A few minutes earlier, in another part of the forest…
High above the forest clearing, where the air was still and crisp with morning dew, a young figure lounged lazily on the thick branch of a towering oak tree.
He reclined with his back against the trunk, one leg dangling freely over the edge and the other bent upward as a makeshift prop for his arm.
His brown hair was tousled, and a calm, almost distant look rested in his pitch black eyes as he exhaled a soft sigh.
The sounds of rustling leaves and chirping birds surrounded him, but Harry paid them little mind.
He was still, contemplative even. His fingers toyed absently with a twig, breaking it piece by piece, flicking the remains into the foliage below without thought.
Above him, a faint metallic hum stirred the air, and Harry lazily tilted his head upward.
There it was.
The drone floated serenely in the sky, its surface sleek and silver, casting a faint blue glow as it projected the latest scoreboard.
