Bode Grey lifted off the ground and surged forward in pursuit.
Ahead, Hydrus Lestrange swung her wand, sending a wave of fire roaring straight at him.
It was useless.
Bode scattered the flames with a casual sweep of his wand and saw Hydrus dart right, vanishing into a narrow alley.
The clash had already drawn attention. Wizards began to gather—some curious, some hesitant, none decisive.
Bode's temper flared.
He had to seize Hydrus now. Any later and the situation would spiral out of control. He truly hadn't expected a mere first-year like Hydrus Lestrange to be this troublesome.
Savage intent rising, he slashed his wand through the air.
Blades of ice formed instantly, streaking forward in flashes of cold blue light.
If she were still hiding behind that fire shield, she might survive this.
But she dismissed it herself—then lie down and stay down.
Alive was enough. Crippled was acceptable.
The ice blades cut through the air and struck Hydrus's leg.
No blood spilled.
"Hydrus" collapsed stiffly to the ground, unmoving.
Bode's heart sank. His wand snapped up.
The fallen body twisted, warped—
—and became a shattered wooden barrel.
Transfiguration.
Bode spun around at once, brandishing his wand at the surrounding crowd, murderous intent pouring off him. If anyone dared block his path, he would carve his way through without hesitation.
"That's Bode Grey—the wanted criminal!"
"He's a mass murderer!"
"Run! He'll really kill you!"
"Someone get the constables!"
"Is there an Auror here?"
"Anyone?!"
The crowd scattered in panic.
A hundred years ago, when trolls attacked Hogsmeade, every witch and wizard had stood shoulder to shoulder, wands raised.
Now, when a wanted criminal hunted a young girl in broad daylight, not a single person stepped forward.
Time had bled the courage from the wizarding world.
Its magic, too, had grown thin and dull.
If this continued, the extinction of wizards would only be a matter of time.
Cruel—but true.
Not this way. She doubled back.
Bode pivoted sharply and sprinted back to the intersection where he'd lost her trail.
He needed to end this fast.
Hogwarts was too close. One professor he could handle. Several, maybe not. And if Dumbledore himself arrived—
Trouble didn't begin to cover it.
"Have you seen Hydrus Lestrange?" Bode grabbed a third-year Ravenclaw at random.
Half a mask. A skeletal face. The aura of a dark wizard.
The boy nearly collapsed in fear. "I—I just got here. I—I didn't see anyone!"
Bode shoved him aside and advanced on another student—a Hufflepuff this time.
The child backed away frantically, shaking their head.
"Looking for me?"
Hydrus's voice rang out from the street.
She stood there openly, waving at him.
"If you want to catch me—come on!"
She turned and bolted toward the outskirts of Hogsmeade.
Bode followed at once, patience exhausted. The ice blades returned, screaming through the air.
But a living body was nothing like a transfigured decoy.
Hydrus moved with startling agility, weaving cleanly between the blades without slowing, even flicking spells back over her shoulder as she ran.
Chase and escape blurred together until they burst free of the village.
They emerged onto a grassy slope along the mountainside. Though September had brought a chill to Hogsmeade, the grass here was still green.
Hydrus stopped.
Not because Bode was faster.
If speed were the issue, dragonform or thestralform would leave him far behind.
She stopped because—
She had arrived.
"Why stop running, Lestrange?" Bode sneered, dark delight curling his lips. "This little stunt has already cost me far too much trouble. If I didn't still need you to crack ancient magic sites, you'd be dead already."
"Sir," Hydrus replied calmly, hands clasped behind her back, smiling, "I don't even know who you are, yet you chase me like this. Isn't that a bit much?"
"I invited you politely," Bode snapped. "You attacked first."
Hydrus showed no fear. "But you're the leader of kidnappers. Shouldn't I resist?"
"Kidnapping?" Bode scoffed, entirely unaware that the grass behind him had begun to writhe and grow. "I'm inviting Miss Lestrange to take part in something greater."
Hydrus shrugged. "You didn't even tell me what that 'greater thing' was before trying to drag me off. How am I supposed to trust you?"
"Enough!" Bode snarled. "Are you coming with me or not? Don't force my hand!"
