Unduh Aplikasi
47.51% Harry Potter: The Golden Viper / Chapter 296: 0295 Escape from death

Bab 296: 0295 Escape from death

If it weren't for the scene earlier tonight when Harry and Hermione were surrounded by the werewolf pack, they would probably be terrified and at a loss for what to do in front of the hundreds of eight-eyed spiders. The arachnids, restless and seething with anger, clambered over one another in a frenzy, their chitinous legs clicking against the forest floor, creating a cacophony reminiscent of a thundercloud on the verge of eruption.

In the midst of this chaos, Peter Pettigrew, seemed to finally grasp the gravity of their situation. He ceased his futile attempts at escape, resigning himself to a shivering ball within the confines of his silken prison.

Aragog, the leader of the spider horde, loomed over them, his voice a bitter hiss that cut through the tension. "This is a lesson for the people in the castle," he declared, his many eyes reflecting a lifetime of grievances against those who dwelt within the stone walls of Hogwarts.

Harry, however, was not swayed by Aragog's words. 

"Shut up!" He said sternly, with his gaze fixed on the giant spider, a wooden spike levitating beside him. Yet, despite his commanding exterior, Harry's eyes betrayed an internal struggle. The prospect of ending the life of an intelligent magical creature weighed heavily on him, and his resolve wavered.

"This won't solve the problem, Harry," Hermione trembled, but she still didn't want Harry to kill the spider. "They won't let us leave, even if you kill it."

Harry's response was a mix of desperation and determination. "I know, Hermione!" he exclaimed, his face a mask of grim resolve as the encroaching swarm of spiders closed in around them. He drew a deep breath, steeling himself for what was to come. "But this is our only bargaining chip, Hermione. Do we have any other way to break out from here?"

The question hung in the air, unanswered, as Harry grappled with the moral values before him. 

It was, after all, just a spider. In the dungeons of Snape's class, he had ended the lives of countless frogs, lizards, and other creatures in the name of potion-making. Yet, this felt different. This required Harry to not only convince Hermione of the necessity of their actions but also to reconcile with his own conscience.

It was at this moment of indecision that salvation pierced the darkness. Two beams of light, like lances of hope, cut through the webbed canopy above, bathing Harry and Hermione in their ethereal glow. Accompanying the light was a sound that stirred memories within Harry—a sound he had heard earlier that night, before their chilling encounter with the Dementors. It was the roar of an engine, primal and defiant, a sound that now heralded their potential rescue.

The spiders, sensing the intrusion, were thrown into disarray. The once orderly ranks descended into pandemonium as the creatures toppled from their perches, their bodies hitting the ground with sickening thuds. Before they could recover, a formidable force barreled through their ranks, crushing spider after spider beneath its relentless advance quickly approaching Harry and Hermione.

"What is that, Harry!" Hermione cried out, her voice a mixture of fear and panic as she saw the vomit inducing scene before them.

"Mr. Weasley's car," Harry replied, his tone laced with disbelief. His eyes were fixed on the battered Ford Anglia as it charged through the horde of eight-eyed spiders like a valiant Knight, its drooping headlights cutting a swathe through the darkness. A surge of joy welled up within him, and Harry couldn't help but leap to his feet, his voice ringing out with excitement. "It's Mr. Weasley's car, remember, Hermione? At the beginning of our second year, when Dobby blocked the wall at King's Cross Station, Ron and I used this car to get back to Hogwarts!"

The memory of that daring flight was etched in the annals of Hogwarts history, a tale of mischief and adventure that had cemented Harry and Ron's reputations among their peers. It was an adventure that had not been without consequences, as Mr. Weasley had faced a formal inquiry at the Ministry of Magic for the unauthorized enchantment of a Muggle vehicle.

"But why is it here?" Hermione pondered aloud, her gaze sweeping the forest in search of a wizard who might have summoned this unexpected chariot.

"Since then, this car must have been living in the Forbidden Forest," Harry mused, a hint of awe in his voice. "Oh my, I never expected it to still be able to move. Maybe it has been lurking nearby and heard the commotion here!"

As they spoke, the enchanted Ford Anglia, a relic of a bygone adventure, burst through the final barriers of web and foliage, coming to a triumphant halt before them. The car bore the scars of its past encounters, with dented doors and a roof warped by the Whomping Willow's wrath. Its windshield was a spiderweb of cracks, and the tires were slick with the green ichor of the spiders it had crushed in its path.

