[127] Bells for the Fallen

When Hall reached a point not far from Nurmengard, he could still hear the howling of wolves in the distance.

"Hall Weasley. What are you doing in the Forbidden Forest in the middle of the night?"

Hall was startled. He turned abruptly. A tall figure stood not far behind him, wand raised.

In the dim moonlight, Hall made out the face. "Headmaster Karkaroff?!"

Igor Karkaroff's cold, viper-like eyes fixed on him. "Weasley, it's too dangerous here. Let me take you out." He forced a stiff smile and approached with an awkward gait.

"No need, Headmaster Karkaroff. Headmaster Dumbledore told me to wait for him here." Hall calculated that Draco could have reached the castle by now. If Draco went to the Headmaster, the Headmaster would know where he was.

If Draco went to the Headmaster...

Suddenly, it dawned on Hall — Draco would go to the Headmaster, wouldn't he? Hall dismissed his own self-comfort. Given Draco's personality, he would probably go straight to the Headmaster.

Karkaroff looked at the little wizard in front of him, who was actually daydreaming. His face turned nearly green with anger. He smiled coldly and continued to approach.

"Child, it's not good to lie at such a young age. This is deep within the Forbidden Forest. Why would Headmaster Dumbledore invite you here? Besides, I heard Headmaster Dumbledore is away tonight."

"Heh. Is that so?" Hall smiled brightly. "Then Headmaster Karkaroff must know exactly why I'm here."

He wanted to test how much Karkaroff knew — whether he even knew about Nurmengard.

Karkaroff raised an eyebrow. He had already approached Hall, but the little one before him showed no fear whatsoever, not even a flicker of his eyes. For a moment, Karkaroff could not tell if the child had a strong mentality or was genuinely fearless.

The two remained locked in a stalemate.

Hall's neck was getting sore from constantly looking up. This was not good for his physical development. He lowered his head and sighed softly.

"Stupefy!"

Karkaroff was just about to congratulate himself on the stubborn child's surrender when he saw a flash of light. Then he knew nothing more.

Hall looked at Karkaroff lying on the ground, secretly relieved by the surprise attack. But he also knew his current situation was extremely precarious. Running towards Nurmengard would expose it; Hogwarts was his only option. A werewolf ahead, Karkaroff behind. Reinforcements could appear at any moment, their allegiance unknown.

Hall was utterly bewildered. He quickly used a Binding Spell to tie Karkaroff tightly to a tree, then hastily drew containment wards around him. This would ensure that even if Karkaroff escaped, he would not be able to leave for a while.

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Having done all this, he ran frantically towards the castle without looking back.

Hopefully, he would miss the werewolf.

Unfortunately, things did not go as planned. Werewolves could locate their prey by scent from afar. And now, Hall was clearly the prey.

Sensing a gust of wind, Hall instinctively darted to the side. A massive werewolf shadow swept overhead and landed heavily where he had just stood.

The werewolf turned its head, its green eyes gleaming eerily in the darkness like ghostly flames. Nauseating saliva dripped from its mouth. Its sharp claws carved deep furrows in the earth.

Hall's heart tightened. He had to hold off this werewolf until reinforcements arrived.

Damn it, Hall thought. Draco would definitely tell the reinforcements everything he saw, which would also prevent him from using the Killing Curse.

Hall took a deep breath, pushed off his feet, and charged towards the woods ahead. His body weaved rapidly through the trees. The whistling wind stimulated his nerves. But the werewolf was incredibly fast, following closely, howling incessantly.

Hall could feel his strength waning. His breathing became rapid. Beads of sweat covered his forehead, blurring his vision. Even with his stamina, he was still within the limits of human capabilities — far inferior to a werewolf.

Hall knew he was reaching his limit. He gripped his wand tightly, his heart filled with conflict. If he did not use dark magic soon, he would die. But using dark magic would have unimaginable consequences. Yet being sent to Azkaban would at least save his life.

He could not worry about that now.

"Ah —" Just as he was about to utter the spell, a shout came from behind him.

"Hall! I'm here to save you!!!"

"Hall, we're here to help!"

"Ron, Harry, use this! Here, Malfoy, you take one too."

"Hall, I'm back with people!"

The instant Hall heard the voices, he abruptly withdrew the spell, transforming it into a word starting with 'F' that he blurted out.

In that instant, Hall's heart shattered. It was only thanks to his strong mentality that he could stand there expressionless.

The scene that followed was extremely chaotic. At the forefront were Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Draco. Hermione had somehow produced nearly twenty bottles of potions. Her eyes flashed with tension and wit as she quickly divided the group. They ran and hurled potion bottles at the werewolf.

The bottles arced through the air with a spectacular, almost cinematic effect. They exploded on the werewolf, releasing bursts of sparks and a nauseating, eerie stench. Crackling and booming. Sparks flew everywhere. The werewolf's howls echoed across the battlefield.

Hall's eyes widened. He had never expected this. Hall had guessed who Draco would go to, but he had never imagined he would go to the Gryffindor trio! Why could he not have gone to a professor?! Filch was safer than three second-year students! At least Filch could keep himself safe...

"Hall, what do we do now?!" Ron trembled, staring at the werewolf that seemed to have grown inexplicably larger. His face was pale, his eyes filled with terror.

Harry gripped his wand tightly, his eyes revealing determination but also barely concealed nervousness.

Hermione bit her lip, her mind racing.

Draco, though frightened, forced himself to remain calm and stood tall. If the others had not been hiding behind Hall...

Hall wanted to cover his head. The werewolf was clearly enraged. Its eyes burned red. It roared furiously. Its fangs grew even sharper.

Just at this critical moment, several dark figures rushed towards them like the wind. The one at the front swept in like a whirlwind, shouting incessantly.

"Harry! Harry! Where are you, Harry! Don't be afraid, I'm coming!!!"

Sirius.

Hall saw Snape and Lupin following behind Sirius. At that moment, his heart, which had been dangling, felt as if it had finally found its anchor.

Without hesitation, he turned around, grabbed the still-dazed Ron, and yelled, "Run!"

Then, like an arrow released from a bow, he dashed off in the direction Sirius had come from.

"Dean, the two professors! It's your turn!" Hall shouted quickly.

Sirius and his companions did not even have time to stop before they were directly confronted by the werewolf.