Magical Studies at Hogwarts...

Chapter 328 The Tragedy of Diagon Alley (Part 1)

This year was a very difficult one for the British people.

Since July, strange and bloody incidents have been occurring across the country, jeopardizing the lives of ordinary people. There have been over a dozen cases of entire families, even entire neighborhoods, being wiped out overnight. Although the police have apprehended the perpetrators relatively quickly each time, the panic caused by these heinous events is not easily quelled.

People desperately needed to relax and unwind. And it was in this context that Christmas arrived.

The disorderly conduct inevitably affected the festive atmosphere. Compared to previous years, even London was less lively, with few people on the streets, and even the homeless had taken refuge in shelters. Apart from those who had to work, most people were simply rushing home.

"A very nice sight." On the street outside the Leaky Cauldron bar, Old Fu squinted and took a deep breath of the cold air with his nose, which was now just nostrils.

"Do you know what I smelled, Ike?" he asked softly.

"I don't know, teacher, what is it?" Ike replied, standing a little behind Old Fu with his hands clasped.

"Fear... what an intoxicating feeling..." Old Fu took a deep breath, then opened his bloodshot eyes and touched his bald head. "Are you all ready?"

Upon hearing this, Ike turned slightly to look behind him, where Lucius, Narcissa, Bellatrix, McNeil, and the werewolves, vampires, and dark wizards stood silently with their hands at their sides. Seeing him look over, Lucius immediately nodded to him.

"Ready, teacher."

"Then... let's go..."

At Old Voldemort's command, Lucius stepped forward and pushed open the door to the Leaky Cauldron, followed closely by the others who squeezed inside. Only after everyone had left did Ike and Old Voldemort set off.

Old Tom, the owner of the Leaky Cauldron, wasn't in the bar. In fact, due to the dismal situation since the summer holidays, he had left before Christmas. In retrospect, this was a good thing; at least he didn't lose his life in a confused state.

When Ike came in, only McNeil and Lucius were left inside; the others had already rushed into Diagon Alley, led by Bella.

She had suppressed her destructive desires for far too long.

The moment she stepped into Diagon Alley, her signature attire and manic laughter drew the attention of those still lingering there. Then, amidst piercing screams, Bella, laughing maniacally, brandished her wand and roared, "Avada Kedavra!"

A dazzling green light flashed, and a poor soul who had just turned to run away collapsed to the ground, scattering the things he was carrying. One item even rolled to Bella's feet. Bella smiled as she looked at her feet, gave them a light kick, and then looked up to unleash another killing curse.

Bella's death curse acted as a signal, and the Death Eaters and their followers roared in fury. The werewolves and vampires charged out first, rushing in twos and threes towards the shops lining the road. Some doors were still open, and they stormed in, wreaking havoc and slaughtering.

Soon, the glass shattered, and a bloodied person was thrown out, rolling on the ground before coming to a stop. Painful groans rang out, but instead of salvation, they were met with one or even several malevolent spells.

Explosion spells, shattering spells, fire spells—various spells flew through the air, and violent explosions followed one after another, shattered glass littering the ground.

a mess!

They walked slowly down the street, inching forward, seemingly on a leisurely outing. But the thick stench of blood, the burning flames, and the people lying on the ground, groaning or dead, behind them declared that this alley, which had been peaceful for hundreds of years, had been completely engulfed in war.

There was still resistance.

Even on Christmas Day, the Ministry of Magic did not remove the guards from Diagon Alley, but their resistance seemed particularly futile in the face of these ferocious and cruel Death Eaters.

The werewolves, in particular, led by Greyback, charged fearlessly towards the hastily erected defenses of the Ministry of Magic. Although they couldn't transform during the day, their speed wasn't much slower; in fact, fueled by their blood feud with the Ministry of Magic, they were all giving it their all, making them considerably faster than usual.

Despite being protected by the Ironclad Charm and taking two spells with him, Greyback was the first to charge into the ranks of the Ministry of Magic's guards. His foul-smelling mouth gaped open, and his yellowish-black fangs bit down hard on the neck of an unfortunate man.

Blood gushed out uncontrollably, which Graybury swallowed in large gulps. Then, with renewed ferocity, he bit off a piece of flesh and began to chew it directly.

"Hahaha..." Graybury laughed wildly, standing there as blood flowed from the corner of his mouth and dripped onto his clothes. No one interrupted him, no one sought revenge for the colleague who had died so tragically at his hands, because everyone was too busy with their own lives.

The werewolves' desperate charge was fatal. Although their already dwindling pack lost over a dozen more members, the Ministry of Magic also lost seven or eight bodies. More importantly, they were forced to abandon this already fragile defensive line and retreat rapidly.

But this was no easy task, because Death Eaters and dark wizards had also arrived. They were recklessly using dark magic, which was explicitly forbidden by the Ministry of Magic. It was bizarre, insidious, and vicious, and the only options besides hiding from them were to use the Ironclad Charm to block it.

However, not many people can use the proper Armor Charm; most of the time, they rely on protective products purchased from Weasley's Magic Tricks shop.

Perhaps in the past, they could rely on these things to ward off some common attack spells, but they seem somewhat powerless against these strange black magic spells.

They retreated, and retreated again, while the Death Eaters' magic grew ever more intense.

Wizards still in Diagon Alley joined the battle, and their numbers grew as the battle lines receded. But expecting wizards who hadn't fought in who knows how many years to hold off these ferocious dark wizards was nothing short of wishful thinking!

There was some effect, but not much; the defensive line continued to push backward. Soon, some people were terrified by the fierce fighting. They either turned and ran, making the already weak defensive line even weaker, or they simply used Phantom Teleportation to leave.

Of those who teleported away, only the first two or three succeeded; the rest remained behind. Looking around in panic, the dozen or so dark wizards wielding wands filled them with utter despair.

They recognized it; the magic that was being launched into the air was the Anti-Apparition Charm.

These dark wizards are determined to exterminate us all!

(End of this chapter)