The mastermind behind Hogwarts

Chapter 141 Hogwarts Turns into a Haunted House

The atmosphere suddenly became heavy, devoid of any joy of victory.

"Your Majesty," Moriarty patted the arm of his mount, "Faster, faster!"

The king flapped his wings twice as frequently, the whooshing sound of the wind assaulting Moriarty's eardrums, and the dagger-like gale slapping Moriarty's cheeks.

Moriarty used magic to create a protective shield for himself and the King, and flew towards England against the gale.

At six o'clock in the morning, the Purebloods crossed the English Channel and returned to England.

At eight o'clock in the morning, the pure-blood army flew back to Hogwarts.

Despite it being a bright, sunny morning, Hogwarts Castle was pitch black.

A huge shadow loomed over the castle, projecting onto the ground and revealing a vampire's head.

The ghost's head had a handsome face with a slightly sinister smile, staring straight at Moriarty.

"It's Dracula's face."

Moriarty recognized the head; he had seen it before in Quinlan's memories.

Moriarty's face darkened. The strangeness of the castle was linked to Dracula's ghost head, and the answer seemed to be obvious.

Overnight, Hogwarts, the castle that never sleeps, was transformed into a sinister and eerie haunted house.

Only the bright red chandeliers hanging from the tower emitted a faint light. The castle's exterior was smeared with blood, and a stench permeated the air. A squad of armored guards stood on either side of the entrance, but their helmets were nowhere to be seen.

"The headless armor," Jericho whispered. "It must have been the headless knight; he's taking revenge."

"I wonder if the Headless Horseman will take revenge on the people in the castle, cut off their heads... and smear their blood on the castle!"

Charlie tried to keep his voice from trembling too much. Inside the castle were not only his classmates and professors, but also his three younger brothers!

"I don't think so," Tonks said, his sharp gaze falling on the blood smeared on the castle's exterior. "It smells strongly of blood; it's sheep's blood, and pig's blood too."

Tonks frequented the Hogwarts kitchens and Hufflepuff dining halls, and she was actually the one among them who knew the most about blood.

After hearing this, Charlie's panic subsided.

"When shall we go in, sir?" Leon asked Moriarty, his face serious.

"The Headless Horseman is just Dracula's corpse. He doesn't have the ability to change the appearance of the castle. I think it's possible that viral magic controlled the students and professors, manipulating them to decorate the castle like a haunted house."

Moriarty addressed the purebloods, and they all nodded in agreement.

Tonks asked, "And then, what should we do?"

"Stay here quietly. I'll check out the situation inside first." Moriarty gave everyone a reassuring look, then planted his staff in the ground, chanted a spell, and began to investigate Hogwarts.

A few seconds later, Moriarty saw clusters of magical halos representing the size of a wizard's magic power appear in his eyes, and he saw a black spot on each halo.

The spots grew larger, expanded, and penetrated deeper into the halo with tremendous force, and the halo struggled painfully, but to no avail.

"No wonder it's called viral magic by vampires. It really is like a virus—cunning, sinister, and ubiquitous."

Moriarty finished his investigation, and the purebloods hurriedly asked about the situation. Moriarty shook his head. He noticed that the largest and most radiant halo was covered with spots.

"Headmaster Dumbledore has also been affected by Dracula's virus magic!"

Everyone fell silent, as if they had suddenly lost the ability to speak.

As if to prove Moriarty's words, the demon head on the ground grinned and let out a hoarse laugh.

"I sense someone is exploring the castle. Is it you, Moriarty Slytherin?"

Aside from your Headmaster Dumbledore, only you are allowed to explore the castle. Come, look at your castle, your school, your professors and classmates. Please look.

The castle gates were flung open with a crash, and students poured out, standing outside the castle to confront the Pureblood Army.

The students were all terribly pale, their heads drooping, and strange red light flashed in their eyes from time to time.

