I, Hogwarts Second Time Around.

Chapter 537 The Unexpected Attack

Pansy's sudden appearance disgusted all the young wizards present.

But on the other hand, this is also a good thing, at least after this fight, everyone will know that Draco was on the train.

Compared to Hermione, Ginny clearly doesn't have such a good temper.

She pulled out her wand and flicked out a spell.

Caught off guard, Pansy was struck by the petrification spell. Her body was immediately enveloped in a grayish-white color, like cement slowly solidifying, and she was frozen in place.

"Never mind her," said Harry, dressed as Draco. "We need to get ready; I can already see London."

Harry reminded me.

Everyone quickly looked out the car windows.

In the distance, the clear weather that had greeted us when we set out from the Scottish Highlands had been completely replaced by a kind of gloom.

The heavy sky pressed down on the city skyline, creating an eerie and unsettling atmosphere.

The air seeping in through the window was filled with a damp and rotten smell, as if it were the unclean filth left behind after the body and soul had decayed for centuries.

The whistling of the wind, the murmur of the earth, and the wailing of the train all made the surroundings seem even more eerie and sinister.

Although this may be some kind of psychological suggestion.

But that feeling of unease and anxiety was still very real.

"It seems unavoidable."

At this moment, no amount of explanation can truly convey the meaning.

Anyone who witnessed this would have felt a deep sense of danger approaching; the Death Eater attack was no accident.

"Indeed, we need to prepare early," Irving said calmly.

The train's speed began to decrease slowly.

The surrounding buildings became increasingly clear.

They drove into the steel jungle, like lambs entering a tiger's den.

Although no one wanted the train to stop, and even hoped it would keep going all summer long so they would never reach King's Cross Station, the young wizards had come to understand a harsh truth over the years: time doesn't slow down when something unpleasant is waiting for it; it might even speed up.

In the blink of an eye, the Hogwarts Express stopped at Station Nine and Three-Quarters.

On the train, the young wizards all craned their necks to peer out the windows, none daring to step down.

For some reason, a thick fog rolled in at the station. The swirling mist didn't resemble water vapor; it had a light, thin feel, unlike the dense fog of water vapor.

Several figures were vaguely visible through the mist.

It's blurry and hard to see.

"Flying sand and stones."

Hermione took out her grapevine wand and cast a spell towards the window.

Then a gust of yellow sand blew up, and the raging wind dispersed the fog, and then they saw her—Amelia Susan Bornes.

Susan's face instantly turned to one of terror on the train.

Amelia Susan Bornes is her grandmother, who is also the Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the Ministry of Magic.

She was a broad-shouldered witch with a square jaw, short gray hair, a monocle, and a frightening expression. Tonks had once described Amelia as a fair and honest person.

At that moment, her stiff, lifeless body was brutally nailed to the station wall with a spear. Her glasses were nowhere to be found, and her aged face bore the sorrowful resentment of dying with her eyes wide open.

Blood flowed down from where her heart was, dripping onto the ground with a silent, mournful sound.

Besides Amelia, a cold corpse hung from each of the station's arched pillars. It was as if the perpetrators had used them as specimens.

On the train, the young wizards stood frozen in shock, as if they had been slapped in the face, remaining silent for a long time.

Only Susan, her tears falling like broken pearls onto her trembling hands, let out a sharp, piercing cry that echoed in the ears of every young wizard on the train.

Fear, anxiety, a burning urge to beat one's chest and wail in despair. Yet, the myriad thoughts swirling in his mind ultimately coalesced into a silent lament. Before him, a dozen or so Aurors from the Ministry of Magic lay dead, silently and without a sound. And this was perhaps merely an appetizer served by the Death Eaters. A show of force, but also a mockery.

Suddenly, from the still-lingering mist in the distance, at least forty or fifty hooded figures emerged.

Some stood on the stands, while others hovered in the air, surrounding the train from all sides.

Without any warning, more than a dozen figures rushed out of the train. Owen couldn't see their faces clearly; he was only looking out the window of one of the carriages, so he couldn't see them all.

But almost immediately, a dazzling green light and a sharp, ear-piercing sound erupted.

"Bang!"

A tremendous crash resounded.

Inside the carriage, Hermione and Owen rushed out.

Ahead, a large hole had been blown open at the junction of the two carriages.

A burly man wearing a black cloak walked in.

A chilling laugh rang out, but it stopped abruptly after only a short while.

Owen stretched out a hand, and the broken pieces of metal beside the hole immediately creaked and groaned, turning into sharp daggers that shot towards the man.

This process is extremely fast.

It was activated almost instantly.

The man was startled.

Owen was about to cast the Apparition Charm when Owen was faster. The moment his figure became illusory and distorted, the Anti-Apparition Charm was activated instantly, like a hook that pulled the man straight back from the illusion.

The next second, all the daggers were embedded in the man's body.

The powerful recoil sent him flying.

"Hmph—" the silver-haired boy snorted softly.

Emerald green eyes peered out through the corridor window.

The man was covered in daggers, seven or eight in total, which were firmly nailed to the wall.

