Chapter 228: The Little Witch And The Little Girl
Those few dark and blackened strange faces, like three demons, with hollow eye sockets exuding an indescribable eeriness, faintly visible floating in the black ash thick fog. This thick fog seemed to envelop the entire museum. Under the dim leaden clouds, only the surging fog could be seen.
“Bastard, my servant, my child, my warrior, you’ve found new friends. That’s truly comforting…”
A figure appeared at the end of the corridor at some unknown time, wearing a long cloak with their face hidden under a hood.
The little girl stared fixedly at the dark wizard. Her thin body trembled slightly. Hermione turned to look at Bastien. She suddenly realized that Bastien wasn’t afraid. The expression on that always pitiful little face was exceptionally complex, with eyelashes constantly fluttering.
“Good girl, come back to me, kneel down and kiss my boots, put the collar back on, and become my slave again.” The dark wizard’s sinister voice carried a smile. “As a reward for you, I can let her live.”
The dark wizard’s gaze swept over. Hermione felt a chill in her heart, as if targeted by some ferocious beast. The last time she had this feeling was in the Slytherin Chamber of Secrets.
“Hermione told me, no one is anyone’s slave. Everyone is born equal and has freedom.”
Bastien repeated these reasons somewhat stumblingly, her expression solemn and serious. “I’m not your slave, Mother isn’t your servant, and Pickaninny and the others aren’t your puppets either.”
“Little puppy who just took off the collar yesterday, listening to that foolish little witch talk about personal dignity. Do you think you’ve got freedom and equality just by coming to Paris? Remember what your mother said to you before she died? Slaves should obey obediently!”
The dark wizard raised his head, revealing a handsome yet pale face, like a priest in a church, but with an exceptionally ferocious expression. He waved his wand, his face twisting as he shouted:
【Soul Ejection】
Before Hermione could raise her wand to counterattack, Bastien turned to look at the Granger family, a faint smile on her face, as if saying thank you to them.
A brilliant blue glow lit up in her eyes. Her whole body turned into a mass of white mist, whistling as it charged toward the Imperius Curse. The whirlwind raged, and the curse beam extinguished like a candle flame, without stirring any ripples.
The mass of mist didn’t lose momentum and charged straight at the dark wizard. Just as it was about to smash into his chest, the dark wizard suddenly let out a strange cry:
“Pickaninny! Pickaninny!”
The whistling wind shook the glass, making a clattering sound as if it might shatter at any moment. The Granger family looked up in terror and saw the leaden clouds in the sky instantly pour down. The entire mass of leaden clouds turned into an overwhelming black fog, colliding with the mass of mist that Bastien had become.
A powerful shockwave swept through. The floor cracked inch by inch, and crushed stone was ground into powder by an invisible force, as if the entire museum was being swallowed.
The whirlwind gradually stabilized. The sky turned a hazy gray. Through the layers of fog, a faint scent of despair could be smelled inside, lingering and refusing to dissipate. Hermione was only grazed by the edge of the aftershock, yet she felt her chest heavy and struggled to breathe.
Although the specific entanglement of the fight couldn’t be seen clearly, from the size of the mass of mist, it seemed Bastien had temporarily gained the upper hand.
The dark wizard’s hood had long been blown off by the gale. The Obscurus had timely blocked Bastien’s attack, but some of the mist still hit him, breaking a few of his ribs. His face was completely distorted from the intense pain:
“Damn it! Damn it! Later, I’ll break all your bones!”
“…”
Hermione looked at the staggering figure, took a deep breath, suppressed her chaotic thoughts, and channeled her inner anger to wave her wand:
【Sectumsempra】
Facing the incoming blue beam, the dark wizard didn’t even look up. He casually waved out a curse—still the Imperius Curse.
The two curses collided, the glaring beams rubbing intensely like clashing sword tips, sizzling and sparking in mid-air before turning into light smoke and dispersing.
Hermione failed to subdue the dark wizard leader first, and the dark wizard similarly failed to easily control the little witch. It seemed like a draw, but Hermione had been gathering magic power and waiting for the right moment to cast this curse, while the dark wizard had merely waved his wand casually, using an Unforgivable Curse to effortlessly halt the attack.
Anyone could see the dire situation.
