HP:BSG - Chapter 684: It’s a Magic Doll

Clementine’s ears suddenly twitched. She jerked her head up with breadcrumbs still on her face, her wand instantly aimed toward the source of the sound.

“Something’s coming!”

Hope immediately dropped the water bottle, rolled away from her spot, and grabbed her wand as well.

The bushes rustled loudly, and out stumbled Natalia, disheveled and covered in dirt, with clear bloodstains on her clothes.

When she saw the scene before her, her advancing steps turned into retreat. She raised her wand toward Clementine, while the trees at her side blocked Hope’s angle to cast a spell on her.

Hope’s brows twitched slightly. She began to move her feet slowly, eyes fixed on the bit of fabric showing through the gaps in the foliage.

Three wands faced each other in the dim forest, the air frozen — a battle ready to ignite at any moment.

Just then, Clementine suddenly smiled and was the first to lower her wand.

“Calm down, Natalia. I’ve no intention of being your enemy,” she said sweetly. “How about we all lower our wands and have a nice talk?”

Natalia tilted her head slightly. “Don’t tell me you don’t know there’s only one champion this time.”

“Oh, I’m well aware! It’s not like you’re the only one who’s read the rules,” Clementine said, puffing out her cheeks. “But honestly, do you think the three of us have much of a shot at winning?”

Natalia stayed silent, and her tense expression loosened a little.

“I’m sure you realize,” Clementine went on, “that compared to you and me, people like Wade Grey, Jabari Viven, and Viktor Krum are far greater threats.”

She sighed helplessly. “Even that kid Harry Potter feels dangerous to me — the name Savior isn’t for nothing. He might have some hidden ace up his sleeve we haven’t seen yet.”

Her gaze swept over the blood on Natalia’s clothes. 

“Looks like you’re already hurt. Instead of us wearing each other down, how about the three of us form an alliance? We help each other until we reach the Goblet of Fire — no betrayal. If we all make it that far, then we see whose skill wins out. What do you say?”

Natalia said, “It sounds reasonable.”

Clementine smiled. “So your answer is…?”

“Sorry.” The blonde girl’s face was expressionless. “I’d rather rely on my own strength. Even if I lose, I’ll have no regrets.”

Clementine looked into her eyes, sighed softly, but still didn’t raise her wand.

She made a surrendering gesture. “Alright… but at least we don’t have to be enemies, right? Dealing with the dangers of the Forbidden Forest is hard enough already.”

Tilting her head, she added with a small smile, “There’s no grudge between us that’s worth getting hurt — or eliminated — over, is there?”

Natalia slowly nodded, lowering her wand slightly. She backed away a few steps, then suddenly spoke again:

“Word of advice — be careful. Wade’s magic dolls are on the move. I just ran into one — a gorilla.”

Clementine’s smile froze for a second. “Just one? And your injuries are because of…”

Natalia nodded. “Don’t think of those dolls as the kind you see in shops. The gorilla I met was smart — and very dangerous.”

With that, she turned and disappeared into the forest. The sound of rustling leaves faded quickly, and Clementine’s expression grew grave.

“Looks like Wade Grey isn’t going for quantity this time,” she said quietly. “He’s improving the quality of his magic dolls.”

She turned as she spoke. “Hope, I’m afraid we’ll have to—”

The girl’s voice cut off abruptly.

Hope, who had been standing there a moment ago, was gone. The spot where she should have been was now completely empty. Only her backpack lay askew on the ground, and the overturned water leaned against a rock, still dripping water — drip, drip, drip.

A chill ran down Clementine’s spine.

“Hope?”

Her voice echoed through the Forbidden Forest. Suddenly, realization struck her — she shuddered all over, grabbed the backpack off the ground, and spun to flee!

Whoosh!

A long, slender tongue shot down from the treetops, lashing straight at her back. But the moment it touched her, it seemed to collide with some invisible barrier and was violently rebounded, slicing a shining arc through the air.

“I knew it!”

Clementine whirled around, and raised her wand high. “Confringo!”

The spell exploded, sending branches flying in all directions — but the treetops above were empty. No ape, no monkey, nothing at all.

“Bloody hell!”

Clementine shifted her position quickly, too afraid to run deeper into the forest. She panted sharply, and her eyes darted around with nervous intensity.

Rustle…

Her ears caught the faint sound of foliage moving. She spun around. “Confringo!”

Bang! A black scorch mark appeared on the tree trunk.

Crack!

Something — an animal, perhaps — had stepped on a branch.

“Incendio!”

Flames burst out among the leaves, setting a small patch of the forest ablaze. But the fire died out quickly due to the damp ground..

Whoosh—

Rustle, rustle, rustle…

Crack…

Boom!

The sounds came from everywhere — chaotic, disorienting — while Clementine’s spells struck nothing but trees, each impact showering her with splinters.

Her breathing grew faster. Her limbs felt heavy with exhaustion.

“I can’t keep wasting energy like this…”

Clementine muttered through clenched teeth. Then, making a feint to her left as if to run, she suddenly heard movement shift in that same direction — and at that instant, she whipped her wand and cast a Flash Spell, flooding the area with blinding light.

Right now—this was her only chance!

Taking advantage of the moment, the girl bolted in the direction Natalia had gone, not caring that thorns tore through her clothes. She even abandoned her backpack in her desperation to flee.

The rustling behind her grew louder, chasing fast. She pointed her wand backward and shouted:

“Impedimenta!”

A muffled thud echoed faintly behind her, but Clementine didn’t look back. She splashed through a shallow creek at full speed before daring to glance over her shoulder.

That single glance froze her blood cold—

On the rocks by the creek crouched a massive lizard, its visible body alone was over two meters long. Jagged spines lined its back, glinting with a cold metallic sheen. Its claws dug deep into the cracks of the stone, and its murky yellow eyes locked onto her, reflecting the trembling face of its prey.

—Is it a magic doll, or a creature of the Forbidden Forest?

The thought had barely formed when she noticed the creature’s scales bore plant-like patterns, and at the joints of its claws and body were several smooth, stone-like orbs.

So… it is a magic puppet…

Speechless with shock, Clementine watched as the lizard slowly backed away, its body blending seamlessly into the water plants around it — until it vanished completely.

Clementine shuddered violently.

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