Chapter 116: Battle at St. Mungo's
Chapter 116: Battle at St. Mungo's
For their final Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson of the year, the class had learned about werewolves, so Kyle was no stranger to these creatures.
They resembled wolves, but could walk upright, their muzzles slightly shorter, their bodies covered in gray fur, and their hands ended in sharp, curved claws.
The creature before him was undoubtedly a werewolf.
But don't these creatures only transform during the full moon? What was this one then... a sunlight werewolf?
Kyle didn't have time to ponder this as he quickly raised his arm, his wand sliding into his hand from his sleeve.
All descriptions of werewolves mentioned one consistent fact: their minds were chaotic, devoid of reason, driven solely by the instinct to attack any creature before them.
And this werewolf was no exception.
It fixed its gaze on Kyle, its eyes filled with cruelty and bloodlust.
There was no other choice. Kyle was the closest target.
The werewolf opened its mouth, revealing sharp teeth at least two inches long, and cloudy saliva dripped slowly from between its teeth, falling onto the brown-red floor.
Pat!
Roar!
In the instant the werewolf pounced, Kyle was quicker, chanting a spell.
"Impedimenta!"
Thud...
The werewolf's movement stalled, and its body fell uncontrollably to the side.
Kyle had to thank Auror for this. In their last class, he had explained in great detail the characteristics of werewolves, sharing insights not found in textbooks.
According to him, werewolves often chose to attack their prey by leaping, a move known as a pounce.
And a soft surface could cause them to lose their footing, which was exactly what Kyle had done.
Although the werewolf quickly regained its footing, it was enough for Kyle.
He dared not return to Hagrid's ward; there wasn't time, and turning around would expose his back to the werewolf.
Without hesitation, Kyle took two quick steps back to create distance and raised his wand.
The floor in front of him began to bulge upwards, soon forming row after row of stone spikes, only a few inches tall but incredibly sharp and sturdy.
These spikes would pierce even the thick-skinned werewolf's paws, causing immense discomfort.
The werewolf tried to go around by climbing over the wall...
Smack!
At that moment, a ward door was flung open, and Hagrid's massive figure appeared in the corridor.
Upon hearing the commotion outside, he had rushed out without a moment's delay.
Seeing the werewolf, Hagrid was also taken aback for a moment, but he soon spotted Kyle not far away.
Hagrid's face began to turn crimson.
"You monster! How dare you attack a young wizard!"
He yanked the door off its hinges and hurled it like a discus.
Bang... Ouch!
Hagrid's aim was true, and the door slammed into the werewolf, causing it to let out a painful howl.
Even Kyle involuntarily sucked in a breath, having heard the sound of cracking bones.
Though the werewolf lacked consciousness, its most basic instincts remained. It shot a terrified glance at Hagrid before turning tail and fleeing.
As it ran towards the stairs, Kyle's pupils narrowed, and he shouted, "Hagrid, it's heading for the stairs! Don't let it escape!"
"I know!"
Hagrid hurried after it.
But he was too slow. The tight-fitting hospital gown restricted his movement, making it impossible to run, let alone catch up to a werewolf.
Even Kyle easily overtook him.
"Damn, where are the people from St. Mungo's?!'
On the other hand, Kyle, who had given chase, was also feeling anxious. That was a werewolf; if he were to be bitten... he could basically bid Hogwarts farewell.
Unlike Lupin's situation, with so many people at St. Mungo's, there was no way to hide a bite if it happened.
But he couldn't just stand by and watch the werewolf reach the first floor and attack those unsuspecting people.
"Thankfully, Hagrid is here."
Hearing the dull footsteps behind him, Kyle felt somewhat relieved.
When the werewolf reached the corridor staircase and started to slow down, Kyle immediately raised his wand.
"Impedimenta!"
"Flipendo!"
The two spells struck the werewolf one after the other, causing it to pause and then slam violently into the wall behind it.
Kyle turned to look.
Professor Kettleburn was lying on his side in the corridor, his remaining arm clutching his wand.
The Repelling Spell that had just been cast was his doing.
"What... are you all doing...?"
At that moment, a young, innocent voice suddenly piped up.
Kyle whipped his head around to see a round-faced, chubby boy with a lunch box standing at the corner of the staircase, seemingly appearing out of thin air.
He looked absolutely terrified as he stared at them.
Not just Kyle, but the werewolf also took notice of this unexpected addition.
A glint of maliciousness flashed in its dull eyes once more, and it struggled to pounce towards the boy.
"Expelliarmus!"
The werewolf, which had just gotten back on its feet, stumbled and fell again.
Kyle waved his wand, transfiguring an iron rack in the corridor into a sharp spear, which he then hurled at the werewolf with all his might.
The spear only managed to slightly pierce the werewolf's skin before it halted, unable to go any further.
However, Kyle hadn't expected to succeed with just one attempt, so immediately after throwing the spear, he cast another spell.
"Flipendo!"
Just like driving a nail with a heavy hammer, the spear, enhanced with the Repelling Spell, pierced straight through the werewolf's chest, pinning it to the ground.
"Kyle, get out of the wa-ouch!"
Hagrid had finally arrived, and seeing the state of the werewolf, he slowly lowered his raised arm.
It seemed... his help wasn't needed after all.
"Could you please go and find someone from the hospital?" Kyle asked the little boy. "Tell them there's a rampaging werewolf on the second floor."
The boy seemed to be petrified by the scene before him, and it took Kyle calling out to him twice before he snapped out of it.
"O-okay..."
He shot a fearful glance at Kyle and then dashed downstairs.
"I think he might've been scared," Hagrid said from beside him.
Forget a child, even he himself had been scared out of his wits just now.
"It couldn't be helped," Kyle shrugged. "And being scared is better than becoming a werewolf."
At that moment, Professor Kettleburn had also put on his prosthetic limb and hobbled over.
"My apologies, young man. I was careless."
"I should've cast another spell then."
Kyle shook his head. "It's not your fault, Professor."
The werewolf had already lost most of its ability to fight back, and it was mainly because it had caught sight of the boy that it suddenly went berserk again.
And the boy had been standing at the corner of the staircase, out of Professor Kettleburn's line of sight at the time.
...
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
