The Sneakoscope emitted a brilliant light, spinning rapidly as it let out a shrill, piercing whistle.
Inside the inn, every Muggle turned around, their gazes converging on Jon.
Faced with the many strange looks, Jon remained calm. He merely lifted a hand and waved it lightly.
"Confundo," he murmured softly.
At the same time, he pressed down gently with his right hand, silencing the "noisy" Sneakoscope.
He slipped the Sneakoscope back into his sleeve.
The sudden noise vanished as if it had never existed. The Muggles' attention quickly drifted away—those playing with the cat returned to teasing it, drinkers went back to their drinks, smokers resumed their cigarettes—as though nothing at all had happened.
Jon scanned his surroundings warily, his grip on his wand tightening.
Although the Sneakoscope, this so-called "Dark Magic detector," was unreliable most of the time, once it reacted, it had to be taken seriously.
His thoughts raced through one possibility after another.
First—could a giant's lair be hidden somewhere near the inn, triggering the Sneakoscope?
Jon quickly dismissed the idea. Creatures as massive and dim-witted as giants simply couldn't live undisturbed in a bustling Muggle town. The notion was absurd.
Second—had he somehow exposed himself along the way, allowing the Death Eaters to track him down?
Jon slowly surveyed his surroundings, edging carefully toward the corner of the inn.
Every muscle in his body tensed as he waited patiently. No Death Eaters burst through the door. No other abnormalities appeared. His movements had been extremely discreet, and aside from Phineas Black's portrait, he hadn't contacted the wizarding world at all. It was hard to imagine how the Death Eaters could have found him.
That left only one remaining possibility—the worst-case scenario.
Jon's gaze shifted upward, toward the second floor of the inn, in the direction of his room.
Astoria Greengrass was alone in that room.
...
Gripping the banister, Jon moved up the stairs cautiously, his hand never loosening around his wand.
Several Muggle travelers descended cheerfully from upstairs, chatting in a language Jon didn't understand. They looked like foreign tourists visiting the Isle of Man.
Only after they had completely left did Jon slowly approach the room he shared with Astoria.
The door was tightly closed, which made him breathe a small sigh of relief.
But as his left hand reached for the doorknob, the Sneakoscope hidden in his right sleeve reacted again.
It flared with bright light, spun violently, and let out an even sharper, more frantic whistle than before.
Jon clenched his teeth, pulled out the Sneakoscope, and squeezed it lightly, forcing it to quiet down.
At the same time, he withdrew the hand reaching for the door and instead raised his wand toward it.
"Alohomora!"
With a sharp click, the door opened.
Jon took a deep breath, his expression growing heavier.
From the doorway, he could clearly see most of the room.
But Astoria was nowhere in sight.
She wasn't lying quietly on the bed as she had been when he left.
"Astoria?" Jon called softly.
There was no response.
It was as if the girl had vanished from the room entirely.
Could that foolish girl really have left on her own?
Just as Jon frowned in thought—
A shadow streaked out from a corner of the room like lightning, lunging straight at him.
"Protego!" Jon shouted instinctively.
The shadow collided with an invisible barrier, as though slamming into solid armor.
The attack failed. It immediately recoiled, darting back into the room and out of Jon's sight.
In that instant, Jon recognized its true form.
It was a snake.
...
Jon forced himself to steady his mind, focusing intently as he summoned a "happy" memory.
Astoria's curse cured.
Dumbledore and Harry Potter defeating Voldemort.
Peace returning to the wizarding world.
A calm, ordinary life restored.
"Expecto Patronum!" he roared.
A flood of silver light burst from the tip of his emerald bamboo wand, gathering and condensing until it took solid form.
A black-and-white Patronus emerged.
His Panda Patronus. It seemed larger than before, nearly the size of a fully grown panda. Through the wand, sharing consciousness with the creature, Jon effortlessly conveyed his intent.
The panda turned its head, nodded at him once, then let out a deep roar before charging into the room.
Jon followed closely behind. The situation inside became instantly clear.
A massive serpent was coiled in the corner of the room, hissing as it faced the panda.
It was at least ten feet long, its head triangular in shape.
Astoria's clothes lay scattered around its body.
The panda advanced step by step, even though it was slightly smaller than the serpent. Its claws—sharp as scalpels—slashed the air as it growled repeatedly, fearlessly pressing forward.
Under the pressure exerted by a higher-tier magical creature, the serpent hesitated. It coiled its body tighter, glaring warily at the panda.
"Get away, monster!"
Jon shouted coldly from behind the panda.
"Leave her body!"
A savage grin seemed to twist across the serpent's jaws as it tried to slip past the panda and strike directly at Jon.
But the panda blocked its path with astonishing speed.
Its claws tore several bloody gashes into the serpent's scales, driving it back without suffering a single injury itself.
Jon frowned slightly, but said nothing.
"Incarcerous!" Jon shouted.
A thick rope shot toward the giant serpent.
Yet the moment it brushed against its body—before it could even tighten—the serpent twisted away with agile ease.
The panda seemed to sense Jon's hesitation. Its claws and fangs slowed slightly.
Realizing that its two opponents didn't dare truly harm it, the serpent grew even more reckless, launching fiercer attacks at the panda.
Jon's brows knitted together.
He turned and sprinted toward the spot where his suitcase lay.
…
The panda and the giant serpent seemed locked in a bitter struggle.
