Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world.

Chapter 251 Hogwarts Limited Edition Wilderness Survival

As he spoke, Vaughn spread out his palms: "Because of them, humans can use tools, create writing, design rituals, concoct potions, and wield wands—nimble hands are humanity's greatest strength, and the fundamental reason why wizards once accepted elves, centaurs, and merfolk. So, Isha, a powerful wizard who created the werewolf virus in an attempt to forge the perfect body, would she abandon this enormous advantage of her hands and regard the giant wolf as the perfect creation?"

Isabella was at a loss for words and fell into deep thought.

"certainly."

Vaughn continued, "I am convinced that the giant wolf is not the final creation of that wizard because of another point—the werewolf virus carried by the giant wolf itself is completely inactive compared to its parent organisms. In other words, it has lost the ability to spread the werewolf virus."

"This outcome is completely contrary to the ideas of the virus's creators. Only natural evolution would follow this path. After all, a healthy ecosystem cannot allow a component like the werewolf virus, with its terrifying ability to reproduce, to exist; its existence would only lead to ecological collapse!"

Isabella, who had received some Muggle higher education, could understand the Muggle terms in Vaughn's speech.

But she couldn't tell whether Vaughn's speculation was right or wrong.

But more than that, she was curious: "So, in that case, the giant wolf isn't worth studying for you?"

"Not exactly."

Vaughn smiled, his eyes lowered, looking down at the areas in the forest below, created by the small world he had "commanded" to alter the terrain.

The figures of the young wizards and the giant wolf were all hidden among them.

From this angle, those areas look like a maze.

It is both a labyrinth for young wizards and a giant wolf's!

"While giant wolves aren't particularly valuable in tracing the origins of the werewolf virus, their existence can be a great help to me on another level."

"Da da da da"

The sound of hurried footsteps echoed through the woods.

Ron was breathing heavily, feeling as if his lungs were on fire, the burning pain assaulting his nerves, making each breath feel like swallowing a bunch of razor blades.

He didn't know how long he had been running, nor how far he had run.

He had no idea how many minutes earlier, his mind had become "dull" due to the increased oxygen consumption caused by the strenuous physical activity, and he was just blindly following Hermione and Harry, mechanically running forward.

What kept him going was the light yet occasionally heavy footsteps of the giant wolf chasing after him, a pursuit that was impossible to ignore.

Ron dared not stop.

Despite the inertia brought on by exhaustion, his mind kept conjuring up stories that the giant wolves wouldn't dare kill anyone, and that Vaughn couldn't possibly allow the giant wolves to harm them.

But, unfortunately, he witnessed Neville being carried away by a giant wolf like a rag doll.

Perhaps Neville really isn't in any danger.

But getting injured hurts too!

Ron felt his thinking was still normal and didn't want to personally experience how painful an injury really was. He thought that anyone who wasn't afraid of pain must have something wrong with their brain!

Moreover, everything around them had changed dramatically since they entered the mountains.

First, the ground shook.

Then, Ron saw with his own eyes a row of soil with tree roots rise up, forming two "earthen walls" of unknown length and about 10 feet high, surrounding the direction they were escaping, leaving a narrow passage about 8 feet wide.

Ron wasn't stupid; he could tell at a glance that Vaughn and Professor Rozier had altered the terrain to separate them from the other teams.

This also ensures that they are constantly threatened by the giant wolves' pursuit!

What a treacherous fellow!

"Whoosh!"

Muttering to himself, Ron followed Hermione and Harry, quickly vaulting over another patch of protruding buttress roots, when he heard the giant wolf chasing after them growl again.

He glanced back.

As they ventured deeper into the jungle, in the already darkened landscape, three pairs of eyes, flickering like will-o'-the-wisps, lingered about twenty feet behind them like shadows.

At such a close distance, Ron vaguely thought he could even feel the hot breath exhaled from the wolf's kiss, which, combined with the gloomy atmosphere of the forest, made him feel chilled, as if they could pounce on him at any moment and then snatch him into their mouths like Neville!

Ron struggled to lift his leaden legs and catch up with Hermione and Harry.

hateful!

Aren't those two guys tired?

As if hearing his complaint, after running for a while, Hermione suddenly stopped, and Harry reacted quickly and stopped as well.

Only Ron, unable to stop in time, crashed headfirst into Harry's back. Poor Harry, so thin and small, couldn't withstand a headbutt from the tall and strong Ron.

The two immediately rolled around in a ball.

Ron was furious and struggled to his feet: "Hermione, you—"

"Shh"

Hermione glared at him, but didn't say anything more, turning back to stare ahead.

