Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle.

Chapter 365 Partners Meet
At two in the morning, it was pitch black outside the tavern.

In a bustling town like Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade, there might still be late-night drinkers staggering along the streets, and the streetlights and kerosene lamps outside shops might still be burning. But in Albania, there is only silence and darkness.

Ordinary wizard travelers are asleep in their dreams, unaware of everything in the darkness.

The very few guests who get up at night to go to the restroom may notice several shadows swaying in the forest and rustling sounds coming from the bushes as they look out from the corridor.

For example, Bertha Jorkins.

The second floor of the Forest Tavern has guest rooms, which are poorly soundproofed. You can hear the snoring of the guests next door, the clinking of glasses among the patrons downstairs, the flapping of wings by an owl perched in a tree, and the sound of spies from the camping tents outside.

Not all wizards choose to stay in taverns, not entirely because of the high cost. A few wizards have tents that are more comfortable and warm, and are well-protected, so there is no need to worry about security.

"Ok?"

Suddenly, I caught a glimpse of a familiar figure.

Jorgins's gaze, which had been casually sweeping across the room, turned back. He stopped walking back to his room, leaned closer to the corridor window, and peered down carefully.

A short, stout witch was seen encamped at the camp.

The figure was cloaked with a hood pulled over its head, but the disguise was not thorough enough. Its physical features were very obvious, revealing curly short hair and an eye-catching bow. It waved its wand and chanted a spell in a high-pitched voice, silencing the incessantly ringing alarm mirror.

They were cursing and complaining that the Bojinboke store sold counterfeit and shoddy products, and that the endoscope broke after only two weeks of use.

"?"

That Ms. Selwyn?
It wasn't just her!

There were also several wizards in those bushes.

Jorkins remained silent, leaning half his body out of the window to get a closer look.

The wizards hidden in the shadows did not act rashly when they saw the short, fat witch close the viewing mirror. They slowly approached the tent, hid in the bushes, and stopped to carefully examine their surroundings.

Jorkins hid on the second floor of the tavern, took a small step back, and disappeared behind the window.

There was a faint sound coming from below.

Umbridge closed the peephole, returned to the tent, and zipped up the zipper to isolate the inside from the outside.

The wizards, hidden in the bushes, crept closer.

Almost instinctively, Joggins held her breath and hid behind the window, peering through the crack. She saw the tavern waiter; his friendly smile from the daytime was gone, replaced by a somber expression.

Albania is not like Britain. The Ministry of Magic is just an empty shell. It cannot hire Aurors and strikers, nor can it form a Department of Law Enforcement. The order of the magical world in this region is maintained by the dark wizards in a tacit understanding.

Obey the rules of the Secret Code, do not reveal your magic to Muggles, do not duel in public, do not use the Unforgivable Charm without authorization, and do not rob in the street...

This also includes creating a favorable business environment.

They blatantly trampled on the tavern's sincerity and refused to pay after hearing the news.
Albanian wizards don't go to the Ministry of Magic to sue; their methods of collecting debts are simple and direct: they take both the principal and interest.

They found this witch from England without much trouble.

They had initially thought that Ms. Selwyn had gone far away and that they would chase her all the way to Lake Ohrid, but they never expected that she would dare to come back and set up camp right next to the tavern. They didn't know whether it was bravery or stupidity.

The witch from England was incredibly rude. I was trying to earnestly close this deal for the sake of the pure-blood holy clan's reputation, but she actually abandoned her honor and refused to pay, which is a disgrace to the pure-blood family.

The early morning hours are when sleep is at its deepest, and at this moment she removed the warning spycam, making it easy to launch a surprise attack.

First, we need to teach her a lesson, vent our anger, and make the witch from England understand the rules of business. Second, we need to recover the debt, interest, and lost wages.

If the witch is unwilling to cooperate, the Albanian forest will not refuse fresh nutrients.

The tavern waiter was experienced in nighttime raids, and once he got the witch to turn off the peephole, the rest of the work was much simpler. Even though there were several protective spells around the tent and the tent itself had an alchemical array, the tavern waiter didn't find it troublesome; he kept a few ground bats.

The ground bat is a magical carnivorous animal that is extremely dangerous. It often glides close to the ground at night in tropical regions, suffocating its prey by covering its face and swallowing it whole. It leaves no trace before or after its hunt, and conventional protection is ineffective against it. It is also very silent.