They were wearing school uniforms and scarves around their necks, but Moriarty noticed a string of mysterious black runes around their necks.

Charlie saw Percy and the twins among them and ran over frantically, only to be pulled back by Leon's magic after running just a few meters.

"What did you do to them?" Charlie yelled at Dracula, his face turning from red to purple with rage.

"Nothing much—I haven't had a chance to do anything yet. You've returned just in time. It seems the vampire you were fighting has failed."

Dracula remained calm and composed, telling Charlie that he hadn't done anything to his brothers and showed no fear of Moriarty and his group.

He even had the leisure to comment on vampires, saying, "This generation of vampires is terrible! I suspect that the vampires don't take me seriously at all, sending a bunch of weak vampires to do my bidding."

Jericho drew his wand. "So you admit it? You're the headless vampire Zudracula?"

"My dear Jericho, I must apologize to you. I deceived you." Dracula blinked. "But please believe me, this was not my intention—I have been sealed away for thousands of years, and I long to come out and see the world."

"Come on," Jericho said, his face grim, a cold smile curving his lips. "Stop trying to sweet-talk us. You've never earned our trust."

"Yeah?"

Dracula said jokingly, "If you weren't so captivated by my story, why would you let me go time and time again?"

If you hadn't listened to me, how could you have allowed me, the real culprit who was causing trouble in the castle, to continue wandering around and affecting the little wizards' moods from time to time?

If you didn't trust me, why would Hogwarts Castle have fallen into my hands?

My dear Jericho, I want to hear what you have to say.

Oh, I remember now. There were three children listening to my story: Moriarty, Jericho, and a girl.

Who is she? I don't see her. Please call her here.

Moriarty, I've prepared a game especially for the three of you. You can bring Jericho and that girl to play. I guarantee you'll have a unique gaming experience, just like when you listened to my stories in front of the murals.

Okay, you've said a lot in one go, now it's your turn to speak, Jericho, my darling, you start.

Dracula moved his mouth slightly, revealing a contented expression like a cat playing with a mouse, and lazily looked at Jericho.

He was met with Jericho's curse: "Tears to pieces!"

"Bang!"

A crater was smashed into the ground, and the projected ghost head became wrinkled and crumpled. Jericho ran over and stomped on it a few times.

"If I ever hear you call me Dracula again, I'll give you a memory you'll never forget."

Jericho drawled, his face expressionless. "As for your opinion? Do you even need to ask? I've heard you're a master at manipulating people. You're welcome to try and read my mind, but you'll soon be fleeing in terror, because all I can think about is the gruesome sight of you torn to pieces!"

"Very good, quite good. Remember, I gave you a chance." Dracula's eyes darted around, his gaze turning fierce. "Moriarty, what about you?"

Moriarty held his staff, aiming it at the projection of the ghost head.

To everyone's surprise, the demon head began to move on the ground. Dracula's expression changed slightly, and as the demon head slowly moved into the air, Dracula showed an uneasy look.

"You see, you haven't fully taken control of this castle yet. Hogwarts still belongs to the four great masters, to us."

Moriarty's words sent the purebloods into a frenzy. Leon raised his fist, "There's nothing more exciting than hearing this news!"

"Vanished without a trace!" Moriarty waved his staff, and the ghost head vanished.

"Dracula!!!"

Moriarty shouted at the castle in a booming voice, "Listen, you headless vampire! Standing before you is the pureblood army of Hogwarts!"

I have all the information about you. I know your head is sealed in Lake Avalon, I know the Alchemy Matrix can seal viral magic, and I know your strength has been greatly reduced, and you only engage in scheming and plotting in the shadows.

And you, you know nothing about us!

"Moriarty!"

A hoarse roar echoed through the castle and out through the gates, sending a gust of air towards Moriarty.

"You don't want to go to war with your classmates and professors, do you? Then bring two of your companions and head into the castle!"

(End of this chapter)