Attack!
Before the shadow appeared, the strong wind coming forward had already disturbed her hair. Amelia trembled for a moment, instinctively putting her hand in her pocket to take her wand. Her actions were slower than the shadow, and she couldn't complete the spell in time.
Luckily, Remus was more experienced; when Amelia was still in disarray over the appearance of the shadow, his hand had already touched his wand.
"Protego!"
Remus barked loudly, the air in front of the three of them rippled with a gentle breeze. Invisible light in the wind unfurled and expanded, a formless barrier swiftly unfolding.
The dark shadow descending from the sky was too swift, it could even make a dodging move in mid-air where there was nowhere to apply force. Facing the rapidly expanding barrier, the shadow curled its limbs, skillfully flipping over the edge of the ironclad shield released by Remus. Then, using its hind legs to gain momentum, it accelerated suddenly like a whirlwind, sweeping past Remus's ear and charging straight towards Amorta, who was being protected behind him.
Damn it!
Remus and Amelia were shocked for a moment. They hurriedly turned around to look at the figure standing behind them, and upon seeing it--
Meow!
That really is a cat! The shiny gray fur is speckled with numerous irregular black spots, and the fluffy ears are much larger than any cat Remus had ever seen. Additionally, this cat's tail is extraordinary. It's as long as a lion's tail, with a thicker base and a slender tip that's covered in short, gray hair.
As expected, the scene of Amorta's throat being sealed did not occur. The cat gracefully landed on Amorta's shoulder, sniffed her hair, and then contentedly crouched down, lazily licking its paws.
"This..."
Meow!
Before Amorta could say anything, the cat named Houbi, the wildcat, had already grown impatient. It used its paw to nudge Amorta's cheek, making him face the mural wall and call out repeatedly to prompt Amorta to hurry inside.
"I guess it might have escaped from the Magical Beasts Natural Reserve. There have been quite a few wild magical animals lost recently from there. Amorta, you'd better keep your distance; these animals can be quite dangerous."
"I think it likes me."
"Wild?"
Amorta pursed his lips.
Under the tension-filled gazes of Remus and Amelia, Amorta reached out and touched the soft gray fur on the cat's neck, caressing it a few times before retrieving a bronze plaque from inside.
Amorta said,
"Maybe because my hair color is similar to its fur color."
Astounded, Amelia suddenly snapped back to her senses, but her tone remained astonishing,
"It's a feline-aureole!"
"Do you, uh, know this cat?"
Amorta smiled at the gray cat.
"Hobby..."
Amelia's face turned pale, and she gasped at Amorta.
The unexpected scene rendered Remus speechless for a moment, and eventually, he looked at Amorta, who raised an eyebrow and seemed to be both crying and laughing.
Amelia suppressed the urge to roll her eyes, feeling that Amorta Brain's imposing figure was collapsing in her mind. It was hard to imagine that the Amorta who saved a hundred thousand people at the Quidditch World Cup, like a deity, could be so out of tune.
Remus had become accustomed to it, and he carefully stared at this gray cat that was even fatter than Ginny's Crookshanks, but much more agile. Suddenly, he looked a bit terrified.
Remus spoke in a grave tone,
"Does this feline-aureole, do you think, could it possibly be an Animagus?"
"This isn't a cat!"
"Amorta?"
"Is that your name, isn't it?"
Meow...
The gray cat, which was licking its paws, heard the question and lazily meowed. Then, it turned around on Amorta's shoulder and looked at the wall with colorful murals in the alley.
"I think it's probably not."
"See for yourself."
Amorta said cheerfully,
"I believe there's no such audacious Animagus."
Remus finally relaxed, knowing that although Amorta sometimes 'behaved wildly', he was not stupid and would not take things lightly. So, he put away his wand and followed Amorta into the alley.
Amelia obviously wanted to remind them that since this feline-aureole already had an owner, they should return to the House of Parliament and go to the Magical Beasts Management Department to find out who its owner was and then return it instead of bringing it into a place with a reputation that wasn't particularly reputable.
The method of entering the Blind Pig Pub was not as complex as Amelia imagined. Amorta merely walked up and knocked on the wall, and then a small window abruptly opened, behind which was a pair of fierce eyes. He just looked at them and asked nothing, then pulled back the wall disguised as red brick masonry.
Before entering the Pub, Amorta seemed to remember something. He turned his head and looked at the faintly resisting Ginny.
"Never been here before?"
Amelia pressed her lips tightly and shook her head sincerely.
"Then I have a piece of advice for you--"
Amorta said cheerfully,
"Don't be surprised by anything you see."
The doorman who opened the door for them looked very young, with a pointed chin and pale gray skin. He heard their conversation, but ignored it and instead stared intently at Hobby on Amorta's shoulder.
"I can be certain..."
Remus followed Amorta into the pub, while Amelia was still hesitating outside. After the server walked back to the bar to tend to his own affairs, he leaned in close to Amorta's ear and whispered softly.
"This doorman is a vampire."
But this was hardly a significant matter until Remus saw what sort of clientele frequented the pub.
The pub was smaller in size than the famous Leaky Cauldron, but the environment was far worse. The dimly lit bar was filled with swirling smoke, smelling of damp, smoky socks that had been burned on a hearth, which came from the wizard's smoking pipes sitting at each table.
There was an old, withered-looking house-elf behind the bar, who moved smoothly, serving drinks to customers. The vampire doorman who had opened the door was responsible for pouring drinks for the guests. There were not only two vampires in this pub; at the left hand side of the entrance, there were two men in trench coats who also had distinct vampire features.
A Sylph stood on a round table, swaying her sultry, sequined body in an alluring dance. Her enchanting movements and seductive gaze left Remus in awe.
"I've never seen a Sylph like this. I thought they were supposed to only"
Remus, who often deals with Sylphs, found himself unable to find a word to describe this particular female Sylph.
"You've got a lot more to see, boy!" A grizzled wizard bumped into Remus while getting a drink from the bar and slurredly called out, "Move out of the way! You're in the way!"
Remus found himself out of practice with the style of the Underworld, and he reluctantly held back his annoyance, stepping aside for the man.
"In my opinion, it seems to be a hybrid between a Sylph and a witch."
Amorta also took a keen interest in watching the Sylph and gave his own judgment.
Bang!
The sound of a heavy slap on the table caught the attention of all three. They looked over, and Remus's expression changed instantly.
In front of the wall, a painting depicting a pile of Galleons beneath a wall, several men were playing cards. One of them was swearing and pulling out Galleons and Sickles from his pocket, clearly having lost the game.
A werewolf, and quite possibly a native werewolf!
Remus could identify his own kind without much effort.
Native werewolves in Britain were mostly under the command of Grempuk, and now they had all become spirits under Amorta's command. But before that, Remus hadn't seen many werewolves swaggering around in public settings, even in the underworld, where they rarely lingered.
Wolves, vampires, house-elves, Sylphs, and witches
Oh, the most astonishing was the half-blood giant who occupied a secluded box at the corner
Unlike Hagrid, who looked more human in appearance, this giant was several feet taller even when seated and would have pierced the ceiling if standing, with a look that was more towards a purebred giant.
Such a diverse group of species coexisting in one room without any war happening was impressive, and even Remus had some respect for the owner of this pub.
(The end of this chapter)
