Hogwarts Card System Chapter 114

Chapter 114: Hobgoblin in Knockturn Alley

Families like the Malfoys, I heard, had to give up more than half of their family fortune to barely clear their names—mainly because Lucius was quite shrewd and kept a low profile, so there was no direct evidence for a conviction—he insisted he was under the Imperius Curse, which gave him a chance to escape punishment.

As for those who openly committed evil, they either died or were sent to Azkaban, where they are still suffering.

But even without being captured, the Malfoy family hasn’t had an easy time these past few years.

If it were decades ago, would the Malfoy family have feared an operation to search for dark magic items led by a minor department head of the Ministry of Magic?

Recently, Lucius was forced to clear out another batch of dangerous family heirlooms, just to avoid being caught with incriminating evidence.

These were all ancestral possessions, all money!

Lucius already looked down on the Weasley family, and now he hated them even more.

Ted glanced at Ginny, who was bowing her head, flustered, holding a second-hand cauldron and textbooks. He felt that Lucius probably wanted to take this opportunity for revenge.

He certainly didn’t know that the diary Voldemort left in his house was a Horcrux; otherwise, he wouldn’t have brought it out even if he were beaten to death.

If things were messed up this time, there might not be another chance to destroy the notebook later.

This Horcrux was different from the others. It was the first Horcrux, carrying Voldemort’s memories and personality at the time, and it had self-awareness.

Later Horcruxes weren’t like that. Perhaps Voldemort’s technique improved, and he wouldn’t leave such a loophole that could cause him to fight himself.

Maybe Voldemort had initially tricked Lucius, saying the notebook was the key to opening the Chamber of Secrets.

That’s very possible. Using one secret to cover another is an old trick.

So Lucius wanted to give the diary to Ginny, thereby retaliating against Mr. Arthur’s series of targeted policies.

Think about it, if Ginny opened the Chamber and killed Muggles, and she was also pure-blood, this would undoubtedly be a huge blow to her father’s pro-Muggle stance.

The more Ted thought about it, the more he felt it was worth noting. Although Voldemort had been gone for more than ten years, the struggle between pure-bloods and Muggle-born wizards had never really stopped.

Just as the bookstore brawl had ended and the combatants were still exchanging threats without leaving, they suddenly heard a commotion and shouts from the street outside.

Ted and the others spun around, seeing seven or eight wizards frantically running towards them, robes flying, shouting, “Run! Run! There’s a monster!”

“A monster burst out of Knockturn Alley!”

“Not just one, many!”

“Ah~~~ Run!”

“Mommy, Mommy, where are you~”

Wizards had been living in peace for a long time and weren’t prepared for sudden incidents, so they panicked immediately. In an instant, children were crying, wives were screaming, and the street was in chaos.

From a distance, they heard crashing and destructive sounds, like a demolition crew had arrived.

There were also sounds of wizards casting spells, but it seemed the situation was dire because the wizards were still running wildly towards them.

The scene was no different from Muggles encountering a crisis.

Ansu, who was watching the wizard boxing match, received a signal from Ted and instantly ascended, flying towards the approaching chaos.

Ted’s psychic connection linked to Ansu’s mind. He closed one eye and switched to Ansu’s perspective.

Less than a hundred meters away, at a fork in the road, a group of wizards were scrambling to get out. There were normal wizards, and also some big-nosed, hunched, obviously unsavory characters.

Among them was even the owner of Borgin and Burkes, whom Ted had previously spied on!

They were running out of Knockturn Alley, with several strange things chasing them from behind.

There were creatures with greenish-blue, scaly, slimy bodies, like fish-headed monsters with long, thin limbs, walking upright.

These were Merrow, different from Mermaids. Mermaids were more human-like, Merrow more fish-like.

Ted had only heard of them and seen moving pictures in books; this was his first time seeing live ones.

The book said Merrow were inherently cruel. Although they had their own language, and some individuals could cast a few spells, they actually ate people!

These four or five Merrow, led by a taller one, held crude sticks and brooms, yelling incoherently as they chased the dark wizards from Knockturn Alley.

