"So, you mean to tell me Professor Shafiq burned down half of your territory and almost all the food you harvested, and the consequence he got is only to bring seafood?!" Luna asked, bewildered.
"Yeah! And do you know what is the best part of it? I didn't even get any detention from the school! No one knows about my escapade!" Albert who sat next to him said proudly.
"Bah! That is just because Elder Isla likes you a lot! And that little friend of yours saves your ass at the crucial time! If not for them, you will probably be expelled from the school!" One of the older centaurs snarked.
"Well, I got away from the worst consequence, right?" Albert retorted, returning the rude gesture from that centaur. "And Inky is my friend! Of course, he is willing to help me, right?"
The house elf mentioned just mumbled grumpily, "Poor Inky has to be dragged by naughty, shameless professor Shafiq. Poor Inky-"
"Inky, you traitor!" Albert cried amid the laughter of the centaurs around him.
Centaur probably was the creature with the strangest biological clock Albert had ever known. They started the day at two in the morning, using their own magic to do some divination and ritual based on the position of the stars and the moon. After the sun went up, they would start doing their thing, either farming, hunting, or anything productive for the tribe. And when the sun was about to go down, they would offer some of its results to the fire, asking for the blessing of magic. That was when their day ended and they started to prepare for another day.
That was why even though it was still dark here, no hint of sleepiness could be seen on them.
Right now, Albert, Inky, and Luna sat around the bonfire, enjoying the food offered by the centaurs after exchanging it with the seafood Albert brought.
"God, this is delightful!" Bane, one of the older centaurs had his mouth watering as he enjoyed the grilled fish. "It has been such a long time since I enjoyed this delicacy!"
"What is the deal with the seafood, by the way?" Luna asked curiously.
"Well, I don't know how to say it…" Bane pondered. "But centaurs are creatures that always depend on the land. We hunt deer and birds, raise chickens as livestock, and plant and grow fruits and vegetables by ourselves. One thing we have never been doing was to try our luck on the water. So, when your professor first introduced seafood to us, it was such a big commotion that even the elder of the tribe had to deal with it by himself."
"Bah! What do you mean he has to deal with it by himself?! It is clear that Elder Isla likes seafood far more than anyone else!" The centaur next to him sniffed.
"Yeah! Don't you remember how he grabbed all the lobster for himself? That was definitely an abuse of power!" Another one added.
"Yeah! Elder Isla is so greedy! We also want to have more lobsters!"
Bane could only sigh helplessly as he shrugged in embarrassment at Luna who stiffened her giggle. "Well, as you can see, the lobsters are pretty popular here. Our Elder even lost his dignity just to have more of it. The problem is we don't know how to get that delicacy by ourselves. So, we have to entrust it to our stinky friend here." He wrapped his arm around Albert's shoulder.
"Hey, I am not stinky!" Albert frowned. "And it is not like you cannot ask Inky for it, right?"
"And to risk your headmaster knowing about it? No way!" Bane waved his hand rudely/ "That would give him more power toward us."
Luna nodded her head, understanding his point. Honestly, after this first meeting with the centaur tribe, all her expectations about them crumbled in a second. What she knew about them from the book seemed to be wrong at all. Not only centaurs were not brutal and barbaric, but they were also pretty smart and had their own cultural understanding, just like the human race. But one thing that was portrayed correctly by the book was their distrust and suspicion toward humans. They didn't like to owe anything to humans, thinking they would abuse it in the future for something hideous.
"Then, don't you have anything to worry about Professor Shafiq?" Her eyes shone in curiosity.
"This idiot? Of course, no." Bane snorted. "He still owed us a lot for the burning incident."
"Hey!"
"What? Do you think I am wrong?"
"Not really. But it is rude to call someone an idiot behind his back." Albert sniffed.
"Well, I will call it straight in front of your face. Idiot."
"That's ruder!"
Luna giggled uncontrollably at the interaction between Albert and the other centaurs. She didn't expect that the new handsome professor who was full of dignity last night also had this kind of childish behavior. But she liked it that way. It was almost like he was her friend.
'Oh, wait. Professor Shafiq said we are friends now. Mister Inky too. Well, that's nice.'
