The shadows of the trees in the Forbidden Forest swayed in the night breeze, their branches and leaves rustling softly.
Under the cloud-covered night sky.
Snape grasped Hermione's wrist, his black robe billowing like a wave, his footsteps swift and silent. Hermione was nearly being dragged forward, her legs barely keeping up with his pace.
But Snape had no intention of slowing down.
There was no choice.
Of course, Snape was in a hurry.
The experienced Snape was quite certain that this was definitely not the roar of a dragon. He had encountered numerous dragons throughout his life, both dead and alive, and most masters of Magic Potion were also fantastic beasts experts, because many magic potion materials had to come from fantastic beasts, so a Master of Magic Potions knew a lot about fantastic beasts.
However.
The sound just now, which seemed like a dragon's roar, was definitely something no dragon he knew could make. That sound contained a power that directly shocked the soul!
Dragons don't have that characteristic!
Their roars, though scary, could frighten many timid creatures and even wizards, but they could never shake the mind of a wizard like Snape.
It's well known.
The dragon types on the entire Earth are just a few. The ordinary Welsh Green Dragon, small in size, measuring less than 20 feet in length, has a beautiful and melodious roar, far from being so soul-stirring.
The Hebridean Islands Black Dragon is larger than the ordinary Welsh Green Dragon, with a fiery temper, requiring large territories. It has black scales, purple eyes, and a row of sharp dorsal ridges.
However, its roar is just as ordinary.
Other dragons like the Australian Protein Dragon, Romanian Longhorn Dragon, Swedish Short-nosed Dragon, Peruvian Poison Fang Dragon, Chinese Fireball Dragon, and Norwegian Ridgeback Dragon have louder roars at most.
The only dragons whose voices might have some magic are the Hungarian Tree Bee Dragon and the Ukrainian Iron Belly Dragon, whose roars can incapacitate most creatures.
According to research.
There is some magical reason for this. However, for wizards who also possess magic, anyone who has undergone some training can ignore the slight magic in their roars.
It must be said.
Snape is indeed knowledgeable about dragons.
And for Snape.
He could process the most delicate magic potion materials without his hands being affected in the slightest, even while listening to the roar of a Ukrainian Iron Belly Dragon.
But just now.
When that terrifying dragon's roar sounded, Snape even felt his own magic power freeze, his thoughts solidify, which absolutely had an extraordinary influence.
"What could it be?"
A strong sense of unease arose in Snape's heart. Despite having taught at Hogwarts for many years, he still hadn't fully figured out the secrets of the Forbidden Forest.
No one knows what kinds of creatures still live in the depths of the Forbidden Forest. Snape thought that such terrifying creatures were at least remnants of ancient times.
It's only in that era, which most wizards find hard to comprehend, that such terrifying fantastic beasts could survive. He knew this because he once obtained a remarkable notebook from a Legendary Wizard in his early years.
"The current conditions shouldn't support the survival of such creatures." Snape recalled the knowledge in the remarkable notebook. He couldn't determine whether the notebook was wrong or if there was some unknown reason.
To be honest.
He struggled to imagine what kind of species could live for thousands, maybe even more than thousands of years—perhaps active eggs hatched under some unknown condition?
Snape used all his knowledge to make judgments.
As for Hermione.
She simply felt the tremors.
The knowledge of Miss Omniscient was far from enough for her to contemplate.
Today's incidents.
Were already far beyond her comprehension.
"Professor!" Hermione gasped, "Was that really a dragon's roar? I've read some books about giant dragons; they are strong, but not to this extent, are they?"
"From such a distance, I can still feel the uncontrollable fear..." Hermione's forehead was still sweaty, and just recalling it made her heart pound.
This truly wasn't the magical journey she desired.
"The sound wave frequency of a dragon's roar is lower and shouldn't have such an overwhelming pressure, but this sound... to be honest, I don't know, it might come from an undocumented species."
Snape candidly admitted that he was as confused as Hermione.
"Are there species that haven't been documented?" Hermione was greatly astonished. Her small legs were moving as fast as they could to barely keep up with Snape's pace.
"The Muggle World discovers new species every now and then; what's so strange about that?" Snape snorted, maintaining his characteristic cold tone.
"That's true."
Hermione suddenly understood.
"I didn't expect Professor Snape to know so much about the Muggle World." Honestly, this was something Hermione hadn't expected, nor would most Hogwarts little wizards.
After all.
Slytherin College is known for its pure-blood supremacy, where the little wizards who study almost all carry a disdain for Muggles; being able to say a few words to them would already feel like they're being extraordinarily friendly.