Hogwarts: I graduated before the system came

“Only those who are recognized by those in the same boat can be protected by it.”

Marco asked doubtfully, "Protection?"

"We're all in this together, literally..."

Douglas' tone was calm, but it revealed a meticulous and almost cold defensiveness.

He never believed in absolute loyalty, he only believed in rules that could be checked and balanced.

Marco held the copper plate tightly. What he felt was not only trust, but also a heavy sense of security as if he was being taken under someone's wing.

Douglas thought about them much more than they imagined.

As dawn approaches, the atmosphere of the entire abandoned mine has completely changed.

There was no longer any despair or confusion in the werewolves' eyes.

Instead, there is a sharp and firm light that is endowed with a sacred sense of mission.

The movements they made as they sharpened their weapons became more steady and powerful.

They practiced controlling their breathing to make it deeper and longer.

The Ash Claw tribe, the beast that once lingered in despair, has been completely awakened.

Its soul is infused into the steel.

Its claws were laced with poison.

Now, it lies dormant in the darkness, waiting patiently.

Waiting for the most vicious and conceited mad dog to follow the scent of hope for healing and the blood of his old enemy, step by step into this hunting ground carefully prepared for him, called home.

One of the most agile werewolf scouts, carrying the drop of magically enhanced blood sample that exuded a deadly temptation, quietly blended into the night.

At the same time, at the Italian Ministry of Magic, Department of International Magical Cooperation.

On the huge magic map on the wall of Lorenzo Dino's office, representing the area in the heart of the Apennine Mountains, a previously stationary point of light suddenly began to move, radiating out several faint but clear magical ripples.

"He is indeed here!"

Lorenzo shot up from his chair, knocking over his espresso on the table.

He stared at the ripples spreading out in all directions, as if he was watching a net being spread out.

Ever since Douglas came into contact with the Vatican, their whereabouts have become erratic under magical detection.

So he concluded that the other party must have used some tricks.

"What is he going to do? Reveal his position. Is he waiting for Dumbledore?"

Lorenzo's fingers drummed irritably on the table, making a sound like the beat of a distracted drum.

"Or are you still collecting evidence because there's not enough evidence?"

He rejected the idea.

"No, he must have something on the Vatican, otherwise that madman Piero wouldn't be so quiet."

In Lorenzo's calculations, Douglas should be like a sharp dagger, continuing to pierce deeply into the heart of the Holy See and completely burst the abscess of the "Adam Plan".

But now, Douglas stopped.

Not only did he stop, he also lit a bonfire, as if to prevent the world from knowing where he was.

This was completely out of Lorenzo's script.

The director, who was used to manipulating chess pieces behind the scenes, felt the uneasiness brought by the chess pieces for the first time.

He couldn't understand Douglas's motives, which put him in an unprecedented passive position.

A cave deep within Mount Etna, Sicily.

The air here is hot and dry, filled with a mixed smell of sulfur and blood.

A shirtless werewolf with a ferocious blood-red crescent totem tattooed on his body was slowly picking his nails with a dagger.

His eyes were more ferocious than the volcanic rocks in the cave.

A thin werewolf scout knelt in front of him, trembling as he reported the news from the mainland.

"...a werewolf named Lupin, who is said to have been cured of his wolfsbane, is now with the people of the Ash Claw tribe. They..."

"Ah."

The totem werewolf let out a hoarse laugh, interrupting the scout's words.

He raised his head, revealing a face covered with scars.

"A cured werewolf?"

Chapter 411 An Ancient Oriental Trick

He stuck the dagger into the ground and stood up, his tall figure casting a huge shadow.

"What do they think the Apennines are? Their own backyard?"

There was a glint of greed and cruelty in his eyes.

"We, the Red Moon Brotherhood, are the true masters of this land."

"Go and tell our brothers that a distinguished guest has arrived."

His voice echoed through the cave, carrying an unquestionable command.

"We have to collect some tolls."

"By the way, let's see if that legendary healing thing is true or not."

As the totem werewolf leader gave the order, he inadvertently glanced at the shadows in the deepest part of the cave.

There, a thick chain stretched straight, connecting a struggling creature.

It was shrouded in darkness and the entire picture could not be seen.