In the next thirty minutes, Luna was like a baby who saw the world for the first time. She asked a lot about anything from the centaur's perspective, looking at how they were doing their activity with eyes full of curiosity. Fortunately, the centaurs liked her a lot. She was kind and respectful and even helped them clean up what was left from their small feast.
"He is a good girl." Bane next to him suddenly spoke.
"Really?" Albert raised his eyebrows, surprised. "Why do you think so?"
Bane was famous in the tribe for being the most human hater. Some even wondered how could the most aggressive centaur befriend with human like Albert, but most of them didn't know it took almost three years full of fighting for them to really accept each other as friends. So, to hear Bane say another human was good after their first meeting was unbelievable.
"I don't know how to put it, but I think it was my instinct. She is the purest individual I have ever met. Not even a baby would give me that feeling." Bane answered vaguely. However, that was enough to reassure Albert.
Unlike humans, Centaur who had the body of half a horse still maintained the sharp instinct inherited from the animal. Coupled with the blessing of their magic, they had the sharpest instinct to distinguish between good and bad. That was why they were wary of humans since there was a lot of darkness they detected inside them.
However, for Bane to say that Luna was the purest individual he had ever met, surprised Albert the most.
'It seems there is indeed something special about that girl.' He mused.
"So, where is Firenze?" Albert asked.
"That bastard?" Bane snorted. "He is with the elder, I guess."
"Is there anything wrong with Elder Isla?" Albert asked once again, concerned.
"Well, he is getting older, for one." They snorted together at that. "And the other thing was, since he hadn't received the supply of lobsters from you, he started to get addicted to alcohol, drinking a lot of bad stuff from the outside."
"Oh?"
"Yeah." Bane nodded. "We started to contact the outside world after you graduated, thinking that we could exchange some kinds of seafood with the product of our harvest. But Elder Isla who went outside only came back with several barrels of alcohol, making the entire tribe drunk for three full nights. And it is not funny, you Bastard!" He glared fiercely at Albert who was laughing his ass off.
"I am sorry, but thinking of the leader of the centaur was too drunk to deal with you lot seems to be funny in my book." Albert wiped the tears on the corner of his eyes. "What about Firenze?"
"That bastard got the vision after seeing Mars and Venus at the same time in the sky, saying that this would be a trouble year for us. He tried to discuss it with Elder Isla, but I don't know what is the result."
This was also one of centaur's ability, to have the affinity of divination. By observing the sky and nature, they could predict vaguely what would happen in the future. But Albert didn't understand what was Bane's problem with Firenze. For all he could remember, they both learned the art of divination together and had a cordial relationship. Now, what Bane said told him the opposite of it.
'Well, it is probably because Elder Isla favored Firenze more.' He thought.
Albert shook his head, glanced at the sun that was about to climb from the horizon. "Inky, Miss Lovegood, we should go back!" He shouted.
Inky who was busy in the centaur's kitchen dealing with the seafood they bought over here suddenly appeared next to him, and Luna's head perked although a bit reluctant.
"Don't worry, Miss Luna! You are welcome here anytime you like!" One of the centaurs shouted enthusiastically, his eyes hid something flirty that was unnoticed by either Inky or Albert. "You can also run here if your professor gives you punishment! We will deal with- OUCH! What the hell?!"
That centaur turned around quickly, glaring fiercely trying to find out who was the culprit who just hit his rear. But when his eyes locked into Albert, he gulped in fear, stepping back nervously.
"Don't you know she is just eleven?" Albert smiled darkly.
"W-Well, you know what the old centaur said! Old enough to go to the school, old enough to mate- OUCH! Again?!"
"Thank you, Inky."
"It is my pleasure to deal with naughty centaur, Professor Shafiq." The house elf nodded, still raising his finger, ready to throw another shot. Gone was his kind face, replaced by the hard-stone expression.
All the other centaurs suddenly raised their weapon, ready for a conflict. Even though Albert had a cordial relationship with the older ones, the new generation of the centaurs here was still pretty hostile and arrogant toward humans, thinking that they were the superior ones. Even though Albert was not a bigot, he didn't mind showing who was in charge here. And it seemed Inky also agreed with his sentiment.
