Hogwarts: Bourne Returns from Warhammer

Chapter 166 Dumbledore’s Banishing Curse and the Invisibility Monster

Dumbledore was wearing a small houndstooth gray three-piece suit that had been with him for many years. The waistcoat had a high opening and underneath was a light blue green collared shirt.

He folded the gloves neatly and put them into his pocket. The lambskin gloves seemed to have been worn for decades, and the fabric looked a little soft.

If he had an umbrella in his hand, he would not look out of place even if he was heading to Downing Street.

However, he was standing next to a bus stop in Gibraltar, thousands of miles away from London.

Gibraltar's iconic "Skyline Plane" whizzed past his head. The exhaust of the aircraft engine intertwined with the soft gray airflow, making the old man with white hair and beard hold his breath.

"Merlin's beard!"

Dumbledore muttered under his breath.

"The people here are really strange. How do they tolerate this iron guy that is noisier than the Welsh Green Dragon flying over their heads every day?"

Fortunately, his behavior and appearance are not so bizarre in this place.

Many of the Muggle tourists who came here from all over the world, like him, wore clothes that did not suit the local characteristics. Moreover, there are also many people who are also surprised by the kind of airplanes flying across the city skyline here.

Surrounded by bustling traffic, this small town is full of energy. People move back and forth as the traffic lights change. Occasionally, some people run red lights.

On the pavement where Dumbledore was, a bearded man was feeding pigeons.

He never disturbed him more than a gruff greeting, and was a good companion; besides this he was a good host of banquets, for he evidently saved the best for his pigeon friends. of bread crumbs.

It was a letter that called Dumbledore here.

About half an hour ago, he was reading newspapers and playing Muggle crossword puzzles in a Muggle gentlemen's club called "The Odyssey" near Whitehall, London. The chocolate drinks in that club fit the bill perfectly. The taste of an old man with a sweet tooth.

After presiding over a secret court hearing in the Ministry of Magic's Wizengamot to partially clarify a mistake that had occurred in the past, the Chairman Archmage urgently needed desserts and a quiet place to ease his tense nerves.

After all, under the premise that only part of the truth can be revealed, in order to prove that Peter Pettigrew was the real culprit of the terrorist attack eleven years ago, we must also defend the younger brother of the Black family who has been unjustly imprisoned for eleven years. Sirius' clearing his name was actually a waste of energy.

Dumbledore needed to convince many people, and this kind of persuasion could only be done with words.

It's not easy.

However, even though he was very exhausted physically and mentally, after receiving the letter from his old colleague and friend Horace, the old man still quickly applied for a "portkey" from the Ministry of Magic.

(Don’t ask why he got the application within half an hour, and it was still on the weekend. Ask me why the Ministry of Magic has always been so efficient.)
Then, he took the "portkey" in the shape of a lambskin glove and came directly from London, England to Gibraltar.

Next to the bus stop, he saw a well-dressed, well-meaning traveler stuffing a bill into a homeless man's paper coffee cup.

A couple who appeared to be on their honeymoon walked hand in hand across the crosswalk. The woman stared down at the ring on her finger while the man proudly told her about the history of the place.

The driver of a well-traveled Anglia taxi rolled down his window and cursed cyclists who jumped at the traffic lights at the intersection. Moreover, obscenities in Spanish, Arabic and English are mixed together to ensure that the person being scolded can understand the meaning of his words.

"What a strange place..."

Dumbledore thought with a smile.

In particular, the taxi driver reminded him of some of the things he had done when he was a teenager.

He was only in his third year at Hogwarts at that time, and it was also a summer vacation. He took Aberforth and Anna with him and secretly went to a tavern run by goblins to play. As a result, he was provoked by several magical guests there. .

The three little guys there used the language of elves, leprechauns and giants to curse with guests from several magical races, but they were unable to convince the provocative drunkards. In the end, they had to use "magic wands". "Universal Language" determines the champion of the scolding.

"...Thinking about it this way, it doesn't seem so strange. Nothing new has happened in this world for a long time."

