Wolf Attack

Linley looked in the direction Cedric was pointing.

The Whomping Willow, which was usually very violent and constantly thrashed its branches, was unusually calm tonight, as if dead.

Beneath the Whomping Willow, a struggling figure lay on the ground.

Cedric ran over without a word. Just as Linley tried to stop him, he couldn't, and could only helplessly follow behind him.

As they got closer, they saw that the figure lying on the ground, appearing to be in extreme pain, was someone they recognized.

It was that first-year young wizard from Ravenclaw—Ian Campbell.

Cedric's good-natured personality kicked in. He crouched in front of Ian and said eagerly, "You look like you need help. Is there anything we can do?"

But the young wizard on the ground didn't appreciate it. His pale face looked unusually ferocious, and two canine teeth were faintly visible in his mouth.

"I don't need it! Go! Get out of here!"

Linley already felt something was wrong. He looked at the full moon shining softly in the sky and recalled all the strange things he had seen since encountering Ian. His expression instantly turned extremely grim!

He suddenly grabbed Cedric's arm and shouted anxiously, "Go! We have to get away from him now! Back to the castle!"

However, it was already too late!

Ian underwent an astonishing transformation before their eyes!

With a terrifying roar, his head elongated, and his body grew. His shoulders hunched, hair sprouted on his face and hands, and his fingers curled into sharp claws!

A complete werewolf transformation process unfolded right in front of Linley and Cedric!

Cedric seemed frozen in shock. Linley dragged him, unresisting, back towards Hogwarts Castle.

But as they passed the Whomping Willow, the ground beneath Linley and Cedric suddenly gave way, and both of them fell.

Linley felt incredibly unlucky.

He only now remembered that the original story mentioned a secret passage under the Whomping Willow by the Black Lake that led to Hogsmeade.

That passage was originally built for the werewolf wizard Remus Lupin, allowing him to transform at the Shrieking Shack in Hogsmeade during every full moon to avoid harming others.

Now that Hogwarts had another young werewolf, it was natural for the professors to decide to reopen this secret passage.

However, it had brought disaster upon Linley and Cedric.

The normally active Whomping Willow had suddenly gone quiet, clearly indicating that Ian had already activated the secret passage. He hadn't had time to enter before the transformation began.

Then Linley and Cedric had walked right into the trap.

"We can't go back up now," Cedric said, having calmed down.

"If we can't return to the castle, we'll follow the secret passage. Hurry! If he catches up to us, we're finished!" Linley's voice was urgent; he didn't want to be bitten by a werewolf, as that would ruin his wizarding career.

The two of them ran frantically through the secret passage. But when they were about halfway through, Linley suddenly stopped Cedric.

"What's wrong?" Cedric asked, panting heavily.

Linley didn't speak, listening intently for a moment.

"He's not chasing us."

"Yeah, why isn't he chasing us?" Cedric also sensed something was off.

"How much do you know about werewolves?" Linley asked.

Cedric, being from a pure-blood family with a solid background, had read far more popular magical world books since childhood than a young wizard like Linley, who had entered the magical world later.

"Their transformations are beyond their control. They transform every full moon without fail. After transforming, they generally lose their sanity, leaving only the instinct to attack other humans. If there's no one around, they'll harm themselves until the full moon ends."

"So, we should be the only two people around him? Why isn't he chasing us?" Linley grew more perplexed the more he thought about it.

Cedric was still young and had no idea what to do now.

"What do we do now? Should we go back and check?"

"No!"

Linley immediately rejected Cedric's suggestion. Going back now was too risky.

"Let's wait here for half an hour. If we hear anything, we'll keep running. If we don't hear anything, we'll go back and check."

Linley proposed this not because he was brave, but because just moments ago, the system that had been dormant in his mind had suddenly issued him a quest:

[Series Side Quest Activated!

Quest 1: Converse with the werewolf Ian Campbell.

Reward: Unlock Constitution attribute, Constitution +1]

Setting aside everything else, the biggest piece of information this system quest provided was that the werewolf named Ian had a problem.

He was different from other werewolves.

Linley paced anxiously in the secret passage.

Honestly, being a bit of a coward at this moment was the wise choice.

Exiting this secret passage, running to Hogsmeade, and then returning to Hogwarts from Hogsmeade was the safest plan.

But Lynn was also eyeing that Constitution attribute.

Although his system panel didn't have a Constitution attribute at all, he had a premonition that if he missed this opportunity, he probably wouldn't be able to unlock this attribute again.

Half an hour passed quickly, and there was still no movement from the secret passage entrance.

Lynn had already made up his mind and decided to take a risk.

He looked at Cedric and said solemnly.

"You stay here and don't move. I'll go to the entrance first. If it's okay, I'll call you over."

Hearing Lynn's words, Cedric's face immediately turned red, and he looked at him angrily.

"Lynn! You don't consider me a friend!"

Lynn didn't expect his reaction to be so strong. He was taking the risk to gain benefits, and there was no need for Cedric to accompany him on this risky venture.

Lynn rubbed his forehead with a headache.

"I mean we can't both take the risk. Otherwise, if something happens, wouldn't we be walking into a trap?"

"Then I should be the one to go check things out first. After all, I'm older than you, and if it weren't for me, you wouldn't have encountered this danger at all!"

After speaking, Cedric ignored Lynn and walked towards the secret passage entrance on his own.

Lynn couldn't do anything about his stubbornness and quickly followed him.

They walked until they were close to the entrance, and their footsteps began to slow down.

The exit was directly above them, but there was no sound from outside.

Lynn suddenly pressed Cedric's head down and whispered, "Don't move yet, I'll see if he's outside."

Cedric glared at him from below but knew it wasn't the time to speak, so he didn't resist further.

Lynn poked his head out of the secret passage entrance and quickly scanned his surroundings.

The next moment, he met a pair of emerald green eyes.

Lynn was startled at first, then quickly relaxed.

Because there was no chaos or brutality in those eyes, only a coldness as still as dead water.

Under the soft moonlight, a young werewolf with pure white fur sat quietly next to the Whomping Willow.

He seemed to blend in with the surrounding night, so natural, unique, peaceful, and—lonely!

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