Werewolf Inferi Incident

"You're the one who's doomed from good luck!"

"Give up the resistance and return to your Azkaban!"

"..."

Following behind a group of Werewolf, the invisible Loren and Hermione could see the three people fighting. On the left stood a tall woman with a thick jaw, thin lips, heavy eyelids, and thick, long eyelashes. Her thick, black curly hair looked somewhat messy.

"Bellatrix Lestrange! What are you doing here?"

"Tylor Lautner, the Werewolf leader, asked in surprise. The other Werewolf beside him had complicated expressions. Last winter, after some of their brothers starved to death, it was this crazy woman who gave them a batch of food and old clothes to keep warm."

They all knew it was a tactic to manipulate them, so while they were grateful for her rescue, they couldn't help but think that if the supplies had been delivered sooner, many people wouldn't have died.

Lupin took a half step back and stood with Jimmy, avoiding the gaze of the three people in front of him, making him look like an ordinary Werewolf.

Whether it was Bellatrix Lestrange or the Lumbard couple, they had met during the last Wizarding War and there was a possibility that they would be recognized. Despite some disguise, he still dared not approach them rashly.

Bellatrix...

The Ermine clung to Loren's clothes, carefully observing this renowned Death Eater.

"Who are you people?"

The man in the couple looked at them warily. The fact that the man had just called out the name of Death Eater weighed heavily on his mind, but he still said firmly, "The British Ministry of Magic's Aurors are hunting down a fugitive. We have already reported this to the American Magical Congress. Unauthorized personnel, please leave immediately!"

The couple huddled together, their fighting stance ensuring they could fend off spells coming from all directions.

Loren observed the Lumbard couple from afar. The last time he saw them was at St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. Compared to when she was hospitalized, Neville's mother, Alice, had improved a lot. Her face had become fuller and rounder, and her eyes were no longer so protruding. The roots of her once dry white hair had turned black and shiny again.

Neville's father, Frank, had his swelling subside, and his previously unhealthy pale complexion had darkened, making him look more capable and energetic.

Judging from the state of the three, the battle must have just begun. Both sides are in good condition, with abundant Magic Power, focused minds, and no signs of fatigue from excessive spellcasting.

"Us..."

Upon hearing the male Aurors's question, Taylor Lautner hesitated, unsure how to answer.

Bellatrix Lestrange gave a knowing smile and said slowly in a strange tone, "Oh, looks like luck is on my side. You were outnumbered just now, but now..."

She stared at the Lumbard couple, a dangerous glint in her eyes.

Taylor frowned. "We have no intention of getting involved in your fight. I don't think it's a wise decision to go up against the Aurors."

"How indifferent." Bellatrix turned her gaze to the Werewolf. "I guess it's because it's summer now, right? You can find enough food in the trash cans to feed your pups without worrying about them freezing to death."

Bellatrix's words brought a look of humiliated anger to the Werewolf's face, but he was unable to refute them.

"When you're full, your voice is loud and clear, but perhaps you should think about next winter..."

Bellatrix scanned them, and the Werewolf quickly averted their gazes. Lupin kept his head down, looking just like any other Werewolf. "Or are you hoping that when you're starving to death at Christmas, the Aurors will take pity on you and give you scraps from the lavish Christmas feast?"

Taylor Lautner's brows furrowed, and a dangerous glint flashed in his eyes.

Frank and Alice stood close together, glancing discreetly behind them. It was a dead end blocked by a gate; they hadn't noticed it when chasing Bellatrix Lestrange, but had followed Apparition's trail.

They can't retreat directly now, and forcibly using Apparition leave is very risky. If the surrounding space is disturbed, their bodies might be torn apart.

Hearing their conversation, the Lumbard couple realized that these people were Werewolf, but they didn't know which ones had been expelled to the country by the Anti-Werewolf Law and which ones were native Werewolf.

Frank coughed, drawing everyone's attention:

"Don't listen to her, everyone! Don't get involved with her!"

"She is a dangerous Death Eater, an accomplice of the Dark Lord, and a fugitive on an international wanted list. If you help her, you will be going against the British Ministry of Magic and against all the magical governments in the world!"

