The Harry Potter franchise has never shied away from dark or disturbing material, but the Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery mobile game is mostly lighthearted. Even when students are trapped in cursed ice, it looks too comedic to really be frightening. However, there is one side quest in Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery that stands out because of how bleak and unsettling it is compared to the rest of the game. Anyone that wants to experience this side quest themselves should be warned that this article will have spoilers for Year 3 of the game.

In Year 3, Hogwarts Mystery players can start a side quest called Penny for Your Thoughts. The side quest revolves around Hufflepuff student Penny Haywood, who is one of the students players can befriend in the game. Penny, who is talented at brewing potions, wants to brew a Forgetfulness Potion to help her get rid of some painful memories from her past. Specifically, Penny wants to forget the time she watched her friend be brutally murdered by a werewolf.

In the summer of 1985, Penny and her muggle (that's "non-magical," for those who may not be familiar with Harry Potter lingo) friend Scarlett went camping. The two spotted a werewolf, and Scarlett, curious as to what this magical creature was, attempted to follow it. Penny failed to react in time, and Scarlett was killed by the beast.

This unsettling side quest is easily the darkest moment in Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery so far, with the rest of the game mostly consisting of smiling teachers and hanging out with friends. However, there is an actual story reason for this tale. As those who have already played through Year 3 can attest, that year in the game is all about fear, and so it's fitting to have a side quest that revolves around Penny's fear of werewolves. At the very least, it offers an explanation as to why boggarts transform into werewolves when she sees them.

Moving forward, it will be interesting to see if future content will add other odd and disturbing story elements to Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery. As previously stated, the Harry Potter franchise doesn't really shy away from things like this, and as the characters in the game get older, one has to imagine that they will find themselves in increasingly dangerous situations.

Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery is out now for iOS and Android mobile devices.