Chương 52: Chapter 51 - Lord of All Creatures. 

[Chapter Size: 3500 Words.] 

Third Person POV 

Hogwarts. 

... 

... 

From the moment Severus entered the Forbidden Forest, he decided to expand his warg abilities immediately. 

Earlier that afternoon, after Herbology class, he had already tried to probe the place with his mind from the top of one of the castle towers, managing to see only the long line of trees in the distance. The forest, however, was far too dense for him to explore it that way. 

If he truly wanted to get to know it, he would have to enter. He had not sent any animal to scout it beforehand. The closest thing he had to that was Articuno, but he did not think there was any need to rush into doing that on the very first day of school. 

But after the events of that day, he now had to act... he quickly began expanding his consciousness through the trees that covered the entire forest. 

Within moments, he became aware of everything around him. There were so many animals and magical creatures in that place that he was completely captivated. 

His mind found a herd of unicorns in one area. Then, another group of Thestrals elsewhere. There were nests of giant Acromantulas weaving enormous webs in the darkest parts of the forest. 

There were also countless other magical creatures, many of which he easily recognized from Scamander's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. 

Then he found another species that caught his attention even more... the centaurs. 

A smile immediately appeared on his face. He quickly changed direction to observe those magical creatures he had never seen in person in any of his lives, not even as the former Severus Snape. 

Articuno remained calmly perched on his shoulder and said nothing. She merely watched in silence as Severus walked through the forest, driven only by curiosity, without the slightest fear. She knew there was no creature in that place capable of causing trouble for a being like that ice phoenix. 

He continued along a stretch of the forest until he finally found the unicorns. Creatures with completely white coats and a single gleaming horn. 

Severus's green eyes fixed upon them. It was something he had never seen in any of his lives. 

A genuine smile appeared on his face. The stories claimed that unicorns normally only approached women, especially those still considered maidens, as they represented purity. Those creatures were the very definition of purity, so it was only logical. 

''Do you think you can approach them?'', Articuno asked curiously. 

Severus continued observing the unicorns from a distance. Some had already begun lying down to sleep. 

Since the Forbidden Forest was extremely dark, especially in that area of dense vegetation, the herd's sense of time must have been quite different, as only a few rays of sunlight managed to pass through the treetops. 

In any case, Severus expanded his consciousness once more. His consciousness gently touched the mind of the nearest unicorn. The creature stopped for a few moments, blinking several times before slowly turning its head toward him, where Severus stood at the edge of the clearing. 

Severus decided to test it. He calmly descended from the rise where he was standing, watching to see whether the animal would approach. 

And it did. That also caught the attention of the other unicorns, who began watching him with curiosity. 

Severus slowly extended his hand. The unicorn stretched its neck toward him and let out a soft, calm neigh. 

''It seems he likes you,'' Articuno commented. 

Severus merely smiled. "I know." That was all he said before gently stroking the creature's neck. 

"So beautiful..." Severus had to admit as he watched the rest of the herd staring at him. 

Little by little, some of the other unicorns also began to approach. Severus showed no sign of hostility, and that certainly caught the creatures' attention. At the same time, it seemed to be something even greater than simply showing hostility or not... 

Even though he was a man, there was something about him that set him apart from the rest of humanity. He could feel it through his connection with the unicorn... After all, it was almost as if the creatures saw him as the very embodiment of the forest itself. 

The unicorns could sense it. Severus did not even need to use his abilities to notice the other unicorns slowly approaching, sniffing him before accepting him. 

Severus shared his doubts with Articuno. 

''It's true... they see you as if you were the forest itself,'' Articuno said, deeply shocked by it. 

He had expected many things from Severus, but not that. As a Legendary Bird, he was capable of understanding what the unicorns were feeling. After all, his connection with nature was even greater than that of an ordinary phoenix. 

It did not take long before Severus was surrounded by those creatures. 

He decided to take advantage of the moment and remain there for a while. He took out some fruit he had brought from the kitchen to eat while sitting down in a corner. 

One of the younger unicorns, a foal, simply rested its head on his lap, staying there while enjoying his gentle petting. 

At the same time, Severus also used his ability to form a bond with it. 

''You... I already thought you were special...'' Articuno commented. ''But now I'm certain. Besides being the only human who was able to sense me, hear my plea for help, save me from that ice and from my lack of energy... just how many animals can you win over?'' 

