Seeing that his companion wasn't able to get time to undo Evan's spell, Greyback, who had fallen to the ground, suddenly made a screeching roar. His voice was so loud that it shook the clouds in the sky. A huge full moon appeared from behind them.
In the moonlight, his body started to change.
The sturdy shoulders were hunching, and black hair was sprouting visibly on his face and hands, and the dirty fingers curled into sharp claws.
Crookshanks cried uneasily, and its hair was on end.
Evan and Hermione stopped attacking. They stepped back in horror and couldn't believe the transformation the man was having.
No, it was a transformation of a monster.
Greyback's chin was lengthening. His sharp fangs came out, and his black hair grew denser and denser, making him look like a true wolf.
He rose up from the ground as if he was not hit by a Full-Body bind curse.
Greyback's resistance to magic is stronger than that of ordinary wizards. Now that he is transformed into a werewolf, his physical functions have reached a new level. With just brute strength, he was almost immune to all common low-level spells.
His odour became heavier and heavier. Through the grey dirty hair on Greyback's face, Evan saw a pair of yellow crazy eyes. The smell of sweat and blood was over a hundred times more pronounced.
In the cold wind, vapor came through Fenrir's throat.
He raised his dark paws and his neck, and howled to the full moon in the sky. That was followed by a burst of hoarse roars.
"Oh my..." Hermione gasped, looking in horror at the werewolf in front of her.
"Run, Hermione!" yelled Evan. "Run quickly, right now!"
Without hesitation, he grabbed Hermione's little hand and turned to run.
If he was alone, Evan might have tried to stay and fight Greyback.
But he couldn't take the risk of endangering Hermione's life. If he didn't go with her, Hermione, being the girl, she was, would've not left him alone.
Faced with Greyback, who was transformed into a werewolf, Evan did not have any chance of winning.
What's more, besides him, there was another dark wizard who was no weakling.
In his situation, escaping is the most sensible choice.
"Enough, idiot! Shut up! Do you want to bring all the Aurors and the Dementors?!" the man with the black mask snapped. "Hurry up and bite them, the two young wizards are fleeing. Go!"
Hearing his partner's words, Greyback made once again a harsh horrific roar, and he rushed out at a terrific speed.
Evan could hear the sound of his enemy's claws getting closer, and he and Hermione struggled to make their way through the snow.
The two leaned over each other, gasping heavily, and trying to bring out all the power they still had. But still, they were getting slower and slower.
"Damn, damn it!" Evan turned, gathering all the magical power of his body in the tip of his wand. He waved it and sent out a silvery light.
This was the most powerful spell he could think of under all that pressure. It was magic that he learned from Tom Riddle during the last semester.
It was a curse similar to Sectumsempra, but much more powerful than that.
As a bolt of lightning crossing the dark sky, the silver arrow-like spell flew over to Greyback with a dazzling light. The latter faced it head on running through. He had lost his mind in that state. Besides the urge to kill, he felt no emotions, not even pain.
Evan's spell passed across his body, going from his chest to his shoulders and drawing a long wound.
Greyback took a step back, and his skin was split open as if cut by an invisible sword. A lot of blood gushed out.
Evan had a glimmer of joy in his heart, but it was extinguished once again.
Greyback was damaged, but that was useless. Before he knew it, his wound healed in the blink of an eye, leaving only a red scar behind. The wound's pungent smell of blood further irritated Greyback, who picked up speed.
Evan remembered the description of werewolves that he read in the book "The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection" written by Quentin Trimble. It was known that werewolves have a strong physique: fast, powerful and explosive. Their attack power is far beyond that of ordinary people. But the thing they had that was most horrible and despair inducing was their amazing vitality. Wound created by ordinary spells and weapons were usually healed within no more of two seconds when it came to werewolves.
"No, no, we can't both run off like this." Evan turned and shouted at Hermione. "I'll hold him back, run, RUN!"
