Harry Potter and the Burnt Badger

So... why not try this...

Moon dodged another stun spell from Ian and stretched out his hand towards Ian, who had gradually stood up.

Chapter 74 Activated Rope

Moon stretched out his hand towards Ian Madden - not the right hand holding the wand, but the empty left hand.

As he stretched out his hand, a milky white translucent, ghost-like palm suddenly appeared in front of Ian Madden and grabbed his wand. Although it was not strong enough, it was enough to let his magic hit. crooked.

Ian was stunned. What is this?

Before he could finish being surprised, Munn suddenly let go of his left hand, and the mage's hand controlled by him also released. Immediately afterwards, Ian only heard Munn shout "Expelliarmus" in a low voice. , his wand flew away in a circle.

Now that Ian had no power to fight back, Moon breathed a sigh of relief, pointed his wand at Ian, and asked, "Where's Violet?"

Ian did not speak, but raised his hand and pointed in the direction of the Forbidden Forest.

Moon resisted the urge to look back. He first raised his hand and gave Ian a petrification spell to make him really lose his ability to resist. Then he raised his wand and shot a red spark into the sky - over at the castle. You can already see a figure coming here, and his red sparks can just point the direction to the professors.

After finally solving everything, Moon looked back at the location that Ian had pointed to just now, but when his head was halfway back, a red light flashed by. He only had time to see a black robe clearly, and then his whole body suddenly disappeared. He lost consciousness and fell to the ground with a plop.

…………

"Moon? Moon?"

With Violet's soft call, Moon finally woke up from his coma.

The air was damp and cold. Moon opened his eyes with difficulty, only to feel that his hands and feet seemed to have been frozen, and his body was a little unruly. Even trying to sit up was very difficult.

Besides, he was still tied up with a rope.

Moon sighed and turned his head to look in the direction of the sound.

He and Violet were both in the forest - probably the Forbidden Forest. There was no snow under him, only rotten wood and dead branches and leaves. It looked like he was stuffed into a big hollow tree hole, Violet Te was sitting next to him and was also tied up. The only thing that was better than him was that Violet was in a sitting position while he was curled up and lying there.

Violet looked worried, her brows furrowed on her beautiful face. It wasn't until he turned his head that he finally felt relieved.

"Oh my god, luckily you're okay..." Violet gently bit her lip that was white from the cold. "I'm so sorry. I saw it before. They put me at the edge of the forest, but I I was under a spell at that time. I had no strength at all and couldn't speak. I couldn't remind you. I could only watch you being... in order to save me."

"Don't think blindly, it's nothing." Moon stretched his legs reluctantly and tried to turn himself over. He now felt like a dead salted fish. He tried his best but it was extremely difficult to even turn over. "Hey, it's impossible to turn over." Forget it, I never expected that Ian actually has an accomplice, it’s just my own carelessness and it has nothing to do with you.”

Munn was obviously trying to comfort her. If Munn's actions at that time could be considered careless, he would have had to stay in the castle all the time, leaving Filch gasping and wasting precious minutes, or even more than ten years. It would be prudent to go to Hagrid within minutes.What's more, if it weren't for the fact that Ian still has an accomplice who has never appeared on the Marauder's Map or when Ian fled to the Forbidden Forest, and is almost non-existent, Moon would At this point, Ian Madden has probably been handed over to the professors.

There is a magic weapon descended from heaven, so it is no longer useful to be cautious.

And it’s not a desperate situation at all.

Violet didn't know what Munn was thinking right now. She only knew that Munn was comforting her, but she really couldn't do much to help her. Apart from being seated, her situation in every aspect was worse than that of Munn. worse.

However, Violet also knew in her heart that now was not the time to apologize all the time.Instead of dejectedly apologizing to Munn, what she could do better was to provide Munn with the information she discovered.

"We've been here for about an hour or two, and they took our wands away and dumped us here. I couldn't see the path because they kept me floating on my back with movement spells, but We can probably tell the direction through the stars. Since entering the Forbidden Forest, we have been walking deeper. But the walk is not far, less than 10 minutes at most."

Violet looked at Munn writhing on the ground like a big caterpillar, feeling a little funny, but also a little sad. After all, Munn ended up like this entirely because of her - when he was at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, Muen She heard clearly what En asked, "Where's Violet?"

Shaking her head to get rid of the complicated emotional interference, Violet continued to speak as calmly as possible: "It has been very quiet outside during this period... It's not normal. I think they may have cast some magic to isolate our tree hole from the outside world. There are sounds coming and going. And the temperature inside is a little higher than outside. I think it is probably also the influence of magic, maybe to prevent us both from freezing to death."