The car's headlights flickered rapidly, a mechanical mimicry of a friendly wink, as if to acknowledge their shared history.

With a creak of aged metal, the dented door swung open, and the car's horn sounded an urgent call to action.

"Don't just stand there, Hermione, get that traitor in the car!" Harry urged, his wand still trained on Aragog as he gestured frantically towards the open vehicle.

Hermione, her lips moving in silent incantation, levitated the white cocoon into the car's trunk with a smooth flick of her wand. Peter Pettigrew, bound and helpless, was secured within. Without hesitation, Hermione sat into the back seat, her movements swift and decisive.

"Get in, Harry!" 

The forest was alive with the sound of impending doom as the spiders, sensing the presence of the enchanted Ford Anglia, surged forward with a collective hunger. Their many eyes gleamed with a malevolent intelligence, and their legs moved in a terrifying unison, propelling them towards the car.

Harry, who was just into the relative safety of the car for a few seconds, was jolted from his momentary relief by a series of thunderous impacts atop the vehicle. The roof groaned under the weight of two massive spiders, their pincers gnashing at the metal with a ferocity that threatened to breach the sanctuary within.

"Go, to Hogwarts!" Harry's voice was a desperate command, directed at the trembling steering wheel before him. "I know you can understand!" 

His plea was met with the car's engine roaring to life. With a sudden lurch, the car spun, dislodging the spiders in a whirl of motion, and then it surged forward, finding a narrow path through the swarm of eight-legged assailants.

Within the confines of the car, Hermione's head struck the roof with each jarring movement, while Harry, thrown beneath the seat, was oblivious to the ethereal wisp of silvery-gray light that slipped through a crack in the window. The spectral light, silent and purposeful, found its way to Hermione's collar, disappearing into the fabric with a subtlety that hid its significance.

"Hmm"

Meanwhile, Bryan, stretched his limbs lazily, his gaze lingering on the taillights of the car as it navigated the treacherous terrain. He smiled as he gazed toward the dense forest where it met the rolling hills,

"I should get back to work too," he murmured, his voice a soft echo in the stillness of the night.

The car, now free from the immediate threat of the spiders, continued its journey, bouncing over the uneven ground as it plunged deeper into the forest. Hermione, her eyes fixed on the dashboard, anxiously urged the car to hasten its escape. "Phew - can you please speed up?" 

"Look over there, Hermione, the Dementors are coming," Harry leaned forward, his eyes constantly scanning the sky. Suddenly, he found what he was looking for - a cluster of dark clouds floating in the air. Within the boundaries of the dark clouds, many shadows were flying up and down, moving towards another direction in the Forbidden Forest.

"Dementors? When did they appear?" Hermione's voice was a whisper of dread, her complexion turning ashen at the thought of their pursuers.

"When we were about to leave the Forbidden Forest, Sirius's motorcycle fell from the sky. You all passed out, but I was still awake. Please-" Harry shouted at the car's steering wheel, "Drive in that direction?"

Hermione's hand shot out, gripping Harry's wrist with a force that conveyed her panic. "You can't do this, Harry!" she gasped, her breath coming in short bursts. "Don't you remember, Harry? We can't be seen by anyone, not even the Dementors. Otherwise, we'll be in big trouble!"

"You don't understand, Hermione—" Harry became particularly stubborn. "You don't know what happened then. Professor Dumbledore hadn't arrived yet, but the Dementors had already found Sirius. They wanted to kill him on the spot. I wanted to use the Patronus Charm to drive them away, but I failed. Then, someone released a powerful Patronus and drove away all the Dementors!"

Hermione's eyes widened in shock, her mind racing to comprehend the implications. "A powerful Patronus, you mean... Professor Watson?"

"No, it wasn't him," Harry replied, his frown deepening as he grappled with the memory. "Well, I saw that person. But maybe it was just my imagination, Hermione. My mind wasn't clear at the time, and I quickly lost consciousness."

"Who do you think it was?" Hermione's voice was a mix of curiosity and concern.

"I think—" Harry hesitated, the words catching in his throat. Despite the absurdity of his belief, he pressed on, "I think it was my dad."

The revelation left Hermione speechless, her mouth agape as she struggled to offer comfort. "Harry, your dad—"

She paused, her eyes darting towards the trunk where the culprit of their pain lay bound. Lowering her voice, she continued, "He's passed away, hasn't he? The person who was responsible for his death is in the trunk; we caught him. We've avenged your parents."