The Granger couple exchanged a glance, reaching a silent agreement. They rushed out, one to the left and one to the right, trying to buy Hermione time with their own bodies.
They held display boards from the corridor as shields, while hurling miscellaneous items collected nearby at the dark wizard.
One piece of crushed stone hit his chest, jarring his broken ribs. The dark wizard cried out in pain, a flash of furious malice in his eyes. His wand swung left and right, firing two curses.
Dark red beams flashed past.
The foam and plastic display boards offered no protection. The curses sank into the Granger couple’s bodies one after another. Their forward momentum halted, and they fell to the floor, motionless.
Hermione’s eyes instantly reddened not far away.
She ignored the fear in her heart and the dark wizard’s superior magic. Seizing the opportunity, she waved her wand, instantly completing the incantation. A scarlet curse whistled out, reaching the dark wizard’s face in the blink of an eye.
Hermione had after all tutored in spell class and didn’t waste the opening her parents had bought. This time, there was no Obscurus assisting in the surprise attack. Wizard duels were a matter of instants—no matter the curse, as long as it took the opponent out of the fight, even an elementary spell would work.
The dark wizard’s body finally swayed, as if the hit had landed.
Hermione’s strike hit true, but she didn’t relax her vigilance. Taking advantage of his defenseless state, she kept waving her wand, lips moving as she cast Stupefy, Binding Charm, Freezing Charm, and Repelling Charm—over a dozen curses landing in succession.
The dark wizard’s body was blasted backward by the magical impacts, then crashed heavily down, splashing water and dust.
Hermione stayed rooted, staring fixedly at the dark wizard. She slowly exhaled, her expression extremely grave, small face tense and expressionless. She hurried in small quick steps to her parents’ side to check, her face and hands pale, the blue veins visible under her skin.
Normal body temperature, even breathing, strong heartbeat.
Before Hermione could relax, the sinister voice rang out again.
“Don’t worry, they’ll still be useful later—as nourishment to help you grow strong and healthy. I wouldn’t waste them casually.” The dark wizard had somehow stood up, clutching his chest and coughing.
Hermione’s pupils contracted: “You… how…”
“How can you still stand after taking over a dozen curses?”
The dark wizard spat a mouthful of bloody saliva, sneering as he drew a piece of soft armor from under his cloak, covered in cracks. “Made from fire dragon scales. Might not work against those Aurors, but it’s enough against a little witch like you.”
“Last summer vacation… Romania…” News stories flashed through Hermione’s mind.
“You mean that dragon egg theft last time?”
The dark wizard approached slowly, seemingly savoring the terrified panic on her face, even willing to answer her questions. “Those idiots were our people, but just hired hands—all fools. Not a single dragon egg made it out.”
【Stupefy】
Hermione didn’t comment on last summer’s case. While he was lost in reminiscence, she raised her hand and flung the curse.
The dark wizard glanced indifferently at the incoming beam—bright and swift. Learning from before, it no longer targeted the easily hittable chest but adjusted direction straight at his head. The aim was excellent; he could even feel a faint itch at his brow.
“For a little wizard, you’re quite impressive.”
The dark wizard waved a misty curse, shattering the Stupefy. His eyes never left Hermione as he praised sinisterly, “Your magic power exceeds your peers. If converted into an Obscurus, you’d be even better than Bastard.”
“She is called Bastien now!”
“It’ll change back soon enough. You’ll get a new name too—maid, handmaid, female slave… Which do you like?”
Hermione’s response was three curses in a row. Though they caused no harm, this stubborn resistance seemed to enrage the dark wizard. He stopped over a dozen feet away and slowly raised his wand, aiming at her eyes.
“Keep waving that wand. These are your last times touching it. After today, you’ll hate having a wand, hate being a witch, hate having magic.”
The dark wizard chuckled lowly: “I’ll use the Imperius Curse to control you, make you kill your parents with your own hands, make you utterly despise magic.”
Hermione wasn’t timid or cowardly. Exposed to medical dissections and surgeries since childhood, and to ghosts and dark creatures after discovering magic, she hadn’t flinched even facing Voldemort. But staring at those venomous eyes not far away, she suddenly felt a devil from hell stood there.
Killing with magic by her own hand…
Hermione could hardly imagine such a thing. Bone-chilling cold rose from her back, spreading along her spine through her body. Fear made her tremble unconsciously, her wand-holding hand bloodless and shaking slightly.