After using up all his strength, Moon finally turned over and exhaled happily, "That's great, Violet, according to what you said, we might be able to go out, but it's really a troublesome thing without a wand." …”

Violet looked at Munn with some strangeness, only to find that Munn had taken out his hands from behind--the hands that were supposed to be tied up.

She didn't notice that when she just said those words, Moon took advantage of the noise he made while tumbling to cover up, muttered "Relieve" in a low voice, and used the "Activate" spell he had just learned near the end of the Christmas vacation. "rope" opened the rope successfully.

"This..." Violet looked at Munn in confusion. Munn couldn't help laughing when he saw this. While rubbing his wrist, he went up to help Violet untie the rope. "I guess they may be a little I'm worried, the rope is not tied tightly. Maybe the rope they used is old and in some disrepair."

"But didn't they tie you up with spells..." Violet said weakly, but she didn't continue to ask, and let Mu En untie the rope for her.

Why ask so many questions? Anyway, Moon is awesome.

Violet thought this in her heart, and after Munn untied the rope that bound her, she moved her hands and feet accordingly.

"There is no magic wand..." Moon rubbed his still stiff hands and looked at the quiet forbidden forest outside the tree hole. "Let me think about how we can save ourselves..."

Chapter 75 Love Potion

How to save yourself?

Moon felt that he had asked this question very well - because what they had to do now was not to walk straight out from an ordinary forest. Walking outside the forest would count as victory.

This is the Forbidden Forest, the Forbidden Forest that has everything.If they got out of the tree hole and only walked 300 meters before encountering an Acromantula as big as a car, Moon wouldn't be surprised at all.

Isn't it just the Acromantula? There is a big nest in the Forbidden Forest. There must be hundreds if not thousands.

How should I put it, anyway...thank God Hagrid for the gift.

Moon sighed silently.

He was really afraid of encountering Acromantulas during his escape. There was a swarm of those things when they arrived. They were thick-skinned and ran very fast, and could even compete with Mr. Weasley's cursed car.He and Violet didn't have wands at hand, so they didn't even have any means of self-defense.Although the spells he learned from the Grimoire did not require a wand to be cast, Violet could not.

Another way that seems more reliable is to try to get some signals and wait for the Professor and others to come to the rescue, but the problem is... what if the Professor and the others fail to recruit Ian Madden and his helpers? what to do?Waiting to die?

dilemma.

What's even more fatal is that although the temperature in the tree hole has not dropped yet, Moon cannot guarantee that this temperature can be maintained forever.Even with the current temperature in the tree hole, his and Violet's hands and feet would have been frozen stiff, if the temperature dropped a little bit, he and Violet might be frozen to death right here— —Don’t forget, Moon hasn’t had dinner yet.

For a moment, he couldn't think of any foolproof solution. Moon had no choice but to sit down first, glanced at Violet, who was a little embarrassed, and asked softly: "Violet, how come you were suddenly arrested by that Madden?"

"Well, after dinner in the auditorium, I wanted to go to the school newspaper office to draw some pictures, but I met Gal on the way." Violet explained: "Gall said he was going to the office to deliver dinner to you, and I thought I had to go to the office anyway, so I took your dinner from him."

"As a result, when I just walked to the second floor, I suddenly heard a strange noise coming from the other side of the corridor, and then I saw Ian Madden walking out with something in his arms. As soon as he saw me, his whole body Everyone became very panicked, and before I could say anything, he used a magic spell to knock me out..."

Violet spoke softer and quieter, and in the end she bowed her head apologetically, "I'm so sorry, Moon. Not only did I lose your dinner, but I also made you become like this."

"Okay, okay, no need to apologize again and again." Moon scratched his head. "Did you see clearly what Ian Madden was holding at that time? Also, what time was it at that time?"

Violet unconsciously fiddled with the twigs on the ground with her fingers, trying to remember, "The one he was holding... well... wasn't very big, at most the size of a kettle... wrapped in cloth. , I couldn’t see what was inside. As for the time, it should have been less than 06:30, because I came upstairs as soon as I finished eating.”

Less than 06:30?

Moon recalled that when he had finished correcting the article for the school newspaper, he glanced at his pocket watch and saw that the time was approaching nine o'clock.In other words, Ian Madden knocked out Violet before 06:30, but he waited until around nine o'clock before escaping from the castle and rushing into the Forbidden Forest.

