The Death of an Enemy

Watching Argeleia disappear among the trees on the other side, Hoffa leaned against the trunk, looked up at the sky, and took a deep breath with his eyes closed. His trembling hand clenched into a fist.

The adrenaline flooding his body had left his mind in a state of extreme excitement and tension.

Yet the fear of facing death alone made him tremble uncontrollably.

Would she come back?

Or would she not?

Hoffa did not know.

If possible, he did not want to place his life in Argeleia's hands. He simply did not want to trust someone who had always opposed him.

Even if she abandoned him and slipped away alone, Hoffa would not find it strange. He could never guess what she might do.

Everything she had done was merely meant to get him expelled.

Though he did not want to admit it, he and Argeleia were the same kind of person—equally self-centered Ravenclaws. The only difference was that Argeleia was openly selfish, while Hoffa hid his selfishness.

Perhaps that was why they hated each other so much.

Hoffa did not know what Argeleia would choose.

But he had no choice.

Other than cooperating, he had no other option.

At that moment, countless inexplicable, chaotic thoughts flashed through his mind. It was as if hundreds of people were whispering endlessly in his ears.

"There's no way she's coming back."

He opened his eyes and let out a sigh. The warmth from his lungs condensed into patches of mist in the late-autumn, early-winter air.

Feeling slowly returned to his numb fingers.

The starlight overhead was dazzling.

Those whispers gradually faded away into nothingness.

They were the shadows in his heart. Strangely, once he had made his choice, those shadows seemed to slowly disperse.

Some strange power supported him, allowing him to face the fear in his heart and confront his own nature.

Was it love?

Was it hope?

Yes.

And yet, perhaps neither.

He had merely broken free from a numb, indifferent life.

He was trying to understand himself.

Behind him, that damned Phantom Monkey began screeching again. It leaped from side to side through the canopy, drawing closer to where Hoffa was hiding with every jump.

Hoffa stood motionless, quietly practicing his meditation technique. Any bit of magic he could recover was worth recovering.

At last, the Phantom Monkey found Hoffa's position. With a whoosh, it jumped onto a tree in front of him and tilted its head at him excitedly.

Hoffa merely gave it a cold glance and continued practicing the meditation technique with all his focus.

A few seconds later, footsteps sounded behind him.

Even with the Phantom Monkey pointing out the direction, the two dark wizards remained extremely cautious.

"Other than hiding, what else can you do? Face me."

Schmidt's soft yet chilling voice rang with striking clarity through the Forbidden Forest.

Hoffa did not move. He was still recovering his magic.

Schmidt paced slowly. "How does Hogwarts have a weak student like you? Did Dippet add a new House just for cowards?"

Hoffa paid no attention to his insult, but the man's voice was only ten meters away. His opponent could attack at any moment; he could not hide any longer.

Hoffa stopped meditating and stepped out from behind the tree.

Schmidt immediately raised a hand, stopping the subordinate beside him.

The two stood face-to-face in the middle of the forest.

The night was pitch-black. Strange howls and bird cries drifted faintly from the woods around them. At the bases of the trees, clusters of mushrooms glowed with white fluorescence. These luminous mushrooms were the only light source in the Forbidden Forest at night.

Schmidt stood among the trees ten meters away, while Hoffa leaned against a fir tree.

Countless Swooping Evils already hung from the branches of that fir tree. They watched Hoffa hungrily. At a single command from Schmidt, they would tear Hoffa to pieces in an instant.

But Hoffa did not think his opponent would do that just yet. At least until he got what he wanted, he would let Hoffa live for a few more minutes.

"Overdrawing your magic doesn't feel good, does it, little boy?" Schmidt asked softly.

"If you run again, you might turn into an idiot."

Schmidt's tone was gentle, but utterly emotionless.

In fact, ever since Hoffa had first met the man, Schmidt had remained in a state of blank-faced indifference, as though someone had severed the nerves in his brain responsible for feeling emotion. His face had become a mask.

"You can try."

Hoffa grinned, gripping his wand in his hand.

Fighting was not an option. He could only stall for time through conversation.

"I've killed many wizards," Schmidt said. "But I have to say, you're the second most troublesome one I've ever encountered. What magical secret do you have that lets you escape the effects of spells again and again?"

"I'm flattered. I'm not even the first."

Hoffa spoke slowly and glanced toward the depths of the Forbidden Forest.

(Two minutes had passed, and he still did not know whether Argeleia would return.)

"What is your name?"

Schmidt stepped closer.

"Tom Riddle," Hoffa answered honestly.

"Tom, is it? I admire your talent and abilities. Come with me. This place is not suitable for you, nor is it suitable for your growth."