“Maybe you haven’t felt a killing curse yet?”
The dark wizard seemed pleased with her reaction, toying with her repeatedly. “You won’t lose consciousness. When awake, you’ll retain this memory, clearly remembering every detail—their expressions, their pained convulsions and screams. This scene will haunt your dreams, appearing whenever you close your eyes.”
Hermione struggled to control her thoughts, searching for a way out, but those devilish whispers drilled into her ears. The more she tried not to listen, the clearer they became, swirling in her mind, eroding her will.
Having savored enough of her fear, the dark wizard finally incanted, deliberately slowing his tone:
【Soul… Ejection】
Dim white light brewed at the wand tip, then slowly detached, floating toward her. The distance shrank; that wisp of white light filled her vision, slowly touching her fair brow and sinking into Hermione’s head.
Hermione blinked, an odd glint in her eyes.
“Now, obey my will. Kill them.”
Hermione glanced at the dark wizard, then at her parents on the floor. She slowly raised her wand, pausing mid-air, her face showing a questioning expression.
The dark wizard seemed to understand the question, grinning ferociously: “Use any curse you like, but make them suffer—unbearably so. Wake them from stupor, have them rolling on the ground, emitting delightful screams…”
【Sectum… sempra】
Hermione’s incantation was slow too. The curse’s faint glow brewed at the wand tip. At the final syllable’s end, the little witch whipped her wand around. The long-brewed curse whistled out, charging straight at the dark wizard.
The flashing beam streaked past, slamming toward the dark wizard’s head. Caught off guard, he barely raised his left hand to block.
The dark wizard’s left hand trembled like a cleaved beef rib. Skin and bones tore instantly, blood oozing from the cracks. The entire hand nearly disintegrated into minced meat, held together only by scraps of skin and tendons, with bone shards exposed.
The intense pain nearly made him faint. He staggered back, collapsing to the ground and losing his slave master’s poise, howling in agony like a deranged madman:
“My hand, my hand! You filthy female slave, how? How weren’t you controlled by the Imperius Curse?”
“You can ponder that in prison!” Hermione rarely cursed. Though she didn’t understand how, it didn’t stop fury blazing in her eyes. “I hope the French wizard prison has Dementors too!”
She followed with a steady, powerful Disarming Charm. The dark wizard, sprawled on the ground, tried to dodge and prop himself up, but his nearly shattered left hand nearly fell apart. The broken bone shards tore flesh, and massive blood loss dizzied his head, vision blackening.
His tightly gripped right hand felt hammered, and the wand flew from his grasp.
The dark wizard strained to open his eyes wide, but he could no longer see his surroundings clearly. The little witch’s figure split into multiples, surrounding him from all sides. Amid the whistling wind mixed with Bastard’s voice, as if about to tear him apart.
He lost all reason, driven mad by extreme terror, flailing his legs and shouting:
“Pickaninny! Pickaninny! Come save me!
“Buck! Winky! Get me out of here!”
In the hazy gray world, overwhelming black fog surged out. Three faces emerged, bearing down on this corridor. The violent shockwave battered the walls, as if the whole building would collapse. The white mist trailed the black fog, whipping up gales, constantly tearing and dragging. Through the fog, it looked like a ferocious beast mauling fleeing prey.
The air gained a faint rusty iron tang—the blood mist leaking from the injured Obscurus.
Despite their own heavy damage and bodies being torn and devoured, the three masses of black fog relentlessly charged this way.
The white mist kept pulling and dragging from behind but couldn’t halt their advance.
The faces in them were dull and lifeless, eyes filled with soul-deep despair—anger and hatred utterly hollowed out, devoid of any ripples.
This place is collapsing! Must get parents out immediately!
Hermione thought rapidly, casting Levitation Charm on her parents’ clothing, trying to drag them out. But this speed couldn’t match the fog’s approach. She could only watch helplessly as the thick fog rushed at her.
Devilish faces floated in the black fog. The whistling wind sounded like wailing ghosts. Destructive power raged, shredding the glass curtain walls, ripping up floor and wall coverings.
In the instant of destruction’s arrival, Hermione heard a familiar, gentle voice.
“Iron armor…”
Professor Levent said.
