Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle.

Chapter 228 The Little Witch and the Little Girl

Those strange, dark faces, like three demons, with empty eye sockets that exuded an indescribable eeriness, floated indistinctly in the thick, gray fog. This fog seemed to envelop the entire museum, and beneath the dim, leaden clouds, only the churning fog could be seen.

“Bastad, my servant, my child, my warrior, it is truly gratifying that you have found new friends…”

A figure appeared at the end of the corridor, wearing a long cloak with his face hidden under the hood.

The little girl stared intently at the dark wizard, her thin body trembling slightly. Hermione turned to look at Bastian, and she suddenly realized that Bastian wasn't afraid. His usually pitiful little face had a particularly complex expression, and his eyelashes trembled constantly.

“Come back to me, kneel down and kiss my boots, put the collar back on, and become my slave again.” The dark wizard’s sinister voice was laced with laughter. “As a reward for you, I can let her live.”

Hermione felt a chill run down her spine as the dark wizard's gaze swept over her, as if she were being watched by some ferocious beast. The last time she had this feeling was in the Chamber of Secrets in Slytherin.

"Hermione told me that no one is anyone's slave, and that everyone is born equal and free."

Bastian repeated these principles somewhat haltingly, his expression solemn and earnest: "I am not your slave, Mother is not your servant, and Pikani and the others are not your puppets."

"You little puppy who was just unchained yesterday, listening to that stupid little witch talk about human dignity? You think you'll have freedom and equality once you get to Paris? Do you remember what your mother told you before she died? Slaves should obediently follow orders!"

The dark wizard raised his head, revealing a handsome but pale face, like a priest in a church, only with an exceptionally ferocious expression. As he waved his wand, his face twisted as he shouted:

[Soul leaving body]

Before Hermione could raise her wand to retaliate, Bastian turned to the Grangers with a faint smile on his face, as if to say thank you to them.

A bright blue light shone in his eyes, and his whole body transformed into a cloud of white mist, rushing towards the Soul-Stealing Curse with a whooshing sound. The whirlwind raged, and the beam of the curse was extinguished like a candle flame, without causing any ripples.

The cloud of mist, its momentum undiminished, hurtled straight towards the black wizard. Just as it was about to strike his chest, the black wizard suddenly let out a strange cry:
"Piccani! Piccani!"

The howling wind rattled the glass, making a rattling sound as if it might shatter at any moment. The Granger family looked up in horror and saw the leaden clouds in the sky suddenly pour down, transforming into a vast expanse of black mist that collided with the cloud of mist that Bastian had transformed into.

A powerful blast of air swept through, cracking the floorboards inch by inch. The rubble was crushed into dust by an invisible force, as if the entire museum had been swallowed up.

As the whirlwind gradually stabilized, the sky turned a hazy gray. Through the layers of mist, one could smell a faint scent of despair, lingering and persistent. Hermione, merely affected by the residual force at the edge, felt a heaviness in her chest and could hardly breathe.

Although the specific details of the struggle are unclear, judging from the area covered by the fog, it seems that Bastian has the upper hand for the time being.

The dark wizard's hood had already been blown off by the gale, and he silently blocked Bastian's attack in time, but some wisps of mist still hit him, breaking several ribs as a result. His face was completely distorted with pain.

"Damn it! Damn it! I'm going to break all your bones later!"

"..."

Hermione watched the staggering figure, took a deep breath, suppressed her chaotic thoughts, and, fueled by the anger within her, swung her wand:
【Split into pieces】

Faced with the incoming blue beam of light, the dark wizard didn't even look up, casually casting a spell, still the Imperius Curse.

The two spells collided, and the blinding beams of light, like the sharp tips of swords rubbing against each other, hissed and sparked in mid-air before finally dissipating into wisps of smoke.

Hermione failed to subdue the leader of the dark wizards first, and the dark wizard also failed to easily control the little witch. It seemed like a draw, but Hermione was gathering her magic and looking for an opportunity to cast the spell, while the dark wizard simply waved his wand and easily stopped the attack with the Unforgivable Curse.

Anyone could see the danger.

The Grangers exchanged a glance, reached an agreement without a word, and rushed out from either side, actually trying to use their bodies to buy Hermione a chance.

The two used the display boards in the corridor as shields, while throwing random objects they had collected at the dark wizard.

One of the pebbles struck his chest, aggravating his broken ribs. The dark wizard cried out in pain, a flash of rage and malice in his eyes. He swung his wand left and right, unleashing two spells.

