Learn From the History

Chapter 10: The Forbidden Forest

Alex was now running around in the Forbidden Forest. He swore under his breath. How could he forget he possessed an invisibility cloak and actually left it in his dorm when he needed it most? More importantly, what on earth was Tom thinking, disappeared into the Forbidden Forest alone without any protection?

/ Master's friend went into the forest right after dinner and still hasn't returned./

Nagini told him that just now. Right after dinner. That was right after Alex left for his exam. Obviously, whatever Tom was doing now, he didn't want Alex to be involved in it.

But it had been three hours since Tom disappeared and what Nagini said scared Alex even further.

/ Something horrible in the forest awakes, Alex. I smell...danger./

He didn't know how the sneak actually smelled such thing, but he had a bad feeling himself.

Something was not right.

Alex rushed to Tom's dorm after hearing Nagini's warning and searched desperately for any clue that told him his friend's whereabouts. But then what he found didn't make him feel any better. He found a copy of Dangerous Beasts & All You Need To Know About Them in the boy's drawer. A paragraph in the marked page of the book read:

CHIMAERA

The Chimaera is a rare Greek monster with a lion's head, a goat's body and a dragon's tail. Vicious and bloodthirsty, the Chimaera is extremely dangerous.

There is a legend of Chimaera: A powerful wizard from the ancient time brought a Chimaera egg to Scotland. With a combination of various dark magic, the wizard controlled and trained that Chimaera as his own guardian. It is said that the Chimaera was commanded to kill everyone that crossed its path and only spared those its master approved.

Despite what the legend said, the Chimaera is impossible to be tamed. So far, there is only one known instance of the successful slaying of a Chimaera.

The Chimaera is rare and hard to be found. Rumours that a Chimaera dwelled in the northern part of a forest in Scotland are unconfirmed.

Alex paled as he read through the page. A forest in Scotland... The Forbidden Forest.

"That idiot..." he muttered.

Alex was nervous and extremely worried. What should he do? Tell the professors? No, Tom would surely be expelled and sent back to the orphanage. The other Slytherins? They wouldn't tell the teachers, but they wouldn't help him either. After all, which Slytherin would put himself in a danger that can be avoided?

But it was a danger Alex could not avoid. Time was running out and it was a risk he had to take.

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So Alex was now in the Forbidden Forest, desperately searching for his friend.

"Point me." His wand spun on his palm and pointed ahead of him, confirming he was taking the correct direction, north.

Alex could hear his own footsteps clearly as he ran on the forest ground. He shivered. The horrible bad feeling hit him once again. The forest was quiet that night, way too quiet.

/ Be careful, Alex,/ The hissing voice of Nagini came out beneath his sleeve.

Just after the warning, Alex heard it. Something was moving behind the trees, advancing on him. The quiet atmosphere made any noise caused by sudden movement easily heard.

/Wolves,/ said Nagini. /Two of them./

Alex swallowed, grabbing his wand tighter.

/Let me deal with them, Alex,/ Nagini said rather excitedly. /I haven't tasted flesh for a long time./

/But.../ Alex started.

/Just return me to my original size and I will be fine,/ The snake continued. / Your friend is near, I smell his blood. You need to hurry./

Alex nodded reluctantly. He lowered his arm to the ground. Once the snake was back to the floor, he pointed his wand to it.

"Engorgio." The snake enlarged and soon return to its original size.

/Be careful, Nagini,/ he whispered and started running deeper into the forest.

/ Good luck, master./

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Alex kept running. He tried to ignore whatever sound from his surrounding and focused on Tom. Finally he stopped in front of a clearing. With only the dim light from his wand, he managed to see a huge figure ahead of him.

Alex involuntarily took a step back. But as he looked up again, the figure had disappeared.

He walked forward cautiously and stopped at the place where the figure just stood. On the ground before him was a hole. It was deep and was large enough even for Hagrid, a second year who was "larger" than all the seventh years, to enter.

'It must be the entrance of the Chamber of Secrets,' Alex thought. 'So the creature escaped from this hole just now?'

No. Alex shook his head. The creature would not escape just because of a student. So why did the creature run away? It was supposed to be guarding the entrance instead of opening it widely, wasn't it?

Alex shivered again. The creature was still watching him. He could almost sense its piercing eyes staring directly at him, watching his every move. Not from the hole, but from the above.

Then everything made sense. Alex finally understood.

The legend was true. Salazar Slytherin kept a Chimaera in the forest and gave it a command, to kill anyone who attempted to enter the Chamber except for those Slytherin approved. Approved? That must be Slytherin's heir then. But it would be too complicated for the creature to identify. It must be something simpler for it to follow. What did Slytherin approve? Alex snorted inwardly. Of course, Pureblood. And of course that Slytherin's heir would be a pureblood too.

Alex stared into the hole in front of him. The Chimaera was here to kill, not to guard. It would not prevent anyone to enter the hole, but it would prevent anyone but pureblood who entered the hole from coming out alive.

Alex knew for sure Tom was in it, and was unable to escape.

What should he do? He didn't have much choice, did he? He was not going to leave without Tom. And in order to drag Tom out... well, hopefully they would be able to find a way out down there...

"Nox," Alex muttered. The wand light died down and darkness enclosed him immediately. Alex swallowed and jumped into the dark hole in front of him.