Bode Gray floated up and immediately gave chase.
He saw Audrey wave her wand, and a ball of flames pounced toward him.
This kind of attack obviously had no effect on Bode. He waved his wand to disperse the flames and saw Audrey turn right into an alley.
The fighting here had long since attracted the attention of the wizards. They began to gather slowly, unsure whether they wanted to watch the excitement or offer help.
Bode Gray was exceptionally annoyed. He had to capture Audrey quickly; if he delayed any longer, it would be hard to make a move.
He truly hadn't expected that Audrey Astley, a freshman, would be so difficult to deal with!
Chasing behind Audrey, Bode's ferocity grew. He waved his wand violently, and several ice blades appeared in the air, slashing down with extreme speed.
If she were still in the state of Protego Diabolica, she might have been able to withstand a blow or two, but this little girl had courted death by dispelling the fire shield herself, so she could just lie down now!
As long as she was alive, it didn't matter if she was crippled!
The ice blades carved out azure glints and struck Audrey's legs.
But no blood appeared. "Audrey" fell stiffly to the ground and lay motionless.
Bode cursed inwardly and pointed his wand at "Audrey."
He saw "Audrey" rapidly transform, turning into a shattered wooden barrel.
Transfiguration!
Bode Gray hurriedly turned around and waved his wand viciously at the onlookers. If these people blocked his way again, he wouldn't mind carving a bloody path through them.
"That's the wanted criminal Bode Gray!"
"He's a dark wizard who kills without blinking!"
"Run! He really dares to kill people!"
"Someone go call the Sheriff!"
"Are there any Hit Wizards here?"
"Aurors will do too!"
The onlookers, wizards young and old, retreated one after another.
A hundred years ago, when trolls attacked Hogsmeade, all wizards took out their wands to fight the enemy bravely; but now, when a wanted criminal was hunting down a young girl, not a single person stepped forward to stop him!
With the passage of time, the wizards' courage had long been lost.
Their magical skills were also far inferior to before!
If this continued, it was probably only a matter of time before wizards disappeared from the world.
It was cruel, but this was the current state of the wizarding world.
...
Audrey wasn't in this direction, so she must be on the other side!
Bode Gray quickly doubled back. His pace was extremely fast, and within a few breaths, he returned to the intersection where he had lost Audrey.
He had to end this battle quickly. This place was too close to Hogwarts. He could handle one professor, but if there were many, he might not be their match; if Dumbledore came personally, he would be in big trouble.
"Have you seen Audrey Astley?" Bode grabbed a third-year Ravenclaw at random and asked.
The half-mask, the ferocious expression, and the aura of a dark wizard terrified the young wizard, who stammered, "I... I just got here, I... didn't see her!"
Bode pushed the person away and walked toward another young wizard.
That young wizard backed away repeatedly, shaking his head vigorously. This was a Hufflepuff.
"Are you looking for me?"
Audrey suddenly appeared at the end of the street, shouting loudly at Bode.
"If you want to catch me, come with me!"
Audrey turned and ran towards the outskirts of Hogsmeade Village.
Bode quickly followed. He had no patience left and repeated his old trick—ice blades appeared again.
But how could the original be the same as a Transfiguration product?
Audrey was exceptionally agile, dodging the ice blades with incomparable dexterity. It didn't affect her running speed at all; she even had the leeway to turn back and counterattack a bit.
One chasing and one fleeing, the two finally left Hogsmeade.
This was a patch of grassland on the side of a mountain. Although Hogsmeade Village in September was already a bit chilly, the grass here was still green.
Audrey stopped her steps, not because Bode was faster than her.
—If it really came down to speed, Dragon transformation, Thestral transformation—which one wasn't faster than him?
She stopped here because...
She had arrived at her destination!
"Astley, why aren't you running anymore?"
Bode Gray laughed sinisterly. This little girl had caused him too much trouble. If he wasn't counting on her to decipher the ancient magic ruins for him, he would have struck her dead with lightning long ago!
"Sir, I don't even know who you are, yet you pursue me relentlessly. Isn't that a bit excessive?"
Bode snorted coldly. "I invited you nicely to be a guest, but you were the one who attacked first."
Audrey didn't look panicked at all. With her hands behind her back, she smiled radiantly. "But you are the boss of kidnappers! Shouldn't I resist?"
"Who said this is a kidnapping!" Bode argued sophistically, completely failing to notice that plants had begun to grow wildly on the grass behind him. "I merely invited Miss Astley to participate in a great undertaking!"
Audrey shrugged. "You didn't even tell me what great undertaking it was before hurriedly trying to abduct me. How can I trust you?"
Bode's face turned cold. "Stop talking nonsense. are you coming with me or not! Don't force me to be ruthless!"
"Hehe," Audrey laughed. She had stalled for enough time; now she stood in an invincible position!
"I don't know if you'll be ruthless, but I just want to know how you plan to deal with my little cuties!"