For a long period of history, ground bats were the nightmare of wizards in forests and wilderness until 1782, when Flavius ​​Bobby first escaped a ground bat attack in Papua New Guinea, unveiling the mystery of this dark creature.

The Guardian Charm is the only spell that can banish this creature.

Where in Albania can you find a sorcerer who can summon a guardian deity?

The tavern waiter opened his satchel, and a darkness deeper than the night flowed out. The bats flapped their wings silently, and Joggins had to squint to make out their outlines. The bats resembled black cloaks, about half an inch thick, with red eyes and sharp teeth.

Several ground bats quickly settled on the tent, their sharp claws hidden beneath their wings slicing along the zipper, but the magic and alchemy on it had no effect whatsoever.

A gash was quickly torn open, and the ground bat peered around cautiously before squeezing through the crack.

"..."

Jorkins was hiding behind the window, holding his breath in anxiety.

This was an unconscious reaction unrelated to memory. When Jorgins was in school, she was sorted into Gryffindor. Her impulsive personality was underpinned by kindness, and she was never afraid of criminals. It was also because of this personality that she accidentally stumbled upon that shocking secret, yet refused to submit, ultimately having her mind disrupted by the Oblivion Charm.

Jorgins stared at the breached tent, instinctively gripping the windowsill.

Was it a simple debt collection or a ruthless murder?

Will that woman be able to escape this calamity?
Jorgins' knuckles turned white from clenching his fists as he slowly reached for his wand inside his clothes, silently making a decision in his heart.

Mr. Crouch had given instructions in his memo that if they encountered any conflicts between local wizards on the road, they should not get involved. The Ministry of Magic badges indicated their identities, and as long as they did not cause trouble, they would not be in danger.

But that lady was a British wizard, and Ministry of Magic staff have a responsibility to protect the safety of British wizards.

The wand extended out the window, trembling slightly.

【Yugadimurleviosa】

The Levitation Charm has no obvious light or sound, so it can serve as a warning without causing trouble for the user.

Jorgins cautiously peeked out, wanting to see what was going on.

Less than ten feet away, a bat's head with red eyes and sharp teeth suddenly appeared.

Jorkins shuddered and almost cried out in surprise.

In the dim night, the tavern waiter stood in the bushes, his cold, sharp eyes appearing particularly gloomy when expressionless, radiating a chilling aura.

Jorgins was caught off guard when their eyes met, and he was startled. ...

The dim moonlight reflected on the lake, and the abundant moisture in the air condensed into night fog. The pheasants that foraged during the day were fast asleep, their heads buried under their wings and their newly hatched chicks hidden in their bellies.

Two malevolent predators stood guard outside the nest: a Balkan whip snake that preyed on birds and a male witch searching for his former master, both of whom had been busy all day without eating.

Now one is poised to act, while the other is cowering in fear.

Before the arboreal snake could launch an attack, the insect's tail had already grabbed its head and lifted it up:

"Master? Dark Lord? Is that you?"

"hiss……"

The snake, which was being held captive, flicked its tongue; it was weak and listless, having not eaten for a long time.

Wormtail's journey has been very unsuccessful. In the past few months, he has traveled all over half of Albanian forests, searching for venomous snakes like an eagle, but he is just a mouse and has found nothing so far.

According to Mr. Levent, the Dark Lord's spirit resides in these snakes. This parasitic relationship is unstable and has no clear pattern; it can only be found in strong, venomous snakes, as weak snakes cannot withstand the magic.

"If only I could speak Parsley... Why isn't there a Rat Man in this world?"

"hiss……"

When the snake was released back into the bird's nest, a cacophony of startled chirping erupted.

Insect Tail turned his head and glanced at the lake in front of him. When he came, he could still see the crescent moon reflected on the water, but now there was only a cloud of mist. His stomach rumbled. The food he had bought some time ago was all gone, and he needed to find a place to resupply.

"Let's go back to the tavern and have something hot."

"Let's get another room and have a good night's sleep."

……

"Stop making mistakes! We can sit down and talk things over!" The innocent female voice echoed in the air.

In the flat camp next to the tavern, the magical tent was overturned by the Levitation Charm, triggering the protective spells and alchemy on it. Four Groundbats were instantly exposed in mid-air. At the same time, Umbridge was also awakened, pointing her wand at the tavern waiter, her face flushed with anger.

"Do you think this is England? You think you can uphold justice on my turf?"

The tavern waiter was furious about this unexpected incident.

