox In A Snake Pit!

Detention With Hagrid!

"You shouldn't be too friendly to them, Hagrid," said Filch coldly, "they're here to be punished, after all." 

"That's why yer late, is it?" said Hagrid, frowning at Filch. "Bin lecturin' them, eh? 'Snot your place ter do that. Yeh've done yer bit, I'll take over from here." 

"I'll be back at dawn," said Filch, his tone laced with malice. "For what's left of them, that is," he added nastily. 

With those words, he turned on his heels and began making his way back towards the castle. His lamp flickered in the darkness, its glow gradually disappearing into the night.

Draco's gaze shifted towards Hagrid, his voice filled with determination. "I refuse to step foot into that forest," he exclaimed, vivid memories of his parents' cautionary tales flooding his mind. 

The thought of the unknown lurking within those dense trees sent shivers down his spine. At that moment, Draco noticed a hint of satisfaction in Potter's expression, relishing in his fear.

"Yeh are if yeh want ter stay at Hogwarts," said Hagrid fiercely. "Yeh've done wrong an' now yeh've got ter pay fer it."

"But this is servant stuff, it's not for students to do. I thought we'd be writing lines or something. If my father knew I was doing this, he'd-"

"-tell yer that's how it is at Hogwarts," Hagrid growled angrily. "Writin' lines! What good's that ter anyone? Yeh'll do sumthin' more useful or yeh'll get kicked out. If yeh think yer father'd rather you were expelled, then get back off ter the castle an' pack. Go on!" 

Draco didn't move. He looked at Hagrid furiously but then dropped his gaze.

"Right then," said Hagrid, "now, listen carefully, 'cause it's dangerous what we're gonna do tonight an' I don' want no one takin' risks. Follow me over here a moment." He led them to the very edge of the Forest. 

Holding his lamp up high he pointed down a narrow, winding earth track that disappeared into the thick black trees. A light breeze lifted their hair as they looked into the Forest. 

"Look there," said Hagrid, "see that stuff shinin' on the ground? Silvery stuff? That's unicorn blood. There's a unicorn in their bin hurt badly by sumthin'. This is the second time in a week. I found one dead last Wednesday. We're gonna try an' find the poor thing. We might have ter put it out of its misery." 

"And what if whatever hurt the unicorn finds us first?" said Draco, unable to keep fear out of his voice. His words hung heavy in the air, as the group stood in the forest, their hearts pounding with trepidation. 

"There's nothin' that lives in the forest that'll hurt yeh if yer with me or Fang," said Hagrid. "An' keep ter the path. Right, now, we're gonna split inter two parties an' follow the trail in diff'rent directions. There's blood all over the place, it must've bin staggerin' around since last night at least." 

"I want Fang," said Draco quickly, looking at Fang's long teeth. 

"All right, but I warn yeh, he's a coward," said Hagrid. "So me, Harry an' Hermione'll go one way an' Draco, Neville an' Fang'll go the other. Now, if any of us finds the unicorn, we'll send up green sparks, right? Get yer wands out an' practice now- that's it- an' if anyone gets in trouble, send up red sparks, an' we'll all come an' find yeh – so, be careful. Let's go." 

The forest stretched out before them, its dense foliage casting an eerie shadow over the ground. The air was heavy with silence, broken only by the soft rustling of leaves under their feet. As they ventured deeper into the forest, a fork in the path appeared, offering them a choice. Potter, Granger, and Hagrid instinctively veered left, while Draco, Longbottom, and Fang opted for the right path. Moving forward, their footsteps barely made a sound, as if the forest itself was holding its breath.