Harry Potter: Magic and Guns

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At that moment, the sky was perfectly clear, with a warm sun hanging high above. Even the usually shadowy Forbidden Forest appeared much brighter under the sunlight. The lush trees blocked most of the sun’s rays, casting golden strands of light across the forest floor through the gaps in the leaves.

Harry walked on the dry, hard ground of the Forbidden Forest, while Hedwig soared above the trees, stretching her wings.

Harry didn’t intend to venture into the dangerous areas; he merely wanted to explore the safer parts, where the magical creatures were relatively less ferocious. However, that was true for Hagrid; for an average young wizard, if an utter fool without any courage stumbled in and happened to encounter a magical creature, especially if they unwittingly provoked it, that reckless individual could very well meet their end.

Fortunately, such reckless geniuses had yet to appear at Hogwarts.

Harry entered the Forbidden Forest for training only when he felt confident. Although he might not necessarily complete a hunt, he knew he could escape if things turned dire.

Ever since his Firebolt 2000 was damaged, Harry had made a detour to the Quidditch shop to buy two brooms. The latest model, the Firebolt 2001, had just been released—one for Quidditch matches and one as a spare. After all, a few hundred Galleons didn’t matter much to him, and having extra assurance brought him peace of mind.

The Firebolt 2001 could accelerate to two hundred kilometers per hour in just eleven seconds, a significant improvement over the original Firebolt 2000. As long as he didn’t provoke any magical creatures that could naturally fly, Harry had a very high chance of escaping successfully.

In the magic world, any magical creature that could fly with wings had the potential to reach subsonic or even supersonic speeds. Their flight didn’t solely depend on their wings; they often used them for an alternative form of magical energy. Otherwise, the massive weight of dragons—often weighing dozens or even hundreds of tons—would prevent them from taking flight using their wings alone. The frequency at which dragon wings flapped was not high; without the aid of magic, they would have no chance of ascending.

Magical creatures didn’t adhere to the principles of aerodynamics; they relied almost entirely on sheer force.

The dense trees of the Forbidden Forest obstructed Hedwig’s view as she flew in the sky, but with her aerial advantage, she could easily spot exposed targets. After half an hour in the forest, she descended and circled above Harry, emitting a few short calls to indicate that she had found a target.

“Great job, Hedwig.”

Although the Levitation Charm couldn’t make Harry take off, it could place him in a state akin to microgravity when cast on his clothing. With a few jumps, he reached the top of the tall trees, and Hedwig landed on his arm, pointing him in the right direction.

“Three o'clock, about five kilometers, a stream, number of creatures: 1, right?”

Having practiced during the winter hunting competition, Hedwig could now provide Harry with basic information through her calls and movements.

After feeding her a freshly baked mouse treat, she pecked his finger in satisfaction and took to the sky again, leading the way.

Five kilometers of jungle terrain wasn’t particularly difficult for Harry. With the help of magic, he quickly moved agilely among the tree branches. The thorny bushes below were quite obstructive, but after identifying the target, Harry chose a more convenient path, not bothering to inspect the clues closely.

“If I were to take a live-action Naruto picture, my cosplay would definitely score a perfect ten.”

Hedwig’s next call made Harry stop. The sound indicated he was within five hundred meters of the target. Charging in without any preparation would be an unwise and foolish act. To deal with magical creatures that had a strong resistance to magic, simple spells wouldn’t be effective. Although the properties of ebony wood gave Harry a certain advantage, the current form of his ebony M1911 wasn’t sufficient to ignore the depths of their defenses.

Harry utilized several spells: the Enhancement Charm (to boost perception), the Disillusionment Charm (to conceal his presence), the Eagle Eye Charm (to enhance vision), and the Silencing Charm (to mute his movements). Had he mastered the advanced Shield Charm to maintain an invisible magical barrier around himself, he would have included that as well. In Europe, wizards tended to focus less on enhancing their magical abilities for dueling, but the spells he was using were already adequate for him.

Harry's hands, infused with magical power, could now bend steel and crush rocks. This body, continually reinforced until it approached superhuman capabilities, was his true asset. However, since the human body relies on the coordination of muscle groups to exert force, he needed to achieve magical integration with his torso to fully harness the strength of his enhanced arms.

Under the influence of the Disillusionment Charm, Harry blended into the complex environment of the Forbidden Forest like a chameleon. The Silencing Charm ensured he made no sound during the final few hundred meters of his approach; even if he stepped on a breaking branch, the area around him was muted. The one-way sound barrier prevented him from becoming deaf.

The only regret was that, without mastering the Muffle Charm, the explosive sound of magic being cast could not be silenced. Just as a magical shield that blocked pure physical damage could not stop arrows imbued with magical energy, the Silencing Charm could not eliminate the noise caused by magical explosions. He had only one opportunity to cast the spell before revealing his presence.

With the ebony wand tightly held in hand, Harry could hear the rushing water of the stream ahead.

After pushing aside the hanging vines in front of him, a massive grayish-purple figure came into view. An old acquaintance, the bowtruckle, was leisurely drinking water. Hagrid had once claimed that a single punch could take one down, leaving only the option of being eaten. At that moment, however, the creature brought Harry nothing but a heavy sense of pressure.

This adult bowtruckle was well-developed. The Forbidden Forest, rich in magical energy, had relatively few ferocious predators in Hagrid's safe zone. There were only about eight or nine types of magical creatures capable of hunting such large beasts. The bowtruckle population in the Forbidden Forest was considerable; they were merely mid-level in the food chain, serving as prey for the true predators.

“What a coincidence to find you here,” Harry thought, feeling a surge of excitement as he observed the leisurely bowtruckle. He was no longer the same inexperienced boy he had been before enrolling. What the Aurors said required ten wizards to incapacitate, Harry now found manageable—at least in terms of stunning it.

Ordinary wizards were limited by the cooldown periods of their spells. Even for basic spells like the Stunning Spell, they couldn’t perform them as effortlessly as Harry. The fact that Aurors could cast three spells in one second was already impressive, though at the time, Harry hadn’t understood the full context.

“This time, it’s not about stunning it,” he decided.

“I’m going to take you down and bring you back. You can’t come into the forest empty-handed, right?”

Harry raised the muzzle of the ebony wand. This surprise spell was his only shot; he had to ensure the creature wouldn’t escape. It was unrealistic to aim for its legs, and at this moment, the only vulnerable point he could target was that one.

As he pulled the trigger of the ebony wand, the air exploded with magical energy, and a swift red beam shot forth—

The hunt had begun!

(End of Chapter)