Hogwarts: Don't call me Wandmaker

Chapter 156 Unicorns and Ghosts
The Knight Bus recklessly drove recklessly through the streets, occasionally even veering onto the sidewalks. Siron witnessed the driver swerve to avoid an elderly man in a wheelchair, causing the bus to jump and fly over his head.

Streetlights, mailboxes, trash cans, and other objects blocking the way will automatically move aside as the car passes and return to their original positions after the car has passed.

Occasionally the car would stop, and whenever that happened, Stan Sampark would lead a strange wizard either out or into the car.

I don't know how much time passed, maybe an hour, or even longer, but now only Xilun was left on this floor.

He was so envious of those who could get off the bus. Although he wouldn't fall while lying in bed, the shaking and the deafening bangs were definitely not a comfortable experience.

But there's no other way; if you don't want the people from the Magic Transportation Department to be able to tell at a glance where you've been, you can only take the Knight Bus.

“Alright, where are you going?” Siren finally heard Stan Sampark’s voice again.

“Wiltshire,” Celen said.

“I know, but you have to give us a specific location, which street, or house number.”

“I’m going on a trip,” Celen said casually. “To a forked mountain south of Wiltshire. I just need to climb over it. I’ve heard the scenery there is quite nice.”

"Did you hear that?" Stan gave Xilen a strange look, then knocked on the cockpit window. "Find a mountain that looks like a fork and climb over it."

The driver nodded, took a big bite of the sandwich in his hand, and then slammed on the gas pedal. Xiren felt his bed slide back about a foot.

He looked out the window; the scenery changed every second. The only constant was that the buildings and bushes all pushed aside to make way for the cars.

A few minutes later, the driver slammed on the brakes, and the Knight Bus came to a stop again.

Xilun stood up and staggered off the car.

This was his first time in Wiltshire, and it was so desolate. There wasn't a soul in sight, a stark contrast to the bustling city of London.

“Alright, head south over that fork-shaped mountain; it'll perfectly meet your requirements.” Stan pointed behind Siren and said, “Goodbye!”

With another bang, the Knight Bus disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Following the direction Qistan pointed, Xilun saw a strange mountain behind him, as if it had been cleaved in two, turning one peak into three, which looked like an upright fork from a distance.

To be fair, the Knight Bus driver is quite skilled; he even managed to find a place like this...

Xiren tried hard to recall what the ghost had said.

Head south until you find a forked mountain, climb over it, and then cross a river...

He's already crossed the mountain, so all he has to do is keep going, which saves him a lot of trouble.

Then you just keep walking forward, and cross another river...

Let's just leave. Who knows how far it is? What if it's dozens of miles? He might not even get there by tomorrow.

Xiren reached into the lizard skin bag and pulled out a broom.

The broom that sweeps across five stars is an old one from over thirty years ago. It was borrowed from the Quidditch boutique before Siren set off.

This broom might be a bit strenuous for a race, but it's quite comfortable for getting around.

Xilun rode his broomstick forward.

Speaking of which, Wiltshire seems to be the place with the most pure-blood wizards. Now Siren finally knows why.

It's probably a deliberate attempt to stay away from Muggles, much like how some medieval wizards liked to build castles and manors in remote forests and mountains to avoid being disturbed.

He had been flying for over an hour and hadn't seen a single person, which perfectly met their requirements.

I just don't know if it's the same in other places.

Soon, another half hour passed.

Just as Xilun was wondering if he had gone the wrong way, he finally heard the sound of rushing water.

A rushing river blocked his way, and there were no bridges on either side, but Xilun didn't need them anyway.

He simply raised the broom a little and flew over it with ease.

As you continue forward, the scenery on both sides becomes even more desolate. This time, there are far fewer shrubs, leaving only a few weeds whose names you don't know.

Fortunately, this time Xilun quickly found the place he was looking for... a long-abandoned, deserted village.

