Hogwarts: The Exemplary Wizard I Am Chapter 695: Death Eater's Decision - Novel Cool

Chapter 695: Death Eater's Decision

Chapter 695: Death Eater's Decision

After resolving the crisis with the giants, Kyle and his companions did not immediately leave. Instead, they prepared to follow the giants to their tribe.

Before they set off, Kyle looked at the Death Eater on the ground and asked, "What about him? Are we taking him with us?"

"Leave him to me," Hagrid said, pulling out a small, round mirror. He stepped aside and muttered a few words softly into the mirror.

To be honest, the mirror wasn't very big. It was about the size of the kind that girls usually carry around. As Hagrid held it, he looked like he was holding a freshly baked corn chip that might crumble at any moment.

Thankfully, that didn't happen.

In no time, two small black dots descended from the sky. In the blink of an eye, they arrived in front of the group.

Sirius Black and Remus Lupin landed shakily on the ground.

"Mr. Scamander, Ms. Maxime," Lupin greeted them, tossing aside a stone he had been holding. They had just arrived through the Portkey, but it was no longer useful.

"Oh, and Kyle, Hagrid, long time no see."

"It has been a while, Remus," Hagrid said. "I was worried that mirror wouldn't work."

"I've been keeping an eye on the two-way mirror," Lupin said, pulling out a similar round mirror and smiling. "As long as you call my name, I'll hear it immediately. So, no troubles along the way?"

"We managed to handle everything," Hagrid replied.

He then briefly recounted what had happened earlier... mainly because by the time he had arrived, the entire valley was already shrouded in thick fog, and he hadn't seen much of what had transpired.

As they spoke, Sirius on the other side had noticed the Death Eater lying on the ground. He walked over and, upon seeing the man's face, froze in his tracks.

It wasn't until someone tapped his shoulder that he snapped out of his daze.

"What's wrong?" Lupin asked.

"Oh, it's nothing," Sirius shook his head, his gaze still fixed on the Death Eater. "Do you know who he is?"

"A Lestrange?" Lupin asked, sounding surprised.

Although he had just learned this information from Hagrid, seeing it with his own eyes gave him a different feeling.

The man was an old acquaintance; they had crossed paths numerous times over a decade ago.

"Yes, a Lestrange," Sirius nodded. "Remember him from school? He was quite the charismatic figure back then."

"Of course, I remember. He was a prominent figure in Slytherin, a prefect, and the Head Boy," Lupin said. "It's a shame he later joined the Death Eaters."

"So, you know him?" Kyle asked curiously. "You usually don't get so sentimental over a dead Death Eater."

"Sentimental? Don't be ridiculous!" Sirius shook his head. "We had quite a few dealings back in school, and he's also my cousin-in-law, married to my cousin Bellatrix. But make no mistake, he is a Death Eater. Even if I hadn't been here, I would have wanted him dead.

"And speaking of relatives, most of the pure-blood families are somewhat related, but I'm not particularly close to him."

"Weren't you cellmates, though?" Kyle mumbled under his breath.

Sirius paused for a moment, then turned to glare at Kyle, clearly annoyed.

"All right, you have a point there," he grumbled. "Lestrange was in the cell next to mine. He even threatened to kill me, but a month later, he couldn't utter a word... what an idiot."

As Sirius spoke, Lupin had already hoisted Lestrange onto his shoulder.

"We should get going. Alastor and the others are waiting," Lupin said, pulling out another stone from his pocket.

"So soon?"

"Don't forget, Portkeys have a time limit..." Lupin explained. "We can't be of much help here anyway."

"Alright then," Sirius placed his hand on the stone. "Do you want to come with us? We can travel together."

"No, thank you," Newt shook his head. "We still have some other matters to attend to, so we can't return just yet."

"Stay in touch if you need anything," Lupin waved goodbye.

With that, the two men disappeared once more.

Kyle and his group then prepared to visit the giants' tribe.

According to Newt, they had to make sure the giants were truly alright.

"But is this really a good idea?"

As they walked in the direction the giants had taken, Kyle asked worriedly, "We just stopped the giants from joining the mysterious man, and the Death Eater who came here is dead. What if the mysterious man gets angry and comes here himself? We're no match for him with our small group."