What was he doing during these two hours or so?

"That's right!" Violet knocked her little head. "Moon, I suddenly remembered something... I smelled a special smell next to those two people. It was very... It’s weird…a bit like the smell of fireplace smoke mixed with the smell of paper.”

The little shyness in her heart made Violet hesitate to say the last words - because she just smelled the smell and quickly thought of Moon.

"Smoke from the fireplace? The smell of paper?" Moon was a little confused. "What kind of strange smell is this? Did Ian Madden carry a bundle of burning paper with him?"

Violet couldn't help laughing, then wouldn't Ian Madden be on fire?But seeing Munn's confused look, she thought about it and turned her head away, blushing and said, "That smell reminds me of you as soon as I smell it..."

After saying that, she quickly retracted her hand and fiddled with her hair twice on the side of her face, blocking her face. It seemed that she had completely forgotten that the hand had just poked the dirty branches on the ground.

"You think of me when you smell it...?" Munn felt a little bit ridiculous for a moment. He didn't use any weird perfume, so how could he have something so inexplicable...

odor?

Love potion? !

Could it be that Ian Madden was controlled by a love drug?

No, if that's the case, the professors have no need to use antidote at all. They only need to add some antidote to Ian Madden's breakfast of pumpkin juice or soup, and Madden will wake up on his own.

So, is it the kettle?But why does he use so many love potions?Preparing for a massive poisoning at Hogwarts?Or is it that Ian Madden is actually the mastermind of everything, and that his assistant smells like a fetish agent?

Moon pondered for a few seconds and decided to give up on continuing to ponder this inexplicable clue. Now was not the time to get into trouble. Finding a way to escape from the Forbidden Forest was the top priority.

Just now, he suddenly thought of a way - although it still felt a bit like gambling, it was indeed more feasible.

"Violet, please stay in the tree hole for a while. I'll go out and see what's going on outside."

Violet was stunned and quickly looked at Munn, only to find that Munn had already stuck his head out and left the big tree hole quietly and cautiously.

Sure enough, the opening of the tree hole was enchanted, and as soon as he got out, Moon heard some rustling sounds in the forest, and the air became much colder.

He wrapped his cloak tightly around him and looked back into the tree hole, only to find that it was dark inside and he couldn't see anything.Obviously, this magic seems to have a certain disguise function.You can see the outside from the inside, but you can't see the inside from the outside, probably to prevent the professors from coming in to look for people - but to be honest, this is stupid. Moon even wants to pick up a few rocks and go back to ambush him.Besides, he didn't believe that this kind of spell could be hidden from Professor Dumbledore.

But the question is, why did Ian Madden and his helpers go to such trouble to stuff the two of them in a tree hole?Wouldn't it be better to just kill them both?

Chapter 76 Ian Madden's Helper

Obviously, Ian Madden's thoughts are not something that Moon can understand - he is not the tapeworm in Ian Madden's belly.

There were no living creatures near the tree hole, and most of the sounds that Moon could hear came from far away. He didn't know what was coming from it, and he didn't really want to know.Anyway, as long as there is no danger around this hollow tree, that's good luck.

He went around to the back of the hollow tree and took out his velvet bag with a buckle. Yes, it was the bag that Uncle Golov gave him before the semester started. Eight small items were stored inside, including some books and clothes.

Moon wished he had a spare wand tucked inside, but he didn't.The key point is, who could have imagined that Hogwarts was already so uneven before Harry Potter came to Hogwarts?

While vowing in his mind that he would buy a spare wand from a second-hand dealer tomorrow, Moon took out two pieces of old clothes from the velvet bag, and then took out the Christmas gift that Uncle Edgar had given him, the glowing hollow metal ball.

He didn't need the light for the time being, but it might be useful later - if he and Violet needed to escape, then in this dark midnight jungle, no light would mean seeking death.

Moon first wrapped the hollow metal ball in a thick piece of clothing to block the light, then hung the short chain on the metal ball on the button of his cloak, and used the cloak to cover the floating metal ball to prevent this thing from happening. The child accidentally fell aside.After finishing everything, he used another piece of clothing to sweep out a small clearing in the snow, and placed the clothes and some dead branches on the clearing.

Yes, he was going to light a fire in the forest.

According to Violet, this place is not far from the edge of the Forbidden Forest, so the smoke emitted by the fire is likely to be visible to people outside the forest.It would be best to attract the professors, but if he attracts the enemy, it would be nothing more than an ambush battle with him standing by the tree hole, which is much better than an encounter when escaping.