Over there, the shadows cast by the canopies of countless large trees were densely packed together, so dark and deep that you couldn't see the sky when you looked up, nor could you distinguish the ground when you looked down; you couldn't see anything at all.

Sensing the seriousness in Hermione's voice, Harry raised his wand: "Hermione, is there something over there?"

"Can't you smell it?"

"What do you smell?"

"A damp, bloody smell!"

As they spoke, the two "useless boys" vaguely saw Hermione wave her wand:

"Incendio!"

Unlike when she blocked the giant wolf before, this time the fire spell condensed into a large fan-shaped stream of flames at the tip of Hermione's wand.

The surging flames shot through the air like splashed water, spraying forward.

The fire released a bright orange-red light in an instant, illuminating the path ahead.

The next second, the things in the dispelled darkness came into Harry and Ron's view, and the two gasped. Under the dense canopy in front of them, what blocked the light and made the night so dark that they couldn't see their own hands was not just the lush branches and leaves.

There were also thick, densely packed vines, some growing from the ground and others hanging down from tree branches.

If that's all there is to it, it's just another "wooden wall".

But what made their scalps tingle was that as Hermione unleashed her magical fire, the dense vines seemed to instantly transform into the tentacles of some indescribable creature.

They twisted, knotted, and wriggled.

At first glance, it looked like countless snakes hanging in front of the three of them, their round, slippery bodies writhing in the firelight. Just one look was enough to feel their cold, dampness and the wriggling itch as they crawled on one's skin.

Ron suddenly covered his mouth.

Harry fared slightly better, but he was still pale. Then, by the firelight, he noticed Ron's throat bob, and his puffed-out cheeks deflated again.

Realizing something, his face paled even more, and he quickly changed his attention: "Hermione, what is this?"

Compared to their fear, Hermione's expression was much more normal: "Devil's Web—don't tell me you don't know about it, Harry!"

"Well----"

"—Good heavens, did you really take a herbalism class last semester?"

Amidst the blushing embarrassment of the two "useless boys," Hermione explained the habits and characteristics of the Devil's Web.

Hearing that the Devil's Web would entangle and strangle its prey, and looking at the countless vines in front of them, Harry and Ron became increasingly pale.

"In other words, if you hadn't stopped us just now, and had instead charged straight up—"

Hearing Harry's slightly trembling question, Hermione nodded: "We'll be entangled by it. You can imagine yourself being strangled by hundreds or thousands of pounds of force, unable to move, only feeling it tighten little by little, breaking our skin, crushing our bones, and finally turning us into a soft, mushy mess of flesh, which will then be digested by its secreted mucus—"

"stop!"

Harry couldn't listen anymore, because he saw Ron's throat move several times before he finally couldn't hold it in and vomited.

He also felt a little nauseous.

However, the good news that he was relieved to know was that they did not rush into the Devil's Web as Hermione had described. Moreover, based on Hermione's retelling and their actual experience, the Devil's Web was indeed very afraid of fire.

But the bad news is—

"Do we have to go through them?"

Harry stared blankly at the snake-like vines still writhing in the firelight.

"Of course," Hermione said. "There are earthen walls on both sides, so it's impossible to go any further. If you want to continue, you'll have to go through them, unless you're willing to turn back and deal with those three giant wolves."

Speaking of the giant wolf, Harry and Ron, who was still gagging, glanced back.

They hung about twenty feet apart, just like the three of them when they escaped.

Harry exclaimed in surprise, "They've stopped!"

"Hmm," Hermione said, "It seems I was right. Their goal in this practical lesson is to force us to keep running deeper into the area. As long as we don't turn back, we should be safe."

Is that right?

Harry and Ron exchanged a glance, perhaps out of unspoken understanding as good friends, both seeing fear in each other's eyes.

A devil's net lies ahead, and a giant wolf looms behind.

No matter which option I choose, it doesn't seem very reliable.

After a moment's hesitation, and seeing Ron's wink, Harry couldn't help but cough: "Hermione, how many of the other teams do you think could spot the Devil's Web beforehand like you?"

Hearing this, Hermione thought for a moment: "I don't know about Slytherin, but as for Gryffindor, based on her classroom performance, I think Parvati might notice. She takes notes very diligently in class, but I'm not sure if she can withstand the visual impact of the Devil's Web—"

Harry didn't want to hear about how attentive others were in class, so he implied, "So, even if we stop here, there's no guarantee that any other team will be ahead of us, right?"

Hermione finally sensed he was having second thoughts, rolled her eyes, but nodded anyway: "Theoretically, yes!"