As Schmidt spoke, Hoffa's mind inexplicably began to sway. It was as though his words contained some strange power, making people unconsciously want to relax and draw close to him.

Hoffa bit the tip of his tongue. The bloody taste in his mouth cleared his mind.

The meditation technique he had practiced for more than half a year showed its effects here. His mental strength was extremely high, and the bewitching spell had no effect on him.

Hoffa stared coldly into the gray eyes on the man's poker face.

"What are the benefits? What do I get out of it?"

He would not agree, but he needed to stall for time.

Four minutes had passed. There was still no sign of Argeleia returning.

"Benefits?" Schmidt tilted his head.

"You do not look like the descendant of some pure-blood family. What do you think Hogwarts will teach you? They will only train you into a soldier, then send you to the battlefield to serve the Ministry of Magic and Britain's upper class."

Schmidt took another step forward.

"You will become a pawn of those ancient pure-blood families, a puppet controlled by Dippet. Is that the life you want?"

He took another step forward, shortening the distance between them to five meters. Hoffa's heart rose into his throat. His feet tensed, and his fingers gripped the bark tightly.

Above him, saliva from the Swooping Evils dripped onto Hoffa's shoulders and hair.

"Capable people have never been willing to submit to others. Those lofty pure-blood families will inevitably vanish with the passage of time. That is the inevitable course of history."

Schmidt tilted his head and spoke calmly.

"The world of wizarding families will eventually be broken apart and become a world of individuals. Hogwarts will be no exception."

"Is that so? Who taught you those words?" Hoffa asked, his fingers clenched tightly around the trunk.

"Tom, you stand on the wrong side. We can strive together toward a greater goal. Follow in the footsteps of the great Gellert Grindelwald with me." A rare curve appeared at the corner of Schmidt's mouth.

"I don't know any Gellert Grindelwald," Hoffa said cautiously.

"You will know him soon, Tom."

As he spoke, he moved even closer.

(Five minutes had passed. Hoffa's heart slowly fell from its suspended height. The depths of the forest were silent. Argeleia had not returned.)

"Can't you let me think about it? My mind is a little confused."

Hoffa said.

Schmidt stopped walking. A sliver of a chilling smile mechanically spread across his poker face.

Time passed second by second.

It felt as though every passing second stripped a little more hope from Hoffa's body.

Six minutes passed.

Hoffa felt that perhaps he had trusted the wrong person. Perhaps no one would come to help him. Perhaps everyone was a selfish animal.

An eagle soaring high above was destined to be alone.

"Have you decided?"

Schmidt slowly drew his wand. Above them, countless Swooping Evils opened their mouths.

The moment he brought down his wand, Hoffa would undoubtedly die.

Seven minutes.

Hoffa sighed in despair and released his hands from the tree.

"You win. Take me with you."

"Hoffa!!"

A sharp cry came from deep within the forest.

He turned his head and saw Argeleia standing among the trees, panting heavily.

Then her body bent into an arc, and she hurled a glimmering speck of light with all her strength.

"Catch!"

It was a restorative potion!

Hoffa's eyes lit up instantly.

That little girl had really come back!

Like a traveler wandering through the desert who had suddenly spotted a pool of clear water, an invisible force violently shoved him from behind.

Watching the potion bottle descend rapidly through the air, he did not know where he found the strength, but he reached out to snatch it.

However, Schmidt's lips curled slightly upward. It was as though he had been prepared all along. He flicked his wand like lightning.

The wand drew a silver arc of electricity, flashing through the air like an electrified whip and striking the glass bottle with perfect precision.

The bottle shattered.

Countless tiny shards of glass rained down.

Hoffa, who had leaped into the air, froze in shock.

His hope had been shattered by that blow as well. Clearly, Schmidt had been guarding against him all along and had not relaxed his vigilance in the slightest.

Schmidt withdrew his wand, looked at Hoffa's hand hanging in midair, and said softly, "With one rabbit missing, did you think I wouldn't keep a backup plan?"

Hoffa's expression froze. A terrible premonition suddenly rose in his heart, chilling him from head to toe.

He abruptly turned toward Argeleia and shouted, "Run!!"

But it was already too late.

ROAR!

The next second, accompanied by an earth-shaking roar, a massive beast hidden in the dark forest leaped out.

It was as large as an adult male lion and incomparably vicious!

It was Schmidt's juvenile Poison-Pouch Leopard!

It opened its huge maw, lined with layer upon layer of fangs, and lunged at Argeleia standing in the Forbidden Forest with lightning speed.

In a single bite, it swallowed her upper body into its mouth.

CRACK!

One bite, and she was torn in two.