As for the young centaur who made the trouble first, his condition was not good. He gasped, panting heavily, having a hard time breathing. Poor him, he was overwhelmed by the pressure radiated from Albert and Inky's magic.
Fortunately, the high tension was broken in a second when Albert felt a tug on his sleeves. It was Luna with a pale face, a hint of fear could be seen on her expression. Albert forgot for a moment that Luna was just a first-year barely exposed to a highly-concentrated magic like he just did. He sighed, calming down his emotion as the temperature around suddenly rose again to a normal point.
"I am sorry for prolonging our stay." He said cooly. "But don't think just because we are in your territory that I cannot do anything about you. If you don't know about me, ask Elder Isla, Bane, or Firenze. They would know what I can do."
The younger centaur who was arrogant before now flinched, wilted under his fierce glare. Albert then nodded at Bane for the last time before signaling Inky to send them back. With a quick pop, the house elf used the traveling magic unique to his race to bring them back to the castle.
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"What the hell is wrong inside your fucking head, Albert?!" Sprout shrieked furiously. It was pretty shocking that this sweet woman could swear that loud, but considering what trouble Albret just brought, she had all the reason to chew him alive. Albert himself could only flinch, not daring to meet her eyes. "Where did you get the idea of bringing a student, first year nonetheless, to your crazy escapade?! Are you insane?! You know if your old master noticed you bringing his new student there, he would have your head as the decoration of his office!"
Albert's face paled, just remembering Flitwick's bad temper when his student was threatened.
"Please, Professor Sprout! Don't tell him about this first! I will go and apologize to him directly!" He begged.
"Well, that depends on your reason." The herbology professor crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Now, tell. Why do you bring her to that crazy bastard's place?"
"Don't blame him, Professor." Just when Albert was racking his brain quick to make a reasonable excuse, Luna came in clutch, saving his ass from Sprout. "It was me who got lost in the morning. Professor Shafiq and Mister Inky were kind enough to let me follow them there."
After drinking one calming potion, the color of her face returned slowly as the blood on her body flowed back to the normal rate. However, she was still held back to the comfortable sofa in Sprout's office by Inky who was fussing about her condition.
"Oh, you sweet girl. You don't have to cover him like this. He is the adult here, so he should be responsible for you." Sprout hugged the girl fondly. "Now, tell me. Are you okay? If not, I will tell Professor Flitwick you are sick and cannot go to the class today. By the way, what are you doing outside that early? Are you homesick? Missing home? Cannot sleep? Have a nightmare? Do you want a dreamless potion? Or-"
"It is okay, Professor." Luna suddenly returned the hug, stopping Sprout from her motherly nagging. "You are so kind and so sweet. But I am alright. I will go back to my dorm and prepare for today."
"Are you sure?" Sprout asked, concerned.
"Yeah." Luna nodded.
"Well, if you say so." After another checking, she added, "Do you mind if I ask Inky to accompany you? Just to make sure you didn't lose again."
"Sure! I like Mister Inky." Inky's face lightened up in delight at Luna's words.
"Well, if you have any problem and don't want to tell Professor Flitwick, you can come here or to the greenhouse. We can have a nice chat with a cup of tea from Inky, okay?"
Inky nodded frantically. "Yes, Miss Luna! Don't forget to visit us often!"
Luna's gaze softened as her smile spread wide. "Thank you, Professor Sprout, Professor Shafiq. I will be sure to visit you often. Bye!"
The two professors stared at the girl who walked cheerfully as if nothing just happened while keep talking at Inky. After those two vanished from their sight, Sprout's expression turned into a serious one again as she asked, "What happened?"
Even though Albert had the tendency to make a rouble, he was a smart person and knew how to restrain himself. To see Albert losing control of his magic and emotion to the point he forgot about Luna's presence was not something Sprout would expect.
"It has been a long time since I went to the tribe and I forgot Gali's son had already grown up as an adult now." He grumbled.
Sprout's face hardened at the name he mentioned. "Oh, that prick's son?" She spat. "Don't tell me he inherits his father's disgusting behavior?"
