Hogwarts: Voldemort, don't stop me from studying

Chapter 982 Ants
The two of them stumbled and fell into a narrow alley. The ground was wet and dirty, and there was a garbage can that smelled bad next to them.

Leila lost her footing again and was thrown around, seeing stars. Fontana also lost her balance and fell, almost crashing into a trash can.

"Is...is it safe?"

Leila asked haltingly, feeling a metallic taste of blood rising in her throat, so uncomfortable she almost vomited.

Fontana did not answer, but instead shoved something hard into her hand—the wand that Lyra knew best, the one inlaid with tiny sapphires.

Holding her most important weapon should have given her peace of mind, but instead, a sense of panic welled up inside Lyra.

She gripped her wand, looked at Fontana, and asked in a trembling voice, "Do you think I'm a burden? Do you want to leave me?"

“No.” Fontana coughed twice, a thin trickle of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. He wiped his face hastily and said, “I got this.”

He now held an unfamiliar oak wand, only about ten inches long. Fontana casually swung it, and a stream of cool water shot from the tip.

Sensing the subtle obstacles, he frowned.

But no matter how inconvenient it is, we have no choice but to make do with it for now.

Fontana no longer hesitated and touched the two people with his wand. The dust and bloodstains on their bodies disappeared, and their clothes changed to the style commonly seen by Muggles.

Apart from being paler than usual, they looked no different from ordinary people.

But Fontana did not let his guard down. He looked around warily, then quickly led Leila out of the alley.

"Something's not right."

He said in a tense voice, "They shouldn't be able to track us to Yellowstone unless we're tracked! We have to do a thorough cleanup before we go on the run."

"Why don't you kill those guys?" Lyra said in a low voice. "Sir, with your abilities, you could easily do it. Even at this point, can't you bring yourself to do it?"

Fontana glanced at her and asked, "Kill these leaders, and then what? Once Grindelwald arrives, we won't be able to escape!"

Leila then stopped talking.

The two hurriedly entered the street where the afternoon crowds were gradually increasing. Fontana scanned the area and quickly spotted a large shopping mall bustling with people.

They were like two drops of water flowing into a river, squeezing into the bustling shopping mall with the crowd.

As Fontana passed by a small shop selling discounted clothes, he casually picked up a few inconspicuous dark hoodies and trousers, while the shop owner acted as if he hadn't seen them at all.

Then they went straight to the bathroom. At the entrance, Fontana handed one of the sets to Leila, saying without a doubt:

"Don't leave any possibility of being tracked, understand?"

Leila's mind was still a little muddled. She nodded while holding her clothes, and only after seeing Fontana slip into the men's restroom next door did she enter the women's restroom stall and lock the door behind her.

The toilet was naturally not very clean, and the smell was somewhat pungent. It would normally have just needed a "cleaning up", but Leila didn't waste a single second on it.

She forced herself to remain calm, and without hesitation tore open her tattered robe. Her underwear and shoes were thrown haphazardly on the ground, and she left none of her jewelry behind.

Then, she raised her wand, pointed it at her body, and chanted an ancient and domineering purification spell.

The tip of the wand burst forth with silvery-white light, like countless tiny arcs of electricity sweeping across the entire body. A subtle tingling and stinging sensation spread through the cool skin, the hair stood on end, and the whole person seemed to be glowing!

The death of Corbett served as a cautionary tale. After witnessing the horrific scene of her former colleague being hunted down, Lyra specifically learned this spell from Fontana.

At that time, she just didn't want anyone to catch her whereabouts or discover her hidden secrets. She never expected that she would fall into the same fate as Corbit so quickly. The spell really came in handy!
As the light faded, Lyra's upright hair slowly drifted down.

Even if she had been under a tracking spell, it must have all disappeared by now.

Leila quickly dressed, turning her slightly long trousers into black soft-soled boots, then pointed without hesitation at the pile of rubble:
"The flames are blazing!"

Orange flames erupted, and the smell of burning filled the small cubicle. Clothes were quickly reduced to ashes, while shoes would probably take a long time to burn.

Her badges, bracelets, pocket watches, and other belongings occasionally crackled and popped. Witnessing the chairman's badge being licked by flames, Leila felt as if her heart had been gripped tightly by a hand and then pulled down sharply, bringing real pain and a sense of emptiness and loss.

She bit her lip, turned her gaze away, and refused to look at the scene that pained her.

Just then, out of the corner of her eye, Leila noticed several extremely tiny ants that seemed to have been startled by the flames and frantically scurried into the cracks in the wall behind the toilet.

She blinked, thinking somewhat blankly:
Ants? Cockroaches are more common in places like this, right? But the hygiene of Muggles is truly appalling…

Suddenly, she felt a jolt, and a chill ran down her spine.

—Ants…insects…magic puppets?
"Laila!"

From outside the restroom came Fontana's impatient voice urging, "Is it done yet? We should go!"

Lyra took one last look at the narrow crevice through which the ants had crawled, then her wand sent a burst of flame across, setting the entire compartment ablaze.

She hurriedly pulled up her hood, covering most of her face, and pushed open the door to go out.

Fontana was already waiting a few steps away, his eyes frequently scanning the surroundings. When he saw Lyra, he stepped forward eagerly, but did not leave immediately. Instead, he subtly flicked the wand hidden in his sleeve!
An almost imperceptible detection spell swept over Lyra's body. Fontana found no trace of magic and nodded almost imperceptibly.

Leila hesitated for a moment, but didn't mention that she had seen ants in the toilet.

Maybe not? Maybe she guessed wrong?
At this moment, she dared not have a conflict with Fontana, and even less could she allow him to see her as a burden that he had to discard.

Without a word, the two quickly turned and walked towards the nearest exit. Even though they were extremely anxious, their pace was neither fast nor slow, blending in with the passing customers and appearing quite ordinary.

Just as they turned a corner, Fontana suddenly stopped, his body stiffening for half a second, and Leila's breath seemed to stop for a moment as well.

Near the mall entrances and exits, as well as key locations like staircases and elevators, there were several faces that stood out from their surroundings. They possessed an aura completely different from the Muggles, their gazes scanning everyone like probes.

"Calm down!" Fontana hissed. "Let's go!"

He quickly pulled down his hat brim, lowered his head, and hunched his body slightly, showing signs of old age.

Lyra understood immediately and reached out to support Fontana's arm, which was not holding a wand. She nestled half of her face against his side and slowed her pace accordingly, like a sweet little daughter.

They adjusted their breathing, calmed their heartbeats, and mingled with the crowd, heading towards the nearest side door.

A man in a gray jacket stood inside the glass door, slowly turning his gaze to observe the people around him.

The two sides are getting closer.

Five steps, three steps, one step...

Lyra could smell a faint tobacco scent on the man, along with the mixed scent of some kind of magic potion.

She lowered her eyelids, staring at the tips of her shoes, avoiding looking at the other person's face, but her arms tightened around Fontana.

In that instant, time seemed to stretch out. Leila could feel the other person's gaze linger briefly on her and Fontana, seemingly carrying a cold and arrogant scrutiny.

They passed each other by.

The two did not stop or look back, but continued forward with steady steps, stepping out of the glass door.

They stepped into the slightly glaring sunlight and blended into the crowd on the street.

The next second—

"boom!"

Inside the mall, the door to the restroom was violently kicked open, and thick smoke that had been restrained by an invisible force immediately burst out!

(End of this chapter)