But he still didn't die. When Owen and the young wizards watched, he even raised his head and showed a provocative expression.

This time, everyone finally got a clear look at the person's face.

It was an extremely pale face.

His cheeks, eyes, and forehead bulged slightly, as if he had gained weight from soaking in water.

His expression was very stiff. You could even see the bones beneath his skin as he struggled to move.

He's not even human.

It's a machine.

Or perhaps—a corpse?

"Avada Kedavra!"

Without any hesitation.

Owen drew his crystal wand, and a dazzling green light shattered the glass, rushing straight towards the grotesque creature that was emitting maniacal laughter.

Death raised its scythe and swung it mercilessly.

A bright green light suddenly appeared, and a moment later...

Everyone watching fell silent.

Because—the laughter did not stop, and the man did not die.

"He's not alive!" Hermione wasn't stupid. She naturally understood why Owen used the Killing Curse.

This magic, which only attacks the souls of living beings, is a good way to detect undead and living people. It is, however, somewhat evil.

"Merlin—"

Countless swallowing sounds rang out all around.

The young wizards stared blankly at the man as he pulled the daggers from his body one by one.

There was no blood—not even a wound—except for his tattered clothes, which proved the damage Irving had just caused; he was almost unharmed.

"monster!"

Someone suddenly shouted.

Those young wizards in their early years.

They then went berserk and began to scatter and flee.

"Hermione, go and maintain order." Just then, a figure flashed past the crowd, silver hair piercing through the hole the man had blown open outside, and returned to the station.

Hermione couldn't immediately tell who the person dressed as Owen was, but in a flash, she understood her responsibility.

More and more members of the Order of the Phoenix appeared in the carriage.

Disguised as Owen, Hermione, Ron, and Harry, they scattered and fled, attracting a large group of men in black robes to pursue them.

The real Owen cast the Disillusionment Charm on himself, Hermione, and Ron.

Although this magic was merely an illusion, and upon close inspection, it couldn't possibly fool the strange wizards outside, it was sufficient in such a chaotic battlefield.

The DA members gathered together and began to stabilize the young wizards in the carriage, preparing for battle against the intruders.

"They'll be fine, right?"

Amidst the crowd, Hermione, disguised, spoke with a worried expression.

Although they knew about the plan, they had no idea who had actually drunk the compound decoction.

So even now, when I'm worried, I don't know who to worry about.

"Maybe." Owen wasn't sure; Voldemort's magic had become even more terrifying. He might have improved the [Imitation] spell once again, and the wizard who swallowed [Deadroot] had already become a monster.

The technology of the past, the first generation of [Illegible] magic used by that High Priest of the Lavyu Voodoo Cult, was also the first generation of [Illegible] magic mastered by the [Chosen Ones] cult.

It has various limitations. For example, changing bodies requires sacrifices to an external god, and half of the soul that is taken cannot be retained and must be offered to the external god.

Their physical bodies are still 'human,' and under the Killing Curse, they too must die.

Essentially, the first-generation "Impersonator" magic mastered by the "Cult of the Gods" was a ritualistic activity of offering sacrifices to the Outer Gods, or rather, the Outer Gods collecting souls.

Possession is merely an incentive and reward to motivate subordinates to work diligently and avoid exploiting them.

But now, Voldemort's henchmen are no longer like 'humans' at all. They can't even be called living beings.

It's hard to say whether Voldemort, who has returned again in the past few months, has obtained some magic from the Outer Gods and improved upon it.

"However, they aren't the main characters in this battle," Owen continued. "They're just bait to lure the Death Eaters away from the train. The goal is to prevent the fighting from reaching the young wizards, get them some distance away, and once the Polyjuice Potion wears off, they can escape quietly. I suspect this confrontation might be related to Dumbledore and Tom."

"You mean Voldemort—Tom might come in person?" Hermione said.

"That's right, with such a big fuss, he's bound to show up. He needs a battle to announce his return and strength."

Harry, disguised as Draco, unconsciously clenched his fist.

He longed to rush out and join the war outside, but reason told him he couldn't act rashly, as it would disrupt Dumbledore's plans.

But hiding here really made him uncomfortable.

About two or three minutes later.

Suddenly, a voice abruptly appeared in the carriage.

"Who?"

Dozens of magic wands were raised.

They all pointed in the same direction.

Neville, Ginny, Seamus, and the others swallowed hard.

Hannah, Justin, Ernie, and the others gritted their teeth.

Luna and Cho Chang stared at the carriage door from afar, the latter almost bursting into tears. But she still held onto her wand.

The carriage door was opened.

But the appearance of people was unexpected by everyone.

"Mr. Grindelwald?" Harry called out.

"And Professor Victor!"

The young wizards breathed a sigh of relief.

Owen glanced cautiously at Grindelwald. Although he could easily sense the familiar magic emanating from the other man, it was always better to be cautious in the midst of war.

He raised his wand and said to Grindelwald, "Wait—what do we need to get to Canada?"

"We need stepping stones," Grindelwald said calmly.

Owen put his wand away.

He glanced behind Grindelwald, where a dozen or so wizards appeared one after another.

