Right now, Ron hadn’t noticed the person following him. He was just focused on meeting up with his friends as quickly as possible.

His eyes reflected Hermione’s shape as she yelled, and the red-haired boy even looked like he was about to cry with joy. "Hey, come help me! I think I pulled a muscle!"

"Behind you!" Harry yelled, also spotting Ron and the big lizard behind him. "Ron, it’s right behind you! Quick, run!"

What?

Hearing Harry’s shout, Ron turned his head, stunned. What he saw was a terrifying, ugly face. "Oh, my God!" he screamed, forgetting all about his pulled muscle, and ran as fast as he could towards Harry and Hermione.

Roar.

Seeing that its prey had noticed it, the fire lizard roared angrily, opening its huge mouth and snapping at Ron.

"Stupefy!" At that critical moment, Hermione pulled out her wand and shot a stunning spell at the fire lizard’s eyes.

Having read about fire lizards, she knew that its scales were extremely resistant to magic. Only its eyes were weak; they were its only weak spot.

Bang.

The spell hit the fire lizard’s cornea, and the stiffening effect of the spell temporarily stopped it.

Ron, who had been running forward, finally saved his life, crouching behind a rock and gasping for breath. He really thought he was going to die just now, and he could even smell the terrible stench coming from the lizard’s open mouth.

"Watch out, it’s coming again!" Harry Potter shouted.

Although the fire lizard’s cornea was petrified, this injury was nothing to it. It didn’t rely on sight to hunt its prey, so even if it couldn’t see with one eye, it wouldn’t affect it at all.

"Get out of the way, Harry!" Hermione shouted, pulling Ron off the ground and rolling to the left.

Crash.

The fire lizard’s massive body smashed the rock they were hiding behind, sending bits of stone flying everywhere. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Damn it, it’s heading your way!" Warned by Harry, Hermione noticed that the big lizard was running towards them on its thick legs.

But it was too late to run now, and even if she could escape, Ron couldn’t.

"Stupefy!" In desperation, Harry Potter also pulled out his wand and fired a stunning spell at the fire lizard. But because the lizard had its back to him, the spell had no effect on its scales.

"Damn it, damn it!"

Harry Potter’s eyes showed anxiety. He didn’t want to see his friends die in front of him. He fired off every spell he knew, but still couldn’t stop the lizard’s advance.

"No!" Ron’s eyes filled with fear, and his heart was full of regret.

He shouldn’t have suggested following Professor Zickrein, he shouldn’t have doubted the professor, and he definitely shouldn’t have persuaded his friends to come to the Forbidden Forest. It was really dangerous here, so dangerous that it could be fatal!

The fire lizard’s mouth opened, and Ron could even see the bits of red meat stuck to its teeth. And he was about to suffer the same fate.

"Found you. Looks like I’m in luck." Suddenly, a calm voice came from the bushes to the side. At the same time, a dark blue light shot out, hitting the big lizard in the abdomen.

Snap.

The fire lizard’s entire body seemed to be covered in plaster, freezing in place.

"That’s...a petrifying spell?" Hermione said, stunned, looking at the blue-haired boy who had emerged from the bushes.

He held a dark green wand in his hand and wore a black wizard’s robe. A gentle smile played on his handsome face as he slowly walked towards them.

"Professor Zickrein!" Harry Potter gulped, feeling a sense of relief after escaping death.

"It’s you." Gerald smiled, looking at the young wizards in front of him. "I don’t remember today being a holiday. What are you doing here?"

"We...we came here to..." The relief on Harry Potter’s face vanished instantly, replaced by deep fear.

He was doomed. How was he going to explain this situation? Not only had they skipped class, but they had also followed a professor into the Forbidden Forest! If they were investigated, they would definitely be expelled!

"I’m sorry, Professor Zickrein," Hermione said, taking over and speaking softly. "We misunderstood you, and I’ve let down your expectations and trust." Her eyes started to get a little red.

Her conscience wouldn’t let her lie to Gerald. He had clearly valued her so much, yet she had done this irreparable thing because her friends had pushed her.

"Misunderstood?" Gerald blinked, pretending not to know. "I’m curious, what kind of misunderstanding?"

"We...we thought you were the Heir of Slytherin!" Ron blurted out, deciding to just come clean.

"The Heir of Slytherin?" Gerald chuckled. "Slytherin’s Heir, you say? How interesting."

"I’m sorry, Professor Zickrein," Ron said, hanging his head in repentance. "We shouldn’t have doubted you."

"No, there’s nothing wrong with doubting," Gerald said, shaking his head and turning to walk towards the fire lizard. "Anyone can doubt, whether it’s me or someone else. But the key is how you act after you doubt."

To Hermione, Ron, and Harry’s shock and astonishment, a ball of black flame appeared in Gerald’s hand.

"My God, what kind of magic is that?"

"Black fire? Why is the fire black?"

Ron and Harry were speechless, not even paying attention to what Gerald was saying.

"If you rashly follow a suspect, you’ll only end up in a dangerous situation," Gerald said, stroking the fire lizard’s body with his hand covered in black fire. Instantly, the huge lizard was burned to nothing.

Well, not completely burned to ashes. At least, its clear, sparkling heart was perfectly preserved.

Gulp.

Seeing this, Hermione and the others stared wide-eyed, completely stunned. A dangerous magical creature that was said to require a dozen Aurors to take down had been reduced to usable magical ingredients in the blink of an eye.

"Besides, what makes you so sure that I’m not the Heir now?" Gerald asked, looking at them with a smile.

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