Hogwarts Card System Chapter 288

Chapter 288: Crucio on Pettigrew

(Thanks to book friend “Chu Xu” for the generous reward!)

“What do we do now?” Ron’s voice was tinged with despair.

The five of them stood back-to-back in a circle, surrounded by a dozen smoke wraiths in a large hall.

At the end of the hall was a door, which was the final exit.

However, the dozen smoke wraiths circled in mid-air and on the ceiling, like conscious wisps of smoke encompassing them, emitting an unsettling “whoosh-whoosh” sound.

“We’re finished! I never thought I’d be suffocated to death one day!” Ron’s voice was tearful.

“Don’t lose heart, we can at least choose to commit suicide!” His good friend Jerry advised.

Ron: Thanks, I’m now filled with the courage to fight the enemy to the death!

He took a deep breath, opened the cockpit, and climbed out of his Bear Mech.

“What are you doing? Get back in, the Bear can keep you going longer!” Harry shouted.

Ron gave a bitter smile: “Enduring for a few more minutes would just mean more suffering. You came to save me, I can’t let you die here! You seize the opportunity and rush out, I’ll release Unit- 01 for a final desperate struggle!”

“You’re crazy! Unit- 01 will get stuck here!”

The space here was limited; the consequences of a mech getting stuck underground were hard to say. Perhaps it would be like those who Apparated into solid rock?

But Ron couldn’t care less. Unit- 01 had an overclocking overload function.

Although he could only last for 1 second, that second might be an opportunity to help his friends escape danger.

“My mind is made up!” Ron grabbed the miniature Unit- 01 hanging around his neck. Just as he was about to pull it off, a hand grabbed his.

It was Neville. Neville’s grip was incredibly strong, holding Ron’s hand like an iron clamp, making him unable to move.

“Wait! Let’s try the Patronus Charm again!” Neville said gravely.

The golden light around him was growing weaker, unable to last much longer. Their last hope lay with the Patronus Charm!

They began to recall the information Ted had given them about the Patronus Charm in the secret base.

“The Patronus Charm is about activating positive beliefs deep within your heart. It requires extremely strong positive beliefs to take shape…”

“Happiness is just one type of positive belief, and it’s relatively easy to find. But it’s not the only emotion that can evoke a Patronus…”

“A wizard’s power comes from magic, but even more so from their beliefs.”

“You can infuse your own beliefs into the Patronus Charm. When you fight with everything you have to protect something, it will appear!”

The four of them half-closed their eyes, searching for the deepest beliefs in their hearts—happiness, courage, sacrifice, or something else. Come forth, I need you now, I cannot let my friends die!

Neville’s golden light grew dimmer and dimmer. The floating smoke wraiths drifted closer and closer, their whooshing sounds becoming clearer. The smoke was almost entering their nostrils.

Ron’s eyes widened, his hand gripping Unit- 01 tightly—Damn it, I’m going for it, now!

Just as the golden light vanished, Ron tore off Unit- 01, but before he could throw it, a more brilliant golden light suddenly appeared!

“Expecto Patronum… Who else but me!”

Ron turned his head in surprise. It was Neville!

The moment darkness descended, Neville’s body erupted with magic like golden flames. The “golden flames” spread to the other four, instantly forcing back all the smoke wraiths.

It even instantly roasted a smoke wraith that was too close, shrinking it by a third!

And the golden flames also enveloped Neville’s wand, transforming it into a golden, flaming longsword!

Ron: What the hell is this, a Patronus?!

Neville: Activating Holy Sword Mode~

…

Ted stared blankly at his crystal ball; he had been about to end this trial.

After all, the Patronus Charm was indeed difficult to master, requiring a search for deep inner strength, which wasn’t a matter of talent but needed profound and painful tempering.

That’s why Ted had arranged this trial, which ended up making Ron limp.

He had actually considered what to do if the kids couldn’t learn it for now.

He had a secondary option—his self-invented Exorcism Charm (Monster Repelling Charm), with the incantation: “Evil spirits, begone! Away! Away! Away!”

This charm could prevent evil creatures from approaching him, but its effect was limited, its range very small, barely enough for self-preservation.

But at the last moment, the golden boy, the purest-hearted among his friends, and the one who had undergone the most mental tempering, Neville, with a spirit of great sacrifice, successfully broke through that barrier and activated his Patronus.

However, wasn’t this Patronus a bit strange?

Or rather, he should have activated a Guardian Spirit based on Ted’s theory, not the traditional Patronus Charm theory!

That’s right, Ted’s modified Patronus Charm was called the Guardian Spirit Charm.

This was something Ted created during his practice of the Patronus Charm, incorporating the creation of deities and self-worship from Chaos Magic, along with interdimensional knowledge from [Ash of the Lone Wolf (Green)] for creating spirits, and the use of emotional magic inherited from Ravenclaw and Morgana!