"Oh, I know." Harry stared at the trunk with a gloomy expression, but then he furrowed his eyebrows and continued, "I know it's hard to explain, Hermione, but I want to go... No, I must go and see!"

Hermione couldn't resist Harry's determination, and she was also curious about the person Harry mentioned. They parked the car in a discreet location, then both of them put on their invisibility cloaks and got out of the car, running towards their destination, hiding behind a tree.

The Dementors appeared.

Hermione's fear nearly overcame her, a scream threatening to escape her lips, but she managed to stifle the sound, covering her mouth just in time to remain undetected in the shadow of the night.

The Dementors hovered over Sirius, who was pinned under the motorcycle. At this moment, Harry of that time was trying to drive them away, but after several attempts, he unfortunately failed. Moreover, his actions angered the Dementors, and they were preparing to kill him first.

Harry anxiously searched for something. His gaze flew past tree after tree because the place where the Patronus finally stayed was behind a crooked-neck tree.

"Hurry!" Harry looked around and whispered out in a low voice, "Where are you, Dad? Hurry!"

No one responded to his call. In the middle of the field, one Dementor had already grabbed original time's Harry's throat and was about to remove its hood.

Hermione, unable to contain her fear, turned her head away, unable to watch any longer. Harry bit his lip, about to say something to comfort Hermione, when he turned and finally noticed the tree in front of them.

*******************************

For More Chapters; patreon.com/FicFrenzy


Bab 297: 0296 Fleeing Werewolves

Swoosh!

With a whoosh, an arrow shimmering with cold light and murderous aura pierced through a tree as thick as a grown man's waist and embedded itself into the midst of a fleeing pack of wolves. Amidst the metallic ring, a werewolf was nailed to a rock, letting out a piercing howl. However, the sound was short-lived; Ronan arrived swiftly, his spear piercing the werewolf's throat, ending its wicked life.

This scene unfolded before Greyback, causing the nefarious werewolf leader to seethe with hatred and let out a long, angry howl.

Previously, under the combined efforts of the centaurs, Hagrid, and Snape, the remaining hundred or so werewolves suffered heavy casualties. Seeing the tide turn against him, Greyback led the fifty or sixty surviving werewolves in a breakout towards the mountains.

Glancing at his kin following him, Greyback cursed Peter, who wrote to them, in his heart with vile words. That scoundrel had caused them to lose the Dark Lord's protection twelve years ago, and today, nearly led all the werewolves to their deaths in the Forbidden Forest.

Tonight, his pack had suffered heavy losses, and their only gain was capturing a few centaurs.

These 'mules,' valuable in the underworld, could somewhat compensate for the fifty thousand Galleons from the Ministry of Magic that had slipped through their fingers—If they could be sold successfully.

Of course, this money was not easy to come by. The centaurs behind them had gone mad in their efforts to rescue their captured kin. Along the way of their escape, more than a dozen of their own had died at their hands.

"Give up, Greyback, you can't escape."

For Greyback, another prize of the night was Remus Lupin.

The traitor's luck had been poor; after escaping, he had fainted in the woods, only to be picked up by him.

"Shut up, traitor!"

Greyback bared his ugly wolfish grin at Lupin under his arm and sneered, "If I'm doomed today, I will make sure you die in front of us. Of course, I don't think you need to be so pessimistic. I heard you're working for Dumbledore now, maybe he's willing to spend some money to redeem you from my hands!"

Remus's head hung limply, his body covered in wounds, blood dripping from his cheeks.

Faced with Greyback's wild fantasies, Remus's eyelids trembled slightly, and he muttered in a barely audible voice, "You're insane, Greyback."

As the werewolves crossed a mound one by one, the world ahead became clear, and the faint light at the end of their sight, symbolizing hope, filled the werewolves, including Greyback, with great joy.

The centaurs didn't have the ability to apparate, so as long as they left the Forbidden Forest, the werewolves had plenty of means to escape their pursuit.

Without needing Greyback's urging, the werewolves let out excited howls, each one charging with all their might towards the hope of life. Meanwhile, the centaurs, realizing the werewolves were about to escape, fell into extreme frenzy. Arrows and wooden spears rained down like droplets, most of them aimed at Greyback's back! 

Clang! Greyback swiped away several spears with his claws and looked at the furious Firenze and others, revealing a provocative smile.

Ever since the werewolves had settled in the Forbidden Forest, these centaurs had tried to drive them out, but in the end, they had never achieved this goal. Although the werewolves had suffered heavy losses tonight, their means of replenishing their numbers were beyond the centaurs's capabilities.