Although they were occasionally knocked down by spells, their magic resistance seemed strong, and they didn’t lose combat effectiveness, getting up to continue the chase.

Behind the Merrow, there were seven or eight creatures very similar to goblins, with similar noses, ears, and height.

But their eyes were more brutal and bloodthirsty, their mouths full of sharp teeth, their nails dirty and sharp. They held cauldrons and benches snatched from the street as weapons, howling and cheering from behind.

These were… Goblins?

According to the books, Goblins weren’t very brave. A group of seven or eight like this shouldn’t dare to charge at a larger number of wizards?

The reason they were so brave was because they had a leader—a monster over two meters tall, two meters thick, covered in fur, with hands hanging down to its knees, a face like a brown bear, sharp teeth, and an upturned pig-like nose!

This was actually a Hobgoblin!

There was even a section of iron chain still on its wrist!

A Level 10 Berserker Hobgoblin Marauder / Level 2 Anti-Magic Monster… A total Level 12 monster!

According to Ted’s appraisal, this Hobgoblin’s magic resistance was as high as Level 5!

This was the highest magic resistance Ted had ever seen. Even the severely weakened Voldemort might not have been this high.

Perhaps only high-level magical creatures like unicorns and phoenixes had such high magic resistance.

Basically, any magical being has some degree of magic resistance.

And if something is constantly subjected to magical effects but doesn’t die from it, prolonged exposure can lead to an adaptation.

That is, magic resistance levels up!

And this Hobgoblin was exactly that.

It was an elite Hobgoblin, a particularly strong one among Hobgoblins, a marauder specializing in attacking other creatures.

It had been captured by a specialized dark wizard hunting team and sold to Knockturn Alley.

In Professor Quirrell’s experimental memories, Ted had seen him buy these otherworldly monsters from black market merchants in Knockturn Alley for experiments.

Although the Ministry of Magic had enacted laws prohibiting the private capture and sale of otherworldly monsters, where there was profit, there would naturally be people doing it.

This Hobgoblin, already powerful, had been stuck in Knockturn Alley for over a month because business was bad.

So the dark wizard shop owner used it for casual magic experiments, which inadvertently leveled up its magic resistance, turning it into an anti-magic monster.

Then, a small accident allowed the Hobgoblin to seize an opportunity, directly destroying its magical cage and shackles. It withstood a Severing Charm and a Stunning Spell, then smashed the dark wizard’s head.

Then it threw a massive tantrum, completely wrecking the underground warehouse, and some other “goods” also took the opportunity to escape.

In fact, what Ted and his group were facing was only a part of it; another part was causing trouble in Knockturn Alley!

“Awoo~” The Hobgoblin, tormented for a month, was going mad. It howled and charged out of Knockturn Alley, followed by a group of temporarily attached Goblins.

As two spells hit it, the Hobgoblin only paused slightly, losing a few tufts of fur!

At this moment, Gringotts Wizarding Bank, located at the intersection of Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley, bore the brunt of the attack.

The goblin guards, dressed in red, saw the danger and shrieked, “Quick! Close the doors, close the doors!”

Their cries attracted the enemy. The Hobgoblin charged directly at the two conspicuously red-clad goblin guards, like a mad bull seeing a bullfighter with a red cape.

“Paseyasra~” A goblin guard extended a long, slender finger and shrilly chanted a goblin spell.

The effect of the spell was unknown, but it only made the Hobgoblin sway slightly when it hit. Then, it leaped up the steps, six or seven at a time.

It raised an iron bar, likely torn from an iron cage.

Although the goblin guard seemed to have cast a protective spell on himself, he was still sent flying like a cannonball, spitting blood when he hit the ground.

Before he could struggle to get up, a face somewhat similar to his, but with more cunning and cruelty, appeared. A narrow, broken-glass “dagger” with a rag-wrapped hilt was plunged directly into his eye socket, blood gushing out~

And the Goblin who had ambushed and killed this “respectable relative” laughed triumphantly, covered in blood, dancing wildly and excitedly.

(End of Chapter)