The Butcher of Hogsmeade

There were more than a dozen werewolves charging straight at the two black-haired young men. The first line alone had eight werewolves, while the second and third lines behind them were staggered, aiming to use the density of their formation to counter the strength of the magic and get close as quickly as possible. However, with a loud shout from the black-haired young man wearing glasses, the werewolves at the front all stopped in their tracks, as if they had been frozen in place. Some were suspended in mid-air while jumping, while others were running with their limbs intertwined, displaying all sorts of strange postures.

The immobilization effect lasted for less than two seconds before the "wolf pack" regained their mobility; however, the sudden stops and starts during their run severely disrupted their balance, and the moment they regained their mobility, the werewolves in that direction inevitably fell over.

Before Shen Hou could even marvel at how the magical world still followed the inertia of science, another black-haired young man's magic took effect. Large bursts of flame erupted from the tip of his staff, landing on the werewolves and the open ground, instantly forming a long and wide wall of fire. Many werewolves howled in agony amidst the flames and black smoke.

Werewolves on the second and third lines were terrified and stopped in their tracks, helpless against the wall of fire.

Shen Hou couldn't help but think of the flamethrower that everyone feared in war movies, and then the hallucination in his mind reappeared.

It was still the same robust man clad in soft armor, but he was no longer facing werewolves. Instead, he was surrounded by a group of giant, spider-like arthropods in the dense forest. The next moment, Shen Hou's perspective shifted to first-person view. As if unable to control his body, he "watched" himself raise his hands and draw a semicircle to the left and right.

"Igni!"

A flash of fire appeared, and two fire dragons roared out from the palms, burning the arthropod monsters so badly they screamed and fled, shattering the encirclement.

Just like the first illusion, the whole process seemed slow but was actually fast. While his mind was still immersed in the illusion, it was only a blink of an eye in reality. When Shen Hou's gaze refocused, the two black-haired young men had just put away their wands, while the short, fat man, as always, filled in the gaps, casting two consecutive spells to knock down a werewolf who had narrowly escaped the flames and was getting closer.

"That won't do, Peter, you're playing too slowly," the black-haired young man without glasses teased his friend.

"Got it, Sirius." The short, fat man muttered in a low voice; in fact, he was not slow and his actions were efficient and neat. However, dealing with one werewolf at a time seemed much less impressive than his two friends' AOE ultimate moves that almost wiped out the entire field.

Taking advantage of the brief respite when the fire wall hadn't extinguished and the pressure on the front lines had eased, the black-haired young man known as Sirius took a moment to help his comrades in other directions. However, after casting just two spells, he was met with a stern reprimand from the middle-aged man: "Mind your own business, Sirius! Don't get distracted!"

The middle-aged man, whom Gideon called Alastor, had a violent temper, and his powerful fighting ability matched his temper. The snow in front of him had been blasted into a pit by the magic, and the snow, ice, mud and gravel were pushed by the force of the explosion and shot towards the werewolf who was rushing towards him, causing the werewolf to run away with his head in his hands.

Meanwhile, the middle-aged man's wand continued to fire countless projectiles, some swift birds, others sharp-edged iron stones. With just one wand, he unleashed a dense barrage of projectiles, disrupting the werewolf formation and making it impossible for them to move an inch.

Such power made Sirius both dissatisfied and admiring. He pursed his lips but dared not disobey.

The two corners of the triangular formation held their line, and the third corner was equally formidable. The Pwitt brothers' magic wasn't as powerful as their comrades', but it was extremely effective. It calmly and steadily maintained the original invisible boundary. Any werewolves that overextended themselves suddenly became stumbling and unsteady, then suffered a heavy blow, either falling unconscious on the spot or being injured and forced to retreat.

The restless "wolf pack" seemed to be suppressed once again, and the wizards maintained their triangular formation, inching their way towards the center of the village along the path. But a green light shooting from behind the wolf pack quickly shattered the balance.

"Death Eater!" The green light grazed Fabian's scalp and landed on the open ground; the Prewitt brothers, who had remained calm and composed since their first meeting, revealed a hint of panic in their voices for the first time. A mere streak of green light seemed more terrifying than dozens of ferocious werewolves, filling Shen Hou with both curiosity and tension.

Behind the werewolf, several figures appeared indistinctly, and more and more magical rays of light shot through the gaps in the werewolf's body toward Shen Hou and the others.

"Hasn't Dumbledore arrived yet?" The short, stout man called "Peter" began to lose his composure, his voice becoming shrill with panic and impatience.

"He'll come. Hang in there and do your job!" Alastor roared without turning his head.

"Don't worry, if all else fails, we still have a way out..." The bespectacled young man comforted his friend while fighting off the incoming magic, but he was momentarily distracted and a stray spell hit him right at his feet, causing the snow to explode and knocking him to the ground.

"James!" the two friends cried out in alarm; fortunately, the young man with glasses was unharmed and quickly got up after rolling on the ground. "I'm fine!" he shouted to reassure his friends. However, the three of them were ultimately distracted and immediately revealed more flaws.

Just then, the wall of fire receded, and the enemy's spells almost immediately converged on the three young men. Sirius and Peter were struggling to defend themselves; James had just stood up when, before he could raise his wand again, a werewolf leaped over the defenses and lunged at him, its white fangs snapping down to bite his neck.

"Flipendo!" James reacted almost instinctively, raising his wand and using an invisible force to push the werewolf back several feet. But human reaction has its limits, and this was the last counterattack he could muster. Behind the repelled werewolf, a second shadow appeared, its sharp claws slashing towards James's face.

At this moment, Sirius and Peter were overwhelmed by a barrage of spells and unable to defend themselves. James himself was not yet on his feet, and everything was happening too fast. The Alastor and Prewitt brothers did not even notice that the three young men were in danger.

The only ones who see everything are the Muggles who are always protected in the middle.

Shen Hou once again experienced the feeling that time was almost frozen, and everything happening in front of him seemed to slow down; but unlike when he faced the werewolf alone in the shed before, this time, he found that his body and limbs could "actually" move.

As if it were an innate instinct, or a habitual one, Shen Hou stepped forward, raised his right hand over James's shoulder, his palm facing the werewolf, his five fingers flexing and straightening, forming a gesture that was both familiar and unfamiliar.

"Ald!"