As for the creatures in the Forbidden Forest, most of the beasts have no interest in fire, and they avoid it as much as possible.Even if they were really attracted by the fire, they probably wouldn't be able to find him and Violet hiding in the tree hole.The people most likely to be attracted by the fire are the centaurs in the Forbidden Forest, but the centaurs have the same intelligence as humans. As long as you stroke them along the hair and talk to them, there will be no big danger. .

Horse people don't eat babies.

Moon looked at the bonfire, which was made of clothes and covered with a lot of slightly wet dead branches. He thought it was almost ready, so he retreated to the tree hole and lightly snapped his fingers.

If you give him a lighter or a pair of flints, he may not be able to light it. The wet dead branches themselves are difficult to ignite, even with clothes.However, he still has magic tricks learned from the "Grimoire" [Note 1].

As Moon snapped his fingers, the pile of combustibles on the ground burst into flames and began to burn vigorously.Because of the moisture of the dead branches themselves, the smoke became thicker and blacker. This was the reason why Moon used wet branches instead of picking up dry dead branches.

It's a pity that it's midnight, otherwise the smoke would be more obvious.

In fact, the better option is to just find a way to light the nearby trees. Since it is winter, the forbidden forest is cold and damp. As long as the site is chosen properly, the risk of causing a forest fire is quite small.But the problem was that the only big tree nearby that met such conditions was the hollow tree where Violet was hiding. He wanted to find a way to get out of trouble, but he was not desperate and wanted to roast Violet.Secondly, if a tree in the Forbidden Forest was really set on fire and the centaurs were attracted, then it would be unexplainable.

So he could only settle for the next best thing.

After setting up the fire, Moon went back into the tree hole. While paying attention to the situation outside, he took out another piece of clothing from the velvet bag and handed it to Violet.

Violet thanked her, took the clothes and put them on with a blushing face, but her blushing looked more like she was cold.

Moon held his pocket watch and checked the time. About three minutes later, a surprising "big guy" suddenly jumped out of the woods.

"It's Yaya! Hagrid's dog!" Moon poked his head out in surprise and whistled.

"Ya Ya?" Violet was not very familiar with Hagrid. At this time, she also curiously leaned over to take a look, but she did not stick her head out.

Hearing Moon's whistle, Yaya immediately turned his head alertly. When he saw clearly that it was Moon, he immediately raised his head and barked loudly.

At this moment, a dark green flash of light suddenly flashed out and shot straight towards Yaya.Moon was startled and quickly shouted: "Ya Ya! Run!"

Yaya also sensed the danger, so he quickly jumped away from the dark green flash, then scurried back into the forest with his tail between his legs, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

There is no way, this guy is a coward, it's okay to find someone, but if he confronts something with malicious intentions, he will scare himself to death.

Moon knew that he could not continue to huddle in the tree hole - the cry just now had exposed him. If he stayed in the tree hole any longer, he would only be trapped by the enemy, and Violet would also be put in danger.Of course, he had no regrets. Yaya obviously came here to find him and Violet. If he wanted to just watch Yaya die in order to successfully ambush the enemy, that would not be him.

"Violet, hide and don't come out."

After leaving a message to Violet, Moon jumped out of the tree hole and shot an energy beam of magic energy explosion towards the place where the dark green flash came from.

Now is different from before. He doesn't have a wand in his hand now, and his combat effectiveness is basically reduced. If he doesn't use some more fierce spells, he may not be able to last even one round and will be quickly eliminated.

The person who came was none other than Ian Madden's assistant. Seeing Moon actually using magic, the man was shocked.

Casting spells without a wand?Silent casting?Is this an 11-year-old first-year wizard?

Who is crazy?

The figure wrapped in the robe did not dare to show any more carelessness or neglect. This guy now finally understood why Ian Madden fell into the hands of this little brat before.

With a flick of the wand, an invisible wall suddenly appeared with the sound of "Protego (armor protection)", blocking Munn's magic energy blast.

It was also at this time, from the sound of the curse, that Moon finally discovered that Ian Madden's assistant was actually a man?

That... the smell of the love potion...?

-

[Note 1] It can be used to create some small special effects, such as igniting a small bonfire, firewood pile, torch, candle and the like. It is the same as the "activated rope" mentioned above and the "magic explosion" mentioned later. From DND.

Chapter 77 The first encounter with Transfiguration