Hagrid took the weakened unicorn away to recover.
Victor Wick, meanwhile, led the Weasley twins back to Hogwarts Castle.
"Fred! George! You two again! How can you be out wandering the halls every single night?" Professor McGonagall's face was like thunder as she watched the twins being brought into her office by Victor.
Fred and George didn't dare crack any jokes this time; they simply hung their heads and hid behind Victor, remaining silent.
"Victor, where did you catch them?" Professor McGonagall asked in a heavy voice.
"I was patrolling the Forbidden Forest with Hagrid tonight to investigate the attacks on the unicorns. We discovered the Dark Wizard who harmed them. While we were in pursuit, these two brave Messrs. Weasley helped me intercept him. Unfortunately, I wasn't prepared and wasted the opportunity they created, ultimately allowing the wizard to escape," Victor explained, recounting the night's events smoothly.
Although Victor's description was technically objective, he emphasized the twins' contribution, clearly trying his best to put in a good word for them.
Hearing this, a flicker of excitement passed over Fred and George's faces.
However, having been a professor for so many years and having taught so many Weasleys, how could McGonagall not know the twins' temperament?
She understood exactly what had happened the moment Victor finished speaking.
Most likely, these two had snuck into the forest for a night stroll and happened to run into Victor chasing a Dark Wizard. Then, without a thought for the consequences or their own limits, they had recklessly jumped into the fray!
If that Dark Wizard hadn't been wary of the Victor Wick pursuing him, these two boys might have lost their lives in the forest tonight!
"How could you dare?" McGonagall's face turned pale with fury. "Knowing full well the Forbidden Forest hasn't been safe lately, you still dared to sneak in! Have you considered the consequences? If anything had happened to you, how were we supposed to face your parents? Do you have any idea what would have happened to Hogwarts then?"
Professor McGonagall was beyond furious.
Victor realized then that his mention of the Dark Wizard had backfired; it was likely the primary reason for her extreme anger.
While wandering the forest at night was dangerous, it wasn't even in the same league as provoking a fugitive Dark Wizard!
A Dark Wizard on the run was far more dangerous than an ordinary one. Who knew what unscrupulous methods they would use to escape? These two hadn't even graduated yet and lacked sufficient power, yet they dared to block someone like that?
Even if they were lucky this time, who knew if the Dark Wizard now held a grudge? Once a vicious Dark Wizard marked you, they'd have plenty of ways to finish off two weak, underage wizards in the future!
To sum it up, the Weasley twins had been courting death in every way possible tonight.
Therefore, to ensure they learned their lesson, the punishment had to be severe.
Having realized this, Victor took a step back.
It had to be said that McGonagall, with her years of experience, was far superior to a rookie like Victor when it came to education.
Fred and George looked at Victor with pleading eyes, but he could only give them a look that said his hands were tied.
"One hundred points from Gryffindor!" McGonagall said with a stony face.
Fred and George's faces turned green. "Professor! That's—"
"One hundred points each!"
The twins felt as though the sky had fallen.
"Plus detention for the rest of the school year! I shall be writing to your parents tonight!"
"Please, no!"
At this point, the twins didn't dare entertain any foolish dreams about serving detention in the Forbidden Forest... they could tell from McGonagall's tone that they wouldn't be allowed to step foot in there ever again.
Victor was also a bit surprised by the punishment. McGonagall was truly impartial... if it had been a certain other professor, they certainly wouldn't have docked so many points from their own House.
Barring any surprises, the Gryffindor students would be howling in despair tomorrow.
Professor McGonagall politely saw Victor out.
However, even after the door was closed, Victor could still hear her sharp reprimands.
Victor rubbed his slightly cold palms and headed back to his own office.
He had originally planned to find Quirrell after his successful escape...
But now... he just hoped Quirrell had a way to get the smell of the Dungbomb off his head, otherwise, he'd have hell to pay tonight.
It wasn't until the next day that Victor realized just how much of a boost the unicorn's blessing provided.
While checking his own body, he was surprised to find that not only his magic, but even his bloodline now carried a hint of unicorn traits.
It manifested as a nourishment of his physical form, strengthening his self-healing abilities and even granting him some resistance to Dark Magic.
If his life wasn't already practically eternal, this blessing would have undoubtedly extended his lifespan as well.