"Don't worry, the mysterious man won't come," Newt shook his head and said, "Before we left, Dumbledore mentioned that the mysterious man has no interest in magical creatures and doesn't truly care about the Death Eaters who follow him. He only sees them as tools to be used."

Seeing this, Kyle didn't say anything more and set off with the other three, following the giant footprints on the ground.

The giant tribe was even further away than he had imagined; the footprints stretched endlessly into the distance.

After walking for what felt like a whole day, they finally arrived at a more secluded valley, likely right in the heart of the mountain range.

For some unknown reason, the constant chirping of insects and birds that had accompanied them on their journey had gradually faded away, as if something terrifying had driven them away from this place.

Led by Newt, the group climbed up a slope and looked down from a distance.

Below them lay a valley filled with enormous caves that had been dug out by giants.

The giants they had encountered earlier were now gathered in front of the caves, engaged in a fierce battle.

"They're choosing a new Gurg," Newt explained. "The giants will select the strongest among them as their leader, and the simplest way to do that is through this free-for-all fight."

"Just like the fire dragons," Kyle murmured.

"Indeed, it's quite similar," Newt nodded. "Most magical beasts, including giants and dragons, use this method to choose the most suitable leader."

As they spoke, the valley gradually turned red with blood.

It was the blood of the giants, gushing out like fountains and staining every stone a deep crimson.

"I wonder how many of them will be left after the new Gurg is chosen," Maxime said, a strange tone in her voice.

"Don't worry..." Newt shook his head. "Although the giants will kill the previous Gurg to confirm the new leader's status, the situation is different now. To preserve their fighting strength, they won't actually kill each other... Oh, look over there."

Newt pointed towards the valley.

Following his finger, Kyle saw a relatively slimmer giant being punched to the ground, but his opponent didn't take the opportunity to finish him off. Instead, he immediately sought out a new opponent.

At the same time, the giant who had been knocked down climbed back to his feet but did not rejoin the fight. Instead, he moved to the side.

There were a few other giants there as well—those who were shorter or slimmer and didn't qualify to participate in the battle.

"You see," Newt continued, "in this situation, falling down means defeat, and the last giant standing becomes the new Gurg until the next challenger appears."

Kyle continued to watch for a while.

Indeed, each time a giant fell, they would voluntarily withdraw from the battle.

......

Just like when they had witnessed the dragon battle in Romania, the fight between the giants was a lengthy process.

After quickly eliminating the weakest contenders, the remaining giants settled into a protracted stalemate.

Kyle and his companions had been observing from the hilltop for a whole week, and the battle still showed no signs of ending.

Kyle, who had been excited at first, was now feeling a bit bored.

The giants' combat strategies were repetitive—punches and kicks that lacked the initial thrill of seeing flesh torn and blood spilled. After watching for seven days straight, it had become monotonous.

However, the good news was that they hadn't spotted Voldemort or any Death Eaters during this time.

As Newt had predicted, Voldemort didn't seem to be coming to avenge Lestrange... or, more accurately, he didn't seem interested in causing them trouble.

"The Death Eaters attacked St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries..."

That morning, as Kyle stepped out of his tent, he saw Hagrid using the two-way mirror to communicate with Lupin.

They had been relying on these mirrors instead of owls to communicate, as owls could expose their location.

"The Death Eaters attacked St. Mungo's?" Hagrid exclaimed upon hearing Lupin's news. "How dare they!"

"In fact, they did," Lupin confirmed. "The good news is that their attack had a specific purpose, and most people weren't harmed as a result..."

Kyle walked over to join them, peering into the mirror.

"Oh, Kyle," Lupin greeted him. "How are things on your end? Hopefully, nothing dangerous has happened."

"Of course not," Kyle replied. "By the way, do you think the Death Eaters attacked St. Mungo's because of the Longbottoms...?"

"No, it's not that..."

Lupin's voice sounded strange, as if he wanted to laugh but was holding it in.

"...it was for Umbridge."

"What?" Hagrid scratched his ear. "Who did you say?"

