Simultaneous Transmigration: From Japanese Anime to American Comics

Chapter 93: The Forbidden Forest – Unicorns and Visitors

"Alright, time to leave. Ron, stop fiddling with Harry's things!"

As night deepened and the air grew colder, Hagrid urged Ron and Hermione to leave. Little did he know both were reluctant to go.

Ron glanced nervously at Hermione, whose eyes darted about cunningly.

"Hagrid, with so much to pack, how can Harry and Yang handle it alone?" Hermione began, tugging on Hagrid's coat as she attempted to persuade him.

"We should help them finish tidying up before leaving—it's basic manners for a gentleman and a lady."

Hagrid sighed as he surveyed the scattered camping gear. "Fine, but we need to be quick."

Ron eagerly reached for the outdoor tent, only for Hagrid to stop him.

"They won't need that! I built a cabin here myself—it's warm and safe."

Hermione quickly pulled Ron aside, glaring at him. She whispered harshly, "Can't you wait a bit?" Ron chuckled awkwardly.

Under Hermione's direction, everyone began tidying up in an orderly manner—until the ground suddenly trembled.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Ron looked at the trembling stones by his feet and screamed, "An earthquake!"

Hermione and Harry followed with their own shrieks, and the three scattered like startled squirrels.

Hagrid and Chu Yang exchanged puzzled glances.

"This isn't an earthquake," Hagrid muttered as the tremors intensified, heralding the approach of something enormous.

"Calm down, all of you!" Hagrid grabbed the trio, halting their frantic escape. "Look up!"

Hermione raised her head first at Hagrid's prompting. Her face turned pale as she saw the sky blotted out by an unimaginably massive figure.

It was a towering tree—no, a treant—so enormous that its shadow blanketed a nearby lake, casting an ominous aura.

"Ahhh!" Hermione screamed, her voice piercing.

Harry and Ron followed suit, shouting as they gazed at the colossus.

Chu Yang, irritated by the noise, cast a silencing charm. The trio's mouths moved soundlessly, silenced as if stitched shut.

"Relax, that's Yang's pet. Haven't you seen it before?" Hagrid explained.

Pet?

Hermione, Harry, and Ron turned their wide-eyed gazes toward Chu Yang.

"That's the Whomping Willow from school!" Hermione exclaimed.

Chu Yang dismissed the charm and said casually, "Not quite. The Whomping Willow isn't this big."

He then commanded the treant, "Sit somewhere else and stop blocking the light."

Obeying, the treant moved, allowing moonlight to once again bathe the cabin.

Ron squinted at the giant treant and muttered, "I can't believe this is real."

Chu Yang grinned. "I call it the War Tree."

The massive treant obediently followed Chu Yang's commands, its intimidating presence belying its tame demeanor.

"With it here, the Forbidden Forest isn't the most dangerous place—it's the safest," Hermione mused, her eyes lighting up.

Even Ron had to admit, "It does feel safer now. Right, Hagrid?"

"Of course! You can trust this little guy," Hagrid said proudly, patting the treant's branches.

Little guy?

Chu Yang smirked at the irony, considering the War Tree's towering size.

With the area secured, Hermione reasoned, "Since it's so safe, why not stay here?"

Hagrid hesitated before shaking his head. "Dumbledore never said you could stay."

"But he didn't say we couldn't," Ron countered, leaving Hagrid stumped.

Before the argument could continue, the ground trembled again. Everyone turned to the War Tree, but it shrugged innocently.

From the depths of the Forbidden Forest came high-pitched cries, followed by flashes of white darting from the darkness.

Unicorns.

"Unicorns!" Hermione gasped.

"So many unicorns! Merlin's beard!" Ron exclaimed as a torrent of shimmering white figures flooded toward them.

While most gathered to drink by the lake, a few approached Chu Yang, keeping a cautious distance due to the others present.

"They're drawn to your presence," Hagrid observed, steadying himself.

Chu Yang nodded. His body radiated pure life force, irresistibly attracting the unicorns.

"Are they your pets too?" Hermione asked eagerly. "Could I… ride one? Just for a moment?"

"They're my friends," Chu Yang corrected. "And unicorns like kind, intelligent girls like you."

He whistled, and a unicorn trotted to him, gently nudging his hand. Chu Yang transferred a soothing flow of life force into the creature, which neighed joyfully.

"Go ahead."

Chu Yang used a levitation charm to place Hermione onto the unicorn's back. Under the moonlight, the scene was serene and magical.