''We haven't found a single one that isn't comfortable around you. Dragons... now unicorns... You could probably even form a bond with those Thestrals if you wanted to...'' Articuno began rambling about his human partner. 

''Would you believe that I could bond with that other phoenix?'' Severus asked. 

''Not the Headmaster's one, I assume? The one you said you found during the holidays?'' Articuno asked. 

Severus merely nodded and turned his gaze back toward the clearing filled with unicorns, remaining there with them peacefully gathered around him... It also helped calm him down considerably. 

"This place is really nice to stay in..." Severus murmured. "I should bring the girls here to see them." 

"Well... I can't anymore, since I don't think that'll be possible." He murmured a few seconds later, lost in thought. 

At that very moment, an explosion of flames appeared among the trees. All the unicorns raised their heads. 

Severus also looked in that direction, and Fawkes appeared from within the flames. The moment he saw him, Severus let out a weary sigh. 

"Damn... that Headmaster is watching me even here." He said with obvious disgust. 

Fawkes landed in front of him and let out an indignant cry. 

''That doesn't seem to be it,'' Articuno commented. ''She came on her own.'' 

Articuno also understood what the phoenix was saying. 

"Why would you come to me after I told your owner to go fuck himself?" Severus asked. 

Fawkes merely let out another soft trill. 

"So you don't agree with him, then?" Severus smiled faintly. At least he had someone who was on his side. "Well... at least this school isn't completely hopeless." 

Fawkes moved even closer. The little unicorn that was still lying across Severus's lap showed no discomfort whatsoever at the other phoenix's presence. 

At the same time, Articuno fully materialized as well. 

Fawkes let out a small sound beside him, and Severus raised an eyebrow. "I hope you're not doing this just to get another one of my flames..." Severus murmured. 

The phoenix let out another indignant sound, as if that were an unfair accusation. But Severus sighed, knowing exactly what Fawkes wanted. 

He created a small flame and offered it to her. The phoenix gladly consumed it. 

"I wonder why these phoenixes like these flames so much..." 

"You know why..." Articuno said. 

"They want to evolve... but why my flames above everything else?" Severus said. He already gave Articuno plenty of ice. 

''There is no one like you in the magical world... You are an anomaly among the anomalies that already exist...'' Articuno said simply. 

Severus looked back toward the entrance to the clearing before he could reply to the blue phoenix, because he sensed something approaching. 

In fact, he had noticed that presence some time ago, circling the area and making its way toward him for about twenty minutes. 

Soon, two figures appeared atop a hill. 

Human torsos and horse bodies. 

Centaurs. 

The two stopped and stared at him. The small flame floated above Severus's shoulder, illuminating the clearing where he sat surrounded by unicorns, with a foal lying across his lap and two phoenixes resting on his shoulders. 

"We finally found him," one of the centaurs said. 

Severus raised an eyebrow, studying the creature for the first time. 

At least they were not pointing bows at him. He knew that centaurs were generally quite hostile toward humans. 

Even so, they would hardly do such a thing in front of an entire herd of unicorns. 

"You speak as though you were expecting to find me here," Severus replied calmly. 

It was already well past midnight. He had no idea what things were like back at the castle, whether anyone knew he was absent or not. And honestly, he no longer cared. 

He also knew that centaurs were not nocturnal creatures and rarely strayed far from their usual territory. 

"The stars told us we would find you here," the centaur replied. 

Severus arched another eyebrow. He remembered that centaurs were renowned astrologers, capable of interpreting the movements of the stars and foretelling future events. 

Severus stood up. He did not sense any hostility coming from them. The little foal seemed somewhat dissatisfied, but Severus simply gave its body a gentle pat before rising and beginning to walk through the unicorns. 

None of them seemed bothered. 

It was as if he were simply another member of the herd. The two phoenixes also took flight to accompany him. 

Severus had even thought that Fawkes might have come to take him back to Hogwarts. However, at that moment, she seemed to be acting much more like a guardian than the Headmaster's messenger. 

What he did not expect was for the two centaurs to begin bowing before him as soon as he came close enough. 

Severus immediately frowned. "What's this?" he asked as he watched the creatures finish their bow and look back at him. 

"We are here to greet the Lord of All Creatures," one of the centaurs said. 