"Ha, we shall meet again, mules!"

Greyback laughed heartily, and the next second, he was the first to burst out of the gloomy primeval forest and into the moonlit wilderness.

The werewolves's breakout point from the Forbidden Forest was not far from Hogsmeade. To the west, extending to the horizon, were the fields cultivated by the villagers of Hogsmeade; to the east lay rolling hills, and in front of them, atop a hill, stood an ancient manor allowing Greyback to figure out where he was.

"Those with wands, Apparate away; the rest, revert to human form and infiltrate Hogsmeade. These centaurs won't dare to enter wizard's territory!"

Greyback pulled out his wand and called out loudly. At his reminder, the werewolves reverted to human form, those capable of Apparition prepared to teleport away, while the rest rushed towards Hogsmeade, ready to take advantage of the chaos.

At the foot of the howling mountain, a series of crisp explosions sounded. Under the angry curses of the centaurs, Greyback and others, one after another, vanished into thin air, while the pursuing centaurs could only watch helplessly as the werewolves abducted their kin.

"Stop, you vile creatures!"

Bane let out a powerless roar, his arrow piercing a werewolf who was sprinting towards Hogsmeade. The unconscious werewolf was flung through the air by the powerful force of the arrow, tumbling in mid-air.

Bang! But then, something strange happened.

It was as if an invisible barrier had appeared in the air; the werewolf's body, still in mid-flight, slammed into the barrier and fell to the ground in a free-fall trajectory.

And that was just the beginning. The werewolves rushing towards Hogsmeade couldn't stop in time and one after another collided with the transparent barrier. They were all bewildered, howling and pounding on the wall, not understanding what had happened.

"What's going on?"

Seeing this, the centaurs stopped at the border between the Forbidden Forest and the mountains. The anger on Bane's rugged face faded, replaced by astonishment.

"This is wizard magic—" Ronan pawed the ground with his front hoof, looking around uneasily, "But it's unclear who exactly is responsible."

Snap, snap, snap!

As the centaurs puzzled over who had stopped the fleeing werewolves, those who had just Apparated away reappeared in the air and fell to the rocky ground.

Greyback's face still bore the remnants of joy, thinking he had escaped danger. But when he saw the scene around him and the centaurs staring oddly at him from a distance, his expression froze. In his pale-yellow vertical pupils, panic and unease churned.

"What's happening?"

Greyback demanded loudly from his subordinates, who had also been rejected by the void.

"I don't know—" A limping werewolf glanced at the wand in his hand and said blankly, "I was headed for Anglesey Island, but somehow I ended up back here?"

The unease forced the werewolves to regroup, their discussions filled with confusion and panic, resembling a pack of dogs that had lost their homes.

These failed escapees had also brought back a few abducted centaurs. Bane, with a look of righteous indignation, was about to rush forward to rescue his kin, but Firenze stopped him.

"Wait, Bane, don't be impulsive!" Firenze stood in front of Bane and said gravely, "It seems a powerful wizard is ready to judge these vile dark creatures!"

"But who could it be?" Ronan asked breathlessly, "Who could do all this?"

"As far as I know, only one human wizard could manage it." Firenze said cautiously.

"Look, there's someone there!"

Finally, a werewolf glanced at the sky unintentionally and screamed in terror, pointing at the void under the blood moon.

At his alarm, all the werewolves and centaurs looked up. Even the dazed Lupin slowly raised his head, and when he recognized the lone figure in the void under the moon, Lupin laughed softly, but his laughter was tinged with a touch of melancholy,

"Heh, Greyback, the end of the werewolves has come."

...

The snow descended in a relentless torrent, a white cascade tumbling down the rugged mountainside, its icy fingers intertwining with the warm, tempestuous currents of the vast Atlantic. This convergence birthed a ferocious gale, one that tore through the untamed wilderness skirting the quaint village of Hogsmeade with a voracious appetite. The very air itself seemed to quiver, imbued with a foreboding, almost spectral aura, as if the world held its breath in anticipation of some unspeakable event.

In the sky, beneath the blood-red moon that resembled a giant millstone, a figure stood suspended in mid-air, his gaze piercing as he surveyed the land below. The werewolves below were restless, like ants bracing for a violent storm.

"Who is that?" *murmur*

The werewolves whispered among themselves, and Greyback questioned Remus Lupin, soon receiving his answer.

"Bryan Watson?!"

