Chapter 396: The Spell to Cease War
Chapter 396: The Spell to Cease War
Sherlock’s Memory Charm was quite proficient.
Although he didn’t use it often, he had spent a considerable amount of time researching and practicing this spell, which was useful in most situations.
After bringing the second Death Eater back to the alley, he found and dealt with the third one. By this time, the ten minutes agreed upon with Rodolphus had already passed.
Rodolphus had returned to their meeting point with another Death Eater.
As they had initially thought, in the small village of Budleigh Babberton, where outsiders were rare, any new strangers who recently moved in would be noticed by many of the residents.
The man they had heard about, who had recently moved to Budleigh Babberton, looked very different from Slughorn.
However, Wizards had many ways to alter their appearance and physique, and Slughorn, being a potion master on par with Snape, would find it odd to appear in public using his original appearance.
"Once we meet up with Amycus and the others, if they haven’t found any other recent outsiders in the village, you must immediately return and inform the Master", Rodolphus said calmly.
The Death Eater rubbed his hands together and laughed.
"Why don’t we just capture that old man and bring him to the Master? That would show our greater contribution."
Rodolphus said expressionlessly, "Do you know that I am far less useful to the Master than my wife, yet he still values me?"
The Death Eater thought to himself, _It’s only because you have a good wife._ But he didn’t dare say it out loud.
"Why?"
"Because I always know that doing my best is the greatest help I can offer the Master. Those who seek to claim credit and act rashly, how many of them are still alive?"
Rodolphus’s voice was cold, and as he spoke, the image of his brother, who had died in the Department of Mysteries, flashed through his mind.
"Our task, as given by the Master, is to find Slughorn’s location without arousing suspicion and report it to him. If we act on our own after finding him, even if we succeed, there won’t be much reward because it’s not our assigned task. If we fail, we will face even harsher punishment. What do you think is the right choice?"
The Death Eater shivered, the image of those who had suffered under the Master’s spells flashing through his mind. He was completely dissuaded from the idea.
They had returned to the spot where they had split up, but there was no sign of the others.
Seeing the empty street, Rodolphus instinctively furrowed his brow.
"Something’s not right. The direction Amycus and the others went should have led them closer to Muggles. Why are we the first ones back?"
His words heightened his companion’s alertness. As they tightened their grips on their wands, preparing to scan their surroundings, spells began to flash from all directions!
Sherlock didn’t cast a verbal spell. Although this would reduce the spell’s power, the sheer number of spells was enough to compensate.
Moreover, the two Death Eaters had already become alert, and if he had cast a verbal spell, the element of surprise would have been lost.
Surrounded by scores of wands, Sherlock’s attack left no blind spots.
Even though Rodolphus and the others had raised their defenses, they couldn’t evade the onslaught!
The Death Eater who had been thinking of capturing Slughorn was immediately hit by dozens of Petrificus Totalus charms, falling to the ground and losing his ability to fight.
Red light flared up around Rodolphus, and all the Petrificus Totalus charms aimed at him were deflected!
With the sound of the Protego charm shattering, Rodolphus wasted no time and raised his wand, casting a spell.
"Apparition!"
Abandoning his teammates and fleeing was not shameful, especially when faced with such a unique method of spellcasting.
He never considered himself a match for Sherlock. The most important thing was to return with the information and report to the Master.
After the failure following Voldemort's resurrection, the Dark Lord had become enraged with hatred for Sherlock.
If he could bring back the news that Sherlock had left Hogwarts Castle alone, Voldemort would not only spare him but also reward him greatly!
However, as he cast the spell, his body only twisted for an extremely brief moment before reappearing in the same spot.
Rodolphus felt a sense of despair.
This man had placed an Anti-Apparition Charm here in advance!
The sound of steady footsteps reached his ears, and the floating wands around him, like obedient insects, aligned neatly behind Sherlock.
Sherlock, without a wand in his hand, stood with his hands in the pockets of his jeans, raising an eyebrow as he looked at Rodolphus, who was trembling and gripping his weapon tightly.
Since Slughorn lived in a Muggle village, Sherlock had deliberately not worn his wizard robes when visiting today, opting for ordinary Muggle clothing to avoid unnecessary attention.
"Being able to maintain a Protego charm at all times, if this were a Defense Against the Dark Arts class, I would definitely award your house ten points."
Sherlock praised generously.
"Having such a defensive mindset, your skills must be quite impressive. Come, let me see what you can do."
"Clang!"
A sharp sound of wood hitting the cement floor echoed.
Before the tips of the hundreds of wands behind Sherlock lit up with spell light, Rodolphus, without hesitation, dropped the small stick in his hand.
He raised his hands, using a wandless spell to avoid the inevitable and one-sided battle.
"I surrender!"
After Sherlock and Silke left, Slughorn remained at the dining table, drinking his wine slowly.
To be honest, he had initially intended to keep this secret until his death, taking it to the grave.
After all, it was not a glorious matter, and if it spread throughout the wizarding world, he would undoubtedly be condemned as the most despicable sinner.
However, he did not regret handing over his memory.
Dumbledore, Selena, Lily, and today's Sherlock—such people often moved him.
Wizards, in general, were an emotional group, and Slughorn was an especially sensitive old man.
He refilled his empty glass with wine and was just about to raise it when a small piece of paper, like a butterfly, fluttered into his room and landed in front of him.
Slughorn, who had been feeling a bit drowsy, suddenly became alert.
After reading the note, his face changed dramatically, and he rushed into the bedroom, grabbed a suitcase, and then Apparated away from this hiding place where he had only been for a few days.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
