Death Eaters

"Harry, you just agreed to it like that?"

"Do you know what a wizarding duel is?"

"Do you know what a wizarding duel means?"

Ron Weasley stared at Harry in disbelief, filled with shock.

Ron Weasley had never expected Harry to accept Malfoy's challenge to a wizarding duel that night just like that.

"Isn't it just a fight between two people?" Harry asked somewhat puzzled.

Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger both covered their foreheads, looking utterly helpless.

"Harry, a wizarding duel is a duel between four people. They send two, and we send two. One is the main challenger, while the other is the assistant."

"Now I'll be your assistant. But if you die, then as your assistant, I'll have to take your place."

"That also means someone is bound to die."

Ron Weasley hesitated before explaining it to Harry, and he even promised to be Harry's assistant.

Hearing Ron Weasley's words, Harry's expression changed slightly.

Did he really have to kill someone?

He couldn't do that!

But he absolutely would not die, nor would he let Ron Weasley die for him.

Thinking of this, Harry tightened his grip on his wand.

"You really don't need to worry so much."

"Harry can now skillfully wield Wind Element Magic and Fire Element Magic. Ron Weasley, you've also mastered Earth Elemental Magic."

"But what about Malfoy?"

"He might only know a Levitation Charm, or perhaps sparks for lighting!"

"His magic is inferior to yours!"

Hermione Granger explained with a faint smile from the side.

Harry and Ron Weasley were briefly stunned upon hearing this, then smiled confidently.

The three continued eating, but before long, Harry and Ron Weasley's expressions became somewhat unnatural.

After finishing their meal, the three did not immediately return to the Gryffindor common room. Instead, they went to see Katelyle.

"Professor Katelyle!"

Harry and the other two greeted him. Katelyle smiled faintly and said, "Magic first, or Potions?"

"Potions!" Harry said seriously.

They had already discussed it. They would formally study Elemental Magic Studies in class the next day. For now, they would cram Elemental Magic Studies with Katelyle first, then dazzle Severus Snape in his Potions class with outstanding results.

Neville arrived shortly afterward as well.

When Neville came over, he looked rather nervous and furtive, afraid of being discovered.

Katelyle waved his hand, and everything in the hall was put away. Then, a fully equipped laboratory bench appeared before them.

"Then let's begin!"

Katelyle's gaze swept over the four of them as he smiled.

Harry and the other three nodded, then began receiving Katelyle's Potions instruction.

The lesson lasted for three hours. By around ten at night, Harry and the other three felt as though their tightly wound nerves were becoming unbearable.

Throughout the entire process, they kept alternating between studying and practical work.

Katelyle was extremely strict in his teaching. They had to memorize the formulas, but they also needed precise control and speed.

Katelyle did not care about waste at all. If they failed, they simply started over.

Neville was clearly having a rather difficult time. In his haste, he was most likely to forget something, leading to failure.

Katelyle did not scold him harshly. Though he was gentle, he still placed considerable pressure on Neville.

But a plump boy who was soft on the outside and strong within had a remarkably resilient heart, great flexibility, and an exceptional ability to withstand pressure.

While teaching, Katelyle suddenly looked into the distance, then smiled. "All right, that's enough studying for today. Go back and get some rest first."

Hearing this, Harry and the other three all breathed sighs of relief. They quickly cleared away the various experiments on the table before leaving and returning to the Gryffindor common room.

After Harry and the other three left, Katelyle turned his gaze toward the distance, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

The next moment, Katelyle transformed into a crow and flew swiftly into the distance.

On a mountaintop five kilometers from Hogwarts, Katelyle stood on a tree branch, his small eyes surveying the surroundings.

A moment later, Katelyle spotted three figures moving through the darkness.

Light flashed in Katelyle's eyes. He spread his wings and swooped down, transforming into human form.

Katelyle's appearance immediately put the three moving figures on guard.

One of them even cast a spell directly.

"Diffindo!"

Katelyle waved his hand, and a magical barrier rose up, blocking the incoming spell.

"You shouldn't have come here," Katelyle said as he looked at them.

The three people opposite him were all dressed in black robes, and a peculiar aura emanated from their bodies.

They shared the same identity: Death Eaters.

Death Eaters were Voldemort's followers scattered throughout the land, and each of them bore the Dark Mark on their left arm.

Of course, the reason Katelyle had discovered their presence and sensed their approach was the Dark Mark.

Over the years, he had secretly dealt with quite a few Death Eaters. He was exceedingly familiar with that Dark Mark.

Interestingly, Voldemort needed to touch a Death Eater's Dark Mark in order to sense the existence of other Death Eaters.

But Katelyle could sense them directly.

One Death Eater stared at Katelyle and asked in a low voice, "Who are you?"

His companion was highly skilled in Dark Magic, yet Katelyle had effortlessly blocked Diffindo.

Thus, they were all deeply curious about Katelyle's identity.

Katelyle smiled faintly. "You shouldn't be approaching Hogwarts at this time. My students aren't ready yet."

"You're a Hogwarts professor?" one of them asked instinctively.

"Reducto!"

One man's question became another man's opportunity to attack.

It was likely a tactic. The questioning was merely meant to draw Katelyle's attention.

Yet what shocked the three of them again was that the spell struck the barrier once more, while Katelyle remained completely unharmed.

"Death Storm!"

Katelyle drew his wand, looked at the three before him, and smiled. "Feel the taste of the wind."

Hearing Katelyle's words, all three of them raised their guard.

But it was clearly futile.

In an instant, a violent gale swept them all up, and countless wind blades tore through their bodies as screams rang out.

Only moments later, the gale dispersed. Large swaths of the surrounding trees had been sliced apart, and the three had already died miserably within it.

Katelyle did not care in the slightest. He conjured flames and burned the three bodies.

Just as Katelyle was preparing to leave, a cloud of green vapor suddenly appeared where the three Death Eaters had been burned, forming a blurry human figure.

"I'll remember your aura!"

"I'll come find you."

The hoarse voice carried an eerie note.

Hearing it, Katelyle smiled faintly. "Your arrival will be welcome!"

With that, Katelyle casually waved his hand, stirring up a gale that scattered the figure. He then transformed into a crow and flew away.