172: Chapter 170 The Operation and the Unexpected Outcome

Wrapped in gray leather, besides the wand, there was also a letter.

They tore open the envelope, scanned the two text versions of the letter from top to bottom, and then exchanged them to read again.

The content was identical.

The general gist was that, considering the three of them were not natives of Hogwarts and knew almost nothing about magic...

To ensure the fairness and justice of the exam, they were temporarily given wands that should have only been provided after enrollment.

Reading this, Misha had no reaction, but Lyon and Toby didn't quite understand.

After all, even if they were given wands, they wouldn't know how to use them.

Fortunately, there was an explanation afterward.

Dumbledore had set some small programs in the wands; as long as they chanted the incantation, they could activate the preset magic.

But the granted permissions weren't many, and the number of uses was limited to three.

Currently, only "Petrificus Totalus" could be used.

The two thought Dumbledore felt a magic limited to three uses would be enough for them to pass.

In reality, it was because the wand's Core had limited battery life and needed to be recharged after three uses.

If Zhang Mu were using it, there would be no such restriction; after all, he could use his own magic power to replenish the Core's consumption at any time.

But they, who controlled the wands via "voice lock," clearly lacked the ability to do so.

"I think we should first test the power of the Petrif... magic."

Lyon, like a child rewarded with candy, excitedly imitated movie characters, striking various poses for casting magic.

Toby, also eager to try the magic, was slightly calmer: "No.

There are only three chances; we can't waste them."

Lyon held the opposite opinion: "Without knowing the damage it causes, how can we determine the right time to use it?"

This made sense, and Toby began to hesitate.

However, Misha's actions made further argument unnecessary.

"Petrificus Totalus!" Holding her wand, she pointed at the single bed on the right side of the room while lowing her voice to chant the spell.

Under their curious and slightly nervous gazes, the bunk bed quickly petrified, turning into a stone bed.

"Oh! Amazing!" Misha's little face flushed red.

Toby stepped to the bedside and reached out to feel around the bedboard; a clear stony texture met his fingertips.

As he felt it, he murmured to himself, "Substantially changing the structure and form of an object from the base level... this is unscientific."

"That's why it's magic." Lyon, jogging over, also felt the stone bed everywhere. "How lucky we are to become students of Hogwarts!"

"There's a chance." Snapping out of it, Toby straightened up. "If we fail the entrance exam, we all have to go home."

"Then, for Hogwarts, let's go!"

Lyon's excited eyes became bloodshot.

He had always been full of fantasies and longings for magic, but imagining it ten thousand times in his head couldn't compare to seeing magic revealed before his eyes once.

He gritted his teeth and swore in his heart that he must not fail.

If he were to miss out on magic and Hogwarts, he would rather jump out of the balcony window of his eighteenth-floor apartment suite.

"Let's go."

Toby's hands stroked the wand all over as if he were caressing a lover. Given enough time, he probably would have polished the wand until it developed a patina.

"Misha..." Lyon didn't rush to leave, looking at Misha with a worried gaze. "The mission is dangerous, we..."

Understanding his meaning, Toby waved his hand. "She's also a Hogwarts freshman.

And don't underestimate Misha; you should know, her letter was delivered personally by Mr. Dumbledore."

"Uh, did you discover some powerful talent of Misha's?"

Closing his mouth in thought, Toby's expression gradually grew solemn. "I think Mr. Dumbledore has his reasons."

"So you haven't discovered anything?"

"Yes, but that's not important."

No, it is important.

Of course, Lyon didn't say it out loud. He turned and bent down to instruct Misha, "Remember not to run around later; stay close to us."

"Mhm!"

"Then let's go."

With Toby in front, Lyon in the back, and Misha in the middle, the three maintained their formation and left the room, heading toward the conductor's rest area at the front of the train.

To lower the enemy's guard and avoid drawing attention, they tucked their wands into their back waistbands.

Misha was small, making walking like this very inconvenient, so she tucked hers into her sleeve. Thanks to the loose winter clothing, it looked somewhat normal.

They weren't far from the front of the train, separated only by Carriage No. 2.

Perhaps because they had been there before, the conductors sitting around tables didn't stop them to ask questions, allowing them to safely reach the door where Klaisi was being held.

"Knock knock—" Toby gripped the wand at his back with his left hand, trying his best to steady his slightly trembling legs as he faced a wizard for the first time.

"Creeeak—"

The door opened halfway, and the Assistant Train Conductor's burly frame blocked the view inside. "Who... it's you?

Mr. Detective, have you found something?"

"Mhm," Toby replied with a smile. "I have a few questions I'd like to ask the suspects."

"Of course."

He stepped aside, revealing a dim room, and the three entered one by one.

The room wasn't large. For some reason, even though the sleeper cabins had electric lights, a kerosene lamp hung from the ceiling here to provide light.

Squinting slightly to adjust, Toby soon saw Klaisi and Wino sitting on interrogation chairs in the middle of the room.

They seemed to have passed out, their hands cuffed to the armrests of the chairs by semi-circular iron plates.

This is...

Just as doubt surged in Toby's heart, the sound of a door hinge turning suddenly came from behind.

"Click—"

He looked back; the Assistant Train Conductor's gentle smile, under the dim yellow light, looked somewhat sinister.

"You hoped to take me down without alerting the conductors, and in one aspect, our thoughts are remarkably similar.

That is, not alerting the conductors."

A trap!

Toby's pupils shrank. His left hand whipped out the wand while his right hand pulled out a pistol, shouting as he pulled the trigger, "Petrif..."

"Expelliarmus!"

The wand and pistol flew out of his hands, hitting the wall behind him before clattering to the floor.

Lyon, a beat slow to react, finally raised his wand: "Petrif..."

"Stupefy!"

Lyon felt a sharp pain in his head, his vision went black, and with a thud, he fell backward onto the floor.

"Naive little fellows, you don't even understand what magic is, yet you have the nerve to come looking for trouble with me?"

Misha seemed frightened, backing away in a panic until she hit the wall with nowhere else to go.

A pale-faced Toby saw that when the Assistant Train Conductor's gaze carelessly moved away from Misha, her small hand immediately retracted into her sleeve.

Sensing a turn of events, Toby's spirits, which had plummeted to rock bottom, rallied slightly as he spoke to draw the Assistant Train Conductor's attention: "Who on earth are you?!"

"Me?" He gave that same eerie smile. "I am the Dark Lord's most loyal... Expelliarmus!"

Mid-sentence, he suddenly turned and raised his wand; the wand Misha had just poked out of her sleeve was sent flying into a dark corner.

It's over.

Toby gritted his teeth. It was too dark; he couldn't see where the pistol and wand had landed.

"Are you ready to welcome the baptism of death?"

Seeing the Assistant Train Conductor's wand pointing at him, he clenched his fists, intending to make one last attempt.

"Hag, stop teasing the little ones."