The Butcher of Hogsmeade

When the moonlight first pierced through the thick clouds and fell to the ground tonight, almost instantly, the peaceful Hogsmeade was transformed into a boiling cauldron of oil.

Shen Hou, the "unlucky Muggle," was ordered to stay in the shed and hide. Of course, he really had no intention of going out to cause trouble or die. He cooperated by closing the door and using tables and chairs to block it shut. Then he hid behind the door and listened to the howling wolves outside, as well as the angry shouts of wizards during the battle.

Almost all the wizards who were just discussing things in the shed came out to fight, except for Remus, who looked exhausted. Remus was taken to the basement of the shed and never came out again. Because of the wizards' mysterious behavior and their obvious distrust of Muggles, Shen Hou didn't dare to ask any more questions.

What made him uneasy was that the noise seemed to be getting closer and closer to the shed, and becoming clearer and clearer.

As events unfolded, Shen Hou's unease was confirmed. The so-called safe house for the wizards lasted less than five minutes before a large hole was smashed through the wall on the other side of the door.

A ferocious monster, over two meters long, burst through the hole. It was on all fours, with a long snout, sharp teeth, a high-arched back, and a long, stiff tail trailing behind it. The moment it pounced into the shed, it caught the scent of humans and abruptly looked up at the dark corner where Shen Hou was hiding.

Their eyes met. Shen Hou looked into the eerie green eyes and seemed to smell a faint scent of blood. A deep, muffled roar came from beside him. In an instant, he felt his limbs stiffen and he couldn't move. Even time seemed to stand still.

The next moment, a beam of magical light shot in through the breach in the wall, striking the werewolf that was about to pounce. After a mournful howl, the massive body, more than two meters long, was lifted into the air, crashed through the wooden wall on the other side, and fell into the snow, unable to get up again.

The mournful howl of the wolf "awakened" Shen Hou, and at the same time, it also awakened something that had been dormant deep in his mind.

As if struck by lightning, or like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon, a scene never before seen exploded in Shen Hou's mind. In the scene, there was also a werewolf, its appearance almost identical to those he had seen before, with the same ferocious face, also poised to pounce; opposite the werewolf was a tall, robust man wearing soft armor, who, facing the werewolf, was neither surprised nor angry, calmly and swiftly raising his hand, uttering a word that Shen Hou could not understand: "Ald".

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a loud bang erupted between the man and the wolf, and an invisible shockwave sent the werewolf sprawling backward, landing flat on his back.

Before Shen Hou could react, he saw light and shadow shift before his eyes and was horrified to find himself transformed into the man in soft armor. He somehow switched from a third-person perspective to a first-person perspective, his body leaping forward uncontrollably. He reached behind him and a sword light flashed past his shoulder, slashing diagonally in mid-air and severing the werewolf's head.

A burst of blood-red light shot into the sky, blurring his vision. The pungent smell of blood assaulted his nostrils, jolting Shen Hou awake. The illusion vanished, and reality returned.

The illusion seemed to last very short time, so short that no one noticed Shen Hou's distraction. Through the hole in the wall, Gideon, wand in hand, shouted at Shen Hou, "What are you standing there for? Come out! This is the enemy's main target. We can't hold it anymore. Come with us!" He assumed the young Muggle was frightened by the werewolf he had never seen before.

Still largely immersed in the illusion, Shen Hou was in a daze, numbly following the wizard's instructions. Ignoring the door, which was blocked by tables and chairs, he staggered out through a hole in the wall. Stepping outside and feeling the cold wind, Shen Hou snapped back to reality and asked in surprise, "There's someone else inside, your friend, Remus…?"

"Don't worry about him, he's safe, someone's taking care of him." Gideon waved his wand, and beams of magical light of different colors shot into the distance. He swung his free hand vigorously, guiding Shen Hou in the direction of retreat.

Looking around, the wizards who had gathered in the shed were still there, forming a loose circle; outside the circle were a large group of howling werewolves. Shen Hou roughly counted about thirty to fifty of these beast-like monsters, using the trees and houses for cover, constantly leaping and dodging the wizards' attacks. Under the moonlight, hideous black shadows were everywhere.

Most of the wizards' spells missed their target, exploding into large snowflakes or bursting into dazzling flames; the few werewolves that were hit let out mournful howls, rolling on the ground and unable to get up for a long time. However, compared to the werewolves' overwhelming numerical advantage, only a minority were hit and rendered unable to fight.

The wizards' formation appeared to be a circle, but it could also be seen as a triangle, protecting Shen Hou in the center. Looking around, Shen Hou saw only flashes of magical light, completely unable to understand the wizards' tactics. He could only vaguely discern that the Pwitt brothers were working together, and the two young black-haired wizards were also consciously coordinating with each other. The short, stout man who had been in the shed earlier always hovered around the black-haired duo, seemingly seeking their protection, yet also checking for any weaknesses they might be doing.

The most terrifying middle-aged wizard was clearly the most powerful wizard present, as he was the only one fighting alone and had firmly held the line of defense in front of him.

After observing for a while, Shen Hou felt a little more relaxed, because he discovered that the werewolves did not seem to have the ability to "attack from a distance" and were blocked by the wizards' magic at a certain distance; there seemed to be an invisible boundary on the battlefield, which greatly restricted the werewolves' movements.

Seeing the werewolves' eager yet hesitant appearance, they seemed quite afraid of the wizards' magic. Even though most of their spells missed, they still caused a considerable shock, and it seemed that the situation could remain deadlocked for the time being.

But soon, Shen Hou's heart jumped again. A mournful, long howl came from behind the pack of wolves, and the moment they heard the howl, all the werewolves became agitated.

"It's Graybury!" shouted the bespectacled, dark-haired young man.

"I heard it! Yes, it's him!" Another dark-haired young man said excitedly, his voice tinged with deep anger. "James, what do you think he'd do if we tied that wolf up and handed him over to Remus, leaving him to his own devices?"

The bespectacled young man laughed heartily: "I think he'll transform into a moon-obsessed beast and happily perform a moonlight dance for you."

The short, stout man who had been circling them screamed, "They're charging!"

Under the moonlight, the shadows of wolves loomed. Dozens of werewolves rushed over at the same time, and the encirclement quickly narrowed. At the closest point, Shen Hou could see their gleaming white fangs and the green light reflected in their eyes.

"This is the moment we've been waiting for!" The dark-haired young man, known as "James," brandished his wand and thrust it forward like a sword. "Immobulus!"

Almost simultaneously, another dark-haired young man waved his wand horizontally in front of him: "Incendio!"