Chapter 760: Battle in the Castle, Confident Death Eaters
Chapter 760: Battle in the Castle, Confident Death Eaters
"Oh my, Fenrir Greyback!"
As Professor McGonagall approached, she immediately spotted the werewolf, pinned to the wall, struggling desperately.
"Did you do this?"
"No, it was Kael," Cedric quickly interjected. "He also saved me."
"Well done, you've resolved a significant problem for the wizarding world," Professor McGonagall's tense expression finally softened into a faint smile. She had rushed here upon hearing that Greyback was in the area.
Greyback was perhaps the most feared and despised werewolf, notorious for his preference for biting children, forcing them to grow up in dark and lonely environments, harboring resentment towards normal wizards.
For most wizards, encountering a werewolf, even one from their childhood, was an extremely dangerous affair. Even if the child's parents could accept it, other wizards would never welcome a werewolf child.
Consequently, as these werewolf children grew up, they would naturally join forces with Greyback to fight against the wizarding world that had once despised and rejected them.
Greyback believed that with a sufficient number of werewolves, they would one day conquer all wizards, and he had been working tirelessly towards this goal.
Remus Lupin, for instance, had been bitten by Greyback when he was young.
Following the typical trajectory, Lupin would have been confined to a small space, perhaps an attic or a basement, unable to go out, devoid of friends, and unable to attend school. He would have grown up in solitude.
Fortunately, he encountered Dumbledore, a professor who was confident enough in himself to accept a werewolf child.
Later, he met James Potter and Sirius Black.
Regardless of their personalities, at least in the matter of Lupin, they did their best, successfully pulling a werewolf child out of the abyss.
Unfortunately, not all bitten children were as fortunate as Lupin.
"Professor McGonagall, what should we do with him?" Kael asked.
"Hand him over to the Ministry of Magic," Professor McGonagall was about to say, but after a moment of hesitation, she suddenly changed her mind.
"There's a secluded village in Cornwall where all the children bitten by Greyback and other werewolves, along with their families, live.
"Coincidentally, some of them were my former students, and I'll find time to write them letters."
Kael blinked, as if meeting Professor McGonagall for the first time.
Was this the true Head of Gryffindor? Honestly, Kael couldn't think of a better solution than this.
"Alright, Kael, go back to the Common Room. We'll take care of things here," Professor McGonagall extended her wand and fiercely stabbed Greyback, causing him to immediately pass out. Then, with another stab, he transformed into an ermine.
Professor McGonagall then transformed the spear into a cage to contain him and turned to leave.
"Wait, Professor," Kael hurriedly caught up. "What exactly happened here, Professor Dumbledore?"
"I don't know either," Professor McGonagall said. "You should go back to..."
"I can help," Kael interrupted her, a bit helplessly, and looked at the cage.
Perhaps due to not having graduated yet, both Professor McGonagall and the other members of the Order of the Phoenix had a habit of treating him as someone to be protected.
Kael's reminder made Professor McGonagall realize that Kael had single-handedly dealt with Fenrir Greyback, and according to Cedric's account, the entire battle process had been quite relaxed.
"Alright..." After a moment of consideration, Professor McGonagall no longer urged Kael to leave.
"The Death Eaters have broken into the castle," she said hastily. "When Sirius first told me this news, I thought he was playing a cruel joke. It wasn't until I received a message from Headmaster Armando that I realized it was true.
"How dare those Death Eaters do this!" Professor McGonagall's voice trembled with anger.
However, on second thought, wasn't this the normal behavior of Death Eaters?
But this wasn't what Kael was concerned about.
"Professor, did the Death Eaters just walk in?" Kael asked. "Didn't Phineas Black inform you about the Vanishing Cabinet?"
"How do you know about the Vanishing Cabinet?" Professor McGonagall was taken aback.
"Because I gave it to Draco Malfoy," Kael replied.
But this statement stirred up a storm within Professor McGonagall's heart.
She stumbled, almost falling to the ground, but Kael caught her in time.
"Do you mean that Draco Malfoy collaborated with the Death Eaters to enter the school?" Professor McGonagall's voice rose sharply. "And what's the meaning of the Vanishing Cabinet you gave him?"
"It's difficult to explain clearly in a few words," Kael said. "In any case, Dumbledore is also aware of this. We had planned to use the Vanishing Cabinet to capture all the Death Eaters who infiltrated Hogwarts in one fell swoop."
"But now..." Kael paused, listening to the surrounding explosions. He spread his hands and continued, "It seems there have been some unexpected changes beyond our control."
He hadn't anticipated that not only would the Death Eaters not be captured, but they would also break into the school. Dumbledore's arrangements seemed different from what he had envisioned.
Although Professor McGonagall didn't quite understand what Kael meant, since Dumbledore was aware of it, she felt reassured.
"Headmaster Black did mention the Vanishing Cabinet," she said. "But he mentioned it a bit late. By the time we had sent the students back to their respective Common Rooms, the Death Eaters had already appeared in the school, leaving no extra time to stop them."
This couldn't help but make Kael frown.