"Well, it seems so."
"Oh, then, it should be easy. We can just go there and gut him alive before he can reproduce more and create another disgusting creature that would inherit that behavior again. I am sure Albus wouldn't mind my approach." She smiled darkly.
Albert had his sweat dropped, wondering where the sweet head of house he knew went. If anyone outside of the Hufflepuff heard them talk like this, they would be surprised, probably mistook them as Gryffindor. But he knew why Sprout reacted violently toward the centaur named Gali.
Basically, that centaur was a certified bigoted pervert pedophile arsehole that thought centaurs would easily trample the human race any day. Unfortunately, to prove his point, in 1969, he kidnapped three Hufflepuff first-year students in daylight when those three went outside for fresh air before Christmas time.
At first, everyone thought they were just lost inside the castle, considering the ward that noticed who went inside and outside didn't alarm the professor about their disappearance. However, after a week without any news, Sprout started to panic. There was a big commotion at that time as Sprout threatened to tear down the school to the ground just to find those three poor children.
At that time, even though Albert was still just a fourth-year student, he and Bane were already friends. After realizing that the Hogwarts ward also included the Forbidden Forest, he went to the tribe to ask for help. But when he went there, he was met by the scene that made him vomit on the spot.
The three missing students, the three poor girls were naked on all four, they all were tied up with collars on their necks. Their body was far too thin compared to before they went missing, a sign of being kept starving. There were also scars all over their body, signs of whipping and other physical torture they received. But the most infuriating part was the fact that those three had their eyes hollow as if their soul was sucked by a dementor while getting dragged all over the tribe by the centaur named Gali who proudly declared that he had already tamed the human race.
Luckily, Albert was smart enough not to rush there and tried to save them. Not that he didn't want to, but he doubted he could get out safely if he forced his way there. So, he decided to ask for his head of house's help, thinking that she and the headmaster would handle this.
But Albert underestimated Sprout's feelings toward the Hufflepuff students.
The moment Sprout heard the news from him, her emotion exploded. She grabbed a huge battle axe hanging in the common room quickly -she said it was a family heirloom-, rushed toward the forest while telling him to notice the other professors about the situation. When Albert, Dumbledore, and the other three heads of houses arrived, all they could see was fire and destruction with Sprout smiling at them, her body was full of blood while she grabbed the head of the centaur she just executed like it was nothing while the other centaurs raised their weapon, ready to defend themselves.
The sight of Sprout, holding a war axe full of blood with a centaur's head hanging on her hand, surrounded by the wary entire centaur tribe who were ready to attack would forever be engraved in Albert's mind, the testament to how dangerous the kind-innocent woman was when her bottom line was crossed.
The aftermath of that incident was complicated, related to the interracial politics between humans and centaurs and the rage of the strongest wizard of the century. As for the victims, they had a very long way to recover from the trauma. Albert was still in touch with all of them, but that would be a story for another time.
One thing is for sure, though, that since the centaur named Gali died in shame, the revenge had already been done enough by Professor Sprout, it was prohibited for her or anyone else to do something malicious toward Gali's descendant, something that brought dissatisfaction on the woman.
That was probably why when she heard the descendant of that bastard was alive and tried to hit on another student, all the malicious intent she buried deep down for more than 20 years suddenly emerged once again.
"Let's talk to Professor Dumbledore first about the situation." Albert tried to appease her anger.
Sprout huffed before saying, "Well, I will do that. But don't forget it was on you to explain it to Fillius, okay?"
"Yeah, don't worry about that."
Albert sighed in relief when he saw Sprout leaving the office calmly without mentioning about Gali again. However, when he thought about how to explain that he almost put Ravenclaw's student in danger to Flitwick, a headache suddenly visited his head.
"What a mess…" Albert sighed.
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Author note
I make a site for anyone who want to support me. If you are willing to help, you will also be able to read this story up to chapter 14. If you are interested, you can visitpatre0n/BlankNotes04. Also, I make an original story in the Webnovel platform with the title Eden, The 'Weak' Illusionist in the Magic World. Please, support this work too! I hope that you are satisfied with this story! Thank you!