Magical Studies at Hogwarts...

Chapter 190 Entering the Mountains

Given the current situation, going abroad is a rather troublesome matter. Moreover, what McNeil and Ike are about to do cannot be known to the Ministry of Magic. Therefore, only the last option remains.

Illegal door key.

Finding a Portkey that isn’t registered with the Ministry of Magic might be difficult for an ordinary wizard, but for people like Lucius and McNeil, it’s a piece of cake.

"Since you've used this before, I won't tell you anything." McNeil carried a box, took out a worn-out boot, and handed it to Ike. "The other location is near a small town at the foot of the Alps. I'll go there and wait for you."

After Ike took the boots, McNeil took out a copper basin, placed it on the ground, and with a flick of his wrist, vanished from Ike's sight. Ike didn't waste any time, tossed the boots to the ground, and immediately reached for them.

After the familiar feeling of being squeezed, this time I stood firmly.

"Perfect, let's head towards that hill." McNeil said, rubbing his eyes with his hand and pointing to a mountain in the distance. Seeing Ike nod in agreement, he walked ahead on his own.

The two followed the direction carefully, bypassing the town at the foot of the mountain, but after walking for a long time, they still couldn't get any closer to the distant mountain.

"First time traveling so far?" McNeil was a little out of breath, but his feet still maintained the same rhythm as at the beginning.

Ike didn't reply. He was exhausted after walking for half a day, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he was panting heavily.

"Let's rest up ahead for a bit, but not for too long. We have to get into the mountains today."

After following McNeil for a while, the two found a small grove of trees and went inside. Once their breathing had calmed down a bit, they sat down under a tree.

"Why don't we use magic to travel?" Ike asked after regaining some of his strength. "That would save us energy."

"To avoid attracting attention," McNeil said. "We're not the only ones going to find the giants; we need to avoid anything that might draw attention to us."

"Who knows if those Muggles are in the mountains? If they see us, our whereabouts will be exposed."

As she spoke, she turned to look at Ike and continued, "This place is definitely not an option. Once we get into the mountains, those remote places can be easily navigated with magic. After all, we need to race against Dumbledore's men."

"I see... I understand." Ike nodded, but then McNeil smiled and said, "Of course, some fatigue-relieving magic is still possible, we just can't use magic to travel right now."

Ike smiled upon hearing this, took out two bottles of potions from his pocket, and casually tossed one to McNeil.

"The recovery potion can effectively relieve fatigue, and after my improvements, it also has a slight therapeutic effect."

"This is good stuff." McNeil put the potion away. "It's not time to use it yet."

Ike ignored him and took a sip. He still had plenty of this; it would easily last him two or three days.

After resting for a while, the two left the woods and continued walking into the mountains.

McNeil noticeably sped up, walking briskly, no longer worrying about whether Ike could keep up. With the potion to restore his strength, he naturally wanted to catch up.

Even so, the two didn't actually enter the mountain until nightfall, and that was only after Ike used the Levitation Charm to lighten his load a bit.

We walked quite a distance into the mountains until it was pitch black all around before we stopped.

McNeil opened his suitcase, took out a tent, pointed his wand at it and it automatically pitched up. He then tapped it twice before beckoning Ike to come in.

"I've activated the Muggle-repelling and Disruption Charms on the tent, so no fools will bother us." He then looked around the tent and clicked his tongue in admiration, "The Malfoys really know how to enjoy life; even such a small tent is so luxurious."

Looking at the soft carpet on the floor and the decorations in the living room, Ike nodded in agreement, "Yes... but it's comfortable enough."

"That's right, get a good night's sleep, we still have a long way to go tomorrow," McNeil sighed, then chose a room and went inside. Ike didn't hesitate either, going straight into the room on the other side.

He cast a cleansing spell on himself, then sat on the bed, patted it, and felt the softness of the mattress and bedding. Ike nodded in satisfaction.

He took out his wand, cast a Disruption Charm on the door of the room, and then added a Silencing Charm before taking the small box out of his pocket.

He opened the lid, tapped the box three times with the wand, and a little figure jumped out, landing on the ground and wobbling.

"Where is this?" the man asked warily, looking around at the furnishings.

"It's a safe place, otherwise we wouldn't have let you out, Karkaroff," Ike said calmly. "But it'll only be for a short while. You'll have to go back into the box later."

"Damn it!" Karkaroff cursed under his breath, but he showed no intention of going against Ike's decision.

"How much longer do I have to stay in there? It's not a pleasant place at all."

"You're the one who made me feel unwell," Ike rolled his eyes and said irritably, "After all, you were the only one in there."

Karkaroff chuckled awkwardly. He couldn't refute it; he was indeed the only living person in the box. There had been another one before, but he had disposed of it, and the ashes had scattered.

"Just wait, I'll let you go when the time is right..." Seeing Karkaroff's slight elation, Ike's expression turned serious. "The right time, not now!"

"I understand, I understand." Karkaroff smiled, showing none of the arrogance and domineering attitude he displayed when he first arrived at Hogwarts last year; instead, his face was full of flattery.

Seeing this, Ike frowned but said nothing more. Since this trip presented an opportunity, he might as well let him go; out of sight, out of mind.

He wasn't worried about Karkaroff exposing his secret; he could just change the curse he had cast on Wormtail. A coward like Karkaroff probably had a very low pain tolerance.

After waiting a while, seeing that the time was almost up, without waiting for Karkaroff's reaction, Ike put him back into the box. He closed the lid, knocked on it three times to make sure it was secure, and then dispelled the spell he had cast on the door.

He put the box in his pocket, flopped onto the bed, and soon fell asleep.

The next day, Ike was woken up by McNeil's knocking. After a quick wash, he opened the door to find McNeil sitting on the living room sofa with his suitcase.

"We should get going."

After leaving the tent, McNeil waved his wand, put the packed tent back into the box, found his way, and started walking. Ike followed closely behind, casting the Levitation Charm on again.

Once inside the mountains and forests, Ike carefully maintained his levitation spell to a level where he could walk easily, without actually floating. The two of them moved very quickly, covering a great distance in just one hour.

Gradually, the temperature in the forest rose, and it felt a little stuffy. I unconsciously started sweating.

McNeil stopped and carefully checked his surroundings before sitting down, making sure everything was alright.

"Let's eat something first, then head straight to the next hill."

"This time, we can use magic to travel."

The Second Watch Beast suffered from alcohol poisoning and regressed for a day.

(End of this chapter)