Alice observed them and, seeing no change in their expressions, realized these Werewolf likely knew Bellatrix's true identity. She then took over Frank's advice, offering a different approach:

"Ladies and gentlemen, the International Wizarding Congress is about to convene, and a resolution on the Anti-Werewolf Law will be made at the conference! Currently, the Ministry of Magic of several countries intend to withdraw the Anti-Werewolf Law. If you are involved with Death Eater now, you will also be regarded as Death Eater. At that time, the Anti-Werewolf Law may become an internationally accepted law like the Statute of Secrecy."

"Think about it carefully, think about your family, think about your children..."

"Ha ha ha ha..."

Bellatrix's shrill laughter interrupted her advice. She scoffed, "Yes, think of your loved ones, think of your children. Without me, they would all starve to death this winter!"

Don't listen to her!

Alice quickly advised, "The American Magical Congress intends to recruit you to form a special Aurors squad. This practice might be extended to other countries, and then you will be able to live normal lives!"

"..."

Watching the three arguing in front of him, Loren found it amusing. The Lumbard couple, as expected of the renowned Aurors couple, remained calm in the face of an impending attack, one threatening while the other offered words of comfort.

However, their actions seem more like buying time than arguing...

It looks like they have a backup plan.

Before the Werewolf could make a decision, a dozen or so distorted, transparent ripples appeared in the underground pipe space. The colors of clothing and skin swirled and spread from the ripples. After a series of twists and turns, a dozen or so Aurors dressed in uniform appeared in the underground pipe.

The moment the neatly arranged single-breasted trench coats appeared, their hems dangled into the sewage of the sewer. Water stains, filled with an indescribable odor, crept up the clothes, and several Aurors ' faces turned grim.

The leading Auror nodded to the Longbottoms: "Sorry Frank, sorry Alice, you're chasing us too fast. We can only go back to headquarters to confirm your location before coming over."

Frank smiled with relief, "It's okay, you're not late."

Seeing that things were not going well, Bellatrix immediately unleashed a gray spell, but the target was not any of the people present, but the gate behind the Lumbard couple.

Did they miss?

Everyone looked at Bellatrix Lestrange.

"Hold them off for a bit!"

The madwoman Death Eater left only one sentence, turned around, and disappeared into the underground pipes with a loud bang.

Frank was about to follow the spatial traces when he saw the Werewolf leader take a step forward, frowning as he asked, "Are you really going to stop us?"

Taylor Lautner shook his head, gesturing for them to look behind him.

Click—

A slight cracking sound rang out. The gray spell left by Bellatrix before she left was slowly corroding the gate. Dirty underground sewage gushed out along the crack. At first, it was just a small stream of water, but as the crack gradually widened, the stream of water also gradually increased.

When the crack split open into a hole, a withered, blackened corpse flowed out of the hole with the water.

"Werewolf, corpse..."

"Jimmy Bell murmured."

It was a Werewolf covered in black fur, its sharp nails gleaming coldly at the tips, terrifying fangs protruding from its upper and lower lips, its flesh withered and bloody, dragging tattered clothes. It slowly stood up from the dark, murky water, its sunken eyes wide open.

"It's Werewolf Inferi!"

Frank shouted sharply and immediately cast a Petrificus Totalus to immobilize the Werewolf Inferi.

However, the hole in the sluice gate grew larger and larger, and more Werewolf Inferi crawled out of it. The cold water level gradually rose, and before long, the number of Werewolf Inferi in the underground pipes exceeded the number of living people.

Looking up, they saw wet, black heads and claws emerging from the murky water—men's, women's, and children's—all with sunken eyes, floating toward them.

In the pitch-black sewage, a large number of Werewolf corpses slowly rose up.

The Aurors quickly retreated, leaving the Werewolf, led by Taylor, to face the Inferi. They stood there, staring blankly at the Werewolf Inferi, and even Lupin and Jimmy were somewhat stunned.

"So that's how it is..."

Jimmy said softly that most Werewolf have very vague memories, and when they lose their minds, they don't look in the mirror, and no one leaves them photos. Most Werewolf have never actually seen the true face of Werewolf.

Now, seeing these Werewolf Inferi approaching, they had an indescribable feeling.

Taylor Lautner and the others let the Werewolf Inferi cling to them and drag them down slowly. Sometimes the corpses would get tangled together and fall into the water, but they would quickly get up and continue moving slowly.