The buildings here have been eroded beyond recognition; there are only ruins everywhere, and you can only vaguely see the outlines of the houses.

The sound of wind whistling past his ears was constant, and it grew louder as he approached the village entrance, almost as if it were ringing right next to him.

And even though it was almost August, he suddenly felt a bit cold and subconsciously stopped.

To be honest, Xiren wasn't afraid of ghosts; he'd even been to a death anniversary party with hundreds of ghosts and was used to it. But how to put it, the environment here was even more eerie than a death anniversary party, especially the constant sounds around him. The wind had changed into a low, whispering sound that made him feel uncomfortable and instinctively didn't want to go any further.

And for some reason, he suddenly felt it was unnecessary. Perhaps it was all just his speculation, and that the Blood Baron was simply unable to stop the basilisk's curse.

Should we go back...?

No, that's not right.

Xilun suddenly shook his head, as if he realized something, and quickly stepped back.

After retreating about fifty feet, this thought gradually disappeared.

Xilun's expression was somewhat grim; he had been affected by magic without even realizing it.

Fortunately, it wasn't some dangerous magic, but rather something like a Muggle banishment spell, probably meant to keep people away from the village.

Is it someone from the Ministry of Magic? Or is it the ghost inside?

But it's impossible for Xilun to go back.

He took the Knight Bus and then rode a broom to finally find this place, so why did he turn back the way he came at the entrance?

Moreover, regardless of whether his idea would work, he had to give it a try. Even if he failed, there would be no loss. Besides, he was willing to attend Nick's death anniversary party, as he had originally intended to target the "Bloody Baron."

Now it's like two things have become one, so we can do them together.

Xiren quickly devised a solution to the surrounding magic.

He took out his wand, Silvermane, and swung it forward with a sudden motion.

A blue unicorn leaps from the tip of the staff, its body shimmering in the sunlight even in broad daylight.

"give it to you."

Before Xilun could say anything, the unicorn's soul had barely appeared when it quickly locked onto something in the ruins that it found utterly repulsive.

With a flash of blue light, the unicorn charged forward without hesitation.

A few seconds later, a shrill scream came from the ruins, the sound seemingly carrying a hint of doubt.

At some point, a dark cloud appeared over the abandoned village.

The howling grew louder, and the previous confusion turned into a painful scream.

Feeling a bit bored, Xilun slowly walked back to the entrance, as if he would have to wait a while longer. Then, the urge to leave immediately returned.

Xilun took a few more steps back, and the sensation disappeared again.

However, this time, he accidentally found something in the corner of the wall, which looked like a piece of parchment.

Xilun walked over curiously.

Because so much time has passed, the contents of the parchment have become blurred and indistinct, with only a few lines of disjointed text vaguely visible.

[The Ghost...Lord... enjoys scaring Muggles...to the point that...the road...is...in danger...]

The content above seems to be about the Bloody Baron, and the following text is probably a warning to passersby that this place is dangerous and should not be approached.

I think so... after all, most of the content on the parchment has disappeared.

Below that are two more names.

"Hector." This should be Hector, the Minister of Magic seventy years ago. The timing matches up perfectly.

The one behind it is also missing half; only one Liu can be recognized...?
Xiren was momentarily lost in thought, then suddenly remembered Cho Chang from Ravenclaw.

But before he could think any further, the unicorn returned.

Sometime later, the howling wind and shrieking sounds around them disappeared, and a gray thing appeared on the unicorn's horn.

The thing had no fixed shape and looked like solidified fog. Xiren only glanced at it before his breathing became heavy.

This is it. It looks exactly like the ghost Voldemort he saw in first grade, only much lighter in color.

That's understandable. Voldemort is the Dark Lord, someone whose name can't even be mentioned. And what is the Blood Baron? Nobody's even heard of him. How could he be compared to Voldemort?

But Siren wasn't picky. Since it could be poked by a unicorn, it meant it could be used to make a staff core, and that was enough!

……

(End of this chapter)