And just when he was getting ready and preparing to go to the "Pillars of Hercules" market for a student home visit based on the information provided by Horace's letter, the taxi behind the "tongue-in-cheek" guy just now The driver suddenly turned the steering wheel and drove quickly towards Dumbledore.

The tires rubbed against the ground, making a soft "squeak" sound, and the light blue Anglia stopped next to Dumbledore.

The electric wipers flickered once.

"Camuan!"

The driver shouted to Dumbledore cheerfully, and then he stretched out his arms and opened the door for the confused old man.

Judging from his appearance, he seemed to be absolutely sure that the old man would choose to take his taxi without any thought of refusing.

The key is that he also took out a branch - this wand was definitely not a wand produced by Ollivander, it looked like a "toy" made by himself.

"Sure enough, you know your stuff."

When the old wizard got on the Anglia, the driver said even more proudly: "Because there are too many Muggles here, we wizards are easy to get lost, so we provide services for guests who come here for the first time. Pick-up service.”

Because the space in the car was somewhat narrow, Dumbledore, who was over 1.9 meters tall, had to spread his legs and lean back as much as possible to prevent his head from hitting the roof of the car.

The taxi driver seemed to be an acquaintance. He kept chattering while driving. From this point of view, taxi drivers all over the world, whether Muggles or wizards, seemed to have the same professional habit.

"So, do you send someone to pick up every wizard who comes here? Are you a staff member of the Ministry of Magic here?"

"Of course...no."

The driver jerked the steering wheel and cursed "gilipollas" at a donkey cart that was not obeying traffic rules, before continuing his introduction.

"The Ministry of Magic has no control over us.

However, no matter which country's Ministry of Magic it is, the 'portkey' they use connects to the bus stop just now.

They are just doing it for convenience.

However, I have to thank them. As long as I wander around here every day, I can find the customers I need to attract. "

Dumbledore asked curiously: "But how did you know that I was a wizard?"

As a magician with high magic power, he certainly has a way to judge whether a person is a wizard by feeling the fluctuations of magic.

But the taxi driver in front of him, it's not that he looks down on him, the problem is that the wands he holds in his hands have big problems - only those who have not received formal magic school education, and must be completely wandering in the mainstream magic Only a wild wizard from outside the world would make his own wand and use it casually - how could he find out Dumbledore's identity as a wizard?

What's more, since Dumbledore was able to rest in the Muggle Odyssey Club before, he naturally didn't wear "weird" attire like wizard robes.

"It's very simple." The driver replied.

“It’s summer now, and even if the salamander climbs out of the fire, it might be able to survive here for an extra hour or two.

Besides wizards, who would wear a three-piece formal suit while waiting for the bus on the roadside?

Of course, compared to the guests I've had before, your outfit is pretty good.

I saw a wizard who was actually wearing a Muggle women's pajamas when he appeared on the platform using a 'portkey'... He also thought it was a style of Muggle wizard robes, you said? Is it funny? "

Along the way, the driver talked a lot with Dumbledore, and he told Dumbledore some information about what was worth buying in the "Pillars of Hercules" market.

However, because he had no interest in playing Quidditch on a flying carpet, Dumbledore would not go to the flying carpet shop that he praised so highly.

"Old sir, you look like a decent man at first sight."

When they were about to arrive at their destination, the driver solemnly began to introduce the real highlight to Dumbledore.

"When traveling to the Pillars of Hercules, even if you don't go to other stores, you must not miss the 'Emperor's New Clothes' ready-made clothing store..."
-
"why?"

As Gilderoy Lockhart ran, he shouted in his mind, "Why are there such dangerous people and such dangerous things here?"

He just used his best spell to suddenly burst into flames, and then escaped from the hands of a terrible "bandit leader".

Or so he thought.

Although they had received invitations from each other through letters, he did not know Mr. Zabini because they had never met in person.

And before he took two steps, he saw the [Poisonous Tentacle] planted in the flowerbed next to the tent.

