Especially when it comes to studying the history and society of Muggles—as the Head of Slytherin College, Snape in Hermione's mind was originally an aloof pure-blood elitist.
Though this professor never mocked students of Muggle origin, everyone could see he was the strongest backing of those pure-blood elitists in Slytherin College.
"Ha."
Snape heard Hermione's sentiments and coldly sneered with great disdain, "What, in your prejudice, Miss Granger, wizards should be completely ignorant of the Muggle world?"
His words left Hermione speechless.
"I didn't mean that..."
Hermione hurriedly tried to explain.
However.
Just at that moment.
"Roar!"
Another dragon's roar echoed.
It was even more terrifying than the sound heard before.
Carrying a hint of anger.
The ground, piled with decaying leaves, suddenly trembled, and a foul-smelling slime seeped from the damp soil—though far away, the dragon's roar was still like thunder tearing the sky, shaking the entire Forbidden Forest.
Its pressure was like an invisible mountain, weighing heavy on the heart, suffocating. The sound waves exploded, could shatter souls, forcing a chill down the spine, and legs to shake.
At least, this was Hermione's state.
"Hiss!"
Her face turned as pale as paper, her legs weak, clearly showing even her gaze had become somewhat dazed—this was the soul-crushing power contained within the dragon's roar from earlier.
"Damnit!"
Snape was not so overwhelmed, though he still felt his soul tremble, and once he regained his composure, he couldn't help but feel intense concern for Ian's fate.
The roar alone was so terrifying.
Just how powerful could it be?
It's chilling to think deeply about it.
"He might have already encountered that creature!"
This was a reasonable judgment.
Snape picked up the incapacitated Hermione, though anxious, dared not leave a little wizard to die in the Forbidden Forest, lest any carnivorous animal consider a first-year student as a gift from nature.
"Hiss~"
Hermione inhaled sharply again, feeling pain from Snape's grip on her arm, nearly crushing her bones, yet it suddenly alarmed her the professor's robe hem had unknowingly transformed into swirling black mist.
The mist faintly emitted a serpent-like eerie glow.
"This is—" Hermione just began to speak.
The sound was torn apart by the howling wind.
"This isn't the time for your questions!" Snape's voice was exceptionally harsh, with a metallic friction-like sharpness, like a rusty blade scraping Miss Omniscient's eardrums. Snape's wand emitted gray mist, black robes surging as his silhouette instantly transformed into a terrifying black mist.
Hermione immediately shut her mouth, heart pounding. She had never seen such magic—a wizard turning into black mist to fly? This was well beyond textbook knowledge!
Before Hermione's curiosity could ferment.
She was already caught up in Snape's transformed black mist and taken skyward—not so much physically carried, but seemingly grasped by an unseen hand within the black mist.
Still the familiar position of behind the collar.
Snape likely habitually grabbed Ian at this spot. For Hermione, it was certainly very jarring, especially being whisked skyward in an instant and beginning a wild flight.
"Ah—!"
Hermione's hair was whipped into a frenzy by the turbulent air, her entire being wrapped in black mist speeding forward. It's safe to say, she'd never experienced such bizarre flight.
Even when Ian used the Transformation Technique earlier, conjured a magic flying carpet to carry her back, the experience wasn't this bizarre, Hermione only felt as if she was enveloped in cold satin.
Even breathing became sluggish.
Her lungs like stuffed with damp cotton.
"Quiet!" Snape's voice echoed from within the mist, low and severe, as he enveloped Hermione in flight, "If you don't want to plummet to your death, then don't move."
Upon hearing the Potions Professor's warning.
Hermione immediately became like a quail, not daring to move.
Only dared to shiver.
Snape flew not only fast but also high, as if seeking a better perspective, the tree crowns below resembled green waves rushing past the horizon behind.
Snape flew determinedly toward the direction of the dragon's roar.
Giant spider nests loomed amidst treetops.
However.
Those normally rampant creatures were eerily silent. The wind howled around, and Snape suddenly lowered altitude. Only then did Hermione realize the previously noisy Forbidden Forest had fallen into deathly silence.
No night owls' cries, no unicorns' steps over fallen leaves, even the most common poisonous tentacle vines shrunk back into shadows, seemingly all living beings vanished in an instant.
Perhaps hiding from some terrifying presence. Black mist raced through the Forbidden Forest, at an incredible speed, with shadows of trees flying by on either side. However, as they ventured deeper, Hermione increasingly sensed something was wrong.
"Too quiet."
Her voice was exceptionally jarring in the silence, like a stone tossed into a deep pool, truly quiet around, as Snape flew, the number of visible plants surprisingly diminished.
No longer any plants that could be used as potion ingredients.
Let alone living creatures.
Even beetles and mosquitoes had completely disappeared.
This was absolutely abnormal.
"Professor..."
Hermione spoke softly.
"What's going on?"
Her unease intensified, seeking answers from Snape. Yet, Snape didn't respond, but Hermione could feel the black mist's flow slightly pausing for a moment.
Evidently, the Potions Professor also noticed this almost impossible anomaly—no matter how powerful a creature's domain is, to find not a single ant is impossible.
The Forbidden Forest was supposed to be teeming with life. Yet now it was deathly quiet, even the chirping insects had vanished, as if life had evaporated or never existed.
"Something's wrong."
Snape also felt unease.
It was a fear of the unknown.
He truly didn't understand what had happened to this area.
The originally vibrant Forbidden Forest seemed to have its soul extracted, leaving only lifelessness, even the abundant trees seemed devoid of vitality.
Like a projection.
Almost like a hollow illusion. Yes, Snape's perception was sharper than Hermione and Ian's, as the Potions Professor transformed into black mist suddenly landed and solidified on the ground.
This was a very sudden action.
He landed steadily.
However.
As he released Hermione, her momentum caused her to stumble and fall to the ground, her delicate face instantly smudged with mud, indeed resembling an authentic "mud person."
She was both embarrassed and annoyed, climbing back to her feet, ready to turn back and question Snape if he did it intentionally. However, just as she turned, Hermione saw Snape's expression heavy with solemnity.
His focus wasn't on her.
Nor was there any intention to taunt her after tricking her. Snape hurriedly approached a large tree, seemingly observing something that baffled him.
Evidently.
The professor also struggled to comprehend the current situation.
Hermione only then realized Snape was simply too anxious, and what could be more urgent than finding Ian—she cautiously approached Snape's side.
Following the Potions Professor's gaze. The branches of those trees remained motionless, without the slightest tremor in the gentle breeze, appearing as though they weren't "interacting" with the surrounding environment at all.
Very bizarre.
Highly discordant.
Hermione's heartbeat unconsciously quickened, an inexplicable fear rising within.
"Professor, what... what is going on?"
Her intuition told her it was definitely not a good thing.
The fact was indeed so.
"I've never encountered such a situation... much less heard of anything similar. These trees, no, this entire environment we're in right now."
Snape lightly tapped the trees with his magic wand.
Nothing happened.
"They're not real entities!"
Snape withdrew his magic wand.
Expression heavy.