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Chapter 400: Battle and After-School Activities
Chapter 400: Battle and After-School Activities
Liam and Hermione naturally didn't answer Dolohov's question. They were well aware that talking back often led to a reversal of fortune. So, they kept casting Magic attacks at Dolohov, especially Hermione, who was tense and focused, being in her first battle against a Wizard from her own world. Her attacks didn't let up for a moment.
Amidst this barrage of spells, Dolohov couldn't mount any effective defense. The battle lasted less than two minutes before two blood-red beams struck him, and he fell forward, motionless.
"Is he... dead?" Hermione whispered. The battle left her feeling somewhat uneasy. It felt different from the trials she had faced before. This was the first enemy she had killed in her own world, and it naturally left her with mixed feelings.
"Yes, he's dead", Liam confirmed after using Life Magic to check. "Try to be happy. Think about how kind Mrs. Weasley was to us. This scum killed her brother."
"You're right", Hermione's expression relaxed. "At least if he's dead, others can live. What we did today will help more people survive."
After confirming that the Death Eater was dead, the lead Unicorn nodded slightly to Liam and then left. Liam, as usual, approached to loot the body.
"Here, take this", Liam tossed Dolohov's wand to Hermione. "Our wands have traces on them. You can use this one in the future. Blackthorn wood with snake nerve, it's pretty good for combat."
"Anything else?" Hermione quickly entered the post-battle loot collection mode. "I doubt there's much good stuff. These Death Eaters were just here for some Unicorn blood; they wouldn't bring all their valuables."
"You're right", Liam only found a few coins on Dolohov. "Alright, let's go, but before we do, we should clean up to avoid leaving trouble for the Centaurs."
With that, he waved his wand, sending a blood-red beam into the corpse. The body began to rapidly dissolve, turning into a blood-red liquid. This liquid was highly corrosive, eating through even the clothes it touched. In the end, everything disappeared, leaving only a pool of blood.
Today's battle demonstrated that even the core Death Eaters had their strengths. Liam and Hermione mainly used Bloodburn Curse and Shadow Blade. The Bloodburn Curse, which ignites the blood, life, and soul of the target, can cause intense pain, comparable to the Cruciatus Curse. Despite this, Dolohov managed to fight until the very end, though his injuries made his resistance less effective. This showed that the core Death Eaters had strong fighting will, which was why the Order of the Phoenix managed to hold on for so long.
When they returned to the battlefield where the Centaurs and Werewolves had fought, they found the Werewolves had scattered, and a few Centaurs were collecting the arrowheads. After telling them that the Dark Wizards had left, Liam and Hermione headed back to the castle.
"Why do you think the Death Eaters came to attack the Unicorns?" Hermione mused as they walked through the forest. "Didn't they say the Dark Lord is lying low because of the problems from his last resurrection? Why would he risk sending his few remaining core Death Eaters on such a mission?"
"It might be related to the Elixirs I made last time", Liam thought for a moment. "Harry said the Dark Lord's original body was created using cursed Unicorn Blood and Nagini's venom. He might be trying to obtain these ingredients to solve his problems. As for why he doesn't buy them on the Black Market? It's probably because his followers are wanted criminals, and public appearances are too risky. Besides, Unicorn Blood is closely monitored, and trying to obtain it could easily expose him."
The night's excursion ended there. They had only planned to take a run in the Forbidden Forest after Transfiguration to help Hermione get used to it, but they ended up in a battle. Fortunately, the outcome was positive: they successfully eliminated a seasoned Death Eater, weakening Voldemort's forces. However, this left Liam feeling somewhat tired. Upon returning to his dormitory, he went straight to bed and fell asleep.
The days that followed were rather quiet, even somewhat lifeless, due to Umbridge's increasingly strict control over the School. As a form of retaliation for Umbridge's attempt to slip Veritaserum into their drinks, Liam, along with Hermione, began to take turns teaching the Study Group members combat techniques through one-on-one duels after they mastered the Stunning Spell.
"This feels great, but I'm sure the Ministry of Magic wouldn't approve", Zhang Qiu said during one of the practice sessions. "So I don't dare tell anyone what we're learning here, especially since my mother works at the Ministry of Magic."
"Learning these skills does come with some risk given the current atmosphere", Liam admitted, spreading his hands. "But I think it's worth it. After all, there are ten Death Eaters out there, each of them capable of murder. Knowing how to defend ourselves can at least buy us and our families enough time to escape if we encounter them."
"Exactly." "You're right." "That's why we're here." Several classmates echoed similar sentiments. "They can't even capture those Death Eaters, and they forbid us from learning defensive magic on our own. What are we supposed to do if we run into those killers? Just wait to die?" Hannah Abbott's final statement summed up everyone's feelings.
As a club organized by Gryffindor students, they were naturally a target for close surveillance. However, Liam had set up Secret Alchemical Detectors at both ends of the corridor, which would sound an alarm if any strangers approached. Thus, during Umbridge's two surprise inspections, she only saw the students gathered around discussing essays or practicing the Vanishing Spell with mice. She found nothing of importance.
"Very good, children, keep practicing", Umbridge said before closing the door. Once she was gone, Fred, looking somewhat dejected, said, "This is really getting old. How can that old woman still be standing? Lately, everyone except the Daily Prophet has been criticizing her and Fudge."
"There's nothing we can do about it. The Pureblood Families want Dumbledore gone, so Fudge, who opposes Dumbledore, remains in power. Besides, a disgraced Minister of Magic is easier for them to control. We miscalculated", Liam shrugged.
As a legitimate organization, the Study Group faced these challenges, but things were even more difficult for Harry. Even though Liam provided an excellent venue for their activities, their organization still struggled. For instance, Harry found it almost impossible to set a fixed time for D.A. meetings each week because they had to avoid the training schedules of three Quidditch teams, which often changed due to weather conditions. This made it hard to notify everyone, and frequent interactions between students from different houses in the Great Hall could raise suspicion.
"Harry, I have something for you", Neville called out as Harry was about to leave the dormitory to inform others of the next week's meeting time.
"What is it?" Harry asked, curious since he couldn't think of a reason why Neville would give him something.
"Liam asked me to give this to you. He thinks you can't post notices on the bulletin board like we do, and individual notifications are too risky. So he made this for you", Neville explained, pulling out a Time Stamp with a dial that could change the time.
"How do I use it?" Harry asked, taking it.
"First, you need to drop a drop of blood on the grip to make the device belong to you. Then, after each meeting, you can give each participant a slip of paper and use the end of the handle to stamp the Hogwarts crest on it", Neville explained. Harry examined the handle and noticed that the end was flat with a small Hogwarts crest.
"And then?" Harry asked.
"Once you've set the next meeting time, turn the dial to that time and stamp one of the slips. The time will appear on all the slips. Remember, each slip can only show the time once", Neville reminded him.
"Thank you so much!" Harry put away the Time Stamp. "But it seems a bit complicated."
"Please! You're an underground organization, safety first", Neville said, looking at Harry.
"You're right", Harry agreed with a resigned expression. "I wish that toad would just get out of here."
(End of Chapter)
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