But before this Puffskein could even celebrate successfully catching its prey, Harvey had already descended from the sky.
"Stupefy!"
He cast a spell, knocking both the Puffskein and the juvenile Acromantula unconscious.
"Looks like I, the mantis stalking the cicada, have pretty good luck. Just got to the Forbidden Forest and I've already obtained two precious materials."
Because Acromantulas cannot be tamed by wizards and thus cannot be bred on a large scale, their venom is an incredibly valuable material.
At Slug & Jiggers Apothecary in Diagon Alley, the buying price for a single pint of Acromantula venom was as high as 100 Galleons.
And although the Puffskein was a docile scavenger, its fur possessed special magical properties, making it a relatively precious potion ingredient as well.
Harvey moved swiftly, caging the Puffskein and the Acromantula separately before storing them in his spatial bag, then continued searching for his next target.
Meanwhile, Hermione, who had been observing from the sky, seemed to have found a target as well, riding her Firebolt deeper into the Forbidden Forest.
...
The fiery red sun gradually sank below the horizon.
As night fell over the rustling Forbidden Forest, you never knew what dangers were waiting for you.
Harvey, being relatively cautious, cast a Shield Charm on himself to avoid being ambushed by dangerous creatures that liked to hide in the dark.
When the hazy moonlight spilled into the vast, endless dense forest, the surroundings were so quiet that only the chirping of cicadas remained.
After a busy day of gathering and having already reaped a bountiful harvest, Hermione felt hungry and temporarily halted her search for materials.
After pulling a camping tent out of her spatial bag and setting it up, she raised her wand and cast 'Lumos'.
The dazzling white light flashed three times.
Harvey, still searching for prey in the sky, saw the light signal, steered the flying sword beneath his feet, and regrouped with Hermione.
"Let's rest for a bit and grab a quick bite. The middle of the night is the prime time to hunt for nocturnal magical creatures."
Harvey nodded. For lunch, he had only eaten a few pumpkin pasties swiped from the Hogwarts kitchens to tide him over.
It really was time to treat himself to a proper meal.
"Did you bring any food?"
Unable to wait, Hermione dumped a pile of things out of her spatial bag.
A barbecue grill, lamb skewers, steaks, croissants, chicken wings, vegetables, seasonings, and even a water tank containing several live sea bass.
Seeing the sea bass darting around in the tank and splashing water...
Harvey's mouth twitched as he said, "Darling, you aren't planning on having a wild outdoor BBQ deep inside the Forbidden Forest, are you?"
"Is there a problem? Although the smell of barbecue is very strong, won't that attract a large number of magical creatures so we can just sit back and reap the rewards?" Hermione said, as if it were the most logical thing in the world.
Harvey thought about it, and she wasn't wrong. With his strength, he could practically walk sideways through the Forbidden Forest anyway.
"Alright then, but do you know how to barbecue?"
"No, but isn't that what you're here for!"
Hermione's self-righteous attitude left Harvey a bit speechless.
Fine, who told him to spoil her?
Harvey shook his head and began casting culinary magic.
Charcoal flew into the grill automatically, igniting with a 'poof' and rapidly turning into red-hot coals.
Then, the beef, lamb, and other ingredients were automatically chopped, prepped, and skewered onto bamboo sticks.
Immediately following that, skewers of beef, lamb, and the prepped sea bass flew into the air, hovering and continuously rotating over the grill.
After roasting for ten minutes, the seasoning jars flew up automatically, sprinkling salt, chili powder, and other spices onto the skewers.
A rich, mouth-watering aroma of roasted meat drifted through the air.
The incredibly fragrant meat skewers firmly captured Hermione's gaze.
Staring at the food on the grill, she asked impatiently, "Are they done yet?"
"Patience is a virtue when waiting for hot skewers. Besides, you need to stay alert to our surroundings at all times."
Harvey pointed towards seven o'clock and said:
"There's movement deep in the pitch-black woods over there. It's highly likely a magical creature is hiding there quietly. Be careful."
Hermione's entire focus was on the skewers. Without even turning her head, she said, "I'm not worried about being attacked at all, because I know you'll protect me."
Although earning her trust was a good thing...
Harvey still advised her earnestly, "What if I'm not by your side? In the wizarding world, constantly staying alert is the most basic element of survival..."
Hermione suddenly turned her head, looking deeply into Harvey's eyes with her beautiful hazel eyes.
"As long as we're together forever from now on, won't it be fine?"
"Uh..." Harvey was caught completely off guard. The girl suddenly dropping a line like that left him not knowing how to respond.
"While what you're saying makes sense, but..."
Hermione interrupted him: "No buts. Unless you want to abandon me? Hmm?"
The little witch's death glare made Harvey's heart skip a beat.
Thinking of Cho Chang's passion last night, he felt a bit of a guilty conscience.
Knowing that saying more would only lead to more mistakes, he decided to let his actions speak for him.
Harvey aimed for the little witch's enticing red lips and kissed her...
The meat skewers on the grill were still sizzling with oil, their rich aroma making one's index finger twitch with appetite.
But the people who were supposed to be enjoying them had quietly slipped into the tent next to it.
——————————
"Chirp—chirp!"
Several Augureys with dark green feathers flew over the forest canopy, greeting the morning sun.
On the roof of the camping tent, dewdrops as crystal clear as pearls had accumulated.
Yawning, Harvey lifted a corner of the tent flap, and the fresh, grassy scent of the forest eagerly rushed into the tent.
Sweeping away the last remnants of his sleepiness.
He looked at the sleeping posture of the little witch in his arms; a few strands of hair playfully rested on her delicate face.
Occasionally, her delicate brows would furrow slightly, as if she were experiencing a wondrous adventure in her dreams.
When a cool breeze brushed across her face, the little witch seemed to feel a tickle, subconsciously wrinkling her nose and opening her eyes.
"Ah?!"
Hermione screamed in terror. She was facing directly outside the tent.
And right now, a six-foot-long Runespoor, orange-yellow with black stripes, was coiled on a dead log in the mud, flicking its tongues and staring right at her.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
Harvey also saw the culprit that had terrified the little witch. With a wave of his hand, a Full Body-Bind Curse easily took care of this Runespoor that had delivered itself to their doorstep.
Still shaken, Hermione took two deep breaths, then turned her head and glared angrily at Harvey.
"You annoying jerk, did you do that on purpose?"
Harvey naturally denied it completely. "I only just saw it too. But it's just a snake with extremely low danger levels, what are you so afraid of?"
Furious, Hermione punched his shoulder with her little fists, complaining:
"Why is it that when I wake up, I don't see the doting gaze of my lover, but instead a terrifyingly ugly Runespoor? How can you be so unromantic?"
Hearing this, Harvey wasn't happy.
"I was looking at you with a doting gaze just now, but you were facing outside the tent..."
The little witch skillfully deployed the innate skill every girl possessed: being utterly unreasonable.
"Don't make excuses! The fact is, the moment I opened my eyes I saw a terrifying snake. You have to compensate my fragile, injured heart!"
Harvey had dark lines forming on his forehead. "I really can't see exactly what part of the famous Miss Know-It-All is fragile?"