However, thanks to the formal magic education he received at Hogwarts, although Gerald Lockhart is only capable of one move, his vision and knowledge are actually passable.

In herbal medicine, he wasn't particularly bad at it.

At least in the written exam, his Herbal Medicine course usually gets a "good" rating.

Therefore, when Lockhart saw this magical plant, he immediately became alert and did not rush into the path in the garden.

He noticed the alchemical camel wandering next to the flower garden, and there was a similar thing in Professor Sprout's greenhouse.

Also an alchemical statue. It is not only used to protect the [Poisonous Tentacle], but also to ensure the safety of little wizards to contact and study this magical magical plant.

correct!

Because he saw something familiar, Lockhart recalled some knowledge that he had already given back to his teachers.

He thought of a "repelling spell" taught by Professor Sprout in herbal medicine class - although it was not a standard spell in the "Standard Spells", it had a good repelling effect on many magical plants and animals.

The key is that this spell is so simple that even ancient druids and some wild wizards who have not received formal magic education can use it.

He immediately picked up his wand and chanted a spell on the flower bed in front of him.

“peskivento pestenomi!”

peteno - "away from"; mi - "me"; peskiv - "disgusting things"...

This expulsion spell is a fill-in-the-blank question: nasty xxx, stay away from me.

What really makes it effective is, to put it bluntly, the wizard's will.

As long as the name of "xxx" can be accurately pronounced, the spell can have a certain repelling effect.

This spell may not be effective in driving away Muggles, wizards, or magical animals with a high degree of self-awareness.

However, using it to drive away some dangerous magical plants is indeed a very good little trick.

It is precisely because of this that this spell does not appear in the "Care of Magical Creatures" or "Charms" classes at Hogwarts. Instead, it is usually taught to students by professors in the "Herbology Class" as extracurricular knowledge.

Of course, when Professor Sprout taught Gilot and the others, he did not forget to remind the students that they must know the title of "xxx" before they can use this little spell.

Otherwise, it is very likely that the spell will not take effect, or even worse, there will be some unpredictable consequences.

Just like Lockhart.

He mispronounced the name of [Venomous Tentacle]: Venomous Tentacula was shortened to Vento, which means "wind".

With Gilderoy Lockhart at the center, a gust of wind suddenly appeared, and then swept out in all directions.

Immediately afterwards, the sound of houses collapsing resounded through the garden behind the "Emperor's New Clothes" store, and even Zabini's tent was blown to the street by the strong wind.

By coincidence, the collapsed tent fell in front of three people who used the Illusion Charm to deliberately hide their figures, frightening the leader, a fat old man.

"Merlin's beard!"

Horace almost shouted.

The pile of collapsed tents were like objects thrown from high altitude, barely hanging in the air before hitting his head.

Because of this sudden gust of wind, people on the streets of the Pillars of Hercules Commercial Street also stood up, and once again fell into chaos.

Before the two old wizards could take Penello too far, a shrill scream sounded around them.

"Help! There's an invisible beast here and it's attacking me!"

A wizard with a crucible on his head shouted loudly, waving the wand around randomly as if trying to drive away something approaching him.

One of his arms was hanging limply, part of his sleeve was torn to pieces, and his bicep was bleeding profusely.

What's even more frightening is that even though he keeps trying to wave the magic wand to save himself, he still gets some new wounds from time to time.

Although the new wounds were not as serious as the direct bite wounds on his arms, the fact that an invisible and terrifying monster kept scratching his body with its claws was terrifying enough in itself.

"Don't move! The one attacking you is a hidden monster!"

Then, because of this reminder, Professor Kettleburn, who was carrying the suitcase and holding Penello's hand, was forced to lift the effect of the Disillusionment Curse.

There is nothing we can do about this.

If he didn't help quickly, he might have to watch a person die in front of him.

After all, the creature that attacked the man was not an [Invisible Beast], but a monster named [Invisible Monster].

Although the two do have a certain relationship, and the invisible ability of the invisible monster is indeed inherited from the invisible beast.