The serpent came dangerously close to biting the panda several times. Even though it wasn't a true physical body but a Patronus, such a bite would likely be unbearable.
The panda bought Jon a little time, allowing him to retrieve what he needed from the briefcase.
A bag of Devil's Snare spores was hurled with force toward the giant serpent's position.
"Diffindo!" he shouted simultaneously.
As the bag burst apart, thick vines rapidly spread throughout the room. Wherever the serpent crawled, it was immediately entangled by the creeping tendrils.
The serpent let out a wailing cry, then gathered all its strength and slithered toward the doorway.
But the panda had already darted in front of it. With a low, rumbling growl, the serpent's movements gradually slowed.
Its eyes became unfocused, its consciousness seemingly disturbed.
It was an abnormal effect caused by the panda Patronus.
Seizing the opportunity, the serpent's massive body was completely wrapped in Devil's Snare vines.
"Incarcerous!"
Jon cast the binding spell once more.
This time, the thick ropes wound tightly around the serpent, firmly restraining it.
Looking at the subdued serpent, Jon finally let out a breath of relief.
Footsteps sounded outside the door. The noise here had clearly drawn the attention of other guests in the inn.
Jon strode over and opened the door.
Standing outside was the landlady who had been playing with the cat earlier. She shouted loudly,
"What's going on in your room? It sounds like a battlefield in there!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Jon raised his wand toward her.
"Obliviate!"
…
It took over ten minutes to cast a simple Memory Charm on all the Muggles in the inn, making them forget the strange noises they had heard earlier.
After that, Jon returned to his "room"—if the current mess could still be called a room.
The panda was gone. Jon had lost contact with it ten minutes earlier; the fight had taken a heavy toll on it, forcing it to retreat into his wand to rest.
The giant serpent, however, was still tightly bound by Devil's Snare and thick ropes.
Staring into the serpent's savage eyes, a strange thought suddenly crossed Jon's mind.
If he knew Parseltongue, could he have communicated with it?
The thought was quickly dismissed, replaced by a bitter feeling.
He had taken Astoria away from Greengrass Manor precisely because he feared her Curse would erupt prematurely. If that happened, the House-elf Hod—following Greengrass family tradition—would kill her once the Curse manifested.
He hadn't expected his fears to be correct.
The betrayal and imprisonment of her mother had inflicted too much damage on her mind, causing the blood curse to erupt months earlier than expected.
The first transformation had already occurred.
The monster's soul had defeated the maiden's soul for the first time and seized control of her body.
And once there was a first time, there would be a second.
After repeated transformations, the monster's soul would completely occupy that body, and the girl's soul would cease to exist.
Jon couldn't help but sigh.
In truth, tonight's "accident" had been extremely dangerous.
If not for the Sneakoscope's "help," opening the door without preparation might have resulted in his death by the serpent's venomous fangs at that very moment.
If that had happened, everything would have been over.
From this point on, regardless of whether the House-elves brought back useful information, the creation of a Horcrux had to begin.
Just as Jon made up his mind—
The giant serpent bound by Devil's Snare and ropes suddenly began to change.
…
Like an Animagus transformation, the serpent slowly shifted into a human form.
Jon hurriedly dispelled the binding spell on her and conjured a burst of bright light, driving away the still-spreading Devil's Snare.
As he pulled out a large bath towel and draped it over her body, the battered girl slowly opened her eyes.
"I… I… I…"
Astoria Greengrass, her body covered in wounds, struggled to sit up. Her eyes were filled with emptiness and fear.
"What happened… Jon… what just happened…? My mind is completely blank. I can't remember anything from just now!"
"N-nothing…"
Jon forced a strained smile.
But such a lie clearly couldn't deceive her, especially with the surrounding devastation.
"I attacked you… didn't I…?"
Astoria asked tremblingly.
"Has the Curse already begun?"
Jon silently nodded.
"Kill me, Jon." The girl lowered her head, pleading.
"You promised me… if I ever hurt you, you'd kill me… I've been prepared for this for a long time. This is just my fate…"
"It's not that far yet. Trust me!" Jon spoke firmly. "Don't forget the plan I told you about. At the very least, we have to try, right? Otherwise, everything we've done until now will have been meaningless."
"But… if I hurt you again… if I end up killing you…"
Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed.
"It's fine." Jon shook his head.
"Even if you transform again, I can still subdue you."
"Then tie me up… or lock me in a cage…"
Astoria pleaded.
"Please, Jon…"
…
While Jon was still hesitating, a sharp crack echoed through the air.
"Mr. Jon Hart!"
The House-elf Klein suddenly Apparated behind him, screaming excitedly.
"We found them! We found where the Giants are! They're right—"
The House-elf's voice abruptly stopped.
It glanced suspiciously at Astoria beside Jon, then at the signs of battle around the room.
"Were you fighting Mr. Jon Hart?"
it asked her with a hint of hostility, raising a pointed finger.
"Mr. Jon Hart, do you need Klein's help?"
"Oh—no—you misunderstood, Klein…"
Jon hurriedly explained.
"She's my friend…"
With Klein's sudden arrival, Jon's earlier panic faded, replaced by calm.
The House-elves' efficiency had far exceeded his expectations. With so many of them involved, progress was inevitable. Since they had already found the Giants' location—
If everything went smoothly, they could obtain the Giants' "Soul Splitting Technique" tonight and begin creating Horcruxes.
So nothing had reached the point of no return yet.
"Klein," Jon said solemnly, "tell me where the Giants are."