Some secrets, though closely guarded as top secret in the outside world, were not so in the Forbidden Forest adjacent to Hogwarts, especially when Hogwarts had a gamekeeper who was particularly fond of sharing gossips.

Only a year prior, Bryan Watson had solved the mystery of the Basilisk that lurked within the Chamber of Secrets, a feat that had earned him no small measure of popularity. Now, having navigated the complex bureaucracy of the Ministry of Magic and the scrutiny of the Board of Governors, he had ascended to a position of considerable influence. Appointed by none other than Albus Dumbledore, Watson had taken up the mantle of Director of the Student Safety Office—a position of great importance. 

'But why was he here? Could it be that he was acting on Dumbledore's orders?'

These questions raced through Greyback's mind, a torrent of thoughts that mirrored the swirling snow around him. An inexplicable sense of doom settled in his gut, a primal warning that prompted him to position Remus's body as a living shield before him.

"Leader, what should we do?" The query came from the werewolf who had first spotted Bryan, his voice tinged with an anxiety that betrayed his usual ferocity.

Greyback's instincts, honed over countless moons, screamed a silent warning. This young wizard, whom they had never before encountered, exuded a presence that demanded caution. If possible, he preferred to avoid conflict. But he was no fool; Watson's sudden appearance and his unimaginable means of preventing their escape were certainly not for the purpose of throwing a farewell party for the werewolves!

"We haven't harmed a single young wizard in the castle tonight!"

Greyback's raspy voice echoed across the wilderness as he shouted at Bryan,

"We have no conflict with Hogwarts!"

In response, the world seemed to grow colder, the wind's icy caress now laced with something far more chilling: the unmistakable scent of malice. The werewolves, creatures attuned to the subtleties of danger, recognized the raw, unmasked hostility that now permeated the air. Terror etched itself upon their faces as they raised their wands skyward, their hands trembling so violently that not one could muster the will to cast a spell.

"Sir!" Greyback's voice was a growl, his words a challenge laced with fear. "We have no conflict, right? Why are you stopping us from leaving?"

"Greyback—" The reply that sliced through the howling gale was melodious, tinged with a laziness that belied its underlying power. It was a voice that seemed to carrying a power that intimidated the soul.

"Aren't you always looking for me?"

Confusion clouded Greyback's features at these words. 

'Why would we need to look for the Director of the Student Safety Office of Hogwarts? What possible connection could there be between us? The object of our true pursuit had always been…'

"Escape."

The realization struck Greyback like a physical blow, his pupils dilating in terror, a sheen of cold sweat coating his forehead. He murmured the command absentmindedly, however the noise of the wind was so loud, rendering them inaudible to his anxious subordinates who pressed close, seeking guidance.

"Run!"

Greyback's command, now a shriek of pure terror, cut through the cacophony of the storm, a solitary note of dread in the desolate expanse.

"Flee back to the Forbidden Forest!"

With a heart-wrenching roar, Greyback no longer cared about the howls of his subordinates. He simply hoisted the only card he had left—Remus Lupin—onto his shoulder and leaped into the air, planning to retreat back into the complex terrain of the Forbidden Forest!

But at that moment, the very fabric of the night seemed to shudder. The blood moon, once a beacon in the darkness, dimmed as if snuffed out by an unseen hand. And there, two purple moons rose slowly against the dark curtain of the night.

Buzz! At that moment, A divine presence descended.

*******************************

For More Chapters; patreon.com/FicFrenzy


Load failed, please RETRY

Status Power Mingguan

Membuka kunci kumpulan bab

Indeks

Opsi Tampilan

Latar Belakang

Font

Ukuran

Komentar pada bab

Tulis ulasan Status Membaca: C296
Gagal mengirim. Silakan coba lagi
  • Kualitas penulisan
  • Stabilitas Pembaruan
  • Pengembangan Cerita
  • Desain Karakter
  • Latar Belakang Dunia

Skor total 0.0

Ulasan berhasil diposting! Baca ulasan lebih lanjut
Pilih Power Stone
Rank 200+ Peringkat Power
Stone 10 Batu Daya
Laporkan konten yang tidak pantas
Tip kesalahan

Laporkan penyalahgunaan

Komentar paragraf

Masuk

tip Komentar Paragraf

Fitur komentar paragraf sekarang ada di Web! Arahkan kursor ke atas paragraf apa pun dan klik ikon untuk menambahkan komentar Anda.

Selain itu, Anda selalu dapat menonaktifkannya atau mengaktifkannya di Pengaturan.

MENGERTI