But the aura it exudes is like a mixture of rotting corpses and fermented blood, half of which is the ferocity of a werewolf, and the other half is the coldness of a vampire.

It was the sickening, depraved smell of two creatures mixed together.

The totem werewolf withdrew his gaze and a cruel grin appeared on his lips.

The picture is frozen on a pair of awakened, bloodthirsty red eyes in the cave.

When all the major forces chose to wait and see, this group of the most uncontrollable hyenas had already smelled the blood first.

They were running wildly towards the hunting ground that Douglas had carefully arranged.

At the same time, Douglas, deep in the mine, seemed unaware of the approaching malice, or perhaps he had already taken all of this into account.

The arming of individuals and teams has been completed. Now, he needs to set a perfect stage for this hunt.

"Marco," Douglas' voice was not loud, but it made Marco, who was distributing weapons, stop immediately.

"Take me to the most defensible place in the tribe."

He added.

"A place that can serve as a last bastion in the worst-case scenario."

Marco's expression turned serious, he understood what Douglas meant.

That's where the final battle takes place after all defenses have been breached.

"Follow me, Mr. Holmes."

Marco nodded, handed the axe in his hand to Aldo, turned and walked deeper into the mine.

Douglas and Lupin followed.

They passed through several narrow mine tunnels that could only accommodate one person, and the smell of old rust and wet soil in the air became stronger and stronger.

The footsteps were amplified in the narrow corridor and swallowed by the darkness ahead, sounding very strange.

There are some old kerosene lamps hanging on both walls of the mine tunnel. The dim light can only illuminate the road a few steps away. Further away, there is solidified darkness.

After walking for about ten minutes, Marco stopped in front of a cave entrance that was almost buried by rubble.

He personally moved several large stones, revealing an even lower entrance.

"This is it."

He bent down first and went in.

A dry, ancient air blew in from the cave entrance.

Douglas and Lupin followed closely behind, and the scene before them suddenly became clear.

This is a huge, unimaginable natural cave.

The dome is so high that the top cannot be seen. Only some hanging stalactites can be vaguely seen, like the chandeliers on the church dome.

There is only one entrance to the entire cave, which is the narrow passage they just entered.

Apart from this, there are steep and rough rock walls on all sides.

"We call it the Echoing Throat." Marco's voice created a strange resonance here, as if dozens of people were speaking at the same time.

"Any sound will be amplified countless times here."

Douglas ignored the strange echo.

He drew his wand and began to survey the vast space carefully.

He noticed that the rock walls here were not solid, but covered with small holes as dense as honeycombs. It was these porous structures that created the strange acoustic environment here.

He tapped the rock wall lightly with his wand. The sound was dull, like knocking on a huge piece of rotten wood.

"very good."

Douglas nodded with satisfaction. He seemed to have found the ideal canvas.

He walked to the center of the cave and stood still.

Then he raised his wand.

He began to chant.

That wasn't Douglas's usual, crisp, mantra.

Rather, it was a complex, layered spell.

The syllables of the spell were strange and difficult to pronounce, sometimes sounding like solemn Latin prayers in a church, and sometimes turning into a rhythmic syllable that sounded like ancient Chinese.

Two completely different language systems were perfectly blended together in his mouth, forming a new, rhythmic magical language.

As he chanted, a tiny light lit up at the tip of his wand.

The light was not dazzling, but very concentrated, like a drop of mercury suspended in midair.

He started to move.

He tapped the cave walls, the ground, and the unreachable dome with the tip of his wand.

At each point, a shimmering rune was left behind.

The runes have different shapes, some look like tangled vines, some look like soaring birds, and some look like burning flames.

They stayed on the rock for a moment, and then disappeared silently like a drop of water melting into a sponge.

The whole process lasted a long time.

When Douglas left the last rune at the entrance of the cave, beads of sweat had already appeared on his forehead.

The entire Echoing Maw appears to have remained unchanged.

But Marco keenly felt that the air seemed to become... sticky.

"Sir, what did you do?" Marco asked softly. He subconsciously lowered his voice for fear of disturbing anything.

Douglas put away his wand, and a cold and satisfied arc appeared on the corner of his mouth. His expression was like that of an artist who had completed a masterpiece, except that the paint of this work was the enemy's fear and madness.

"An old oriental trick."

He blinked.

"Draw a line on the ground to make a prison."