Harry breathed a sigh of relief: "Then—"

Before he could finish speaking, Hermione interrupted him: "But we can't be sure the other teams are also facing the Devil's Web. This is the first practical lesson, and the difficulty level for each team might be different. In any case, I want to keep going, and I want to get first place, Harry!"

'

'

Seeing Hermione's serious expression, Harry felt a little tired.

He knows it!

Hermione is great in every way, except for one flaw: she's too competitive!

While Harry and Ron were hesitating, unsure whether they should go "crazy" with Hermione, the three giant wolves behind them, responsible for driving them away, were also discussing their options.

Like humans, giant wolves also have names.

The leader of the three-headed wolf squad is named Sebastian, after his parents who smuggled themselves from Central Europe to England.

Werewolves face a difficult situation in Central Europe. On the one hand, their diverse ethnic backgrounds lead to internal factional chaos, and they almost all live in small family units.

On the other hand, being close to the Balkan Peninsula, the stronghold of dark wizards, the dark wizards prefer to capture werewolves who have no social status or identity as experimental subjects, making their external living environment extremely poor.

Born in England, Sebastian had never been to Central Europe and had absolutely no recollection of his legendary homeland, Hungary.

Because its parents died more than ten years ago, that poor werewolf couple believed Voldemort and the Death Eaters' lies and acted as henchmen for the purebloods, thinking that in doing so they could obtain the security, identity and recognition they promised.

The reality is that the werewolf was betrayed by his own master the moment Voldemort fell from power.

They carried the werewolf's head, saying that the werewolves were Voldemort's henchmen, and that they had only committed the great sin because they were controlled by the dark magic of these evil creatures.

Sebastian's parents were two of the heads taken to the Ministry of Magic.

Sebastian's other two giant wolves, Jack and Freya, also had the same parents.

They were the first group of giant wolf cubs that Dumbledore took in after the war and settled in the Forbidden Forest. Thanks to Dumbledore's protection, they were not implicated by their parents and were not targeted by the Ministry of Magic and the pure-bloods.

Of the pure-blood Death Eaters, aside from a few who refused to surrender and fought fiercely to the death, most were either exonerated or imprisoned in Azkaban.

Those who are werewolves and are called "Death Eaters" will only face retribution, and even their children will suffer the same fate.

The world is full of double standards.

Sebastian and his two companions were very grateful to Dumbledore, who had given them the possibility of continuing to live. Therefore, when Vaughn dragged Dumbledore to their tribe a few days ago, hoping that they would provide some "hands" to join the practical classes.

The three of them immediately signed up.

Then they learned the name Vaughn Weasley.

Of course, they had heard of this name before. Since the beginning of the year, some centaurs had been spreading his fame in the Forbidden Forest: the savior of werewolves, the father of wolfsbane potion, the wizard most likely to lead werewolves to walk under the sun.

As time went by, even the unicorns, who had disappeared for a while, were talking about Vaughn Weasley during the summer.

However, the giant wolf tribe, which was then isolated in the forbidden forest, did not have detailed knowledge of this.

It wasn't until this time, when they came out and, thanks to Dumbledore and Professor Isabella Rozier's subscription to the Daily Prophet, that the giant wolves finally realized what Vaughn Weasley had done for the werewolves and the existence of the C organization.

For Sebastian, Jack, and Freya, everything Vaughn did was so novel and amazing.

And I'm still feeling uneasy!

"Seba".

To Sebastian's left, Freya, the relatively petite and slender giant wolf, gazed at the three young wizards discussing something about twenty feet away, and asked in a slightly strained but clear voice, "Should we continue to drive them away? Or wait here?"

Having human parents, the giant wolf naturally speaks human language.

Before Sebastian could answer, Jack, to its right, was eager to help: "Let's keep chasing them. We haven't even reached the actual trial location yet. We can't let them dawdle any longer during the hour and a half of class."

Upon hearing this, Freya said with some displeasure, "Jack, don't forget Mr. Weasley's real purpose. He invited us to participate, not for you to vent your violence!"

Jack disliked Freya's rule-abiding manner.

It certainly knew what Mr. Vaughn Weasley meant by these giant wolves—as the first ordeal the young wizards faced as they entered the practical course, they were both the monsters that threatened them, their supervisors, and their guardians.

Their duty is to drive the young wizards into the trial grounds while also ensuring their safety.

What did Mr. Weasley say again?

"You must befriend the wizard."

A few days ago, they followed Mr. Vaughn Weasley into this little world, surrounded by dense forests, and he spoke to them.

Jack didn't like that.

It hates wizards—besides Dumbledore, and now perhaps the "stench" of Mr. Weasley and his ilk, steeped in magic, which involuntarily reminds it of the terrible experiences it had more than a decade ago.