A sorrowful and melancholic glint appeared in Lupin's eyes. At Jimmy's prompting, he dragged the others back.

"[Petrificus Totalus] "

"[Three Feet Retreat] "

"[Impedimenta] "

"[Incarcerous] "

"..."

The Aurors dared not let the Inferi touch them, constructing a magical barrier that temporarily halted the Werewolf Inferi from advancing.

But the water level kept rising, reaching their knees. Everyone present knew that it wouldn't be long before these Inferi would drift away with the current, scattering along the sewers to all parts of New York, and crawling out of the sewers.

Someone tried the Freezing Charm, but freezing the gushing water was extremely difficult. After finally managing to freeze a wall, countless Werewolf Inferi easily smashed the ice.

"Go back and notify headquarters to seal off the underground pipes as soon as possible!"

The Aurors who came here were all just operations operators and didn't have much experience in handling emergencies. In their panic, their first thought was to return to headquarters.

Frank and Alice exchanged a glance. They wanted to stay, but knew that returning to Woolworth Building was the right choice. After a brief exchange, the Aurors quickly used Apparition.

"You should all leave here quickly!" Alice said to Taylor and the others.

The Werewolf Inferi posed little threat to the infected Werewolf, so Taylor and Lupin weren't too panicked. Some of the members couldn't Apparition, and others hadn't recovered yet, so the group had no choice but to stumble back.

Before long, only Loren and Hermione remained in the underground pipes, while the water flowed more and more violently, Werewolf Inferi came closer and closer to them.

The Ermine appeared in mid-air, its two short little paws gripping the transparent shoulder, and slowly transformed back into human form.

"Should we go find Professor Dumbledore?"

"The Aurors will inform them."

Loren examined the Werewolf Inferi floating in the water. The Werewolf's alien Magic Power was imprisoned within its body by another kind of Magic Power. As he had thought, this ability to maintain the Werewolf form after death was not lasting. It was the second kind of Magic Power that had broken through the limitation. Loren had never seen this kind of Magic Power before. It was somewhat similar to Voldemort's Wraith smoke, but even more evil.

Observing with Magic Sight gives one a chilling feeling.

Hermione watched as the water level rose higher and higher, almost reaching her waist. The sticky, wet feeling clung to her skin, making her hair stand on end and causing goosebumps to rise uncontrollably.

But she resisted the urge to leave immediately, even though the Aurors had already tried, and Hermione wanted to give it another shot.

"[Impedimenta] "

"[Petrificus Totalus] "

"..."

Werewolf fur offers unimaginable resistance to magic; spells applied to them are quickly broken.

Hermione decided to try a different approach, took a deep breath, and waved her wand.

On the floating trash affected by the Transfiguration, a shapeless wet cardboard box began to swell and rumble into a rough-edged boulder. One or two Inferi were squeezed against the pipe by the boulder and scattered into broken pieces. Almost no blood flowed out, probably because the process of preparing the Inferi had been drained.

The grayish-yellow muscles were interspersed with bone fragments, which made Hermione's face turn pale.

The boulder did not block the underground pipes as she had expected. Water pressure continued to build up on the other side, and Werewolf Inferi piled up, their sharp claws scraping against the stone.

Sizzle... sizzle...

Hermione soon lost control of her Transfiguration, and the boulder reverted to a wet cardboard box, which was then torn to shreds. The blocked water flow transformed into waves that crashed over the rocks, beneath which lurked restless Inferi.

Loren quickly cast Impediment Jinx to slow the water waves, grabbed Hermione, and used Blink to retreat a distance.

After several repetitions, the Werewolf Inferi slowed down its approach once again.

Hermione's lips pressed into a straight line as she turned to look at him. "Is there any other way, Loren?"

Loren twirled his wand, lost in thought.

With the water flow obstructing the way, conventional magic wouldn't be very effective against Werewolf Inferi, and besides, this was in underground pipes, so there was no telling if there was methane in the air or something. He was worried that if he rashly used Explosion Curse or unleashed Fiendfyre, he might cause a major disaster in New York before he could Werewolf Inferi.

If the battlefield is assessed after the battle and the damage caused by the Werewolf Inferi is not as great as his, then it will be difficult to explain.