Quirrell instinctively raised his wand. Even if he couldn't capture the leader, he should at least leave one or two Werewolf underlings for later interrogation.
With a flick of his wrist, several " Impedimenta " appeared like invisible barriers blocking the Werewolf's retreat. However, as the Werewolf leader ran, he suddenly swung his body, and the layer of dark blue magic covering his entire body suddenly expanded, like an invisible shield crashing head-on into Quirrell's magic. The Impedimenta and dissipated Silencio, like waves hitting a reef.
The Werewolf's figure vanished into the dark depths of the forest in an instant, its footsteps quickly swallowed up by the wind in the woods.
Quirrell lowered his hand, gazing at the forest where the Werewolf had disappeared. He then turned to look at the golden light receding behind the Hogwarts Express, letting out a soft breath. In the end, he stopped chasing, after all, the students on the train were his top priority.
Besides, Dumbledore has already arrived, so I can take this opportunity to catch my breath. I shouldn't have taken this train.
Deep in the mountains, the Werewolf leader, along with a group of disheveled subordinates, scrambled over the hill in front of them in one breath. Only when they were sure there were no pursuers behind them did they finally slow down.
Moonlight filtered through the sparse foliage, casting dappled silver light on the ground.
"Dispel the transformation." The Werewolf leader commanded in a deep voice, then Apparition away. "Greyback, you stay."
The remaining Werewolf shed their fur and fangs, reverting to human form. They pulled wands from their tattered clothes, one by one turning and disappearing with a series of soft popping sounds.
Soon, only the Werewolf leader and Fenrir Greyback remained on the hill. After Greyback's transformation, he retained some Werewolf traits; his fangs hadn't completely retracted, and the claws on his fingertips hadn't entirely disappeared, making him appear somewhat incompletely evolved.
"Patriarch," Greyback bowed slightly, his tone perfectly respectful, "What are your orders?"
The Werewolf leader sized up his descendant, whose signs of atavism were obvious. His gaze lingered for a moment on Greyback's protruding fangs before he spoke, "You said before that a human wizard contacted you, wanting to enter Hogwarts to do something?"
Greyback nodded. "Yes, he is--"
"I don't care who he is." The Werewolf chieftain raised a calloused hand and decisively interrupted him. "You can go help him. If manpower is needed, others from the tribe can be deployed. I have only one request."
Greyback held his breath, waiting for what would follow.
"After entering Hogwarts, find the Child of Prophecy."
Greyback frowned slightly, a hint of probing in his voice. "After finding it... shall we bring it out? Chieftain, do we really want to lift the bloodline curse? Wouldn't that mean we'd lose our Werewolf powers?"
The Werewolf leader sneered, a cold, eerie glint flashing in his red, vertical pupils under the moonlight. "That's what the old bat in the Gori was thinking. I only need you to know one thing: bring it out if you can, and if you can't... just kill it."
A gleam of excitement instantly lit up Greyback's eyes. He clearly preferred a direct and straightforward solution to a convoluted execution process.
"However," the Werewolf leader added, "You don't know the specifics of the Prophecy enough. I'll go back and look at the will left by the previous patriarch, but I remember two lines. One is—'Dancing with death high in the sky, creating miracles from the impossible.' The other... seems to point to a family with a long history."
After listening, Greyback scratched his thick, bushy head, muttering to himself: This clue is far too vague. Just the "historically significant family" part alone could connect to at least half the students at Hogwarts.
But after thinking about it again, he stopped worrying about it.
At worst, we can just kill a few more.
Using quantity to compensate for precision is always a safe bet.
Quirrell bent down to inspect the ropes binding the Vampire. The magic was flowing normally, so he straightened up and boarded the Hogwarts Express again along the carriage steps.
He walked towards the front of the Hogwarts Express, intending to see if Professor Marlene's efforts to clear the landslide were going smoothly, and if the boulders couldn't be moved anytime soon, he could lend a hand.
However, as soon as he approached the train, the air in front of him suddenly churned violently.
A ball of crimson-gold flame suddenly exploded out of thin air beside the train, sweeping outwards with scorching heat waves. Amidst the swirling flames, a slender figure slowly emerged from within.
Dumbledore's white robes fluttered slightly in the embers of the flames, Fawkes body was covered in flames, perched on his shoulder, while in one hand he held a black shadow that was tightly bound by golden light and huddled into a ball.
The dark figure was none other than Gori. At this moment, his entire body was tightly bound by the light rope, his posture was disheveled, and his whole body exuded a faint smell of burning, obviously having just experienced a baptism of fire and light.
"Good evening, Headmaster." Quirrell suppressed his surprise and greeted him calmly. "It seems you've caught the biggest fish among tonight's intruders."
Dumbledore nodded slightly, but his gaze did not immediately fall on the Gori. Instead, he twitched his nostrils slightly, as if searching for a scent in the air.
He turned his head to look at the dark forest behind the train, and said calmly, "But what I smell seems to be more than just the blood of bats. There's also... the scent of Werewolf."
Quirrell followed his gaze and glanced at the forest, replying truthfully, "Indeed. A whole Werewolf participated in the attack, but they probably sensed your arrival and hastily retreated into the depths of the Werewolf just before you arrived. I was afraid someone might take the opportunity to board the train, so I didn't give chase."
Dumbledore withdrew his gaze, a cryptic smile playing on his lips. "It seems I'll have to visit those old friends, or perhaps their children, myself another day. I originally thought that apart from a few troublemakers scattered elsewhere, the rest of the Werewolf pack had been quite well-behaved these past few years. I never expected them to be mingling with Vampire."
As Dumbledore finished speaking, his gaze shifted to the train ahead, landing on the distant, shadowy, collapsed mountainside in the night.
Under the moonlight, the mountain resembled a reclining dragon lying across the railway tracks, completely blocking the road. In mid-air, a slender figure could be vaguely seen flying swiftly along the cliff face. As the robes fluttered, something flew out and landed on the mountain.
Quirrell followed his gaze and immediately introduced, "It's Professor Marlene. She's clearing the rubble from the landslide ahead to ensure the train can resume operation as soon as possible."
"Since Professor Marlene is handling it, there's no need to worry. Just hope it doesn't cause too much of a commotion." Dumbledore withdrew his gaze, his tone gentle yet authoritative. "I have some matters to discuss with Mr. Gori. Oh, and I've taken these little Vampire with me as well."