"Dolores Umbridge," Lupin repeated. "The Death Eaters attacked her ward and tortured her again in front of everyone."

"She's still a part of the Ministry, and well-known for her anti-Dark Arts stance. Especially recently, her name has been all over the newspapers," Kyle explained.

Lupin paused for a moment, as if he was trying to calm himself, before continuing in a casual tone, "The Death Eaters said that this is what happens when you go against the Dark Lord. They wanted Umbridge to admit in front of everyone that the Ministry and the Order are useless and will never defeat the Dark Lord."

"Did Umbridge say it?" Hagrid asked anxiously.

"No, she didn't," Lupin replied, his expression turning odd.

"Then it's fine." Hagrid breathed a sigh of relief. "I guess I misjudged her. I didn't expect her to be so strong-willed... If she had said those words, we would have lost all face."

"Hagrid..." Kyle patted his arm and said, "What do you think the Death Eaters would do to torture someone?"

"Of course, it's the Cruciatus Curse," Hagrid said without hesitation, his arm flexing. "Those bastards have used that curse countless times to torture members of the Order."

"That's the key point," Kyle said. "Do you think someone suffering under the Cruciatus Curse would be able to speak?"

"Huh? Why not?" Hagrid frowned, a bit confused. "I've been hit by the Cruciatus Curse before, and while it's painful, it's not like you can't speak at all..."

"Don't forget that you're a half-giant," Kyle said, rubbing his forehead. "Your giant blood gives you an extraordinary resistance to curses, but regular wizards don't have that advantage."

"Oh." Hagrid nodded, only partially understanding.

Kyle didn't explain further. Instead, he turned to look at Lupin in the two-way mirror, intending to ask more detailed questions.

But at that moment, Newt's voice called out from a short distance away.

"It's almost over."

Hearing this, Kyle forgot about Lupin and hurried over.

The valley had turned a dark shade of red, and even from a distance, Kyle could smell the thick scent of blood in the air.

There were only two giants left in the valley, swaying as they stood. Just as Kyle arrived, they simultaneously raised their fists and slammed them into each other's faces.

It was a pure test of strength, with no technique involved.

Soon after, the giant on the left staggered and his massive body crashed to the ground.

"Bang!"

The giant on the right roared, his voice echoing through the valley.

At the same time, giants emerged from the caves and knelt before him, pledging their allegiance.

"Looks like he's the new Gurg," Newt said. "Wait here for a moment."

With that, he disappeared from his original spot and reappeared near the giants.

The kneeling giants immediately stood up, alert and wary.

Due to the distance, Kyle couldn't make out what they were saying, but he saw Newt stretch out his arms, lower his head, and walk toward the giants with an odd gait, veering left and right.

The giants gradually relaxed their guard and surrounded their new Gurg protectively.

"Should we go help?" Hagrid asked anxiously. "We're too close. If they rush forward, Mr. Scamander will be in danger."

"No need to worry," Kyle waved his hand after observing for a moment.

He knew this was Newt's unique way of communicating with magical creatures.

Newt wouldn't approach the giants without absolute confidence.

Moreover, the giants' roars lacked the initial aggression and threat, indicating that Newt had already succeeded.

With this hurdle crossed, the rest would be much simpler, given Newt's extensive experience.

Their presence now would only complicate matters.

"It's amazing..." Maxime exclaimed, "We already knew that Mr. Scamander had an extraordinary ability with magical creatures, but witnessing it firsthand is still shocking.

"He's gained the trust of the giants so easily right after they chose their new Gurg, which is when they're at their most tense and aggressive."

She recalled her own experience with Hagrid when they had visited the giants previously.

Even with their giant heritage, they had to humble themselves, offer gifts, and spend a long time before finally getting a chance to meet the Gurg.

Now, Newt had accomplished this feat in a fraction of the time, and with a more challenging situation.

It seemed like a professional's skill, a vast gulf that their innate advantages couldn't bridge.

After stopping Hagrid, Kyle intended to continue his conversation with Lupin and inquire about the situation in the wizarding world. However, Lupin seemed to have other matters to attend to and had already disappeared from the two-way mirror.

(End of Chapter)

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