Magical Studies at Hogwarts...

Chapter 301 The Scent of Blood (Part 1)

"Welcome aboard the Knight Bus, an emergency passenger service for witches or wizards in distress. Simply extend your wand and hop on, and we'll take you wherever you wish to go."

"My name is Stan Sampak, and tonight is your ticket sale..."

Stan didn't finish his routine opening remarks before he saw the group of people preparing to get on the bus. He recognized the leader a few years ago, but recently he'd mostly been seen on the Ministry of Magic's wanted posters plastered on the street.

"Long time no see, Stan." Ike smiled. "I remember you still had some things to say. Aren't you going to continue?"

"No...no need, please get in." Stan stammered, making way for the passengers. Ike nodded to him and stepped in first, but didn't sit down; he just stood next to him.

He pulled a Galleon from his pocket and placed it in Stan's hand, then casually took the tickets that hadn't yet been torn off.

"I think that should be enough," Ike said.

Stan looked at the Galleon in his hand, then at the four wizards behind Ike, dressed in tattered black robes and with disheveled hair, and ultimately did not utter a word of rebuttal.

He decided that he would pay the difference in ticket price himself later.

Ike chuckled and patted Stan on the shoulder before walking to the back of the carriage. He gestured to stop the four people who were trying to stand up, then sat down on a nearby bed with a grin.

"Sir...where do you want to go?" Stan asked in a trembling voice.

"Godrick Valley." Ike nodded with a smile. "Is Ern still the driver? He can be faster this time."

"Yes...yes, I will talk to him..."

Stan rushed to the driver's seat and whispered Ike's request in Ern's ear. Ern nodded and started the car.

The car sped along, the scenery outside the window rushing past. Ike watched the changing scenery outside the window with great interest, looking quite relaxed and content.

"Little master..."

The four people exchanged glances. One of them, who looked slightly cleaner, stepped forward and timidly asked, "Why are we taking the Knight Bus instead of Apparating?"

"Too far," Ike replied casually. "Your magic doesn't support such long-distance apparitions, and I've never been to Godric."

"Then...should we..." he said, glancing at Stan standing at the front of the carriage, his hand subtly tracing a line under his chin.

Seeing this, Ike shook his head and said calmly, "There's no need. Stan is a good lad, he wouldn't talk nonsense...right, Stan?"

"Ah! Yes, yes, I didn't hear anything..."

"See, I told you, Stan is a great guy."

Seeing Ike's smiling face, Stan stiffly forced a grin, but his free right hand patted Ern several times. Ern understood, and the car sped up again.

About ten minutes later, the car suddenly stopped, and the door opened. Stan's voice was still trembling slightly, but there was a hint of relief in it, as if the big trouble had finally gotten away from him.

"Sir, we have arrived at Godric Valley."

"Okay, thanks, Stan." Ike nodded kindly to Stan and got out of the car first. After the other four people got out, they waved to Stan.

Unfortunately, Stan clearly had no intention of waving goodbye to Ike. He gave an awkward laugh and patted Ern's arm again. He closed the car door, and the car disappeared from sight in the blink of an eye.

"Young master, you may be mistaken. He doesn't seem like someone who can keep a secret," the slightly cleaner-looking man said in a low voice.

"It doesn't matter, it won't affect what we're doing anyway," Ike replied, his smile fading as he turned away.

Godric Valley is a very small village, but the streets are clean and tidy, with neat rows of small wooden houses on both sides. Some are shops, and some are residences, but without exception, all of them are dark. You can only make out the words on the signs hanging on the walls by the dim light of the street lamps.

We continued along the road, passing through a small square, and kept going until the streetlights went out and we were plunged into darkness. We walked for quite a while until we reached a hill covered with tombstones before stopping.

"Young master, we'll arrive just beyond this cemetery."

"Let's go then."

Two were in front, and two were behind, surrounding Ike. They were all very careful, holding their wands tightly and watching their surroundings warily.

In contrast, Ike seemed much more relaxed, even looking with interest at the inscription on the tombstone next to him, and thinking about the past glory of the family to which the tombstone's owner belonged.

The cemetery was quiet, save for the sound of a few footsteps. Occasionally, a long, drawn-out sigh would drift over, and following the sound, a white shadow would flash by. This sight didn't stir anything in the group; they were just ghosts with no memories, only good for scaring Muggles.

Passing through the cemetery, a dilapidated path appeared before me. After walking a few steps, it transformed, looking as if it had just been paved. Rows of houses appeared on both sides of the path, some deserted, others still inhabited.

After all, the lawn in the yard won't become smooth on its own.

The crisp sound of footsteps carried far in the night, and a few figures could be faintly seen from the windows of the houses along the street, but they all disappeared quickly. Ike followed the two people in front of him as if he were strolling through a shop, and they arrived at their destination—the front of a meticulously maintained house.

The three-story wooden villa has a fence over a meter high painted white. Looking in from the outside, the lawn in the courtyard looks freshly manicured, and even the shrubs are perfectly round with no protrusions.

Pushing open the courtyard gate, I followed the garden path to the front door of the house, where a swing hung, surrounded by blooming roses. Ike gave the swing a push, and it swung back and forth without making a sound, not even the slightest friction of the rope.

"Thunderous explosion!"

Ike waved his hand, and someone beside him cast an explosive spell on the door. The entire house shook violently, but the door remained undamaged. Two more explosive spells were cast before the door was finally blown open, also collapsing half of the exterior wall in the process.

"Sweep it all away!"

One of them waved his wand, dispelling the dust kicked up by the collapsing walls, and then stepped aside to make way for Ike.

Ek casually stepped through the collapsed door and entered the room, looking around at the furnishings with great interest.

"How cozy," he remarked, rolling up the wood chips on the sofa and sitting down. He crossed his legs and looked down at the stairwell, where a man and a woman were pointing wands at him.

"Straid!" the man's deep voice rang out, filled with terror and disgust. The woman didn't speak, but her grip on her wand tightened.

"You know me? That makes things much easier." Ike chuckled softly, his gaze lingering briefly on the wand in the woman's hand. He spoke again, still smiling, "My teacher asked me to come and see the Abbot family's attitude, but now I think the answer is quite obvious..."

"Is that something from the Weasleys Wizarding Tricks Studio, Mr. Abbott?"

"Heh...that's a very interesting toy..."

(End of this chapter)