To the west of Hogwarts Castle, there was a large stretch of eerie forest that formed the forbidden forest. Beside the narrow, fast-flowing river that flowed at the bottom of the valley, large patches of foxgloves and wild roses grew in the open space beside the river. Bees buzzed back and forth, and this was one of the main water sources for the centaur tribe.
Allen walked out from the shadow of a large tree.
A few centaurs threw down their water jugs and issued a warning. A few guards who were kneeling on the lush and soft grass immediately raised the bows in their hands and jumped up from the ground vigilantly.
Then they recognized that the magus in front of them was the current headmaster of Hogwarts, Allen Harris. However, the magus in front of them with a strange pale face and an ominous aura was no longer the Allen of his junior years. This made the centaurs who knew him feel uneasy, and their hooves uneasily dug into the ground.
A brown-red colt even shuddered, and Allen realized that this was probably the first female centaur he had ever met. She had long red hair, and her upper body was that of a human's, while the lower half of her body was a brown-red horse's body. Behind her, there was even a long red tail.
The few centaur guards slowly put away the bows in their hands, and bent their front legs in the direction of his back. They lowered their proud heads and bent their waists.
Allen took the initiative to greet them, "Hello, I am the current headmaster of Hogwarts, Allen Harris. I am here to see Mathilda, please help me inform her."
"The leader knows everything." A centaur with a brown mane said vaguely. Just as he finished speaking, the sound of horse hooves could be heard from the forest. A moment later, a majestic and strong centaur walked out with powerful steps. Its sturdy horse body emitted a chestnut luster. Its noble head was elegantly raised, and its golden-red beard fluttered in front of its chest. Its eyes were deep and enchanting, as if it was hiding a sky full of stars.
"Mathilda, I am so happy that you are still as good as the first time I saw you." Allen replied enthusiastically.
"Centaurs are forever friends. Thanks to you, our centaur tribe's understanding of the stars is already far ahead of our peers." Mathilda raised her head elegantly, and her attitude was no different from when she was young. "Let us talk inside."
After going around a few small hills, the gradually familiar scenery brought back memories from a few years ago. Allen walked past several bushes with familiarity, and they arrived in front of the silver Star Lake. A gentle breeze ruffled the surface of the lake, and the water shimmered, bringing the sky full of stars to the human world.
In a basket made of straw on the grass, there were oatmeal cakes sprinkled with sunflower seeds. Allen had eaten some when he was in the first year, and knew that they were flavored with herbs and cheese. Fruit wine brewed from fruits and honey was served in a wooden wine cup that was cut open.
Allen did not cast any magic, and directly sat on the grass. He picked up a piece of oatmeal, broke it open, and put it into his mouth. The air in the forbidden forest was cool and fresh, with a faint floral fragrance. In the distance, a few foals were still unable to cultivate as quietly as the centaurs beside them. They ran and played around the Star Lake happily.
"Allen, the stars tell me that the tranquility of the Star Lake will be broken sooner or later." Mathilda said worriedly after Allen finished the oatmeal and drank a mouthful of fruit wine.
"Mathilda, my friend, I know that you are worried about the expansion of the Hogwarts, but please believe that I will not let the expansion affect the living environment of the centaurs." Allen put down the wine cup in the gourd.
"As a friend and our benefactor, we should support your decision …" Mathilda's deep eyes stared at Allen, and he smoothed his beard that was blown by the wind. "I heard that a dragon farm will be built near the Black Lake, and various mystical animals will be moved here. The foals are deeply worried about this."
"Mathilda, when I was designing the blueprint, even if I did not consider our friendship, I still considered the interests of the natives of the forbidden forest like you." Allen replied with a sincere tone. "Please believe in me, believe in the professors and staff of the Hogwarts, we have enough means to control them. We will not let them wreak havoc in the forbidden forest like the previous eight-eyed spiders and threaten you."