The tavern's shady business was exposed to its customers. He should have immediately manipulated the groundbats to slide onto the faces of the two witches, wrapping their heads with their thin, tough wings, and letting the cold magic drain the oxygen from their lungs.

However, he was a businessman, and the outstanding payments, lost wages, damage to the tavern's reputation, plus interest, amounted to a huge sum. Few wizards carried that many Galleons with them.

So he had to subdue those two first and then find another place to do business with them.

The tavern waiter gestured to several ground bats: "Smother them!"

With a "snap" in front of her, before Johansson could react, everything went black. Something cold sealed her face shut, and she felt dizzy, unable to breathe.

In the struggle, he fell from the second-floor window, letting out a muffled cry of pain.

Patronus Charm

The indistinct chanting echoed in the air. The tavern waiter looked up and saw a silver cloud of mist burst forth, from which a long-haired cat, gleaming with dazzling light, pounced with agility.

That is Umbridge's guardian spirit.

Many sources mention that only righteous wizards can usually use the Patronus Charm. If an evil black wizard attempts to cast the spell, not only will he be unable to summon the Patronus, but it may also cause his wand to backfire, summoning maggots to devour the user.

Umbridge thought the information was very accurate, and she considered herself a righteous and courageous witch!
The long-haired cat's sharp claws slashed through the air like tearing through leaves, sending several ground bats flying backward. They frantically pounced on the tavern waiter, quickly scurrying into his bag and disappearing from sight.

Jorkins clutched his back as he got up, greedily inhaling the fresh air.

Umbridge, wearing a fluffy pink nightgown and a black velvet bow in her hair, looked at the tavern waiter and said in a sweet, coquettish voice:

"Now I need compensation, what do you say?"

"Damn it! Don't let them get away, they have to compensate me for all my losses!" The tavern waiter's face was gloomy as he forced out a deep growl from his throat.

The bushes beside him swayed slightly, and several wizards with their faces covered emerged. These people were clearly tavern employees who had come out with their leader to collect a debt. They had been hiding in the back and had not come out before, but showed up after hearing the order.

……

At the crossroads leading to the tavern, Insect Tail moved with light steps.

Lake Ohrid and the forest do not restrict Apparition, only around the tavern. But the journey is not long, and just thinking about hot roast meat and soft beds makes the heavy body seem much lighter.

When he saw the light of the curse, it was too late to dodge.

A bright green light pierced the darkness, hurtling towards him at incredible speed. In an instant, it struck the insect's chest, sending him flying backward. He crashed into a tree and fell to the ground.

“It’s a knockback curse… not a killing curse…” Wormtail muttered thankfully, even forgetting to get up from the ground.

It was terrifying. Since arriving in Albania, he had witnessed many clashes between sorcerers in the wild, where they would frequently unleash unforgivable curses, leaving no one alive but either dead or maimed.

Rushing from the wilderness to the tavern late at night, suddenly attacked by a green curse, anyone would be so frightened that their heart would stop.

Wormtail happily got up, checked his limbs, and touched his nose and ears. They were unharmed. He looked up at the direction from which the spell had come. Two witches were fleeing. One staggered away, while the other occasionally turned back to throw a couple of spells.

Behind them were the tavern staff, working in perfect coordination, their pace varying from fast to slow, clearly trying to wear down the two of them.

“Umbridge…and another Ministry of Magic employee? Are they here to arrest me?” Wormtail hid behind a tree, not wanting to get involved in this troublesome matter.

The two witches fled in panic, heading towards an area where they could Apparate. But the spells behind them grew denser. Umbridge intentionally or unintentionally shielded Jorkins from the spells coming from behind, occasionally knocking back spells that struck her on the back, causing her to stagger.

A few minutes later, his trousers were torn by branches and stones, and wounds appeared on his calves and knees. The dripping blood turned into nutrients to water the plants.

The tavern waiter quickly noticed Umbridge's little trick, enjoyed watching Jorkins's embarrassment for a while, then turned his head to give a few instructions. The spells immediately changed direction and began to relentlessly pursue Umbridge.

When the knockback spell hits a fast-running person, the least that happens is that they stumble and fall after losing their balance. Several times, Umbridge felt like she was being kicked hard from behind, and she would roll several times after falling.

The path through the primeval forest was rugged and difficult to traverse, with crooked branches sticking out from the roadside. Umbridge's pajamas tore open in a stumble, revealing marks on her arm, and the ouroboros gleamed faintly.

(End of this chapter)