Hermione covered her mouth and squatted down retching, Harry and Ron also seemed to have been extinguished from the top of their heads a bucket of ice water, inhaling several breaths of breath and trembling, they all hurriedly moved their gaze away, but the image of just glimpsed had left a deep impression on their minds, and could not be dispelled.
The witch lying on the ground was charred black, his skin cracked and rough. Horrific gashes on his body oozed blood that stained the ground red.
The most terrifying is, this witch's nose like already burned out candle, has completely been melted, this is left a soft collapsed blood flesh paste face. Even in this way, St. Mungo's healing practitioner still tried their utmost wanted to save his life, but, even in this way, Harry can also see out, this is completely do useless work.
Sure enough, after only two minutes, the healers gathered around the injured wizard rose one by one, sighing heavily. They took off their hats from their heads and bent down to express their grief over the deceased.
"Oh, poor fellow –"
The healer who had his back to them sighed, saying,
"If it weren't for the broken leg from the collapsed shelf, he would have a chance to survive. He was too close to Mr. Brenn's magic; his body was almost cooked!"
"What would his family say if they saw him?"
Another healer worriedly said,
"In strict terms, he died at the hands of Mr. Brenn."
"Hope his family doesn't make a mistake."
The healer who administered the potion to the deceased said calmly,
"If his family wants to receive a substantial compensation, the Ministry will oblige. However, if they wish to cause trouble for Mr. Brenn, the Ministry will not agree. Without Mr. Brenn's aid tonight, there could be hundreds more dead here. If they dare to go to Hogwarts and demand justice from Mr. Brenn, I'll kick their heads in with my boots!"
Hermione took a deep breath and stood up, she gathered her courage and looked at the faint figure still emitting white eyes, with a handsome face full of sadness.
Professor Brenn certainly wasn't intending to kill the wizard, but, the unfortunate wizard had indeed died in Professor Brenn's hands. In this case, should Professor Brenn be held responsible?
This question was beyond Hermine's ability to comprehend, but she knew that the last thing the healer had said was correct. If the deceased's family wanted to pursue responsibility against Professor Brenn, the Ministry of Magic would not agree, nor would the British magical community or even the residents of the magical world who came to watch the competition.
Hermione, Harry, and Ron did not want to discuss the death of this unlucky wizard in depth. They remained silent and continued walking forward.
The lights of the Quidditch field had dimmed, and although the starry sky above was dreamy, it couldn't provide the brightness in the grove. Harry and his companions wandered around the forest for a while before finally finding the small knoll where they had stopped to watch after escaping from the Quidditch match. This was the most lively spot in the forest at present.
People were gathered on the knoll from several different groups, with the largest number undoubtedly being wizards from the British Ministry of Magic. The rest included staff from the Bulgarian and Irish teams, as well as the 'good luck charms' brought by both teams for tonight.
"What's going on? They're still arguing about the results of the match?"
The kappa and nymph were still arguing in English with different accents when they were surrounded by staff from three different teams. Harry frowned and listened for a while before realizing that the focus of their dispute was still the less than gentlemanly tactics of the Bulgarian team in the second half of the game.
"What a waste of time!"
Ron bit his teeth and said, he desperately wanted to go up the hill to check if there were any clues left by the thief. However, looking at the crowded hill, whether the thief had left any clues or not, it had been trampled by people now.
Ron angrily glared at the group on the hill, and suddenly, his eyes brightened. He turned his head to look at Hermione.
"Do you remember, Hermione? Besides us, there were others on the hill at that time. Let me think... it was Crookshanks, of course; he wouldn't steal my money, but there was also an old fellow. Do you remember his name?"
"Ephraim Duggo--"
Hermione pursed her lips tightly, unwilling to look at the hopeful expression on Ron's face.
"Save it, Ron. It wasn't him who took your gold."
"Why? Who can say for sure, isn't it?"
"Have you heard Sirius describe that wizard to us?"
Hermione glared at Ron.
"Ephraim Duggo is a good friend of Professor Dumbledore. Do you think Professor Dumbledore, a wizard like that, would find a thief as a friend?"
Ron opened his mouth, but couldn't find anything to say.
"Let's go, let's go and check the pitch over there."
Harry whispered softly, afraid that his wand in the box and the wizard who just died would have the same fate.
"Hold on--"
"Hold on --"
Ron followed Harry to the enclosure, unable to go around the slope that was taken over by Ministry staff. He trudged forward with a heavy heart, and accidentally collided with Hermione's forehead with his nose.
"What's the matter?"
With such a substantial amount of money lost, Ron was particularly irritable. Rubbing his sore nose bridge, he spoke in a rather ugly tone.
However, Hermione did not count this. She still stared at the nymph and kappa who were surrounded by several wizards, suddenly asking coldly,
"Did Charlie's money pouch have any flaws?"
"Don't you think it's possible for a thousand gold coins to leak out of the pouch and fall to the ground without any of us noticing, Hermione? This isn't your usual standard!"
Ron looked agitated and anxious, constantly urging Hermione to move forward.
"It's impossible--"
Hermione's eyes flickered with thought, and she spoke slowly.
"Charlie's money pouch isn't of ordinary quality, Ron. Its internal space has been extended, just like the classroom that Professor Brenn showed us practicing avoiding. This type of pouch is enchanted with anti-theft magic; only its owner can open it. However, the pouch we were given by Charlie was in perfect condition, and yet, the one thousand gold coins inside are missing."
"Have you gone mad, Hermione?"
Ron said angrily.
"You mean, I don't want to share the money with Harry, so I secretly hid one thousand galleons!"
"Please, Wesley, can't you make your brain work for a moment!"
Hermione's face turned a pale blue, her voice trembling. Pointing at the Irish dwarf surrounded by a group of wizards in the center, she bit her teeth and said,
"What I mean is, the pouch didn't show any signs of damage, but the gold inside was lost. It's possible, but it could be that Ludo Bagman gave you gold transformed by an Irish dwarf!"
"Irish dwarf-converted gold"
Ron and Harry's gazes followed Hermione's finger, and a few seconds later, their contracted eyes were filled with confusion. Ron furrowed his brow and said.
"What's that supposed to mean? Can't an Irish dwarf's gold just disappear?"
"Well, thank goodness, your brain has finally come to life, Wesley!"
Hermione crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.
"You're right, Hermione, Irish dwarf-converted gold is just a decoy. Ron, they can actually disappear!"
(Chapter ends)
