The Battle Begins Part 2

Malfoy turned and slew the Goblin on his left with a Wind Blade. Theodore didn't even look; he flicked his right index finger to the side and behind, instantly severing the magic of the dark wizard who was about to Cruciatus Curse. Crabbe punched and shattered the Minotaur's breastplate. Daphne's Light Mirror was placed in front of Goyle in advance, Cruciatus Curse to bounce back, and the dark wizard screamed and fell to the ground.

Fa-jie slowly walked out behind Daphne, her high heels lightly tapping the ground, the sound echoing coldly. Her steps were elegant, yet each step carried a chill.

Several Goblin pounced on her at the same time. Fa-jie raised her hand and gently clenched it. Suddenly, a small area of space centered on her froze. The Goblin ' short swords hung in mid-air, and their bodies were frozen in their attacking postures.

As the Fa-jie walked past them, she flicked her finger lightly in the air, dispelling the stagnation. Several Goblin fell to the ground simultaneously, and before they could even react, Crabbe and Goyle had finished them off.

More Slytherin students arrived from all directions—seventh-year, sixth-year, fifth-year—and under Ka-jie's constant direction, their wands glowed blue, and Ancient Magic runes exploded in the Hogsmeade night sky like blue fireworks.

Malfoy watched as more and more people surged forward; the Slytherin students were relentlessly breaching the enemy's defenses.

The battle lasted less than ten minutes. The Goblin in the narrow alley finally stopped pouring out, and the dark wizard who rushed out from the back door was gone too.

As Malfoy and Crabbe were cleaning up the last few Goblin back to back, Malfoy seemed to catch a glimpse of something extraordinary out of the corner of his eye.

It wasn't an enemy, but a head, suspended in mid-air, right in front of the Honeydukes.

The man, wearing round-framed glasses, with messy hair, a pale face, and pursed lips, was intently watching the battlefield.

His body was gone—or rather, it was covered by a silver Invisibility Cloak, but the cloak wasn't properly covering him; the head had slipped down, revealing his entire face, while his body remained hidden inside the cloak, making it look like a severed head floating in the air.

Malfoy nearly dropped his wand.

"Damn it—" He took a step back and bumped into Pansy's back. Pansy staggered forward from the impact, and the Ancient Magic rune in her hand missed its mark, hitting the wall of Honeydukes and blasting a hole in it.

"What are you doing?" Pansy turned around and glared at him.

Malfoy ignored her; he was now staring intently at the head, and the head was staring back at him.

"Potter?" Malfoy's voice was very low, so low that only a few people nearby could hear it.

Harry's expression changed—from tense to panicked, "Oh no, I've been found out!" He reached out to pull his cloak up to cover his face, but he moved too fast, and the cloak slipped down completely, exposing his entire body. He quickly pulled it back up.

"You—what are you doing here?" Malfoy's voice returned to normal, but his tone still carried a hint of annoyance, as if to say, "You fucking scared me to death."

Harry opened his mouth, but no words came out.

A Goblin rushed over from the side, but Malfoy didn't turn around; he simply swung a spell and sent the goblin flying.

"What are you doing? Spying on us?"

"I didn't peek," Harry said. "I was just passing by."

"Just passing by?" Malfoy glanced at his Invisibility Cloak. "Shouldn't you be at school right now? Oh... I see, you... snuck out?"

Harry didn't say anything.

Crabbe and Goyle also saw Harry; Goyle nearly dropped his dagger.

Pansy peeked out from behind Malfoy and was stunned for a moment when she saw Harry's face hanging in mid-air.

"Potter," Pansy said, "Where is your body?"

"Inside the cloak," Harry said.

"Then what is your boss doing outside?"

Harry opened his mouth. Listen to this—is this even human speech? He didn't want to leave his head outside either...

Malfoy stared at Harry for a few seconds, then slowly put away his wand, his expression changing from annoyance to speechlessness.

"You didn't see my... um... expression just now, did you..." Malfoy asked cautiously.

"I didn't see anything," Harry said.

"When you lie, your eyes dart to the left... Never mind, Potter, let's all perish together!"

Harry's eyes stopped darting around and he stared straight at Malfoy.

Malfoy felt uncomfortable being stared at, snorted, turned and walked away, Crabbe and Goyle followed behind, and Pansy took a few steps and then looked back at Harry.

"Potter, put your cloak on properly, don't catch a cold," Pansy said with a smirk, then turned and caught up with Malfoy.

Harry stood alone at the entrance to Honeydukes, clutching the Invisibility Cloak in his hand, then slowly crouched down and moved along the wall toward the village entrance.

Footsteps came from the village entrance, Su Yu pulled Hermione in. Fa-jie and Ka-jie were already standing behind him.

Su Yu walked up to Malfoy, looked at the enemy lying on the ground, and then at the Slytherin students.

"Malfoy."

"Chief." Malfoy immediately stood up straight.

"Casualties?"

"No one in Slytherin was injured! However, a few students from other houses sustained minor injuries."

Su Yu nodded. "Well done."

Malfoy's lips curled into a slight smile.

More hurried footsteps came from the village entrance. Professor McGonagall was at the front, followed by Professor Snape, Professor Flitwick, and Professor Sprout. The professors from several houses had rushed over as soon as they heard what had happened in Hogsmeade Village.

Professor McGonagall's face was ashen, her lips pressed into a thin line. Her gaze swept over the Goblin and dark wizards lying on the ground, then over the Slytherin students, lingered for a few seconds, and then turned to the professors behind her.

"Treat the wounded." Professor McGonagall's voice was filled with anger. "Notify the Ministry of Magic. Seal off Hogsmeade; do not allow anyone to enter or leave."

Professor Snape walked up to Malfoy, looked down at him, and Malfoy looked up. Snape's lips twitched slightly, but he said nothing and walked past him.

Professor Flitwick crouched down to examine an injured Goblin, while Professor Sprout bandaged a Hufflepuff girl whose arm was bleeding.

Professor McGonagall walked up to Su Yu, looked at him, and then at the Slytherin students behind him.

"Mr. Sue Fuli"

"Professor."

"Your student used magic in Hogsmeade Village and engaged in a battle," Professor McGonagall said calmly, more as a statement than an interrogation. "What do you have to say about that?"

Su Yu paused for a moment. "Can I say they did a good job?"

Professor McGonagall's lips twitched.

She turned to face all the Hogwarts students. "All students, pack your belongings immediately and prepare to return to school. Hogsmeade Village is temporarily closed until the Ministry of Magic completes its investigation."

No one objected, and the Slytherin students, arm in arm, walked towards the village entrance.

Malfoy Earth Flow ahead, with Crabbe and Goyle following behind like two gatekeepers. Pansy linked arms with Daphne, while Blaise and Callis brought up the rear, carrying a large bag of snacks and whispering to each other.

The night sky over Hogsmeade lit up again—it was a searchlight from the Ministry of Magic. Several figures walked in from the village entrance, dressed in dark robes with the Ministry of Magic's emblem pinned to their chests. The one in the lead wore gold-rimmed glasses and had a serious expression.

Professor McGonagall went to greet her.

Su Yu stood at the entrance of Honeydukes, holding Kurama, watching the Slytherin students excitedly Earth Flow past him one after another. Kurama peeked out from his arms, looking at the mess on the ground.

Kurama thought for a moment. "They really did a great job this time."