Shawn was in no hurry to follow her into the dilapidated old house. First, he waved to the Purple-Robed Squad that had been watching from a distance, signaling them to leave.
Then he took out his wand and flicked it gracefully. A purple net of lightning, shaped like a bird's nest, appeared out of thin air and sealed the old house tightly within it.
Still in no hurry, Shawn waited outside with his wand held behind his back.
Before long, a heart-wrenching scream came from inside.
"Ah!"
Shawn raised an eyebrow. That scream had come from a woman.
He wondered which poor fool had fallen for the trap and triggered the devastating curse on Voldemort's Horcrux ring.
He stepped inside. Though the Gaunt Shack was dilapidated, he could still see that its ancestors had once been truly wealthy.
Even rotting and ruined, the columns and roof beams were clearly made of fine, precious timber.
Crack!
As Shawn looked around, he accidentally punched a large hole through the paper-thin floorboards with his foot, sending ants and other insects scurrying beneath them.
Disgust crossed his face, and he hurriedly cast a Levitation Charm on himself.
Only then did he make his way lightly toward the inner rooms.
After crossing a neglected courtyard, he reached the Rear House.
There, he saw a woman wearing glasses, gazing longingly in one direction and murmuring something as tears streamed down her face.
Black mist swirled around her right hand, which was rapidly withering, the flesh burning and corroding away to expose her finger bones.
Fortunately, a string of round beads at her chest was giving off a faint golden light that resisted the black mist, keeping the curse from killing her outright.
Shawn had already recognized the woman. His expression turned strange, even incredulous.
The Gaunt