Among them were people he knew: Garona, Winston, Kent, and his Aunt Roy, as well as Professor Victor.

In addition, there were more than a dozen wizards he did not recognize.

He recognized a few faces that resembled his grandmother, Vynda Rozier, and figured she must be a wizard from the Rozier family.

"Is it that serious?" Owen asked, frowning. "Is the Ministry of Magic completely untrustworthy?"

The fact that his maternal grandfather was here can only mean one thing: the Ministry of Magic is completely untrustworthy.

Otherwise, the person responsible for receiving them should be an Auror from the Ministry of Magic. How could someone like Rufus Scrimgeour agree to let outsiders participate in this kind of work?

"The credible ones are all on the outer wall." Grindelwald waved his hand, and the surrounding wizards dispersed, beginning to protect the young wizards as they disembarked.

Leave the station by passing through the wall.

The professors of Hogwarts were also involved in this process.

Owen then saw Professor Sprout directing the lower-grade Hufflepuff team.

Professor Flitwick waved his wand, collecting the unfortunate Auror corpses from the platform walls.

Susan collapsed to her knees on the platform, where her grandmother stood before her.

Every departing young wizard witnessed death and horrific slaughter.

Heavy, mountain-like pressure weighed down on everyone.

"Phew—maybe this will be a good thing?"

Irving looked at the distraught crowd and muttered to himself.

More and more wizards were appearing at the scene.

Reinforcements from the Ministry of Magic have arrived. Rufus Scrimgeour is leading the team himself. At least the Aurors he's leading can be trusted.

But the professors clearly don't think so.

They refused to let the Aurors approach the young wizard because the tragic deaths of Amelia Susan Bornes and the others must have been tipped off, allowing the Death Eaters to ambush them in advance.

The professors couldn't distinguish between loyalty and treachery, good and evil, so they simply condemned them all, even clashing with Scrimgeour, and in short, they wouldn't let him get close.

This infuriated the Minister of Magic.

His face was dark the whole time, and the veins between his eyebrows were bulging. If it weren't for the legendary wizard Grindelwald being there, if the war around them hadn't continued, and if he hadn't been short-handed, he would have definitely fought with Professor Flitwick, who was leading the group.

Irving heard the insults he hurled at Professor Flitwick, calling him a goblin and a bastard. The two had a complete falling out.

In addition, ordinary British wizards and their relatives also gathered at the station. Although most of them couldn't even use a single armor charm, their sheer numbers were enough to make the Death Eaters hesitant to act, unless they were willing to wage war against the entire wizarding world.

Owen and Hermione Ron, under Mrs. Weasley's watchful eye, headed straight for the Black family home, where it was safe enough.

Harry, under Grindelwald's personal care, returned to Privet Drive with his uncle who came to pick him up.

The young wizards evacuated quickly.

In less than half an hour, King's Station was completely deserted.

The battle between the Federation, along with the Order of the Phoenix, and the Death Eaters continues, and even shows signs of escalating, with the entire city of London becoming their battlefield.

The sky was filled with black, misty figures.

The battle intensified until the saints and some Aurors from the Ministry of Magic joined in after the escort of the young wizards, at which point the situation began to tilt in one direction.

------

Hermione and her friends spent a sleepless night at 12 Grimmauld Place.

No one slept that night; they all gathered in the living room, keeping watch by the light until dawn.

Koyatl also returned here in the afternoon.

She originally had her own house, and the British government had prepared accommodation for her, but given the current situation, Mrs. Weasley took her back to 12 Grimmauld Place, where it would be safer.

In the early morning, the cold white light shone into the living room.

On the sofa, Hermione leaned against Owen's chest, yawning and staring blankly at the fireplace in front of her.

Previously, she was holding her ancient runes notes, recording those complex magic runes, but she couldn't continue reading after only half an hour because of her restless heart.

The tea table next to it was filled with all sorts of magic potions.

These were all medications she prepared for treatment, including white peony root, antidotes, and light-emitting agents.

If injured people come at night, they can receive treatment immediately.

But—a whole night passed, and not a single person came.

It's as if this place is completely isolated from the world.

Owen wanted to go out and find out, but Hermione wouldn't allow it under any circumstances, so he didn't know what was happening outside.

"Sir, sir!"

The quiet living room was suddenly shattered by several screams.

The four looked towards the entrance and saw that it was Dobby who had arrived.

"What's going on outside?!" Hermione jumped up from the sofa in a flash.

In the early hours of the morning, they suddenly remembered that the little elf probably wouldn't attract the attention of Voldemort or the Death Eaters, so they quickly found Dobby and asked him to go out and scout around.

Today, it's just getting light; in late June, it's already light around 5 a.m.

That means five hours have passed since Dobby left.

"Oh no!" Dobby ran over in a panic, stumbling and tripping over the carpet, but he didn't care at all. He immediately got up and shouted, "It was a duel! That big bad guy whose name can't be spoken dueled with Mr. Dumbledore and Mr. Grindelwald, and he won! Dobby saw Mr. Dumbledore fall from the sky with his own eyes!"

"What?!" The four were shocked!

(End of this chapter)