However, Victor felt it was natural for a unicorn's blessing to have such effects; otherwise, Voldemort wouldn't have ordered Quirrell to drink unicorn blood to sustain himself.
The difference was that forced theft resulted in a curse. Only a voluntary gift, like the one Victor received, could avoid those terrible consequences.
Otherwise, unicorns would have gone extinct long ago.
"Nourishing the physical body?" Victor mused, rubbing his chin.
He suddenly thought of the Philosopher's Stone, which only nourished the soul.
'Maybe I can improve it...'
If the Philosopher's Stone could nourish both the soul and the body, he wouldn't need to use the secret resurrection arts so frequently on the people he cared about in the future.
But unicorns themselves weren't immortal; the physical nourishment they could provide was ultimately limited.
Victor's thoughts suddenly turned to the phoenix.
Why were phoenixes immortal? Because they possessed the talent of Nirvana.
Every so often, they would spontaneously combust and be reborn from the ashes.
Then, their life would start anew, carrying their previous memories into a second life, a third life, forever.
Victor pondered this for a long time, only coming back to his senses when it was nearly time for class.
"I never thought I'd end up like the Dark Lord, contemplating how to achieve immortality..." Victor shook his head with a bitter smile.
But he knew there was a difference between him and the Dark Lord.
The Dark Lord sought immortality for himself, whereas Victor simply didn't want the future to be too lonely.
"So... just how did the Dark Lord achieve immortality?"
Victor still remembered the confident expression on the Dark Lord's face when they spoke of immortality all those years ago.
What kind of method could make him so certain?
This was something Victor found completely baffling.
Victor's morning classes were with the second-year Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs.
Compared to the first-year curriculum, the second-year courses included much more practical combat.
As such, Victor had already asked Hagrid to help him get a few Red Caps from Knockturn Alley.
Using projections for practical training would always lack a certain something.
Projections were fake, after all; students would enter with a preconceived notion that there was no real danger.
Without experiencing the pressure of real combat, such practice was largely meaningless.
"As you can see in these pictures, Red Caps look very similar to goblins, though they are much smaller. However, you must not underestimate them because of that. If you are careless, they are very likely to crack your skull open with their clubs..."
"They can be found wherever blood is shed. They typically lurk in castle dungeons or the trenches of old battlefields, waiting to ambush those who lose their way. These dwarf-like creatures live in holes on ancient battlefields or places stained with human blood. Although they are easily repelled with jinxes or charms, they remain very dangerous to lone Muggles."
"Next, I will teach you how to banish these dark creatures..."
After Victor finished speaking, he looked at the students in their seats. "Now, close your books and take out your wands... and follow me."
The students excitedly snapped their books shut; they absolutely loved Professor Wick's style!
Previously, even small practical drills were held in the classroom. Now, it seemed he was taking them outdoors.
Sure enough, Victor led the group of students out of the castle to Hagrid's hut.
There, Hagrid had already moved several large cages over, though they were currently covered with black cloths.
Barring any surprises, the real Red Caps were inside!
"Because Red Caps are accustomed to ambushing people in dark and gloomy environments... practicing in a bright classroom would lose much of its practical value. Therefore..."
Victor walked to a clearing and gave his wand a light flick in the air.
In an instant, the flat ground underwent a transformation. Walls bearing the weight of history rose from the earth!
Before long, a miniature castle of only ten square meters appeared before them, looking like a model.
Victor waved his wand again, and a shroud of black mist immediately enveloped the mini-castle. While they could originally see inside through the doorway, it was now pitch black.
"I have expanded the space inside. Next, I will place a few Red Caps within... They were put under a sleeping spell when they were caught. When they wake up, they will think they are back home and will launch indiscriminate attacks on any creature entering their territory..."
As Victor explained, the second-year students' small faces turned pale.
While fighting dark creatures was indeed part of the Defense Against the Dark Arts curriculum... Victor's simulation of the environment seemed a bit extreme, didn't it?
Even Hagrid, standing nearby, had a look of concern on his face.
However, since this was Victor's class, it wasn't his place to interfere.
"Hagrid, put two Red Caps in," Victor said.
Hagrid nodded, pulled back the black cloth, grabbed two unconscious Red Caps from the cage, and handed them over.
Victor flicked his wand, and the two Red Caps floated into the mini-castle.
