Chapter 1378: Critical Strike
Chapter 1378: Critical Strike
"Do you think those traitors will really sneak out tonight to rescue their accomplices?"
On the eighth floor of Hogwarts Castle, inside an empty classroom near the entrance of the Room of Requirement, two members of the investigative task force kept watch, whispering to each other about the night's assignment given by Alecto.
"I don't know, but I hope to catch those traitors myself. Lady Alecto said that if we manage to apprehend them, we'll have a good chance of becoming Death Eaters right after graduation."
The other wizard spoke in a low tone, a hint of aspiration in his voice as if joining the Death Eaters was a matter of great pride.
His companion neither agreed nor disagreed, suddenly changing the subject.
"Have you heard anything about Draco lately?"
"Why bring up that guy now?" The voice held a hint of disdain when mentioning Malfoy.
"The Malfoy family is finished."
"I heard Draco married Pansy not long ago." Goyle's tone carried a tinge of emotion as he spoke. The mystery of Pansy's leave of absence had intrigued many, and no one expected her to take time off to marry Draco.
"I really don't understand why Pansy would like a loser like him." Crabbe held nothing but contempt for the fallen Malfoy family, which had once been worthy of their obedience.
Just then, faint footsteps could be heard approaching quietly from outside.
The two stopped their conversation and, after a quick glance at each other, drew their wands, moving stealthily towards the classroom door. They intended to take advantage of the Disillusionment Charm and launch a surprise attack on the members of Dumbledore's Army who were about to pass by the corridor outside.
"Oh, what a surprise. Malfoy actually got married."
Instead of encountering members of Dumbledore's Army, Goyle and Crabbe heard a somewhat familiar voice from the side, and then they were knocked out by a surprise attack.
"And they thought they could ambush us. They really thought we wouldn't anticipate an ambush."
Neville kicked Crabbe's head and turned to Michael beside him. "Do you have any Gillywater? Give them some so they stay unconscious and won't be woken up by others."
"Don't worry."
Michael patted his hip pouch, and just as he was about to take out a bottle of potion to force-feed the two unconscious wizards, he suddenly collapsed, losing consciousness.
Neville was caught off guard by the presence of a Death Eater lying in wait, and he exclaimed, "Oh no!" Just as he was about to raise his wand to fight back, he felt a wand pressing against his neck, and a sinister laugh sounded from behind, "You lot really came out of your rat hole. Drop your wands, or else..."
Indeed, Goyle and Crabbe, who were on guard duty around the Room of Requirement, were merely bait to lure members of Dumbledore's Army into a trap. It was normal for them to be discovered and taken down by Dumbledore's Army. The real trump card was the Death Eater who was also hiding under the Disillusionment Charm.
A simple ambush had easily taken down two students.
However, before this Death Eater could rejoice or even finish his sentence, he felt his vision spinning, and he collapsed to the ground, knocked out.
"You really thought we wouldn't anticipate your ambush."
Shana glanced at the Marauder's Map in her hand, and only after confirming that there were no more enemies nearby did she take the time to revive Michael, who had been knocked out earlier.
"Thanks. But next time, I'm not going to be bait again. It's really not a pleasant experience."
Michael took out a bottle of Gillywater he had prepared and pried open Goyle and Crabbe's mouths, forcing a bottle down each of their throats. Once he was sure they were deeply unconscious, he happily stepped on their faces, taking pleasure in grinding his foot against their cheeks.
"Let you use the Cruciatus Curse. Let you torture people with it."
Michael, having exacted his revenge, felt refreshed and cheerful as he suggested to the others, "Why don't you give it a try too? It's good for your mental health."
"Good for mental health?"
Shana raised an eyebrow, clearly reserving her opinion about Michael's suggestion.
The members of the special task force had committed numerous atrocities, and many in Dumbledore's Army had suffered at their hands. It was understandable that they would want to take this opportunity to get some payback and vent their pent-up frustrations.
In fact, the others eagerly stepped forward and happily stomped on the two unconscious bullies' faces a few times, releasing the frustration that had built up over this period.
"What should we do with this one?"
Their gazes soon shifted to the other Death Eater.
"Why don't we just kill him? Leaving any Death Eater alive is a potential threat." Someone beside them suggested with a menacing gesture of slitting the throat, clearly eager to take action.
The way he was poised to strike, it seemed like he really wanted to take care of the opponent personally.
"No, Albert specifically instructed us to avoid killing inside Hogwarts if possible, to avoid implicating the students and professors." Shana shook her head, refusing the cruel suggestion, even though she also believed that Death Eaters deserved to die. However, she would not casually go against Albert's wishes.
"We can't kill him? Then I guess this should be fine."
The wizard seemed a bit disappointed, but he soon thought of something else. He spread the Death Eater's legs apart and, under the shocked gazes of the others, lifted his foot and delivered a vicious kick straight to the groin.
A critical strike! Everyone instinctively crossed their legs, feeling a phantom pain in their nether regions.
Contrary to expectations, there was no anguished cry of hands covering the groin.
The classroom fell into an eerie silence, as if that kick had been insignificant.
However, this was also normal. After being forced to drink Gillywater, the Death Eater would not wake up anytime soon without the antidote.
It remained to be seen what his reaction would be when he finally regained consciousness.
"Do you have a personal grudge against him?"
Michael looked at the ruthless kicker with a serious expression.
"Have you not let it go yet?" Shana sighed softly, "If the Death Eaters had killed your entire family, I guess you would be like me too." Nelson Tobin delivered a few more vicious stomps and ruthless grinds with his foot, "I'm just collecting some interest. That's not too much to ask, right?"
"Albert never meant to stop you from seeking revenge, but I hope you won't bring trouble to us." Shana looked into Nelson Tobin's eyes and reminded him, "Do you understand what I mean?"
"I won't cause trouble for him."
Nelson Tobin averted his gaze and reluctantly raised his wand to cast a simple healing spell on the unfortunate Death Eater.
"Let's go, we should head back. Hesica's team has also succeeded. They've taken care of the Death Eater and the members of the investigative task force, and they're on their way back to the Room of Requirement." Shana instructed the others to use the Disillusionment Charm to hide the three unconscious wizards in the corner, and then she led the team back quietly to the Room of Requirement. The operations of the other teams were still ongoing, and they needed to provide them with useful intelligence.
(End of Chapter)
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