"Heehee." Hydrus laughed softly.
She had stalled long enough.
Now, she stood on unshakable ground.
"I don't know how ruthless you plan to be," she said lightly, "but I'm curious—how do you intend to deal with my little darlings?"
Bode frowned, confused.
Hydrus lifted her hand and snapped her fingers.
Behind him came a chorus of hiss—crack—creak.
He turned—
—and froze.
Thick tendrils of Devil's Snare surged toward him, countless and massive, like a ship seized by the kraken in the deep sea.
Alongside them bounced enormous Chinese Chomping Cabbages, each as large as a wagon wheel, jaws snapping hungrily. One bite could maim—or kill.
On their own, these plants were dangerous.
Empowered by ancient Hufflepuff plant magic, they were catastrophic—easily rivaling a swarm of XXXXX-class beasts.
Bode's expression darkened.
She was already wielding ancient magic.
If he didn't subdue her now, he would never be able to.
Worse—she had lured him to the shaded side of the mountain. No direct sunlight. Under ancient magic, Devil's Snare could move freely.
From the very beginning—
She had been setting a trap.
The barrel had been a feint. While he chased it, she must have gone to the Jujube and Mushroom Shop—the very direction she'd truly fled—to buy seeds.
"Damn it…"
Bode kicked off the ground, rising into the air.
If the Devil's Snare wrapped him at this scale, fire and light spells might not save him.
As for the cabbages—frightening, yes, but they couldn't fly.
Or so he thought.
Hydrus swept her arm down.
The Devil's Snare lunged skyward like a collapsing mountain, slamming down and forcing Bode back to the ground.
Under ancient magic, even Devil's Snare moved with terrifying speed.
The Chinese Chomping Cabbages leapt.
Two, three meters high—nothing for enhanced plants.
Bode dodged left and right—
Too late.
One cabbage snapped shut on his backside.
Flesh tore. Blood sprayed.
He screamed.
More cabbages piled on, while the Devil's Snare crashed down like a living tide.
Hydrus watched calmly, fingers resting on her wand.
Eat this, Bode Grey. You're dead.
Lightning flashed.
Thunder roared.
Bolts as thick as basilisks slammed into the Devil's Snare, blasting it apart in a rain of scorched pulp.
A deep crimson beam followed—
—and struck Hydrus squarely.
"AAAAAH—!"
Agony exploded through her body. She collapsed to her knees, muscles convulsing.
Cruciatus Curse.
When the lightning faded, the Devil's Snare lay dead and blackened. The cabbages were reduced to overcooked wreckage.
Bode Grey emerged, barely standing.
He was drenched in blood, robes in tatters. His mask lay shattered, revealing a skeletal, horrifying left face.
"You little bitch!" Bode roared, red light blazing from his wand as he tortured her mercilessly. "I held back again and again—how dare you! How dare you!"
Hydrus grit her teeth and forced her head up.
"If you're my enemy," she rasped, "shouldn't I use everything I have?"
She smiled.
It wasn't pretty—her body spasmed uncontrollably—but she smiled anyway.
The smile made Bode uneasy.
"Sir," she said softly, trembling, "I may not know who you are… but I do know this."
"You're about to die."
"Bluff," Bode sneered.
Something tightened around his ankle.
He looked down.
From the corpses of the Devil's Snare, a new vine had emerged—thin, barbed, alive.
Not Devil's Snare.
"Venomous Tentacula!"
Bode's face drained of color.
Before he could raise his wand, the spikes pierced his flesh.
"AAAAAH—!"
The venom was lethal.
Professor McGonagall's husband had died from a single bite.
That was why Venomous Tentacula was a restricted Class C plant.
The fact that Hydrus had bought it so easily said everything about that shop's owner.
Rage consumed him.
He had been outplayed by a first-year born to Muggles.
Sanity snapped.
He wanted her dead.
"Avada Kedavra!"
A thick green beam surged toward Hydrus.
She watched it approach.
No fear.
Only a faint shake of her head.
Someone who had already died once—
what reason did they have to fear death again?
Only regret.
She hadn't enjoyed this life nearly enough.