"I'm not going Evan, I'm not!" tears flowed down her cheeks uncontrollably. "I'm staying to help you. There must be something we can do! Let me think, I know for sure, it was on Professor Snape's paper "Identification and Killing Methods of Werewolves" I know…"
"We don't have time, Hermione!"
Looking at Greyback who was closing in, Evan had a sense of powerlessness and fear that he never had before. Whether it was when facing young Voldemort, the Basilisk, or the Dementors, Evan never panicked like now.
It's wasn't fear for his own safety. It was induced by Hermione's presence by his side.
Evan felt heartbroken. He had never despised his weakness as much as now. He hated that he could not protect Hermione, he could not protect his precious lover.
In the past, he had far exceeded the level of all young wizards of his age. He had read thousands of magic books and mastered dozens of black magic spells and even had theoretical knowledge of taboo magic. These seemingly powerful things were a joke in front of true power.
Evan originally thought he was fearless. Even when faced with the evillest black wizard, even when facing Voldemort, he could be calm, but now, looking at the werewolf rushing at him, he felt Hermione trembling behind, and he got scared for the first time.
He was afraid of what would come after his falling. He could not imagine it.
If Hermione was bitten by Greyback, she would become a werewolf herself.
If that happens, her only option would be to avoid society just like professor Lupin, avoiding the mainstream, living on the edge of the magic world, relying on stealing and killing to get food, and enduring the blind discrimination of this world. All of that, she would have to face it on her own, wandering on the streets alone.
At the thought of such an image, Evan felt a great pain.
No, he can never let this happen, no way!
"Evan, let's go to that shop in there!" Hermione's screams interrupted Evan's thoughts. "Rescue should come soon. Let's go to that place. There must be a way to stop him."
Looking at where she was pointing, Evan saw a shop with an open door at the end of the alley. The place was empty and the staff inside had escaped more than ten seconds ago.
"Yes, Hermione, let's go there!" Evan decided.
He blocked Greyback's way with a Cursed Barrier, pulling Hermione forwards and rushing to the door of the shop.
He let Hermione and Crookshanks advance, then closed the shop's door and waved his wand to lock it.
He turned quickly and resolutely looked at Greyback.
Even if he wasn't that strong, even if he was far weaker than a werewolf, the thought that Hermione was behind him, and the responsibility upon his shoulder-fired courage in his heart. He had no more fear.
Since we must fight, let's fight!
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Hermione rushed into the shop, and it was empty.
The room was very dark, and Crookshanks jumped to the counter between two thin candles burning half-half. Their light was dim in the dark room.
Next to the candles, there was a cup of coffee that was still steaming hot. The chair in front of the counter was on its back, and a few newspapers were scattered on the ground. That all told, without words, about the haste of the owner's departure.
"Come in, Evan!" Hermione quickly looked around, trying to find something that would help them resist the werewolf. She said anxiously, "Professors will come soon, we must keep on…"
She hadn't finished her words when she heard a loud bang behind her.
She hurried back and saw that Evan didn't follow her in. He actually closed the door behind her.
Hermione was taken aback and immediately understood Evan's purpose behind this: He wanted to protect her. He wanted to stop the werewolf outside on his own!
"No, no!" Hermione's eyes widened suddenly, and she hurried to the door, pushing it in panic.
The store door was not budging as it was locked by Evan from the outside.
"Alohomora!" Hermione gasped violently, she had fear in her heart that she never felt before. She was worried about Evan's safety.
To her, the monster outside was almost invincible.
With Evan staying outside, it won't take the beast too long before he kills him, she could not let that happen. She franticly hit the lock with her wand.
With a click, the door lock was opened.
Hermione used all her power to push it outwards, but it was useless. Although the door was unlocked, Evan blocked it with his own body and she could not make it budge.
Outside the shop, Evan used his thin body to build the last line of defence between the werewolf and his lover.
"Come in, Evan!" Hermione kept on shedding tears, she collapsed and fell to the floor. She shouted with a horrible voice. "Please, come in! Come! You can't deal with that monster alone. You will be killed."
Outside the shop, Evan's back was against the door.
