Chapter 748: Standoff
Chapter 748: Standoff
“What is that thing?” Sirius Black asked in shock. He saw massive, two-story-tall brown puppets suddenly burst out of the lake, using their sharp claws and energy beams from their heads to wreak havoc among Voldemort's forces.
“I guess Voldemort and I had the same idea, using magic puppets to compensate for the lack of manpower,” Liam explained to Sirius Black before turning to issue orders. “Now, follow the commands of your respective commanders and attack the Death Eaters and puppets within range in small squad formations. No one is to leave the city without orders.”
In an instant, the area outside Hogsmeade’s walls was filled with spells of all colors, and the battle quickly intensified. The Death Eaters were clearly caught off guard, especially those trapped between the railway and Hogsmeade’s walls, who found themselves under a two-pronged attack from Liam’s puppets.
Unexpectedly, Voldemort and the majority of his army ignored the surrounded group and accelerated their advance toward Hogwarts Castle.
“What is Voldemort up to?” Hermione asked, disbelieving, after trapping an Obsidian Golem in a cloud of mist and allowing Liam’s puppets to destroy it with a burst of energy from their heads. She couldn’t understand why Voldemort would so easily abandon nearly a third of his forces.
“He might be trying to use them to slow us down while he focuses on attacking Hogwarts,” Liam said, casting a green Disintegration Spell that hit the core of an Obsidian Golem puppet’s head. The puppet’s head immediately turned to ash, and the blue flame surrounding it vanished.
Without the support of magic, the headless Obsidian Puppet Giant stiffened and then fell forward with a thunderous crash. An unfortunate Death Eater, who was too focused on fighting the wizards on Hogsmeade’s walls, was crushed by the falling puppet. A deep crimson pool of blood spread from beneath the puppet, like a rose blooming on the ground.
Liam glanced at the allies on the walls and found that their situation was better than expected. Under the command of the Guerrilla Fighters and Werewolves, the temporarily recruited wizards were pouring spells into the approaching Death Eaters and puppets, preventing them from getting any closer.
After losing a third of their strength, the besieged Death Eaters suddenly huddled together and abandoned the Obsidian Puppets that were entangled with Liam’s puppets. They then commanded the remaining Obsidian Puppets to form a protective barrier and release magic around them.
“It looks like these Death Eaters are really planning to drag this out. What should we do now?” Lupin asked Liam, running over. “The wizards in Hogsmeade can hold the walls, but a direct offensive might be difficult.”
“Let me think,” Liam said, supporting his chin with his left hand. The simplest way to quickly resolve the situation would be to call the Aerial Fortress, which was currently floating in stealth mode above the Black Lake, and unleash a Strategic Spell on the clustered Death Eaters.
However, this would certainly raise Voldemort’s alertness, making it harder to deliver a fatal blow. A guerrilla war with a cunning opponent like Voldemort would be a nightmare.
As Liam was thinking, a massive explosion erupted from the direction of Hogwarts. He looked up to see the protective shield above the castle flickering and trembling, indicating that time was running out.
“I—” Liam was just about to summon the Aerial Fortress to deliver a fatal blow to the group when a tall figure approached and said, “Hogsmeade is secure. At this point, only a few people and some Alchemy Puppets are needed to maintain the current situation. You can easily spare enough people to reinforce Hogwarts.”
The newcomer had strands of gray hair and a beard that resembled Metal threads, and bright, sharp blue eyes hidden behind dirty spectacles. Lupin quickly recognized him. “Aberforth, are the enemies at the east gate gone?”
Then he turned to introduce Aberforth to Liam. “You might not know him. This is Aberforth, Aberforth Dumbledore, the owner of the Hog's Head, an early member of the Order of the Phoenix, and the brother of Headmaster Dumbledore. He has been in charge of the defense at the east gate.”
“Pleasure to meet you,” Liam nodded to Aberforth. “I’ve seen your picture in Sirius Black’s photo album, but I’ve never met you in person.”
“The Hog's Head isn’t really a place for young people like you, and I haven’t been in touch with my brother for a long time,” Aberforth said, glancing at the Death Eaters trapped below by the puppets and the Magic from the wall. “My brother always overlooks certain people when he makes grand plans, letting them get hurt. It seems you’ve cleaned up after him this time.”
“Not really, this was the task he assigned me before the battle,” Liam countered. “Your suggestion is a good one, but the problem is that I can’t lead everyone through the main road into Hogwarts. If we do that, the trapped Death Eaters will notice and come out fighting, and we’d have to break through the Death Eaters surrounding Hogwarts.”
Liam didn’t mention his special Apparition, as the final battle was approaching, and he wanted to keep this surprise for Voldemort. After all, the more preparation he did, the higher the chances of victory.
“Why don’t you try the secret passages?” Aberforth suggested. “If we use the secret passages, the Death Eaters below won’t know we’ve moved our forces.”
“But didn’t Albus seal all the secret passages in the castle?” Lupin asked, puzzled. “Reopening those blocked passages would be a massive undertaking, and we don’t have the time.”
“He didn’t seal all the tunnels. There’s at least one that’s still usable at the Hog's Head,” Aberforth interrupted Lupin’s rambling. “If you’re ready, let’s go now.”
“There’s nothing to prepare. Let’s go,” Liam said, and he and Lupin descended from the wall. Within seconds, over twenty Werewolves and guerrilla members gathered on the road below, quietly forming two lines.
“Are you ready?” Aberforth looked at the serious Wizards and asked, then led everyone toward the Hog's Head. As they walked, he murmured to Liam, “My brother is always like this, focused on his grand goals and neglecting the people who carry them out, even using 17-year-olds like you as the main resistance against him.”
“But this battle is something I can’t avoid,” Liam said quietly. “Right now, only I can stand up to Voldemort. If I don’t, the war will be too disadvantageous for us.”
“No wonder my brother chose you as the leader here. Your willingness to bear the burden for everyone is just like his,” Aberforth chuckled and stopped. They had reached the entrance of a small, run-down bar. A wooden sign, hung on a rusted bracket, depicted a severed boar’s head, with blood soaking through the white cloth that wrapped it.
“Please come in, welcome to the Hog's Head,” Aberforth tapped the door with his wand and gestured for everyone to enter.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
