Watching the transformed werewolf Lupin and the approaching wolf pack summoned by Greyback's forces, Sean quickly withdrew two items from his Undetectable Extension Charm bag—elbow-length armored gloves crafted from dragonhide. He pulled them onto both arms, clenched his fists experimentally, and nodded with satisfaction at the fit.
These were products from the Malfoy family's dragon breeding operation, constructed from supple leather backed by a layer of fine dragon scales. They allowed Sean's hands to ignore most physical damage—as long as the underlying dragonhide remained intact, the dragon scale reinforcement on his arms would prove nearly indestructible.
The dragon farm had presented these to Sean at Christmas as a gesture of goodwill toward their new owner. He hadn't anticipated their first practical use would occur under these particular circumstances.
"Sirius, go find Harry!" Sean commanded sharply. "He might not be safe confronting Peter Pettigrew alone."
The massive black dog that was Sirius Black displayed visible worry in his canine features. He was concerned for Harry's safety, certainly, but equally worried about leaving the transformed Lupin unguarded. For several heartbeats, he appeared torn between conflicting loyalties.
Observing Sirius's indecision, Sean immediately waved his wand with focused intent. Additional vines erupted to wrap more securely around the struggling werewolf Lupin. Simultaneously, the earth beneath Lupin suddenly collapsed inward, creating a deep pit that swallowed him completely.
"This containment will hold Professor Lupin safely until moonset," Sean assured the anxious Animagus. "You can leave him in my care without concern."
Seeing Lupin now completely buried and restrained, Sirius nodded gratefully to Sean. He then turned and followed Harry's scent trail, retracing the path the boy had taken in pursuit of Peter Pettigrew.
As Sirius departed into the darkness, Sean turned his full attention toward the wolf pack now positioned directly before him.
These wolves had clearly been summoned and controlled by the werewolves. Several among Greyback's forces evidently possessed the ability to command wolf packs—acting as alpha predators who commanded unconditional loyalty from lesser creatures.
"Awoooo..."
A distinctive howl suddenly rang out from behind the advancing pack.
At that signal, the wolves immediately surged forward with answering howls, launching themselves at Sean in coordinated assault. However, Sean observed with tactical interest that the wolves were targeting his limbs and torso exclusively—not his vital organs or throat. Clearly, the werewolves controlling this pack wanted to capture him alive, not kill him outright!
They don't want me dead?
Is this because of my Wolfsbane research?
These werewolves want to take me alive...
Understanding his opponents' limitations, Sean swung his wand decisively.
"Diffindo!"
Employing the Severing Charm with surgical precision, Sean's wand became like a blade of pure magic. With each controlled slash, a wolf's head separated cleanly from its body, tumbling to the ground amid pitiful dying yelps.
Against these ordinary wolves lacking magical resistance, Diffindo proved devastatingly effective—like harvesting wheat with a scythe.
Perhaps recognizing that mundane wolves couldn't significantly harm Sean, the commanding howl sounded again. This time, actual werewolves mixed among the remaining wolves charged forward from behind the pack, launching themselves at Sean with supernatural speed and ferocity.
However, these werewolves appeared completely frenzied, showing absolutely no signs of having consumed Wolfsbane Potion before transformation.
Sean wasn't particularly surprised. Even with his simplified formula, Wolfsbane Potion remained expensive to produce. It was economically impossible for all lower-ranking pack members to use it regularly—probably only Greyback's elite forces qualified for such privileges.
He directed his wand forward, and the Severing Charm flew once more.
However, the transformed werewolves seemed capable of sensing incoming magical fluctuations and trajectories instinctively. They dodged with supernatural agility. Even when struck directly, a single Diffindo only sliced through flesh and muscle—it didn't sever bone or damage internal organs. Though clearly painful, such wounds didn't significantly hinder their combat effectiveness.
Unfortunately, my mastery of Diffindo remains too low-level. If Professor Snape were casting this spell, even a werewolf would be cut clean in half.
A werewolf bearing two deep, bone-exposing gashes across its torso opened its foul-smelling maw and lunged directly at Sean's throat. In that precise instant, a wave of supernatural cold erupted from beneath Sean's feet, rapidly spreading outward. The temperature plummeted dramatically, freezing the surrounding area—including the lunging werewolf—in sheets of spreading ice.
"Glacius!"
The Freezing Charm's area effect controlled both wolves and werewolves within this combat zone. Sean, wand raised in one hand, reached into his Undetectable Extension Charm bag with the other. He withdrew the repaired chain flail he'd used against the basilisk—now restored to perfect condition. Swinging it single-handedly in a blur of motion, he brought the spiked head crashing down directly onto the frozen werewolf's skull!
CRACK!
Like a grotesque firework of flesh and bone, the werewolf's head exploded outward. Red and white fragments burst in all directions, quickly freezing solid under Glacius's lingering effect before clattering to the frost-covered ground.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
Sean spun the chain flail with increasing speed, creating a deadly perimeter of whirling metal and afterimages.
The next instant, Sean charged forward aggressively. His wand and chain flail worked in perfect coordination—the flail serving as his primary offensive weapon while magic provided tactical support and defensive barriers. For several intense minutes, only the anguished howls of wolves and werewolves punctuated the sickening thuds of flesh and bone breaking beneath the chain flail's brutal impacts.
Sean was genuinely enjoying this violent catharsis when another short, sharp howl rang out from the rear positions.
The few remaining wolves and untransformed werewolves surrounding Sean immediately retreated, creating significant distance. Then, thirteen obviously intelligent and controlled werewolves slowly emerged from the shadows and positioned themselves before Sean in a disciplined formation.
Fenrir Greyback stood at the center of the other twelve werewolves, surveying the unrecognizable corpses scattered around Sean's position. A flicker of genuine anger passed through his yellow eyes. He truly hadn't anticipated that a mere third-year Hogwarts student could inflict such catastrophic losses on his forces.
These wolves had been raised specifically by the Greyback clan—fierce, battle-trained, each one representing considerable investment. Not to mention the clan members who hadn't consumed Wolfsbane Potion before transformation. If Fenrir hadn't ordered the tactical retreat, those wolves and the unprepared pack members might have been completely annihilated by this single opponent.
Fenrir assessed Sean with predatory calculation.
Sean wasn't idle during this mutual evaluation either.
He immediately opened his system panel and began reviewing the abilities he'd extracted from killing the wolves and werewolves.
Leaving aside the mundane wolves—whose abilities proved mostly basic instincts like biting, pouncing, and pack obedience, utterly useless to Sean—the six werewolves he'd killed had actually yielded genuinely valuable talents!
[Duel Victory! Randomly extracting one ability from duel opponent.]
[Extracting...]
[Extraction complete. Obtained: Talent: Lupine Senses LV1]
...
[Duel Victory! Randomly extracting one ability from duel opponent.]
[Extracting...]
[Extraction complete. Obtained: Talent: Lupine Agility LV2]
Six werewolves total. Two had granted the Lupine Senses talent, elevating it to LV2. Four others had provided the Lupine Agility talent, also reaching LV2.
The former amplified Sean's sensory perception and reaction speed dramatically. The latter enhanced his jumping, running, and dodging capabilities with supernatural grace and speed.
Combined with his existing Troll Strength...
Sean felt absolutely confident he could crush these werewolves' skulls like overripe melons.