The Butcher of Hogsmeade

Shen Hou was awakened by a sharp cry, the Howling Spell James had cast before leaving. At the same time, he felt a violent tremor outside and quickly jumped out of bed. He first extinguished the last magical lamp in the room, then pulled open a crack in the curtains facing the source of the tremor, just as the second tremor occurred.

By the moonlight reflecting off the snow, Shen Hou saw several blurry figures standing a dozen steps away from the house. The way they held their arms outstretched was all too familiar; they were all wizards holding wands. According to James and Sirius, they had set up a protective barrier around the safe house, similar to a magical enchantment, which not only prevented outsiders from getting close but also blocked the view. Shen Hou could see people from the inside out, but people outside couldn't see inside.

However, judging from the number of wizards launching the attack outside, the barrier probably won't last long; because in the short time that Shen Hou turned off the lights and drew the curtains, violent tremors also came from other directions.

The safe house was surrounded. Shen Hou's first thought was of Mundungus, suspecting that the conman and gambler had betrayed him; but this thought was immediately dismissed, because no matter how he thought about it, it wouldn't change the current situation.

In no time, the protective spells left by James and Sirius were completely broken, and the first attack spell landed on the house itself, causing the snow on the roof to slide down in a flurry.

Fortunately, it is a traditional English country building with many old walls made of stone, which provides some protection against the curse.

"Stop! Don't hurt anyone!" someone shouted from outside. "Hurry up and go in and kill them."

The wind blew across the eaves of the safe house, knocking off some snow. Apart from that, the only other sound was the clatter of the approaching attackers as they trudged through the snow.

Among the people closest to the door, one pointed a wand at the lock: "Alohomora!"

The door remained motionless.

"Idiot, the lock was definitely reinforced. Haven't you ever been a thief before?" someone shouted in the darkness, seemingly regarding being a thief as a very accomplished achievement, and most of the people present did not object to this.

"Now's not the time to be thieves," another voice chimed in. "Let's get this exciting, Reductor!"

The door shattered with a deafening roar, and the shockwave from the explosion rippled outwards from both inside and outside. The gaping hole was pitch black, and there was still no sound from inside; at this moment, the people outside hesitated.

"What are you waiting for? We're almost there, let's go in together..." an impatient person urged.

"Okay, you go first, we'll follow you."

"Idiot, we were so close! If we died now, dead men can't win money." This was likely spoken by the first person's friend. "Haven't you heard that guy inside killed two Death Eaters?"

Shen Hou hid in a corner far from the doorway, where he could keep an eye on the connection between the hallway and the bedroom, and also hear the voices coming from outside the door.

This is a motley crew, not Death Eaters, but most likely gamblers who have been incited—and certainly the same group that has been betting for half a month.

With only one or two days left until the half-month deadline, it's no wonder they couldn't wait; waiting any longer would inevitably lead to losing everything, while taking a risk might give them a chance to make a fortune.

"His true colors are revealed!"

"The human form appears!"

Two spells were thrown in and landed on the foyer floor, their faint magical glow spreading outwards like ripples.

"Protect yourself with armor!" After another incantation, someone finally stepped cautiously through the doorway and into the hallway.

The moonlight outside slanted through the doorway and fell on the floor of the hallway, allowing Shen Hou to see the intruder's movements clearly, while the intruder who entered from outside could not adapt to the darkness inside the room.

"Yarden!" The sign trap landed precisely at the man's feet, just as he was about to step forward and land; even though he heard the faint voice in the darkness, before he could discern the direction of the sound, one foot had already stepped into the trap.

Even the transformed werewolf couldn't withstand the cutting trap, so how could a human's ankle bear it? In an instant, the invading dark wizard felt an excruciating pain in his foot. With a scream, one foot lost its support, and his body slumped forward.

"Help me, get me out of here!" the fallen intruder shouted, waving his wand wildly as various curses flew in all directions, but none of them hit Shen Hou, who was hiding behind the makeshift shelter.

In the darkness, all that could be heard were crackling and exploding sounds; there was no sign of any human presence.

"Yugadimur Leviosa!" someone shouted from outside the door. The intruder's body rose into the air and slowly floated out of the doorway, about a foot off the ground.

"Damn it, we can't just stand by and watch, can we? Let's just knock the house down or burn it down!" someone said angrily.

Others disagreed: "Nonsense! You can't confirm death without seeing the body. Without a definitive answer, the casino won't pay out. You have to see the body and bring the evidence back to get your money."

"We can't delay any longer, let's go in together."

"The doorway is only so big, do you think you can demolish the house?"

The people outside were getting increasingly agitated; what trust could there be between desperate criminals, especially a hastily assembled group? If it weren't for the large sum of money at stake, a few more words would have been enough for them to start fighting.

"Stop arguing! See those windows and the attic? Everyone, blow open the windows and rush in at the same time! There are only three people inside at most, but we have more than ten here!" The attacker's shouts were unusually loud, as if he was afraid that the people inside the house wouldn't hear his plan. But there was nothing he could do. The people surrounding the house were too far apart. Could they possibly gather together for a meeting at this point?

With a dozen against three, the advantage is in my hands! This is their only remaining confidence for their final desperate gamble.

"That's settled then. I'll count to three." Someone pointed their wand at their throat and cast a loud spell, "One, two, three!"

More than a dozen spells were released simultaneously, far exceeding the number of windows in the house, successfully blasting a total of six entrances into the walls from all directions.

"Charge in!"

Combined with the previously blasted-open doorway, the seven attackers rushed into the house almost simultaneously, and then everything went black at the same time.

The sudden change in ambient light became the perfect opportunity for Shen Hou to launch a sneak attack, while the Wolf School's demon hunter swordsmanship served as the greatest barrier to counterattack.

The first victim was a dark wizard who climbed in through a window from the back of the house. He was tall and his movements were clumsy and slow compared to others. To make matters worse, his position was only a step away from Shen Hou's hiding place. Before his feet had even fully touched the ground, a triangular military dagger had already pierced his neck.

Armor cannot protect against close-quarters assassination with cold weapons.

It was precise and ruthless, clean and efficient, not only delivering a fatal blow but also rendering him unable to utter a single clear word, thus preventing him from accurately warning his accomplices.

Among the other intruders, even the most alert and perceptive among them only heard a dull thud and a series of gasps that sounded like a broken bellows being pulled.

In the darkness, their identities subtly shifted, and Shen Hou became the assassin—the invading black wizard was unaware of this yet.