Chapter 117: Ivan's Fear

Seeing that his companion had no time to undo Ivan's spell, Greyback, who had fallen to the ground, suddenly let out a piercing roar. His voice was so loud that it scattered the clouds in the sky, and a huge full moon appeared in the air.

In the moonlight, his body began to change.

His sturdy shoulders hunched, and black fur sprouted visibly on his face and hands, and dirty fingers curled into sharp claws.

Crookshanks meowed restlessly, and his hair stood on end.

Ivan and Hermione stopped attacking and recoiled in horror, staring in disbelief at the shape-shifting man before them.

No, it was a monster to be exact.

Greyback's chin was lengthening. His sharp fangs protruded, and his black fur became thicker and thicker, making him look like a real wolf.

He rose from the ground, as if he hadn't been hit by the 'Petrificus Totalus' spell.

Greyback's resistance to magic was stronger than that of ordinary wizards. Now that he had transformed into a werewolf, his physical functions had reached a new level. With only brute strength, he was almost immune to all common low-level spells.

His scent grew heavier and heavier, and through the dirty gray hair on Greyback's face, Ivan saw a pair of crazy yellow eyes, and the smell of sweat and blood was more than a hundred times more pronounced.

In the cold wind, steam rose from Fenrir's throat.

It raised its dark paws and neck, and howled at the full moon in the sky. That was followed by a flurry of hoarse roars.

"Oh, my God!" Hermione gasped, staring in horror at the werewolf before her.

"Run, Hermione!" shouted Ivan. "Run fast, right now!"

Without hesitation, Ivan grabbed Hermione's small hand and turned to run.

If he were alone, Ivan might have tried to stay and fight Greyback.

But he couldn't risk endangering Hermione's life. If he hadn't gone with her, Hermione, being the stubborn girl she was, wouldn't have left him alone.

Faced with Greyback, who transformed into a werewolf, Ivan had no chance of winning.

What's more, besides him, there was another dark wizard who was no weakling.

In his situation, running away was the most sensible option.

"Stop it, you idiot, shut up! You want to bring all the aurors and Dementors?" the man in the black mask shouted. "Hurry up and bite them, the two young wizards are on the run, go!"

Hearing his companion's words, Greyback again made a horrible, harsh roar and ran off at an incredible speed.

Ivan could hear the sound of his enemy's claws approaching, and he and Hermione fought their way through the snow.

The two of them leaned over each other, panting heavily, and trying to use all the strength they still had, but still, they were getting slower and slower.

"Damn, damn!" Ivan spun around, gathering all the mana in his body at the tip of his wand. He waved it and sent out a silver light.

This was the most powerful spell he could think of under all that pressure, it was a spell he learned from Tom Riddle during last semester.

It was a curse similar to 'Sectumsempra', but much more powerful than that.

Like a beam of light streaking across the dark sky, the silver arrow flew towards Greyback with a dazzling light. The latter met it head on, as he had lost his mind when he turned into a werewolf.

Besides the urge to kill, he felt no emotions, not even pain.

Ivan's spell passed through his body, passing from chest to shoulders and drawing a long wound.

Greyback took a step back, and his skin split open as if he had been cut by an invisible sword.

A lot of blood gushed out.

Ivan was glad to see it happen, but the next moment, that joy was extinguished.

Greyback was damaged, but that was useless. In the next instant, the wound healed in the blink of an eye, leaving only a red scar. The pungent smell of blood from the wound irritated Greyback even more, who sped up.

Ivan remembered the description of werewolves he read in the book "The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection" written by Quentin Trimble. Werewolves were known to have a strong physique: fast, powerful and explosive. Their attack power is far greater than that of ordinary people.

But what they had that was most horrifying and desperate was their incredible vitality. Wounds created by ordinary spells and weapons usually healed in no more than two seconds when it came to werewolves.

"No, no, we can't both run away like this." Ivan turned and shouted at Hermione. "I'll stop him, run, run, run, run!"

"I'm not leaving, Ivan, I'm not leaving!" Tears flowed uncontrollably down Hermione's cheeks, "I'm staying to help you. There must be something we can do! Let me think, I know for sure, it was in Professor Snape's article 'Methods of Werewolf Identification and Murders'..."

Ivan shouted, "We don't have time, Hermione!"

Staring at Greyback who was approaching, Ivan had a sense of helplessness and fear that he had never had before. Whether it was when facing the young Voldemort, the Basilisk, or the Dementors, Ivan never panicked like he did now.

It wasn't fear for his own safety, but for Hermione's at his side.

Ivan felt shattered, he had never despised his weakness as much as he did now. He hated not being able to protect Hermione, he couldn't protect the one he loved.

In the past, he had far surpassed the level of all young wizards his age. He had read thousands of magic books and mastered dozens of dark magic spells and even had theoretical knowledge of forbidden magic. These seemingly powerful things were a joke in the face of true power.

Ivan originally thought he would not be afraid. Even when facing the most evil dark wizard, even when facing Voldemort, he could be calm, but now, looking at the werewolf running towards him, he felt Hermione trembling behind him, and he was frightened for the first time.

He was afraid of what would come after her fall, Ivan couldn't imagine.

If Hermione was bitten by Greyback, she would become a werewolf herself.

If that happens, her only option would be to avoid society like Professor Lupin, avoiding everyone close to her, living on the edge of the magical world, relying on stealing and killing to get food, and enduring the blind discrimination of this world. All that, she would have to face on her own, wandering the streets alone.

At the thought of such an image, Ivan felt great pain.

No, he could never let this happen, no way!

"Ivan, let's go to that house over there!" Hermione's shouts interrupted Ivan's thoughts, "Rescue should be here soon, let's go to that place, there must be a way to stop it."

Looking where he was pointing, Ivan saw a store with an open door at the end of the alley. The place was empty and the staff inside had long since escaped.

"Yes, Hermione, let's go there!" Ivan decided.

He blocked Greyback's path with a Barrier, pulling Hermione forward and running towards the store door.

He let Hermione and Crookshanks move forward, then closed the store door and waved his wand to lock it.

He turned quickly and looked resolutely at Greyback.

Even if he wasn't as strong, even if he was much weaker than the werewolf, the idea that Hermione was behind him, and the responsibility on his shoulder instilled courage in him.

He was no longer afraid.

Since we have to fight, let's fight!