So, is no one going to talk about this? Okay, I will then.
One of Harry’s very first detentions was for getting caught out of bed after smuggling Norbert(a) out of Hogwarts.
Let’s see, what was it again... Oh, yes.
When? Eleven o’clock on what is likely to be a school night.
Who? Harry, Hermione, Neville or Ron depending on if it’s the movie or the book, Draco Malfoy - all first year students who can barely cast sparks. Hagrid - armed with a bow and arrows.
Where? In the Forbidden Forest, a place that is infested with Acromantulas (see above) and rumoured to have werewolves. At the beginning of every school year, Dumbledore makes a point to tell his students to not go wandering there. It’s in the name.
What? To find a unicorn killer. And remember; “Only one who has nothing to lose, and everything to gain, would commit such a crime.”, which means they are likely to be very, very Dark. And dangerous. And willing to kill. Even without knowing it was Voldemort, it should have been clear.
Also, Hagrid has them split up, so if anything happens - which it did - he wouldn’t be able to protect everyone.
They were threatened, threatened, with expulsion if they didn’t comply. Can you imagine? It’s like telling a muggle student to go out alone and look for the wild animal that has been killing all the rabbits lately in the nearby woods in the middle of the night, or else they’d be expelled.
It’s not right. It’s wrong and they could have easily gotten killed! This should have been left for competent, adult wizards to deal with, not to a group of first year students. They should have been writing lines, polishing awards, cleaning cauldrons, not wandering around at night in a dangerous forest.