After thinking about the plan for so long, was this the outcome?
Even though they had secured time for the students to return to their Common Rooms, Kael still felt a sense of unease, especially since he had been targeting the Death Eaters from the very beginning.
The Vanishing Cabinet and the Basilisk, a deadly combination that no Death Eater could escape.
But now...
Kyle sighed, feeling that the Room of Requirement's transformation had come at the worst possible time. If only he had left a day earlier, or even an hour, the Death Eaters would never have set foot inside the castle.
"Where is Professor Dumbledore?" Kyle asked again.
"I don't know," Professor McGonagall shook her head, "He might not have returned yet, or he could be somewhere else. I haven't seen him."
As they spoke, another figure in a black hood suddenly appeared at the corner of the corridor ahead of them, clearly a Death Eater by their attire.
Professor McGonagall raised her wand...
But Kyle was quicker. A red beam of light flashed past Professor McGonagall's ear and struck the Death Eater directly.
Before the Death Eater could react, they were sent flying backwards, crashing into the wall and lying motionless.
"It seems keeping you here was the right choice," Professor McGonagall's tightly pursed lips relaxed slightly.
Admittedly, in terms of reaction speed, Kyle was far superior to wizards of her age.
Kyle smiled but said nothing.
After turning the corner, the two parted ways; Professor McGonagall went down the right corridor, while Kyle took the left.
As for Cedric, he had to stay put. This was the only passage from the tower into the castle, and someone had to guard it.
Along the way, Kyle encountered two more Death Eaters, easily dispatching them. However, this also confirmed that they were merely fillers, not core Death Eaters.
"Seriously, how many of them are there?" Kyle frowned, not bothering to search further. He took out the Marauder's Map.
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."
Kyle tapped the map with his wand, and the blank parchment was instantly filled with ink lines.
Just as Kyle was focusing on the map, a Death Eater sneaked up behind him.
Kyle seemed oblivious, still looking down at the parchment in his hand.
A maniacal grin appeared beneath the Death Eater's mask as they aimed their wand at Kyle.
They had seen Kyle's portrait and knew that Voldemort had specifically named this student as a target. By killing him, they would establish a great achievement and instantly become one of the most prominent Death Eaters.
Overwhelmed with excitement, their heartbeat quickened.
But at that moment, a sweet scent suddenly wafted over, a complex aroma as if someone had placed a bloody lollipop in a jar of honey and held it under their nose.
Odd, why would there be bloody lollipops here? Some gluttonous student must have carelessly thrown them around. How rude!
The Death Eater felt their head grow heavy and their wand became increasingly weighty. The next moment, they collapsed to the ground, motionless.
Kyle didn't turn around, merely saying calmly, "Remember to clean up. Don't let the toxic mist spread elsewhere."
A black, leopard-like creature emerged from the shadows behind him.
Hearing Kyle's words, the venomous panther snorted in displeasure but raised its head. Its neck puffed up like an angry pufferfish.
Soon, the sweet scent dissipated.
Kyle continued examining the Marauder's Map in his hand, temporarily forgetting about this useful item in his possession.
By now, the ink had spread across the entire map, clearly displaying the names of every Death Eater and their exact locations.
With this, Kyle didn't need to search aimlessly.
His gaze fell on the name closest to him, 'Gert,' but he quickly looked elsewhere.
To the north, near the tower, was the most crowded area outside of the four common rooms.
Dumbledore, Potter, Malfoy, Snape, Alecto Carrow, Antonin Dolohov, Dolfin Gibbon, and Morris Orean were all there.
They were all familiar faces.
Kyle paused slightly at the last name.
"It's been a long time, Professor Orean," he said softly.
It had been so long that he had almost forgotten about the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor who had taught him in his first year. Had he finally become a Death Eater?
Kyle put away the map, took a deep breath, and quickly made his way towards the tower.
No Death Eaters blocked his path, and he soon arrived at the base of the tower.
The thick mud wall blocking the spiral staircase was clearly man-made. Mr. Weasley, along with Bill and Charlie, were swiftly waving their wands.
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"Pulverize..."
"Pulverize..."
But the effect was mediocre. The mud wall was sturdy, and their spells only created a small pit, not enough to allow passage.
Mr. Weasley noticed someone approaching from behind.
"Kyle, how did you..."
"Let's catch up later." Kyle waved his wand, and a crimson flame instantly struck the mud wall. It was as if a fiery ember had been thrown into the snow, and in the blink of an eye, the wall was burned through.
Kyle didn't linger and walked right through.
The three Weasleys outside exchanged glances.
"Is that... the Inferno Charm?"
"An instant Inferno Charm?"
Bill and Charlie looked at their father simultaneously.
Mr. Weasley clicked his tongue, still finding it hard to believe. But the flames dancing before them, twisting and pulsating like living beings, were undoubtedly the Inferno Charm.
And it was a highly advanced Inferno Charm that could instantly melt the mud wall barrier set up by the Death Eaters.
"Should we go in and help?" Charlie asked tentatively.
The mud wall was gone, but the obstacle in their path was now even more formidable.