"Actually, it's quite simple for a wizard to deal with a Red Cap. I believe you have all mastered a minor jinx or two by now... and that is more than enough. So... who wants to go first?" Victor scanned the crowd.
The students immediately shrank back, no one daring to step forward.
They were Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students, not nearly as fond of adventure as the Gryffindors.
Victor rubbed his chin. Just as he was about to speak again, a young girl who looked familiar to him stepped forward. "Professor, I'd like to try."
"Very well, Cho Chang. You go first. Watch out for the dark corners," Victor said happily.
He remembered this pretty little girl; her name was Cho Chang. He had even visited her home as a guest once, though she had been very young then.
Cho drew her wand, took a deep breath, and walked somewhat tremulously through the entrance of the mini-castle.
The moment she stepped through the door, she felt the sounds of the outside world vanish completely!
Moreover, just as Victor had said, the interior environment had been expanded by an Undetectable Extension Charm; it was nowhere near as small as it had appeared from the outside!
Cho walked forward cautiously.
In truth, Victor had lowered the difficulty after all; every few paces, he had placed a small oil lamp. Although the light from the lamps was very dim, it provided a sense of security in this vast, boundaryless darkness. Just as Cho was on full alert, a series of rapid sounds suddenly came from her surroundings. *Patter! Patter!* It sounded like someone running barefoot on the ground! Hearing the footsteps, Cho spun around, just in time to see a Red Cap lunging at her with a large club! Cho jumped in fright, raising her wand and firing a jinx. "Rictusempra!" *Zap!* The Red Cap was hit by the spell and immediately began doubling over in manic laughter. It laughed so hard it couldn't even stand up, and the club fell to the ground. Barely managing to suppress its laughter, the Red Cap turned and fled into the darkness, its giggles fading into the distance. Cho didn't dare relax; Victor had put two Red Caps in here! Sure enough, there was soon a new movement behind her. Cho turned and fired another jinx. "Densaugeo!" *Zap!* The Red Cap that had been trying to ambush her suddenly dropped its club and clutched its mouth. Its two front teeth were growing at an alarming rate! *Squeak!* Terrified, the Red Cap turned and bolted! Before Cho could even recover from the shock, a gentle voice reached her ears. "Well done!" In the next second, Cho felt a flash of light, and she found herself back outside! "Commendable courage and a calm response. Excellent! Ten points to Ravenclaw!" Victor announced cheerfully. "So, you see, dealing with a Red Cap isn't that difficult. All you have to overcome and defeat is the fear in your own hearts. As I told you in class, courage is always the most crucial element in Defense Against the Dark Arts." With Cho as an example, the other students eventually summoned their courage and went through the practical exercise one by one. Only one Hufflepuff student panicked. In the heat of the moment, the spell failed to come out, and he only produced a large shower of sparks. Then, he was clonked on the head by the Red Cap's club. Both the Red Cap and the student froze. Because the club, which looked hard, was actually soft! After that, the Hufflepuff student delivered a direct uppercut, knocking the Red Cap out cold. Afterward, Victor still gave the Hufflepuff student points. "Being able to utilize any tool at your disposal to protect yourself is precisely one of the core tenets of Defense Against the Dark Arts. Sometimes, when a wand doesn't work, a fist isn't a bad alternative!" This thrilling Defense Against the Dark Arts class soon came to an end. Hagrid had been breaking into a cold sweat on Victor's behalf. Placing students out of sight and simulating an environment that was nearly ninety-nine percent realistic for practical combat was simply too dangerous. However, perhaps this way of teaching was indeed far more effective than lecturing in a classroom? As the students dispersed after class, Victor stayed behind to help Hagrid tidy up and restore the scene. "Professor, my father asked me to give this to you," Cho Chang said, suddenly approaching and handing Victor a small pouch. "Oh?" Victor took the pouch and examined it. If her father wanted to send something, he could have sent it directly by mail. Choosing to have his daughter deliver it was clearly a way to ask Victor to look after her. *Sigh, it seems my fellow countryman's concerns about their child's education are the same here as they were in the world before I crossed over.* "Cho, you did very well in this class. Keep up the good work next time," Victor encouraged her before letting her leave. Cho left with a bright smile on her face. Victor squeezed the small pouch in his hand, a sudden look of gravity flitting across his face. "The debt owed to the Wick family all those years ago... it seems it's time to pay it back at last."