Hogwarts Wasteland: The Witch from the Borderlands

Chapter 75 The Fog Arrives (First Update After Launch)

You can see skeletons on the road from time to time, both human and animal. Some of them survived the initial explosion and high heat but died from the subsequent damage, while others unknowingly ventured into the radiation zone after the nuclear explosion and eventually collapsed by the roadside.

The group walked silently, trying to make out their surroundings in the thick fog. Harry was initially very excited, constantly pulling his father aside to ask questions, and even trying to reach out and touch the things that still had a high level of radiation, but Hermione quickly interrupted him.

But as they continued their journey, the scattered ruins and the white bones lying on the ground all spoke of the tragic scene of that year.

One day, without people even realizing it, they suddenly saw a dazzling sun bursting overhead, followed by blinding white light, intense heat, and a terrifying shockwave.

Those closest to the center would be vaporized instantly, while those further away would have their charred bodies scattered by the hot wind, leaving black humanoid marks on the ground. Those even further away would not escape their fate either; they might be smashed to pieces by the shockwave against obstacles, or their bodies would be swept by terrifying radiation, struggling and dying in agony. And that's not all; this is just the damage from the nuclear weapon itself, developed by Muggles. After the goblins joined in, the magic known as the Curse of Eternal Winter was also attached to the bomb, rising into the sky along with the mushroom cloud.

After the intense heat came toxic rain. Dust clouds seemed stuck to the sky, and scorching rain mixed with radiation descended on the earth again, taking away warmth and life. Then, insidious, toxic cursed water seeped into the earth, destroying the world's possibility of returning to life from a deeper level.

This distance is a forbidden zone that even aberrant beasts would not venture into. Even with the protection of anti-radiation potions and radiant stone magic, everyone could still feel red rashes appearing on their exposed skin, and waves of burning sensations swept over them.

"Look over there!" Harry, with his excellent eyesight, shouted, pointing to a spot not far away.

There are a few lonely stone pillars there, of varying heights, which look like they were once part of a building, but the roof and walls are long gone.

Mr. James stared at the map for a long time before saying uncertainly, "Maybe it's Bob's house? Without any landmarks, it's too hard to tell."

"According to Mrs. Bashat's recollection, no one from her family escaped, so there are no descendants of her family in Cliff Street."

"But wizarding families must have cellars, let's look around." The wizards chattered among themselves as they began to explore the ruins inch by inch.

During the incident, the remains of Bob's family were discovered. They were found lying in what appeared to be the restaurant area, with the male head of the household's remains facing the window, as if he had been trying to reinforce the doors and windows in preparation for the explosion.

The woman pulled her child and fell in another direction, seemingly trying to find safety. Unfortunately, her family underestimated the power of the nuclear bomb. As one of the first wizarding communities to be attacked, many people died mysteriously because they misjudged the lethality of Muggle weapons.

The pioneers silently collected their remains, and after processing, they will be buried in the cemetery in Cliff Street.

Following the direction in which the woman had collapsed, they found the entrance to Bob's cellar, one door still tightly sealed.

A trapdoor buried under the dust.

"Decades have passed, yet subtle traces of magic remain on it. It seems the interior hasn't been damaged!" The wizard in charge of the inspection exclaimed, his spirits lifted.

"Be careful. Back then, wizards would set traps even in their homes to prepare for war," James warned. "After you open it, leave two people up there to keep watch. If you hear any cries for help, pull us out immediately."

James then selected two more male wizards to go down with him to explore.

"Dad, I want to go down too!" Harry eagerly raised his hand. "I'll just follow behind you! I won't touch anything! I can even help you with the light! I'm quite proficient with the magical weapons Hermione taught me!"

As he spoke, he swung the chain in his hand with force, and the heavy iron ball, gleaming with magical light, easily smashed one of the few remaining load-bearing pillars in Bob's house, kicking up a huge cloud of dust.

The wizards looked at him strangely; this kid's destructive power was a bit beyond their expectations. Whose first-year student was so violent? Was it because he'd been spending so much time with Hermione?

Their gazes turned to Hermione, who was looking around.

"I'm not going down," Hermione shrugged. "I'll stay up here and keep watch, and also clear out the radiation. Maybe we can use this place as a rest stop for our next exploration."

The pioneers' journey has only temporarily reduced the surrounding radiation. Once they leave, the concentration will rise again in no time, unless they leave behind a stable pyroxene core like at Hogwarts.

But she couldn't do that yet, because she sensed that prying gaze again, perhaps because the pioneer team had many members.

The guy didn't dare to make any moves, so Hermione decided to stay on the ground and give him a chance to make his move.

When she left the school, she drew a lot of energy from the sapphire. Combined with fighting in this high-concentration radiation zone, her combat power was not much worse than when she fought Lucius. With the other two male wizards from the pioneer team, if the other side couldn't help but make a move, she could at least hold out until James and the others climbed up to provide support.

Hermione had never seen Mr. Potter make a move, but to be chosen by Miss Lily and become an important member of the Order of the Phoenix trusted by Dumbledore, holding leadership positions in both the Reconstruction Committee and the Pioneers, she was clearly not weak. If the person secretly watching was confident of wiping them out, they wouldn't have taken so long.

"Alright, you guys keep an eye on Hermione's safety, I'll take Harry down to check it out." James hesitated for a second before deciding on the plan.

After easily opening the trapdoor, the wizards first sent two orbs of starlight flying down to confirm that there was no obvious danger.

James was the first to climb down the wooden ladder, followed by the other two wizards, and finally Harry.

People on the ground gathered around the cellar entrance, listening intently to the sounds coming from inside.

"There's no immediate danger! But after all these years, the extension spell here is almost worn out, so we'll need to spend some time maintaining it!" James's voice came from below, and the two above breathed a sigh of relief.

Hermione's attention was entirely focused on the spy. She could sense that the spy had moved very close without her noticing, seemingly unable to contain himself and about to make a move.

"Then I'll create some more opportunities for you." She casually shifted her position, using her body to block another male wizard, completely exposing herself to the gaze of the spy.

The next second, a soft snap of fingers rang out, and then the remaining stone pillars exploded instantly, flames mixed with rubble rushing towards Hermione.

"Armor! Barriers!" Hermione's magic was released almost simultaneously with the snap of her fingers, and the sturdy barrier firmly blocked the explosion.

"Enemy attack!" The two wizards reacted immediately and shouted.

They truly lived up to their reputation as the backbone of the protection of Cliff Street; their strength and reflexes were both impressive, and one of them immediately gathered the rubble on the ground.

While one person built a defensive wall, another unleashed a whirlwind that forcefully pushed the fog aside, sending sharp, sword-like sand and gravel flying wildly through the air in an attempt to find the hidden figure.