Bode Gray was still confused when he saw Audrey wave her hand.
Sounds of "hiss, crack" came from behind him. Turning his head abruptly, he saw a terrifying scene.
Countless thick Devil's Snare tentacles lunged at him. The scene was like a small boat encountering the ocean overlord Kraken in the deep sea!
There were also Chinese Chomping Cabbages, each as big as a carriage wheel, leaping toward Bode Gray with their large mouths open. If one got bitten by these, they would be dead or maimed!
Devil's Snare and Chinese Chomping Cabbages weren't originally that terrifying, but under the enhancement of Lady Hufflepuff's Plant Ancient Magic, they possessed such might, comparable to a group of XXXXX-class beasts!
Bode Gray's face was gloomy. This Astley had already begun to master Ancient Magic. If he didn't take her down now, he probably wouldn't be able to suppress her once she grew up.
The key was that this wretched girl was full of tricks. She had led him to the shaded side of the mountain where there was no direct sunlight. Under the enhancement of Ancient Magic, the Devil's Snare could move freely—from the very beginning, this girl had been setting a trap!
She used the wooden barrel to lure him away, while she herself must have gone to Dogweed and Deathcap to buy seeds, because that shop was in the direction of her real escape route!
Bode clicked his tongue. A gale rose beneath his feet, and his whole body hovered in the air.
If he were entangled by Devil's Snare of this scale, Incendio or the Wand-Lighting Charm might not necessarily work.
As for the Chinese Chomping Cabbages, although they looked scary, as long as he flew up, these plants that could only hop wouldn't be able to bite him.
However, Audrey had anticipated this. She waved her hand violently, and the tentacles of the Devil's Snare shot into the sky, pressing down on Bode with the weight of Mount Tai, forcing him to fly back to the ground.
Under the enhancement of Ancient Magic, the Devil's Snare could actually burst out with extreme speed!
The Chinese Chomping Cabbages leaped up one after another. A height of two or three meters was nothing for them in their enhanced state.
Bode dodged left and right, but was finally ambushed successfully by a cabbage, which bit him on the butt.
In an instant, flesh and blood flew.
Bode cried out in pain, and immediately more cabbages pounced.
And the Devil's Snare tentacles that had just shot into the sky now pressed down overwhelmingly.
Audrey rubbed her wand, watching Bode being submerged by the Devil's Snare.
She smiled slightly. Taking a hit like that, wouldn't you, Bode Gray, be dead?
Suddenly, lightning flashed faintly in the air, and then several thunderbolts as thick as basilisks struck the Devil's Snare.
The Devil's Snare, which had been majestic just a moment ago, was instantly blasted until juice splattered everywhere, scorched and withered.
Within the lightning, a beam of deep red light flew out, hitting the defenseless Audrey squarely.
"Ahhh..."
Bone-piercing pain came from all over her body. Audrey went limp with pain and fell to her knees. This was... the Cruciatus Curse!
The lightning dissipated. The Devil's Snare was long dead, and the Chinese Chomping Cabbages had all become cooked vegetables. Bode Gray revealed his figure, looking utterly wretched.
He was covered in wounds, bleeding profusely, and his clothes were in tatters. His half-mask had also been knocked off, revealing a left face as terrifying as a skull.
"You little bitch!" Bode Gray was furious. Red light flickered continuously at the tip of his wand. While torturing Audrey, he roared, "I held back everywhere with you, how dare you, how dare you!"
Audrey endured the pain and looked up. "What's there to not dare? Since we are enemies, shouldn't we use every means possible?"
She squeezed out a smile, though in her convulsing state, this smile truly had no aesthetic beauty.
But she still smiled, smiling until Bode felt his blood run cold.
"Sir," she said with a trembling voice, "although I don't know who you are, I know you are about to die."
Bode snorted coldly. "Bluffing!"
His foot suddenly tightened. Bode hurriedly looked down to check, only to see a vine growing out from among the "corpses" of the Devil's Snare, wrapping around his leg.
This vine was obviously not Devil's Snare.
"Venomous Tentacula!!"
Bode turned pale with fright. Before he had time to wave his wand, the spikes of the Venomous Tentacula had already pierced his skin.
"Ah—!"
The poison of the Venomous Tentacula was fatal. Professor McGall's husband, Elphinstone Urquart, had died from a Venomous Tentacula bite.
So this thing was a Class C Non-Tradeable Item. That Audrey could buy this stuff at Dogweed and Deathcap showed that the shop owner wasn't a proper merchant either.
Bode was consumed by rage. He had actually been tricked by a Muggle-born freshman!
Overcome by anger, he had lost his reason. He now only wanted Audrey dead!
"Avada Kedavra!"
A thick pillar of green light shot toward Audrey.
Audrey watched the green light coming at her face without terror, merely shaking her head slightly.
Would someone who had already died once still fear death?
It was just a bit regretful; she hadn't enjoyed this life enough yet...
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]