Severus looked visibly confused. "I don't recall ever being called that before..." 

"No one in the world knows you by that name," one of them said. 

"Not yet," the other added. "But we know what you are." 

''He's talking about what you sensed earlier, about how you are the forest itself,'' Articuno explained mentally. 

"And what exactly would I be?" Severus preferred to hear the answer directly from the centaur. 

The two exchanged a brief glance before looking back at him. "You are the tree that connects all living beings... with the exception of humans." 

"All creatures in this world are connected to you, as though you were the main bridge between all life. You are the Great Tree of the Forest." 

Severus was genuinely surprised to hear that. "Well... thank you, I suppose," he replied with a shrug. "That's certainly quite a title." 

''In a thousand years, I have never heard of a human who could be called that,'' Articuno commented, equally impressed... 

Severus merely looked at the bird, almost laughing at the way she had said it. Then he turned back to the centaurs with a faint smile. 

"Well... you can stand up. It's not as though I'm unfamiliar with being the lord or king of something. But I'm not that now..." he said, while the centaurs seemed quite pleased. 

Severus then continued. "Even if I am that to you, I'm quite sure centaurs aren't very friendly toward humans. Especially wizards." 

The centaurs, who still looked quite serious, exchanged another brief glance before answering. "That's true. Our race is not usually friendly. We tend to distrust humans, and we do not want them in the forest. Especially the wizards who seek ingredients from our forest, particularly from its living creatures." 

"Many of those ingredients come from unicorn blood, for example." The second centaur subtly gestured toward the herd behind Severus. 

"They hunt these creatures. We usually have to intervene as the guardians of the forest." 

Severus remained thoughtful. "But isn't the Forbidden Forest under Hogwarts' supervision? Shouldn't it be protected by the Headmaster?" he asked. 

The centaurs nodded. "That is true. But the Headmaster cannot be here all the time to protect the forest from illegal hunters." 

"The wizarding world is going through a period of great turmoil. Many magical creature hunters have reappeared in the underworld. Every month we have to confront them. Even so, some still manage to take unicorns, slaughtering them or attempting to capture them." 

Severus brought a hand to his chin, displeased by what he was hearing. That was definitely not good news. He would not want to see creatures like those being killed either. 

He only had to look around. The entire herd remained calm, watching him with curiosity the whole time. Their eyes were fixed solely on him, ignoring the phoenixes and the centaurs. 

It was amusing how they seemed far more at ease with his presence than with the centaurs themselves. As though Severus were already one of them, despite having arrived only that night. Meanwhile, the centaurs had been protecting those animals for centuries. 

"In any case..." Severus turned his attention back to them. "I'd like to hear more about that. But first, I need to understand what this title represents to you. What am I to your race?" he asked. 

It seemed to be more than simply being a lord or a king. It felt like a sacred bond. 

"You are our lord as well, Severus Snape," one of the centaurs said. 

Severus raised an eyebrow. He had never told them his name. 

"We know that the stars changed a little over a month ago. They proclaimed that the Lord of All Creatures had appeared in this world. We centaurs follow the will of the stars." 

Severus merely nodded in silence. That certainly gave him much to think about. But this was not the time. After a few moments of silence, he spoke. 

"Well... why don't you tell me more about yourselves?" He wanted to learn more about their race. 

While waiting for their answer, he turned his gaze back to the same unicorn with whom he had formed his first bond. The animal stood up and walked over to him. 

Severus smiled before calmly mounting its back. That caused the centaurs to display unmistakable expressions of admiration. 

Riding a unicorn was definitely not something common. Soon, Severus found himself traveling through the Forbidden Forest alongside two centaurs while riding a unicorn. 

The two phoenixes flew nearby, and all the other unicorns followed close behind, as though he were the leader of the herd and they were simply following his path. 

Severus found the sight rather amusing. Even so, he continued enjoying the night in the forest. 

As they passed by various magical creatures, the centaurs told him a little about their daily lives. Severus showed interest in visiting their village. 

The invitation came immediately. Even so, he declined. 

"Perhaps tomorrow." If he really were expelled from Hogwarts, he would stop by before leaving Great Britain. 

If he intended to continue his studies, he would probably have to attend another school of magic. Perhaps somewhere in Europe, such as Beauxbatons Academy of Magic or Durmstrang Institute. Or perhaps in the United States at Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry... 