Ron clamored, "I want a turn too!"

Chu Yang smirked mischievously. "You sure?"

When Ron nodded firmly, Chu Yang levitated him onto another unicorn. This one immediately bucked, throwing Ron to the ground with a loud yelp.

Later, as the unicorns frolicked, Hermione, Harry, and Ron played alongside them, enjoying the magical respite.

Chu Yang, meanwhile, quietly set up tents and sleeping bags for the night. The trio eventually returned, exhausted, and collapsed into their respective tents.

As their snores filled the air, Chu Yang took a seat by the tents, book in hand, awaiting an anticipated visitor.

On the fifth page, a strong wind swept through the clearing. Under the moonlight, Firenze appeared.

"Good to see you again," the centaur greeted warmly. "I sensed the unicorns' activity and guessed it was you."

Chu Yang smiled. "No need for such formalities, Firenze. We're friends, aren't we?"

After exchanging words, Chu Yang handed the protection of the trio to Firenze and departed using Apparition.

The surrounding space began to distort.

In a flash, Chu Yang vanished before Firenze's eyes.

Firenze, having witnessed this many times, was unsurprised.

After spending much time together, Firenze was the only one who truly knew Chu Yang's strength.

When Chu Yang's feet touched the ground again, he had arrived in a small town called Little Hangleton.

The Gaunt family's ancestral home was located within a five-mile radius of Little Hangleton. Its exact position, however, was something Chu Yang needed to find on his own.

The last two challenges—Black's ancestral home and the Gaunt house—were simply a matter of choice.

The Black family home was protected by the Fidelius Charm, requiring a member of the Black family to guide him, but Chu Yang had no connections with them.

Thus, he came here first, hoping for some luck.

Chu Yang stowed his wand, formed hand seals with his hands, and prepared to use the Ultra Lightweight Rock Technique to fly into the sky.

Fortunately, it was deep into the night, and the streets were empty. No one was around to see a wizard in robes performing peculiar gestures.

Ascending to a certain height, Chu Yang looked down at the ground, carefully scanning for the old mansion hidden within the forested hills.

Finally, between two steep slopes, he found a dilapidated mansion squeezed into a narrow gap.

Flying a circle around the area to confirm no one was present, Chu Yang landed in front of the Gaunt house.

The door's knocker bore an engraved serpent motif, coiled elegantly.

"Very fitting. Quite the Slytherin style," Chu Yang remarked.

He tested the magical fluctuations around the door and, finding nothing suspicious, pushed it open. Activating his Observation Haki, whispers began to echo faintly in his ears.

Following the whispers, Chu Yang discovered an elderly man dressed in an indigo wizard's robe in a corner of the Gaunt house.

Dumbledore sat on the cold wooden floor, weak moonlight streaming through the window onto his body. His expression alternated between anguish and ferocity, as if trapped in some kind of trance.

Before him lay a golden ring embedded with a black gemstone—none other than the Gaunt ring that housed a fragment of Voldemort's soul.

Observing Dumbledore's condition, Chu Yang found that he hadn't yet been affected by the ring's curse.

Instead, Dumbledore was in a deadlock, struggling to dispel the curse.

Dumbledore had always intended to destroy all Horcruxes simultaneously, leaving Voldemort no time to react.

This was why he chose to take the ring with him instead of destroying it on the spot.

However, the dark magic Voldemort used to protect his Horcruxes was exceptionally potent, not something that could be easily neutralized.

Still, Dumbledore underestimated the curse on the ring.

The elderly wizard had been locked in this battle for an unknown amount of time, his face pale, his strength clearly at its limits.

Chu Yang clapped his hands, causing the wooden floor beneath him to creak. A vibrant green vine burst through the cracks, slowly extending toward the Gaunt ring.

The vine coiled around the ring several times, completely sealing it.

Chu Yang then reinforced the seal with an additional layer of binding spells.

Once this was done, Dumbledore gasped sharply, his eyes gradually opening.

"How did you end up here?" Dumbledore asked, surprised.

"Hermione and the others told me about the Horcruxes, so I thought I'd come take a look," Chu Yang replied, extending a hand to help Dumbledore to his feet.

"Thank you," Dumbledore said as he stood shakily. "The ring has more than just a curse; it's also protected by a powerful enchantment. Anyone attempting to dispel the curse will be counterattacked.

"His meticulousness caught me off guard."

"Oh, by the way," Dumbledore continued, "Hermione and the others shouldn't know the location of the Horcrux. How did you figure out there was one here?"