But the two are indeed not the same creature.

The hidden monster is actually a hybrid species born by chance.

In the era when America was just discovered, a wizard who was engaged in the trade of prohibited cultural relics and animals - Phineas Fletcher - wanted to transport a trafficked invisible beast to the New World and use its fur to make invisibility Clothes.

But the abused invisible beast escaped on the ship and interbred with a stowaway ghoul, giving birth to a magical creature called the Invisible Monster.

After the ship docked, the cryptids all fled into the forests of Massachusetts and thrived, and they still haunt that area to this day.

The invisible monster does not inherit the prophetic ability of the invisible beast, but only inherits the invisible ability of the invisible beast.

According to people who have seen them, the Hidden Monster is a very tall animal with silvery hair, like a thin white bear that can walk upright.

Stealth monsters can hunt most creatures in the forest, but their favorite prey is humans.

Magizoologists have speculated that this is because Phineas Fletcher once treated the animals under his control cruelly, which is why the Cryptozoology is so hostile to humans.

Only a wizard can survive the horrific onslaught of the Occult. Of course, it's just possible but not certain.

The threat level of hidden monsters to wizards is as high as 4X, that is, "dangerous/requires specialized knowledge/skilled wizards to deal with". They belong to the same level as phoenixes, trolls, and thunderbirds.

And a wizard who can mistake a hidden monster for an invisible beast has absolutely no way of surviving in the mouth of such a cruel predator that hates humans extremely.

"Stand against the wall!"

Kettleburn said loudly: "The hidden monster always attacks behind the prey. If there is no gap behind you, they will be confused!"

After saying that, he quickly pulled Penelo with him and pressed against a brick wall in the commercial street side by side.

"and then?"

The wizard turned his face in the direction of Kettleburn. Although he was already standing against the wall, he felt that the hidden monster that had just attacked him was approaching him, sniffing it gently with his nose. What.

“Aguamenti (clear water like a spring)!”

As a top expert in the field of magical animals, Kettleburn was obviously very experienced in dealing with all kinds of dangerous magical animals. He cast a spell directly in front of the wizard. Immediately afterwards, a stream of orange-red water spurted out from his wand, hitting the hidden monster in the middle.

The appearance and outline of the hidden monster with dye on its body really resembled a skinny bear walking upright on two legs.

It "oohed" at Kettleburn, who sprayed the dye at him. It was very fierce, but it didn't pounce directly——

When a stealth monster realizes that it cannot become invisible, it will temporarily lose its apex predator behavior and become more like a prey.

Commonly known as: Follow your heart.

Realizing that the hidden monster was bluffing, Kettleburn not only remained unmoved, but continued to point his wand firmly at it.

So, it turned around and ran away, turning around and trying to run into a small alley next to the commercial street.

"Locomotor mortis!"

Professor Kettleburn once again released a leg-locking spell, completely subduing the Invisible Monster that was trying to escape. He quickly took out his belt to quickly transform it, ran to the Invisible Monster's mouth and put a halter on it.

As a responsible magical creature expert, he could not possibly allow a dangerous magical creature that fed on humans to remain uncontrolled for long.

The dye he fired with his wand will fade in half an hour. By then, if this hidden monster completely hides in the alley of this commercial street, the final result will either be that it becomes an alley serial killer, or it will Killed outright by the wizard who found it.

To ensure that the Hidden Monster could no longer bite, and without time to respond to the wizard's thanks, Kettleburn quickly removed his alchemical prosthetic "Hand of Glory" and temporarily placed the creature in it.

After reattaching the Hand of Glory, he quickly ran back to the main street of the commercial street, grabbed Penello and said: "Let's get out of here quickly, the situation is a bit..."

Before he could finish the words "something is wrong", Kettleburn heard a terrible roar, and the already panicked pedestrians on the street became even more panicked.

Some wizards tried to apparate here, but because they were too nervous, many people had fractal accidents and left part of their bodies in place.

(End of this chapter)