This was also the method Ted thought of to eliminate the vast amount of negative emotions in Morgana’s vault…

Unlike the Patronus Charm, which could only repel evil creatures, the Guardian Spirit Charm had greater destructive power.

Guardian, guardian, a spirit that guards the Dharma!

This move had far greater offensive capability than the original Patronus Charm.

Ted infused his intent to protect himself as the ultimate goal and destroy anything that threatened him into the Patronus Charm, forming a black evil dragon that devoured everything!

During the development of Ted’s Guardian Spirit Charm, he had to incorporate many rare magical materials with representative and special meanings, such as the large quantity of Eastern dragon bones he specifically acquired through smuggling…

And this concept was sound. Neville’s mutated Guardian Spirit Charm clearly infused a belief in great sacrifice, and integrated his practiced Fire Breathing Technique and the light of his heart—Holy Light—into it, activating this golden flame-type Guardian Spirit.

Ted’s incantation was: Great Heavenly Dragon.

It seemed Neville’s incantation was: Who else but me.

In reality, there were other variant versions of the Patronus Charm.

In ancient Greece, there was a wizard known as “Andros the Invincible,” believed to be the only known wizard capable of summoning a giant-sized Patronus.

His Patronus was said to be as huge as a giant, but its form was unknown. With the powerful might of this Patronus, he earned the title “the Invincible” Andros.

However, this unique, custom-made charm apparently did not pass down.

Everyone used the most primitive version.

But Ted knew that Dumbledore’s Patronus had special variations.

His phoenix Patronus had already developed other functions beyond the original, as demonstrated in the Forbidden Forest battle.

If Ted had taken a radical, different path, then old Dumbledore was balanced and peaceful, forging a path further along the original one.

Now, what about Neville’s technique?

“Hmm, the destructive power is considerable. At least for magical beings like smoke wraiths, it’s extremely lethal. This golden flame and the feeling it gives off, it’s like a variant of Holy Light and magic!”

Ted watched his creations being slaughtered by his companions from the sofa.

A dozen smoke wraiths, made over a week with over a hundred galleons worth of materials, were wiped out in just a few short seconds.

Alright then~

Now, let’s check the Shrieking Shack and see how the grudges and affections among the adults were developing.

The crystal ball showed the scene around Peter Pettigrew.

Right off the bat, it was an explosive scene: Sirius and Lupin, eyes red and brimming with tears, angrily grabbed Pettigrew’s collar and questioned him.

Pettigrew’s clothes were like burial shrouds that had been in a coffin for years; with a pull, they tore into rags.

However, although Sirius pointed his wand at Pettigrew’s neck, he didn’t strike.

His face showed clear signs of struggle, and Lupin looked even more pained, feeling worse than the captured Pettigrew!

To be honest, Pettigrew truly couldn’t be a friend to the other three; he didn’t measure up in courage, talent, or intellect.

It was Lupin who brought Pettigrew into their group. Lupin, being self-conscious about his werewolf identity, instinctively needed a similarly unremarkable friend for companionship.

And Pettigrew was happy to tag along with popular figures to gain some benefits, as if it made him seem more distinguished. In the end, he got caught up in the war between good and evil.

Lupin’s current pain was that if he hadn’t brought Pettigrew into their group, perhaps James and Lily wouldn’t have died, and he would share some of the guilt for their deaths!

Ted listened for a long time, wondering if Pettigrew, fearing capture all these years, had already prepared his defense. This explanation, identical to Lucius’s Imperius Curse defense, truly made it hard to distinguish truth from falsehood.

“Sirius, Remus, I couldn’t control myself back then. For all these years, I’ve lived in agony. I didn’t dare to transform into human form, I’ve been a rat all this time. I should have died back then!”

Pettigrew, thinking quickly, stopped begging for mercy and instead pleaded for death.

He gripped Sirius’s wand-holding hand tightly, forcefully poking it at his own head, as if trying to drill a hole through it!

“Kill me! Kill me, Sirius, end my suffering, let me apologize to James and Lily myself. I’m a coward, a coward who dares not face his sins! Kill me! Quickly!”

Covered in grime, clothes torn, hair like a bird’s nest, eyes vacant… Pettigrew, after spending so long as a rat, was truly pathetic, so pathetic it was unbearable to look at.

Ted felt he had to give a standing ovation for this heartfelt performance!

So impressive!

It was almost good enough for a Northern Film Academy textbook!

Sirius finally broke down. He was, after all, still that romantic, carefree, noble young man; coldness was not his character.

He lowered his wand. “Get out! Get out! Don’t ever appear again! Our friend Peter Pettigrew, he died over ten years ago! Get out!”

Sirius wept uncontrollably. For a moment, the dusty, abandoned house was filled with three middle-aged men in tears.

In this house that had once witnessed their friendship.

Just then, applause suddenly came from outside the door. “Clap, clap, clap, clap~”

“What a wonderful performance! Crucio~~~”

A dark green spell pierced through the door and accurately struck Peter Pettigrew!

(End of chapter)