There were also options such as Japan, Brazil, or a school somewhere in Africa. 

That made him realize how little he actually knew about the other magical schools around the world. It would be worth researching them. 

He could also earn more money by working at the dragon reserve and simply request to take his N.E.W.T.s early through the Ministry. That was another possibility. 

The problem was that he would lose access to the books and knowledge that a great school of magic could offer. Perhaps he could even take his N.E.W.T.s and join one of them as a professor. 

He had always been very good at teaching in the other world. Soon, however, he pushed that thought aside. 

He would think about it later. It was then that they came across another herd of Thestrals. Severus quickly approached the group of black horses. 

Just as he had done with the unicorns, he formed a bond with one of them. Shortly afterward, he was riding the creature and soaring above the Forbidden Forest, laughing in the middle of the night with the two phoenixes flying beside him. 

And while flying above the treetops, his eyes eventually found a lake some distance away. There was a strange glow reflecting upon its waters. 

Something about that place immediately caught his attention. At the same time, a whisper echoed through his mind the instant his eyes settled upon the lake. 

By the time he returned to the ground, it was already between three and four in the morning. He used the Tempus Charm to confirm the time. 

"Well... I think I'll be going. We'll have time to talk tomorrow," Severus said to the centaurs before taking out the potion he still had not drunk. 

He immediately began drinking it. His body was still quite weak. Although he could easily beat boys his own age, he was still far from the strength he had possessed in his previous life. 

When he had been sixteen years old in that other world, he had been able to break bones with ease, fight giants twice his size, and defeat them using nothing but his bare fists. 

Now, thanks to his experience, he would still be capable of defeating any adult. But nothing nearly as impressive as before. 

He needed to strengthen his body even further, and those potions were the foundation of that process. Although the ideal would have been to start taking them at eleven or twelve years old, he would still achieve excellent results over the next one or two years. 

He would probably become even stronger than he had been in his previous life. Especially if he combined that newfound power with his magic. 

As he said goodbye, Severus thanked the two centaurs. Then he did the same with the Thestrals, and finally with the unicorns. 

He had only gotten to know those creatures and a few others he had encountered along the way, but not nearly as many as he had planned for that night. 

Even so, he promised that he would return as soon as he could. That seemed to reassure the unicorns in particular, who had clearly grown attached to him. 

Severus then continued on his way, but not toward the exit of the Forbidden Forest. 

With the two phoenixes still accompanying him, he walked straight toward the small lake. He could still hear that voice; the whispers seemed to come from the waters. 

However, it was only a reflection. 

The reflection of a door. 

When Severus turned his eyes toward the shore, there was nothing there but a massive stone. 

But reflected upon the lake was an ancient open door covered in unknown symbols. 

"Tell me... can you see that door in the lake?" Severus asked Articuno. 

The bird shook her head. Severus then shared the image through their mental bond. 

Articuno was completely astonished. ''Damn... I always knew you had that thing with you. That's ancient magic.'' Severus raised an eyebrow. 

"I thought you might be able to see it too." 

''I can see many things, obviously. I was created by an ancient energy. But we're different. You can perceive things that were made for wizards with that gift... I still have my limits,'' Articuno replied. 

"Let's explore this place," Severus said immediately. 

Without hesitating, he froze the entire surface of the lake, creating an ice bridge leading to the stone. 

Fawkes let out a disapproving cry. She seemed to be saying that perhaps he should be a little more cautious instead of simply walking into the first mysterious place he came across. 

Almost as if she were asking whether Severus was actually a Gryffindor instead of a Slytherin. 

Severus merely smiled. "Let's just find out what's in there and get it over with. I doubt there's anything that can truly harm us." He was far more fascinated by the possibility of exploring that place than worried about any danger. 

For someone who had already seen practically everything across two lifetimes, a hidden cave was not particularly frightening. 

He quickly walked over to the stone. The moment he placed his hand upon its surface, the same symbols reflected in the water began to appear around a great arch carved into the rock. 

The stone slowly began to disappear, transforming into pure light. 

A few seconds later, the entrance to the cave was completely open. A long staircase descended into the depths. 

"Let's go." That was all Severus said before beginning to descend the steps, advancing toward whatever was waiting for them below. 1

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