great-warnovel Chapter 278 Movements of Both Sides
Chapter 278 Movements of Both Sides
Chapter 278 Movements of Both Sides
On the fourth day of Hogwarts' establishment, Lily arrived at the foot of the castle.
However, her journey was not yet over; she had to continue from here and return to where she started.
"This is one of the necessary conditions for completing the ritual; the 'circle' must close." She seemed to be in good condition. Although she didn't go into the castle, Harry and James still brought her a lot of good food to help her recover.
"How has Barty been doing these past few days?" Not only the wary James, but Hermione also asked the question.
While their deduction about having this traitor accompany them for protection was reasonable, they weren't entirely certain.
Lily shrugged: "He asked some silly questions, but he was mostly reliable."
"A group of mermaids were lying in ambush by the water, trying to attack me, but he swiftly and decisively repelled them."
This eased Hermione's expression slightly, confirming that he wouldn't do anything outrageous until he obtained the death magic.
"Don't worry, after we finish the whole procession, I will still return to the vicinity of the castle to hold the ceremony. You can watch from a distance," Lily reassured her husband and son.
"Is everything alright at school?" the Potions professor asked, still concerned.
"If Vagado makes any additional demands, put them off until I get back. If they try to raise the price," Lily said with an air of authority.
"Then let them go back to where they came from!"
Hermione nodded, indicating that she remembered and that she had helped McGonagall with these matters and had the right to make direct decisions.
"Honey, take care of yourself. Keep the invisibility cloak in a convenient spot. If there's any danger, let Crouch handle it," James instructed with a worried expression.
"Don't talk about me, you should too. If the war starts before I get back, don't be at the forefront. You and Sirius are both prone to acting impulsively."
Keep an eye on Lupin's position.
The two lovers' tender confessions of their longing for each other made Hermione and Harry feel superfluous and want to disappear as soon as possible.
After saying goodbye to Lily, Hermione was immediately grabbed by Fleur.
It turned out that Mrs. Sinta had sent a batch of relief supplies in her personal capacity.
Beauxbatons is riddled with factions, creating serious internal strife. Maxim wants to improve relations with Hogwarts, but he is powerless to do so.
Therefore, they had no choice but to send a batch of alchemical bombs and anti-curse tablets in the name of Sinta.
These little sequins performed exceptionally well when the four boys dealt with the Carol siblings last time, with Draco successfully outmaneuvering them using Hermione's pre-stored Stunning Curse.
Equipping every member of the Order of the Phoenix with this now significantly enhances their security.
However, this favor is not cheap and will have to be repaid later.
Rozier's arrival a few days ago terrified Mikhail. Although the two had never met and the vice-principal had stated that he would not pursue the matter further, the Master of the Staff still felt extremely uneasy.
After much deliberation, he realized he couldn't just stay in the castle without contributing anything. So he approached Hermione and asked if he could go to the Forbidden Forest to check if the wood there was suitable for making wands.
This made Hermione laugh: "Now? To the Forbidden Forest?"
"Do you know how many werewolves and dark wizards are in there now? How many biphasics and vultures? There are also crazed centaurs, howling banshees, and vampires ready to suck you dry at any moment. Do you want to go now?"
Mikhail looked as dejected as a wilted eggplant: "But all I know is how to make wands. Now that I'm here, I can't do anything. Everyone is preparing for the battle with great enthusiasm, and I feel like an outsider. This makes me very uneasy. Even if I maintain everyone's wands, how much of a difference will it make?"
Hermione thought for a moment: "We definitely can't go to the Forbidden Forest now. The headmaster won't let us go until all those werewolves are cleared out."
"However, there is something I can let you study."
She remembered the Staff of Bones in Elizabeth's hands back in London.
That sinister treasure came from the broken and damaged relics of Master Ollivander. Although the Grigovich family had different philosophies, they were both descendants of the master, so they could probably glean more information from this broken staff.
"Such a treasure? Why didn't you tell me sooner!" Mikhail perked up immediately. "Take me to see it!"
Hermione really wished she could be in two places at this moment; she was just too busy.
Meanwhile, in the forbidden forest on the other side.
"We can't delay any longer! The longer it goes on, the more thorough their defenses will become!" Graybury put away his binoculars, his expression not very good.
He watched as the layers upon layers of densely packed incantations were set up one by one in their path.
These incantations all require one's life to be paid for.
Uncharacteristically, Snape didn't stay at his potions station, but instead stood beside Greyback.
"Any news from the mermaids?"
"Those river fish spout weird mermaid language nonsense. These days, it's rare to find even one that you can barely understand!" Graybury cursed as he threw a crystal.
"We can only barely confirm that the two sides won't attack each other; we can't understand anything else!"
Snape looked at him strangely: "Why didn't you ask me?"
He picked up the crystal, skillfully summoned a pool of clear water in front of him, and put both the crystal and his head into it.
"You also understand mermaid language?" Graybury asked in surprise.
"It seems that getting you from Voldemort was a wise choice."
These days, aside from a few magizoologists, nobody would bother learning a completely useless language, but Snape was one of them.
A moment later, the Potions Master pulled his head out of the water.
He dried his hair with a flourish and said in a strange tone, "The merfolk agree to a limited alliance, with attacking the castle as their primary objective."
"Great!" Graybury slammed his fist down.
"But they also have one condition," Snape continued.
"What else do those seafood companies have to say?"
"They say there's an invisible woman who keeps pouring strange liquid by the lake. It smells awful and makes the mermaids uneasy."
"Invisibility? Liquid? Is it a potion?" Greyback's mind raced.
"The Potter family has a hereditary invisibility cloak; that woman can only be Lily Potter," Snape said coldly.
"Is she pouring potions into the lake? Is she trying to kill all the creatures in the lake?" The werewolf king stroked his hairy chin.
"That was indeed a ruthless move. Putting aside our positions, I admire this woman."
"But I already have a Potions Master." He gave Snape an encouraging look, mimicking the kingly demeanor from the book.
"The merfolk want you to deal with that woman." Snape ignored the werewolf king's seductive glances.
"That's easy, just send a squad of werewolves to track her down," Graybury waved his hand.
"Once everything is ready, launch the attack!"
Snape's expression was strange, but he didn't say anything.
"Pouring potions into the lake? What are you trying to do?" He wasn't a fool like Graybuck who could talk about toxicity without considering dosage.