But even so…
"I really want to be a wizard, fighting monsters and leveling up, too…"
Unlike the villagers, who kept their distance from Harry and his friends despite their "superpowers," Jim, in his youthful enthusiasm, was eager to acquire "superpowers" of his own and show them off.
"Hey! Kid!"
Jim turned at the sound of the voice, only to see Tom Riddle casually produce an iron sword and toss it to him. "Be careful."
"…"
Looking at the sharp iron sword in his hand, Jim was overjoyed, his face beaming. "Thank you so much! Mr. Riddle!"
Tom Riddle didn't respond, but Apparated with Nagini to the outskirts of the village.
The village was now in complete chaos thanks to the werewolves.
"Do you really think giving him a sword will protect him?" Nagini asked from behind.
"That's none of my business."
Tom Riddle didn't care.
If it weren't for Jim's good relationship with Lockhart, I might not have even given him the sword. Tom Riddle treated his men quite well, at least much better than Voldemort (remnant soul) had.
"So, Tom, what are we going to do?"
Seeing Tom Riddle head towards the forest, Nagini curiously followed.
"I'm going to check if the Thestrals have been attacked," Tom Riddle said without turning his head. "As for those werewolves, you can deal with them. Just kill them."
These werewolves, after transforming, were more beast than human. Tom didn't expect them to kneel and surrender, so he might as well just kill them.
Besides, these werewolves weren't that strong. Harry and the others could defeat them, let alone Nagini, so he didn't need to exert himself.
...
Inside the tavern, Jim spotted the werewolf chasing Lockhart while enduring a Stun Spell.
Seizing the opportunity, he rushed forward and slashed his iron sword at the werewolf's broad back.
Although the iron sword was of mediocre quality, Tom's added "sharpness" attribute allowed it to successfully break through the werewolf's defenses with a single strike, instantly staining the werewolf's furry back crimson.
Lockhart, seeing this, was startled. "What are you doing here, kid?! Go back and hide!"
"Mr. Lockhart, I'm here to help you!"
Jim gripped the iron sword tightly, his eyes fixed on the werewolf still standing.
As the werewolf turned its head, its bloodshot eyes sent a chill down Jim's spine, but he quickly regained his composure.
"Roar!"
The werewolf roared and pounced on Jim on all fours.
Seeing this, Lockhart immediately cast the Stun Spell, and Jim retreated to avoid the werewolf's attack.
Struck by the spell, the werewolf, its mind suddenly fogged up, angrily flailed its claws around, overturning a table and knocking Jim to the ground.
"Hoo... Ugh..."
The werewolf quickly recovered, its large head turning before it fixed its gaze on Lockhart again.
Seeing the werewolf pounce, Lockhart gritted his teeth and retreated while casting Petrificus Totalus again.
Seeing the werewolf freeze, he knew this wouldn't control it for long, but then a brilliant idea flashed into his mind.
"Iron sword, come here!"
Jim, who was using both hands to move the table that was pinning him down, noticed the iron sword that had fallen beside him suddenly fly up and hurtle towards the werewolf's back as it stood frozen.
Thud—
The sharp iron sword pierced deep into the werewolf's back, piercing its heart and killing it instantly.
"Huff...huff..."
Lockhart, who had finally managed to defeat the werewolf after a long struggle, sat on the tavern floor, panting heavily.
But what followed was an indescribable joy. This was different from before; this time, he had truly dealt with a werewolf himself!
This feeling…it was somewhat intoxicating.
"Mr. Lockhart!"
Jim, scrambling to his feet, rushed over and helped Lockhart, who was slumped on the ground, to his feet. "My God, you…you were absolutely incredible!"
"Of course!"
Lockhart's smile was impossible to suppress. "I am Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin III…a distinguished Death Eater and Tom Riddle's right-hand man!"
"Tom Riddle?"
Jim, hearing the term for the first time, was somewhat confused, but now was clearly not the time for idle chatter.
"Jim!"
"Yes, Mr. Lockhart!"
"Let's go help!"
"Yes, sir!!!"
...
In the forest, Tom Riddle strolled leisurely towards where the Thestral carriage was parked.
Werewolves occasionally rushed out to attack him.
But without exception, they all collapsed without warning before even getting close, then turned to ashes and vanished.
This horrific scene was so gruesome that no one could discern any trace of Tom Riddle's intervention; all that was known was that the werewolves had perished before even getting close to him.
And indeed, Tom Riddle hadn't used any spells.
These weak, pitiful pups couldn't even withstand the overflowing magic I exude.
Even under normal circumstances, if Tom Riddle did not conceal his aura and magic, over ninety percent of the wizards in the world would not even be worthy of approaching him.
"The God of Magic," he was still a "god"!
...
"Oh, I knew I didn't need to worry about you."
Watching the Thestrals devouring a werewolf's carcass, Tom Riddle walked over and patted their large heads approvingly.
Although Thestrals were not classified as high "danger level" by the Ministry of Magic, this was only because of their naturally gentle nature; their inherent strength was considerable.
Bang!
Seeing the Dark Mark appear in the sky, coiled around a silver viper, it meant the werewolves were completely dealt with.
"Let's go; there's no need to stay here."
Tom Riddle said, levitating into the air and slowly flying towards the village.
The Thestrals and the magically controlled three-wheeled motorcycles followed closely behind.
...
Although it was late at night, the village was brightly lit.
The villagers, who had witnessed everything, came out, looking around at the destruction with some confusion.
Harry and his friends also gathered outside. The villagers seemed to want to go forward and say something, but stopped in their tracks at the sight of Hagrid's massive figure.
"Mr. Lockhart…"
Jim seemed to want to say something too.
"Don't worry, lad."
Lockhart patted him on the shoulder. "The Ministry of Magic will send someone soon."
"The Ministry of Magic?"
Another unfamiliar term. Jim's curiosity about the mysterious magical world grew even stronger.
"Yes, they'll fix everything, then erase the Muggles' memories to prevent the wizards' tracks from being exposed."
"Erase memories?!"
Hearing this, Jim's eyes widened suddenly, then he took two steps back warily.
"Yes, erase memories."
Lockhart took out his wand. "Sorry, Jim, you're a great lad."
---
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