Mathilda shook her head. "Of course I believe in you, Allen … I know that the wizards who came to tell us this information have sinister intentions, so I had no choice but to pass this information to you through Firenze. But I am worried that the appearance of these mystical creatures will destroy the food chain here …"
"I am very grateful for your trust … Mathilda." Allen said as he took a sip of wine to moisten his throat. "I understand your worries. The centaurs have lived here for many years, and all the resources for their survival depend on the forbidden forest. And these new mystical creatures … Their existence will definitely cause your prey to decrease, and your resources to decrease …"
"A few years ago, after those eight-eyed giant spiders disappeared, the number of newborn ponies increased … It wasn't easy for the centaur tribe to expand to such a scale … Our centaur ancestors have been living in this forest for generations." Mathilda nodded heavily. "When I was young, I studied your sorcerer's laws. If there are centaurs in a certain country, the country's magic government will draw out a special living area for us. And the owner of this area is not us centaurs … Allen, you also own the Hogwarts and are the true owner of this forbidden forest … Allen, I learned about your family's power from Firenze. So I beg you, my friend, is it possible for you to place the dragon farm and those mystical creatures in another area?"
"Mathilda, just like I said before, I have of course considered this point when I was designing. Please don't worry about the Fire Dragons, the forbidden forest will not satisfy them … Moreover, these lazy fellows prefer to be fed … In fact, the reason I built the dragon farm in the Hogwarts is because …" Allen's finger tapped on his thigh, clearing the image of Zhuo Geng and Lessie from his mind. He changed to a more confident way of speaking. "In fact, the reason I brought in so many mystical creatures in the Hogwarts is also part of my educational reform. The content of the previous mystical creature protection classes … In fact, most of the content was too random and not systematic. This is a test of the professor's ability … In short, this is for the sake of the sorcerer students. You know that there are three schools in the Hogwarts that cater to students of different ages. Their curriculum is completely different, but the similarity is that they all require mystical creatures …" Noticing that he had strayed from the topic, Allen cleared his throat. "So how can I let you centaurs be implicated by the education of the Hogwarts? The hogwarts will regularly provide the centaurs with resources as compensation."
"Thank you for your generosity, Allen." Mathilda rejected. "But centaurs can rely on their own strength to survive. We will not allow ourselves to accept other people's charity …"
Mathilda, on behalf of Hogwarts, I sincerely invite the centaurs to become the rangers of the Forbidden Forest. Please help the little wizards who enter the Forbidden Forest when the professors are teaching. If you're willing, please teach them, just like how the professors are your little ponies. Let them use your own methods to avoid those harmful plants and learn how not to be harmed by dangerous magical animals … "Alan bowed slightly." Mathilda, on behalf of Hogwarts, I sincerely invite the centaurs to become rangers of the Forbidden Forest. Please help the little wizards who enter the Forbidden Forest when the professors are teaching. If you're willing, you can even become teaching assistants and educate them, just like how the professors are your little ponies. Let them use your own methods to avoid those harmful plants and learn how not to be harmed by dangerous magical animals … Of course, the most important thing is that you know that the recent situation has not been peaceful. Maintaining order and peace in the Forbidden Forest requires the help of centaurs. To the wizards, the trained Auror in the Forbidden Forest does not have the advantages that you centaurs have … So, in order to ensure the safety of the students and Hogwarts … This is not some charity, but a request from me. "Alan bowed slightly." Mathilda, on behalf of Hogwarts, I sincerely invite the centaurs to become rangers of the Forbidden Forest. Please help the little wizards who enter the Forbidden Forest when the professors are teaching.
"If this is the teaching plan of the Hogwarts, then I guarantee that my tribe will not have any objections … Allen, I understand that you want to use this opportunity to help the centaur tribe obtain more resources and improve their lives … But you know the habits of the centaurs. Other than Firenze, most centaurs do not want to have too much interaction with wizards … Of course, you are different …" Mathilda's golden red beard swayed left and right in front of his chest. He who was used to speaking straightforwardly was not used to choosing his words carefully.
Allen did not interrupt his train of thought. He only took a small bite of the oatmeal and chewed it in his mouth.
The centaur leader took a long time to sort out his words. "Allen, friend of the centaurs, you should know that in the division of the Ministry of Magic, we centaurs are not categorized as humans. Although we were voluntarily categorized as beasts … Firenze's situation is different. It was a one-sided decision, but if our entire tribe of centaurs were to directly participate in the work of wizards …" Mathilda shook his head. "This will cause our tribe to be seen as traitors by our fellow centaurs, and it will also bring trouble to your Ministry of Magic … I know that you have not been on good terms with the other countries recently, so I cannot agree to your request nor accept your aid. But Allen, the matter of patrolling the Forbidden Forest … In fact, we have been doing this for many years. We used to inform Dumbledore of some of the signs in the Forbidden Forest, so please continue to leave this matter to us centaurs."
(End of Chapter)
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