A dark red beam of light flashed by.

The foam and plastic display board offered no protection whatsoever. The curse entered the Grangers' bodies one after another, causing them to freeze in their forward momentum and fall to the ground, motionless.

Hermione's eyes instantly welled up with tears.

Completely disregarding her fear and the fact that the dark wizard's magic was more powerful than hers, she seized the opportunity, waved her wand, and instantly completed the incantation. The scarlet spell roared out and arrived before the dark wizard in the blink of an eye.

Hermione, having received extra lessons in Charms, didn't waste the opportunity her parents had earned. This time, she didn't send the Obscurial to help in the raid. Wizarding duels are decided in an instant; regardless of the spell, as long as it can neutralize the opponent's fighting power, even a basic spell will work.

The dark wizard finally swayed, seemingly having succeeded.

Hermione, having landed a hit, did not let her guard down. Taking advantage of his inability to defend himself, she waved her wand incessantly, her lips moving as she chanted spells: Stunning Spell, Binding Spell, Freezing Spell, and Repel Spell. More than a dozen spells hit him in succession.

The dark wizard's body was thrown backward by the magical impact, then fell heavily to the ground, splashing water and dust.

Hermione stopped in her tracks, staring intently at the dark wizard. She slowly exhaled, her expression extremely grave. Her small face was tense and expressionless. She quickly ran to her parents to check on them. Their faces and hands were pale, and the veins under their skin were almost visible.

Body temperature is normal, breathing is even, and heartbeat is strong.

Before Hermione could even catch her breath, she heard the sinister voice again.

"Don't worry, they'll come in handy later. They'll be the nourishment that helps you grow strong, and I wouldn't want to waste them." The black wizard stood up at some point, coughing while clutching his chest.

Hermione's pupils contracted: "You... how could you..."

"How can someone with over a dozen curses still stand up?"

The dark wizard spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, and with a cold smile, pulled out a piece of soft armor from under his cloak. The armor was covered in cracks. "Something made of dragon scales might not be very useful against the Aurors, but it'll be enough to deal with a little witch like you."

"Last summer vacation... Romania..." Hermione's mind flashed with a lot of news.

"You mean the operation to steal the dragon eggs last time?"

The dark wizard strolled closer unhurriedly, seemingly enjoying the look of panic on her face, even willing to answer her questions, "Those idiots are indeed our men, but they're hired hands, all fools. They didn't deliver a single dragon egg." [She faints.]

Hermione didn't comment on the case from last summer, and while he was lost in his memories, she raised her hand and cast a spell.

The dark wizard calmly looked at the incoming beam of light, which was bright and swift. Having learned from his previous mistake, he no longer aimed at the easily hit chest area, but adjusted his direction to cast the spell directly at the head. His aim was excellent, and he could even feel a faint itch between his eyebrows.

"You've done a great job as a junior wizard."

The dark wizard unleashed a misty spell, crushing the stun spell, but his eyes never left Hermione. He praised her in a sinister tone, "Your magic surpasses that of your peers. If you could transform into an Obscurus, you would be even more outstanding than Bastad."

"Her name is Bastian now!"

"It will be changed back soon, and you will have a new name: maid, handmaid, slave girl... Which one do you like?"

Hermione's response was three consecutive spells, which, though unsuccessful, seemed to anger the dark wizard. He stopped a dozen feet away and slowly raised his wand, aiming it at her eyes.

"Keep waving your wand. These are the last few times you'll touch it. From today onward, you will hate yourself for having a wand, hate yourself for being a wizard, hate yourself for having magic."

The dark wizard chuckled softly, "I will use the Imperius Curse to control you, making you kill your parents with your own hands and completely reject magic."

Hermione was not a coward. She had been exposed to medical anatomy and surgery since childhood, and after growing up and being exposed to magic, she knew ghosts and dark creatures. Even when facing Voldemort, she did not flinch or back down. But looking at those sinister eyes not far away, she suddenly felt that the person standing there was a devil who had come out of hell.

Kill with your own magic...

Hermione could hardly imagine such a thing. A chill ran down her spine and spread throughout her body. Fear made her tremble involuntarily, and her hand holding the wand was bloodless and trembled slightly.

"Perhaps you haven't experienced the deadly curse yet?"

