0175 Cat & Dog

0175 Cat & Dog

On the road of magic for more than ten years, Bryan had never encountered such a difficult obstacle. The research that had made no progress for more than a month even made him doubt his own magical talent!

He looked again at the stack of manuscripts that he had already memorized, and sighed deeply, with a hint of helplessness in his sigh. The yellowed papers were covered with ancient runes and symbols, some of which were faded or torn. They were the only clues he had to decipher the mysterious curse that had fascinated him for so long.

If it was just an ordinary spell or curse, and there had been no breakthrough after researching it to this point, he might have given up by now, but this curse was different. Ever since he figured out the content recorded on the manuscript, and learned that it could magically and irresistibly stuff the cursed soul into another person's soul, Bryan knew that he had to master this magic.

The hunger and protest of his stomach told Bryan that he urgently needed to eat and rest. He stood silently in the kitchen for a while, dispelling the sense of decadence in his heart, and then began to deal with the slime and blood stains on the stone platform. He had experimented with various animals, trying to transfer their souls to each other, but none of them had succeeded. The only result was a pile of corpses and a horrible smell. He had to dispose of them quickly, or he would attract unwanted attention.

The trembling tip of his wand emitted a dazzling galaxy, and Bryan once again used the illusion magic to restore the house to its original appearance when no one was there.

He scratched his itchy scalp, which was covered with greasy and tangled hair, and looked around the house. He made sure that he had not left any traces of his presence, and then he headed for the door. He was planning to go back to the village, and to buy some food and supplies. But as soon as he opened the door, he heard a rustle and a squeak from outside. He narrowed his eyes and shouted, "Come out!"

After a shout, Bryan quickly extended his right hand towards the source of the noise, and a small creature flew out of the bushes and landed in his hand.

The Shrieking Shack was located on the hillside of the northeast of the high slope, where the ground lost the protection of vegetation, and large and small, oddly shaped stones were scattered on both sides of a winding and steep path. This path extended from the main road of Hogsmeade village, crossing several large fields of vegetable gardens and a few wooden houses in the wilderness. The end of the path was a strange and rugged stone mountain. The Shrieking Shack was the only building on the mountain, and it looked like it was about to collapse at any time.

Under a rock wall that faced away from the moonlight, a ginger-colored cat peeked out from behind a stone. It looked around cautiously, and after confirming that there was no sign of life, it jumped agilely on the stone, and disappeared into the dark shadow. It was carrying something in its mouth, and it made a soft meowing sound.

Meow! The cool and dry cave was almost completely bathed in the deep darkness. Crookshanks looked around, meowed a few times, and then dropped something from his mouth. The piece of cheese rolled to the ground softly and stopped near a pile of bones. It was a yellowish-white color, with some holes and mold on it. It smelled sour and pungent, but it was better than nothing. It was stolen from the Hogwarts kitchen by Crookshanks, who had sneaked in there.

Whoosh– A gust of wind appeared out of thin air, and a huge figure suddenly pounced on a stone platform protruding from the rock wall above. It easily picked up the cheese with its teeth, and without any hesitation, it swallowed it whole.

Steal the fake rat from the school– This was Crookshanks's third suggestion.

This method was somewhat feasible, but the black dog didn't have much hope. He knew that the fake rat was cunning and cowardly, and that he had some tricks up his sleeve. Crookshanks was very smart, but he was unlikely to deal with him alone, especially since the fake rat was protected by his owner and his friends.

But this was the least likely to expose and worth trying plan at the moment. Crookshanks, who received approval, stood up, and his face that looked like it had been run over by a wheel also didn't look so gloomy. He faced the direction of the Shrieking Shack and called out softly.

By the way, want to see what the wizard in the house is doing, and, test if there are any traps? Crookshanks added another suggestion, which was more of a curiosity than a necessity. He wanted to know what the wizard was doing in the house, and if he could find a way to avoid or disable the possible traps. He thought that it would be useful for their future plan, and also fun to explore.

The black dog fell into hesitation again. He was not particularly curious about what the wizard was doing in the house, but if Crookshanks could help confirm whether there were any traps in the Shrieking Shack, it would be helpful. That wizard was the teacher of Harry, and he had seen Crookshanks before, so if he really found Crookshanks, he shouldn't be in much danger. He might even be friendly to him, since he was Harry's friend's pet.

Meow– Before the black dog could figure out whether this matter was worth taking a risk, Crookshanks, who couldn't wait, stood up and ran towards the green hill. He was agile and swift, and he soon disappeared from the black dog's sight. The black dog squatted on the stone and watched Crookshanks go away quickly, and his gray eyes showed intense worry.

This very smart big ginger cat had given him a lot of help during this time, and he was already his friend. In this moment when everything was against him, if he lost Crookshanks's help, revenge would probably become more difficult.

After hesitating for a while, the black dog made up his mind and howled, bathed in the bright moonlight, and ran towards the Shrieking Shack as well!

"You are-"

In the hall of the Shrieking Shack, Bryan squinted his eyes and looked at the ginger-colored big cat that was struggling fiercely in his hand, and his face looked a bit strange, "If I remember correctly, you are Hermione's pet cat Crookshanks. By the way, what are you doing here?"

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