Disclaimer: I don't own anything. This is not meant to infringe upon copyrights.
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The last lesson of the first year, Defense Against the Dark Arts, was about werewolves, a creature Kyle was naturally familiar with.
They resembled wolves, but could walk upright, had slightly shorter snouts, gray fur, and sharp, hooked nails on their hands.
This was definitely a werewolf.
But weren't these creatures only supposed to transform during a full moon?
Then what was this… a Daylight Werewolf?
Kyle didn't have time to think. He quickly raised his arm, his wand sliding from his sleeve into his hand.
All descriptions of werewolves contained the same phrase: their brains were chaotic, devoid of reason, and they would only instinctively attack any creature in front of them.
This werewolf was no exception.
It stared intently at Kyle, its eyes filled with cruelty and bloodlust.
Well, what could he do? Kyle was the closest.
The werewolf opened its mouth, revealing sharp teeth at least two inches long. Dusty saliva slowly dripped from between its teeth onto the brownish-red floor.
"Thud..."
"Roar!"
The moment the werewolf pounced, Kyle uttered the incantation first.
"Spongify!"
"Thud..."
The werewolf's movements faltered, its body falling uncontrollably to the side.
Thanks to Oren, who had explained the characteristics of werewolves in great detail during his last lesson, including practical information not found in textbooks.
According to him, werewolves mostly choose a leaping attack when facing prey, a so-called forward pounce.
Soft ground can cause them to lose their footing, making it perfect for this situation.
Although the werewolf quickly got back to its feet, it was enough for Kyle.
He dared not return to Hagrid's ward; there wasn't enough time, and turning to open the door would expose his back to the werewolf.
Without hesitation, Kyle quickly took two steps back to create distance between himself and the werewolf, raising his wand at the same time.
The floor in front of him began to rise, quickly forming rows of stone spikes only a few inches high.
These spikes were not only sharp but also very sturdy; even a thick-skinned werewolf would find it extremely uncomfortable to step on them.
It tried to climb over the wall…
"Bang!"
At that moment, a hospital room door was suddenly flung open, and Hagrid's massive body appeared in the corridor.
He had rushed out the moment he heard the commotion outside.
Hagrid was also stunned for a moment upon seeing the werewolf, but he quickly spotted Kyle not far away.
Hagrid's face began to flush rapidly.
"You monster, how dare you attack a little wizard!"
He ripped off the door and threw it like a discus.
"Bang… Ouch!"
Hagrid's aim was quite good; the door slammed heavily onto the werewolf, causing it to howl in pain.
Even Kyle instinctively gasped; he had even heard the "crack" of bones breaking.
Although the werewolf was unconscious, its basic animal instincts remained. It glanced at Hagrid in terror, then turned and ran.
Watching the direction it went, Kyle's pupils contracted, and he shouted, "Hagrid, that's a staircase! Don't let it go that way!"
"I know," Hagrid hurriedly chased after it.
But he was too slow; the tight hospital gown clung to his body like bandages, making it impossible to run, let alone catch a werewolf.
Even Kyle easily overtook him.
"Kyle, come back!"
Hagrid could only tear at his clothes as he ran.
"Damn it, haven't the St. Mungo's men arrived yet?!"
On the other side, Kyle, who had also chased after it, was equally anxious. That was a werewolf! If he got bitten… he could basically say goodbye to Hogwarts.
Unlike Lupin's situation, St. Mungo's had so many people; if someone were bitten, it would be impossible to hide it.
But he couldn't just watch the werewolf rush down to the first floor to attack those who were unprepared.
"Thankfully, there's Hagrid."
Kyle felt a little more at ease hearing the heavy footsteps behind him.
As the werewolf reached the top of the corridor stairs and began to slow down, he immediately extended his wand.
"Impedimenta!"
"Flipendo!"
The two spells struck the werewolf one after the other. It paused for a moment, then slammed into the wall behind it.
Kyle looked back.
Professor Kettleburn was lying on his side in the corridor, holding his wand with his only remaining arm.
He was the one who had cast the Flipendo.
"What...what are you doing..."
At this moment, a childish voice suddenly came.
Kyle turned his head sharply and, without anyone noticing, a chubby, round-faced boy had suddenly appeared at the corner of the stairs.
He was holding a lunchbox and looking at them with a terrified expression, clearly frightened.
Not only Kyle, but the werewolf also noticed the sudden appearance of the newcomer.
A fierce glint flashed again in its dim eyes as it struggled to pounce on the boy.
"Spongify!"
The werewolf, who had just stood up, swayed and fell back down.
Kyle waved his wand, transforming an iron frame in the corridor into a sharp spear, and hurled it at the werewolf with all his might.
The spear only slightly pierced the werewolf's skin before it could go no further.
However, Kyle hadn't expected to succeed on the first try, so he immediately used another spell after throwing the spear.
"Flipendo!"
Like a hammer striking a nail, the spear, imbued with a knockback spell, pierced directly through the werewolf's chest, pinning it to the ground.
"Kyle, get out of the way... uh!"
Hagrid finally arrived. He looked at the werewolf before him and silently lowered his raised arm.
It seemed... he wasn't needed anymore.
"Could you please go find someone at the hospital?" Kyle looked at the little boy and said, "Tell them there's an out-of-control werewolf on the second floor."
The boy seemed terrified by what he saw; Kyle had to call him twice before he responded.
"Okay…okay…"
He glanced at Kyle fearfully, then ran downstairs quickly.
"I think he's probably scared," Hagrid said from the side.
Even he himself was quite frightened, let alone a child.
"There's nothing we can do about it," Kyle shrugged. "Being scared is better than turning into a werewolf."
At this moment, Professor Kettleburn, already wearing his prosthetic leg, limped over.
"I'm sorry, child, it was my carelessness."
"I should have added another spell."
Kyle shook his head. "It's not your fault, Professor."
The werewolf was already powerless to resist; it only went berserk after seeing the boy.
And the boy was standing at the corner of the stairs, out of Professor Kettleburn's sight.
[End of the chapter]