The dark wizard seemed quite pleased with her reaction, teasing her repeatedly, "You won't lose consciousness. When you wake up, you'll retain this memory, remembering every detail clearly, their expressions, their convulsions and cries of pain. This scene will keep appearing in your dreams, and you can see it as soon as you close your eyes."

Hermione tried to control her thoughts and find a way out of the predicament, but those devilish whispers kept drilling into her ears. The more she tried not to listen, the clearer they became, and they even swirled in her mind, constantly eroding her will.

Having tasted enough fear, the dark wizard began chanting the spell, deliberately slowing his tone:

[The soul... leaves the body]

A dim white light gathered at the tip of the staff, then slowly detached and drifted over. As the distance closed, the ray of white light gradually filled the entire field of vision, slowly touching the fair brow and disappearing into Hermione's head.

Hermione blinked, a strange look appearing in her eyes.

"Now, obey my will and kill them."

Hermione glanced at the dark wizard, then at her parents lying on the ground, slowly raised her wand, paused in mid-air, and looked on with a questioning expression.

The dark wizard seemed to understand his question, and said with a sinister grin, "Use whatever spell you like, make them suffer unbearably, wake up from their unconsciousness, roll on the ground, and let out a beautiful wail..."

[Four pieces... torn apart]

Hermione chanted the spell slowly, a faint glow gathering at the tip of her wand. Just as the last note ended, the little witch turned her wand around, and the long-brewing spell roared out, heading straight for the dark wizard.

A beam of light flashed by and struck the black wizard's head. Caught off guard, he could only raise his left hand to block it.

The black wizard's left hand trembled as if it had been chopped off a cow's rib. The skin and bones tore apart instantly, and blood gushed out from the cracks. The entire left hand was almost shattered into pieces, with only some skin, flesh and fascia sticking it together, and bone fragments were exposed.

The intense pain nearly made him faint. He staggered backward and fell to the ground, unable to maintain his slave owner's posture any longer. He cried out in agony, like a mentally unstable person who had lost his mind.
"My hand, my hand! You lowly slave girl, how could this be? How come you weren't controlled by the Soul-Stealing Curse?"

"You can go to prison and think about this!" Hermione rarely cursed, though she didn't understand why, but that didn't stop her eyes from blazing with anger. "I hope there are Dementors in French wizarding prisons too!"

Then came a steady and powerful disarming spell. The black wizard, who had collapsed to the ground, tried to dodge and brace himself with his hands, but his left hand, which was almost shattered into pieces, nearly fell apart. The broken bone fragments tore through his flesh, and the large amount of blood made him dizzy, and his vision began to go black.

The right hand, which was tightly gripping the wand, felt as if it had been struck by a heavy hammer, and the wand instantly slipped from the hand and fell to the ground.

The dark wizard strained to open his eyes, but he could no longer see his surroundings. The little witch's figure split into several parts, surrounding him from all sides. The howling wind carried Bastad's voice, as if it wanted to tear him apart.

He completely lost his mind, becoming delirious from extreme terror, shaking his legs and shouting:
"Pikani! Pikani! Help me!"
"Buck! Winnie! Take me away from here!"

In the hazy gray sky, an overwhelming black fog swept out, and three faces appeared, crashing down onto the corridor. Violent shockwaves pounded against the walls, as if the entire building was about to collapse. The white fog trailed behind the black fog, whipping up a gale that tore and dragged it away. Through the fog, it looked like a ferocious beast tearing apart its fleeing prey.

A faint metallic smell filled the air—the blood mist dissipating from Silent Man's wounds.

Despite being severely injured and having its body torn apart and devoured, the three wisps of black mist still ignored everything and relentlessly rushed towards them.

The white mist kept pulling and dragging them from behind, but it could not stop their movement.

The faces in those places were blank and lifeless, their eyes filled with despair from the depths of their souls—a despair in which anger and hatred had been emptied out, devoid of any emotion.

This place is about to collapse! We must get my parents out of here immediately!

Hermione thought quickly, casting a levitation spell on her parents' clothes, trying to drag them away, but this speed was no match for the approaching fog, and she could only watch helplessly as the thick fog engulfed her.

The face of a demon appeared in the black mist, the howling wind sounded like the wailing of a vengeful ghost, and the destructive power surged and raged, tearing apart the glass curtain wall and ripping off the floor and wall plaster.

In the instant before destruction struck, Hermione heard a familiar and gentle voice.

"armor……"

Professor Levent said so.

(End of this chapter)