Exclusion, pursuit, and purge.

The young animal lost its parents in a single day and was driven from its home by a wizard.

It was precisely because of this experience that, after being assigned to live in the Forbidden Forest by Dumbledore, Jack was not as comfortable accepting of his new life as Sebastian and Freya.

For over a decade, if the centaurs hadn't blocked the road from the Forbidden Forest to Hogwarts Castle, it and other giant wolves with similar experiences and ideas would probably have already run to the castle and challenged the descendants of those wizards.

Of course, also because of his past experiences, Jack felt great sympathy for the werewolves outside the Forbidden Forest who looked different from him.

Therefore, after first hearing Vaughn's name from the centaurs, he became very curious about this werewolf savior.

Recently, curiosity has turned into worship.

The reason is that a few days ago, after Mr. Vaughn Weasley came to the tribe, he set up a liaison office in the tribe, and the person in charge of the liaison office was named Barnard.

In Jack's eyes, Barnal was a lucky man—well, fundamentally, he had a tragic past, infected with wolf disease, and when he transformed on the night of the full moon, he personally slaughtered his relatives, exiled himself, and didn't even have a surname.

But Jack still considers himself a lucky guy because he met Mr. Weasley and became an important helper in Mr. Weasley's rise to power.

Jack, who is already 20 years old, has never been exposed to normal social environment because he has lived in the Forbidden Forest for many years. His thinking and cognition are still like those of a teenager with delusions of grandeur. He envies Barnal.

I envy him for being able to stand beside a hero.

It was also from Barnard that Jack learned about another thing Mr. Weasley was planning, besides preparing for his so-called practical course, which involved werewolves, and why they were required to befriend wizards.

In the new year, a considerable number of werewolves (children born to werewolf couples without a full moon ceremony, not giant wolves, but only inheriting the werewolf virus, and are born werewolves) in England have turned 11.

Due to the characteristics of werewolf syndrome, such as the forced transformation and loss of rationality during the full moon, the proportion of wizard bloodlines is relatively high among werewolf groups, resulting in many children possessing wizarding talents.

In the magical world, 11 years old marks the beginning of puberty. The burst of magical power ends at this time, and the physical, magical, mental, and intellectual growth of a young wizard enters a stable period marked by this age.

If a young wizard at this stage cannot receive systematic education, at best their magical talent will be wasted due to self-doubt.

In severe cases, a distorted mind and body can cause a young wizard to slide into the dark side, giving birth to an Obscurus in loneliness and pain, and becoming an Obscurial.

The appearance of any silent individual is a mockery, irony, and a source of pain for the entire community.

"The North American and European magical communities, by completely eliminating the birth of Obscurians, tout themselves as representatives of the civilized world, but their conclusions clearly haven't taken werewolves into account!"

Jack recalled his conversation with Little Barnal in the tribe a few days earlier.

Barnard still remembers the pain on his face when the Obscurials were mentioned.

"In fact, it has never disappeared from the werewolf pack. Almost every year, we have heard that a new Obscurial has been born in some werewolf settlement in some mountain range, year after year."

"In the settlement I joined, there were four cases of Obscurus over three consecutive years—even though their parents tried their best to get guidance from werewolf wizards, the nomadic life, the isolated environment, and the monthly full moon transformation—"

"They were uncontrollably terrified of themselves, and their werewolf identity exacerbated this self-denial and self-loathing. They slid into the abyss, unwilling to wake up—and so the Silent One naturally absorbed their pain and became the vessel for their empty bodies."

"In the past, we were powerless to change anything and could only watch in despair as the children in the settlement with wizarding talents walked step by step into darkness, waiting in despair for the day when they would be swallowed up by the Silence, or killed by their own parents."

The giant wolf is neither human nor a wizard, so it is not possessed by the Obscurus.

Therefore, Jack could not empathize.

But it knew that the bloodshot eyes of little Barnal, who spoke those words to it, held no pleading or forgiveness.

Instead, it is filled with hatred for humans and wizards!

Young Barnard, filled with resentment, yet also with reverence and a sense of powerless indignation, conveyed Mr. Vaughn Weasley's will: "—The gentleman said he was prepared to open a werewolf class at Hogwarts, and he did not want to see the Obscurus inhabiting the bodies of wolf cubs any longer."

"Think about it, we're really incompetent. Mr. Weasley has already done so much for us, but we still can't eliminate the wizards' fear and resistance to wolf-like diseases—Mr. Weasley thinks you can do what we can't, which is truly shameful. But I think you and your companions might be able to alleviate some of Mr. Weasley's burden—"