He heard a sore, horrified voice from Hermione. His heart was almost stopping beating. He could feel her hitting the door behind him and wanting to save him
"No, No, don't let her out!
"This is too dangerous for her; you must protect her."
Hermione was right, if they can hold Greyback off for enough time, the professors who got the news will eventually come over.
But before that, he cannot let this monster approach her.
This is his responsibility, his duty as a man.
Evan might not be able to explain his actions. All he knew was that when you like someone so much, you must protect them in times of danger.
He took a deep breath and made up his mind.
From now on, this battle was his, alone.
Even if he was shredded by Greyback, even if he became a werewolf, he would never, absolutely never let him pass.
Here is his battlefield. Behind this door is his last line.
Evan held his wand steadily at the approaching werewolf. The light at its tip became brighter and brighter. He waved his wand and cast several spells.
Before the silvery lights shot from Evan's wand, Greyback did not flicker, and his mouth made a terrible growl. He was hit by a spell, he flew backwards, and then he rose up from the ground rushing over with an even faster pace.
Turning into a werewolf has caused Greyback to lose all his senses.
He is now just a monster who knows nothing but biting and killing; he does not seem to feel any pain.
Evan's curse left a scar on Greyback. Just like before, it did not stop him.
Instead, it further infuriated him.
He was getting closer, and under the moonlight, Evan was even starting to be able to see his own reflection in the beast's big yellow crazy eyes.
Greyback rushed over at a terrific speed, and Evan sent another spell that hit him, making him bleed.
By now, he had so blood all over his body that not a single one of his scars could be seen. Yet after being hit by Evan's spell, he was getting braver and more and more crazy.
This is what werewolves are like. When in their human form, they, like ordinary wizards, can communicate with others in a normal way. Many of them are as gentle and rational as Professor Lupin.
But after transforming, they become the most dangerous magical creatures in the magic world.
In Newt-Scamander's "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them", werewolves are right at the top when it comes to how dangerous they are. Their danger level is comparable to some other magical creatures such as fire dragons, basilisks, centaurs, quintapeds, chimaeras, and so on…
A werewolf can handle dozens of adult wizards at a time. As their leader, Greyback is the most brutal and fiercest of them. It should be impossible for such a young wizard of the age of Evan to handle him.
The masked wizard on the other hand had stopped attacking. He stood there with his wand and it seemed like he was waiting there to see Evan being shattered by Greyback.
Evan leaned back against the shop breathing heavily, behind him was Hermione crying.
She was still pushing the door, never giving up, and yelling Evan's name even after her voice went hoarse.
In front of them, Greyback was approaching steadily.
Evan stopped his attacks. With his levels of magical power, if he continued to use such spells to attack Greyback, he would be only wasting whatever he had left in him.
He looked as if he had given up completely, but the light at the tip of his wand was getting brighter and brighter.
Evan's eyes were still locking Greyback, as all his magical power was being gathered on his wand.
Since ordinary spells have limited damage on werewolves, he thought of resorting to black magic.
As long as it could protect Hermione, Evan would not hesitate to use the evilest, most taboo spells he could find. He was watching the werewolf getting closer and closer, and he knew he had no way out.
In the biting wind, the bloody monster Greyback rushed over to Evan.
He waved his claws wanting to shred the boy in front of him.
He wanted to tear the boy's throat open. He couldn't wait to taste his blood.
Looking at Greyback getting closer, Evan was motionless. He could smell the pungent odour of blood coming his way. All his body shuddered, but his right hand holding his wand was as steady as rock. He was ready to use a dark magic that he had not yet fully mastered, which would consume all his remaining power. He had one chance to do it, and failure meant death.
He must wait for the opportunity; Greyback must get close enough to him!
Doing this is tantamount to gambling his own life. It was either ripping the werewolf apart, or being torn up himself.
For Hermione's sake, Evan will not retreat. He saw Greyback's deformed, sharp fangs closing in on his neck.
Just then, he jerked his wand up and pointed at the werewolf's head, emitting a deep blue light.