Whether by design or coincidence, a portion of the Inferno Charm remained, forming what looked like a massive fiery hoop. To enter the tower, one had to pass through this fiery hoop.
Mr. Weasley hesitated for a moment before deciding to stay put.
"Forget it," he said, "Dumbledore asked us to make a scene, but things have gone beyond expectations. Let's deal with the other Death Eaters in the castle instead."
"There are many Death Eaters in the tower, and Kyle..."
"Hey, Charlie, do you think Kyle is little Ron and needs our protection?" Bill raised an eyebrow.
"Alright!" Charlie let out two dry laughs, "Although this isn't very friendly towards Ron, it's true."
As they were talking, a black shadow suddenly shot past them, swiftly passing through the "Fire Circle" and disappearing up the spiral staircase behind them in the blink of an eye.
"What just passed by?" Bill asked, rubbing his eyes.
"It seemed like a panther," Charlie said uncertainly, as the speed was too fast for him to see clearly.
"How could there be a panther in Hogwarts?"
"How would I know? Maybe it came from the Forbidden Forest. Why don't you go and take a look?"
"Hmm... I think Kyle and Professor Dumbledore can handle a panther, even if it's black."
...
On the other side, Kyle made his way to the top of the tower. Upon reaching there, he could already hear the voices from above quite clearly.
"Dumbledore has been backed into a corner, and his wand has been disarmed. Well done, Draco, you're even more outstanding than we imagined," said a hoarse voice.
"Now's the perfect opportunity. Dumbledore is isolated and surrounded by us. Hurry up and kill him, Draco!" urged another person.
Surrounded by Death Eaters?
Kyle almost laughed out loud. He quickened his pace, eager to see just how foolish someone had to be to come up with such a cold joke.
If numbers could make up for the gap in strength, Voldemort would have been mobbed long ago.
"Good evening, Gibbon," said Dumbledore in a calm tone, as if inviting the person to an afternoon tea party.
"If you're in a hurry, why don't you come yourself? I'm right here. There's no need to make things difficult for a child."
"No, we have orders. Draco must be the one to take action," said a dull voice, "Come on, Draco, hurry up and do it. Lucius and Narcissa are waiting for your good news."
The threat in the last sentence was implicit.
"Look at you, Dumbledore, you can't even hold your wand steady." The hoarse voice continued, "I really don't understand why the Dark Lord cares so much about you."
"Sigh, lack of strength, slow reaction time." Dumbledore's voice carried a hint of helplessness, "I'm over a hundred years old, useless in my old age, but one day... you'll end up in the same situation as me, Gibbon... if you're lucky..."
"What do you mean by that? What do you mean?" The Death Eater's voice turned sharp, "Hurry up and do it, Draco! Kill him!"
"Relax, don't be impatient. Give the young man some encouragement," said a lazy voice, "By the way, has anyone seen Fenrir?"
"He's probably going crazy in the school. That brainless beast," said another Death Eater with disgust in his voice.
"Fenrir Greyback?" Dumbledore's voice grew more serious.
"Yes, a werewolf, and one who likes to bite children," the lazy voice continued, "Want to guess how many students will turn into werewolves after tonight?"
"It's a pity, Anton, the moon isn't particularly full tonight."
"Sorry, I forgot," said Anton, "But Dumbledore, Greyback is far more cruel than you imagine. He doesn't care if tonight is a full moon or not."
"It's fine, I believe in the professors of the school... just like I once believed in you."
"It's an honor," said Anton.
"Alright, stop reminiscing!" A woman's shrill voice cut in, "Hurry up and do it, Draco, or get out of the way!"
Kyle didn't hear Malfoy speak, and similarly, he noticed that no one mentioned Harry.
He remembered that Harry's name was clearly marked on the Marauder's Map just now. As the savior and Voldemort's nemesis, there was no reason for the Death Eaters to ignore him.
But it didn't matter anymore.
At this moment, Kyle had reached the top of the tower and pushed open the slightly ajar door.
Dumbledore was leaning against a wall, and across from him was Draco Malfoy, trembling non-stop. The segmented wand lay on the floor not far from the two of them.
Dumbledore had been disarmed by someone else?
Kyle's mouth twitched, genuinely feeling that Dumbledore's acting was a bit fake. He wasn't injured now, so how could he be disarmed by a student... But these people believed it.
At the same time, the sound of the opening door quickly attracted everyone's attention, and they looked over subconsciously.
Upon seeing that it was Kyle, Dumbledore's eyes widened in disbelief.
At the same time... Kyle also sensed a mix of three parts regret and seven parts panic in his expression.
On the other side, the Death Eaters were so delighted that they almost shouted out loud.
"It's you!" The witch in the crowd had eyes flashing with bitter hatred, "We were just thinking about how to find you, and you came uninvited."
"Yes, I'm here," said Kyle, "And then?"
"I'll take care of him myself! I want to torture him with the Cruciatus Curse!"
"No, let me handle him," said Antonin Dolohov.
Both of them glared at each other, neither willing to back down.
...
(End of Chapter)
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