HP:BSG - Chapter 688: The Cheetah’s “Smile”

“Ugh—ah!”

Jabari was hanging in midair, with his hands clawing desperately at the deadly coil tightening around his neck.

He even forgot that he was a wizard—completely forgetting his wand—as his face flushed a deep purplish red and his eyes bulged from lack of oxygen.

Through his blurring vision, he saw that long-lost lizard hanging from a branch above him. Its scales shimmered with a cold metallic sheen, and its eyes watched his dying struggle with a chilling indifference.

This lizard… this lizard… really wants to kill me!

A tidal wave of fear swept over him as darkness began to close in on his vision.

“Diffindo!”

Clementine, frozen in shock until now, finally reacted. Her spell shot out like lightning and struck the lizard’s tongue squarely.

Thud!

Jabari crashed heavily to the ground, gasping desperately for air. Before he could even recover, a gust of wind whooshed above his head—

The lizard doll had leapt down from the tree, landing squarely on top of him. Its claws gripped his throat.

Splurt!

Jabari’s eyes bulged again as a spray of blood burst from his mouth. He felt several ribs snap under the crushing weight, and a sharp pain lanced through his thigh.

“Jabari!”

Clementine screamed.

It wasn’t out of deep camaraderie—she simply realized in that instant that Jabari was finished. He could no longer fight. And that meant she’d have to face two dolls alone!

When the lizard turned its head toward her, the girl didn’t attack again. She instinctively took two steps back, and her eyes darted quickly toward the gaps between the nearby trees.

Before she could even decide what to do, the cheetah in the distance suddenly crouched low, its muscles coiling. The next second, it shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow—leaping into the air!!

Its body stretched in midair, covering nearly ten meters in a single bound. When it landed, it passed straight through that golden mist!

“Ahhhh!”

Clementine screamed and turned to run!

She had never run so fast in her life. Branches lashed across her face, stinging her skin, and the trees around her blurred into streaks of color.

But could a human’s speed ever outmatch that of a tireless cheetah doll?

Clementine couldn’t resist glancing back—she expected to see the beast’s snarling face right behind her.

But instead, to her shock— the cheetah wasn’t chasing her at all.

It sat gracefully at the edge of the golden mist, its mouth curved slightly upward—forming a chilling, uncanny “smile.”

…

Clementine fled.

And just as Jabari, consumed by despair, gave up all resistance and his consciousness began to fade— a burst of magical light descended from the sky!

“Power Disperse!”

The lizard sprang away instantly. The spell struck the ground beside Jabari, leaving a small crater in the dirt.

Professor Flitwick’s short figure hovered above them on his broomstick with his wand still aimed at the two dolls. 

Seeing that they obediently retreated a short distance—almost as if they knew not to attack a patroller— he finally descended and bent down to check Jabari’s condition.

The brave warrior from Uagadou had a deep purplish bruise around his neck. Blood streaked his face and chin, and his chest was visibly sunken in.

He looked up at Professor Flitwick with the eyes of a man who had just seen his savior. His lips moved weakly, but no words came out.

“Merlin’s beard!” Professor Flitwick’s mustache quivered with anger, and his short legs stomped the ground with sharp thuds. He turned furiously toward the lizard doll.

“Utterly out of line! How could Wade possibly order you to strike with such lethal force?”

The lizard: “…”

It glanced at the cheetah. The two dolls exchanged a silent look.

Then, pretending not to understand, the lizard twisted its body and slithered into the undergrowth with a rustling sound, vanishing in moments.

When Professor Flitwick turned around again, the cheetah was gone too. He glared after them, exasperated.

He quickly cast several healing charms on Jabari to stabilize his injuries, then carefully levitated him into the air and flew off with him.

…

The lizard crouched atop a dead log. The cheetah sat beside it, gazing lazily up at the sky.

The two figures on the broomstick shot upward and vanished in the distance. The bluebird recording the competition scene flapped its wings and flew away as well, seeking a more valuable target.

The forest grew quiet again.

Then, a voice broke the silence:

“Why did you let Clementine go?”

The lizard’s scales rose and fell with each breath as its eyes fixed coldly on the cheetah.

The cheetah lounged lazily on the ground, ignoring the question. Its tail flicked, rolling a small pebble idly back and forth.

The lizard’s gaze focused.

It recognized the “pebble”—one of the gorilla golem’s fallen eyes. But now, it looked no different from any ordinary stone.

When Wade had created them, he hadn’t had the luxury of choosing precious materials. He had used whatever he could find in the forest—stones, vines, feathers, and nuts.

The lizard’s tone softened slightly, though it still carried a trace of irritation. “That’s not what the master ordered. Are you planning to disobey him?”

The cheetah tilted its head and asked lazily, “You think I’m disobeying orders? Then what are you going to do about it?”

The lizard lifted its body slightly, its tone icy. “Betrayal means death.”

The cheetah rolled its eyes and said, “Did you forget what the master just said? If we can’t stop them… we can let them pass.”

The lizard froze, realization dawning. “You’re exploiting a loophole in the master’s command! Don’t tell me you’re trying to—”

The cheetah suddenly stood up and cast a cold glance at the lizard, who immediately shut its mouth.

The cheetah picked up the stone from the ground, swallowed it in one gulp, then turned and said, “Don’t get in my way! The other target is yours!”

“But I can’t find her,” the lizard said gloomily.

“Idiot! Stay along the path the master walked—watch the bluebirds!”

With that, the cheetah leapt lightly into the air and disappeared into the forest, its movements swift and silent.

Watching its companion’s figure vanish into the shifting shadows of the trees, the lizard let out a heavy sigh.

Then it lifted its head; its broken tongue flickered rapidly, tasting the faintest traces in the air.

…

Harry trudged forward with heavy steps, struggling through the Forbidden Forest. Though he hadn’t encountered any danger for nearly ten minutes, that didn’t mean the journey was easy.

Tree roots coiled like sleeping serpents, ready to trip him if he wasn’t careful.

Thorny vines dangled from above, some trying to seize the chance to wrap around him.

And there were those brightly colored mushrooms—when brushed against, they burst into clouds of choking dust. 

Harry accidentally inhaled a bit, and his head spun for a long moment. The surrounding trees and weeds seemed to turn into tiny, dancing figures, circling him with giggling laughter.

Harry was forced to stop. He drank a vial of Invigorating Draught, then poured two bottles of water over his head before his senses finally cleared.

He looked ahead into the dense forest and a look of worry flickered in his eyes.

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