Hogwarts: Harry Returns from Water Margin

Chapter 143 Live Flesh Man Screaming Shack

Chapter 144 Live Flesh Man Screaming Shack

Now, Hermione, realizing how deeply Harry had influenced her, was about to move a few steps away when she saw Harry suddenly head towards the fields.

She hurriedly said, "Harry? Where are you going? That's not the local villagers' field."

"Oh dear, elder sister, haven't you heard the saying, 'Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated'? Now that we've explored this market, we should also visit the fields. If we want to control a territory, how can we not thoroughly investigate this place first?"

Hermione paused for a moment, then her eyes widened. "Wait, are you really going to rebel?!"

"Ha! If I have truly gone against the will of Heaven, then it is my destiny to overthrow the Ministry of Magic and restore order to the world!"

Having said that, he went to work in the fields.

Seeing him run far away, Hermione didn't have time to think and hurriedly followed.

It should be noted that most students only play in the streets and alleys, and although the countryside is thousands of acres, it is rarely visited by people. Therefore, at this time, only Harry and Hermione are walking among the fields and paths.

Although Hermione was not interested, seeing Harry so focused on surveying the terrain and measuring the fields, she had no choice but to suppress her temper and accompany him.

She was blowing a piece of Super Bubble Gum to pass the time when she suddenly froze as she looked around. Then, with a loud "pop," the head-sized piece of bubble gum burst open.

Harry was startled by the noise and abruptly stood up, calling out, "What was that noise?"

"Ha, Harry." Hermione stumbled back to Harry's side, stammering, "I just... I think, I think I saw a scarecrow come to life."

Harry looked in the direction she was pointing and saw a wooden frame standing a dozen feet away, with a person tied to it.

He observed carefully for a moment, then slowly drew his sword and picked up his staff, saying suspiciously, "This fellow doesn't seem to be made of straw; he's clearly a living person!"

Do you know how Harry could say such a thing?

The features of the middle-aged man on the shelf were so clearly defined that no skilled craftsman could achieve them. Furthermore, the setting sun shone on the dough, giving it a glossy sheen, making him look almost like a living person!

Hermione's heart trembled upon hearing Harry's words, and she quickly gripped her wand tightly. She swallowed hard and stammered:

"But he clearly doesn't have arms or legs, could he be a wax figure?"

"Ha! Whatever it is, I'll find out as soon as I investigate!" With that, he went straight ahead.

As they got closer, Harry blew on a fire tinderbox and tossed it over, and sure enough, he saw the fleshy figure on the shelf slightly move its eyes.

Harry was shocked and thought to himself: What a vicious method! To cut off its limbs and leave it to be exposed to the wind and sun, pecked by birds and bitten by beasts, could it be that Empress Lü has been reincarnated in England!

He was about to strike with his sword to save him when he suddenly heard the man on the platform ask in surprise, "Little wizard, what are you doing? Are you trying to kill me?"

Harry found the man's speech refined and his logic clear, yet he didn't seem to have been tortured. He asked in surprise:

"What powerful figure has this hero offended? How could he have his limbs cut off and be used as a straw effigy?"

The man laughed heartily upon hearing this. "Offended someone? Little wizard, I came here voluntarily to be a scarecrow, after all, my retirement life is too boring."

"I get so happy when I see those birds here. You might not believe it, but I can tell a hedgehog from a porcupine just by looking at it!"

"As for my limbs... Oh? How did I lose my limbs...?"

Harry saw that his speech was incoherent and he did not seem to have been abused, so he assumed he was a madman.

Just as she was about to leave, Hermione quietly appeared beside her. "This should be Professor Celticburn."

"Retiring in Hogsmeade and having no limbs, I think it would be very difficult to find someone who meets both of these conditions at the same time."

Upon hearing Hermione's words, Celticburn exclaimed, "Hey! Little witch, have I taught you before? You seem like a complete stranger to me!"

"Could you please tell me how I lost my limbs?"

Hermione frowned and whispered to Harry, "That's a bit strange. He can't possibly have forgotten that his limbs were taken by magical creatures, can he?"

Before Harry could respond, a voice suddenly came from behind them, "Perhaps he's been cursed with a forgetting charm?"

The sudden sound nearly extinguished the three flames burning on Hermione's shoulder. She quickly turned around to look and then breathed a sigh of relief.

"Ron! You scared me to death!"

Harry, seeing Ron's figure, exclaimed in surprise, "Brother, you're quite perceptive! How did you know that my sister and I were in this field?"

Upon hearing this, Ron simply took off his robe, clenched it tightly, and twisted it, instantly squeezing out a puddle of water.

"I explored the entire village of Hogsmeade."

Hermione's heart skipped a beat, and she exclaimed in shock, "The entire village of Hogsmeade? You've searched the whole place?"

"Alright, I drank two bottles of energy-boosting potions on the way." Ron cast a few cleansing and drying spells, put on his robes, and said, "It's almost time to get back to school, we need to hurry and get on the express train."

Harry looked up and saw the sun setting and the moon rising, and nodded, saying, "Brother is absolutely right. Tonight, I'm going to teach that Animagus a step further."

Having said that, he bowed to Celtic Burne and left with Ron and Hermione.

When the three of them returned to the street, they found it deserted and sparsely populated. Most of the students had already boarded the express train, and only a few drunkards were still struggling and swaying on the platform.

Just as Harry and his friends were about to get into the car, they suddenly heard a loud howl from behind the hill. It pierced through the woods and fields, so shrill and shrill that it made their hair stand on end and their backs go cold. It was truly terrifying.

Harry looked in the direction of the sound, frowned, and said, "Damn it! What kind of beast is howling? It sounds like a wolf!"

"Maybe it's some kind of wild animal," said the ticket checker on the platform without looking up. "That's how the Scream Shack turned into a haunted house twenty years ago."

Harry, curious, tossed him a Galleon, saying, "Tell me about this Screaming Shack."

Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats: The Screaming Shack was a luxurious mansion twenty years ago.

Why did you abandon it?

It turned out that passersby often heard a shrill whistle coming from inside the house, which would suddenly rise in the middle of the night, piercing their eardrums, just like a wronged soul demanding death or a demon howling!

Therefore, all the neighbors said that this house was ominous and avoided it, and no one dared to go near it anymore.

Strangely enough, in the past twenty years, the ghostly howls have quietly disappeared and have never been heard again. Only an empty house stands forlornly in the weeds, and the terrifying events of the past have gradually become a local legend.

As soon as the man finished speaking, Salazar in his arms suddenly spoke, using magic to transmit his voice to him.

"Harry, go check out this screaming shack."

"Remember what I told you before? Most haunted places are haunted by a mixture of magic."

"Your Hermione sister probably has Riddle with her, right? Maybe she can help it fuse with that magical hybrid in the Shrieking Shack."

(End of this chapter)