"We were lucky this time. After Ryan finished his plan, Lupin said, "At least it's not a full moon night, otherwise Voldemort will be in real trouble if a bunch of werewolves come." ”

"This kind of large-scale attack on the mysterious man will not call a werewolf. Hermione said, "The werewolves of the past had no control over their actions once they became wolves, and it was more likely that they would fight first if they didn't do it if they mixed up with the Death Eaters." ”

"Oh, we forgot about it. Lupin let out a laugh. "It seems that before you helped, there really wasn't much to remember about our life as a werewolf in the past. ”

"By the way, did you notice anything wrong around you when you came here before?" Seeing that Lupin and the werewolves seemed to think of some not-so-wonderful memories, Ryan quickly changed the subject. "I mean, since the Death Eaters are preparing for a massive attack. Then they should do some preparation now. ”

"A few kilometers away, a group of wizards who looked very suspicious and behaved gathered there, as if waiting for something. A werewolf came out from behind Lupin and said. "Because my apparition was on the hill at the edge of town, and I happened to see a smoke in the distance. After climbing to the top of the tree and taking a closer look with a telescope, I was sure that it was a group of wizards I had never seen before. ”

"The Death Eaters are likely to attack at night. Hermione said, "But I don't understand why they're setting up a camp near Hogsmeade, where they can teleport directly around town as wizards." ”

"However, it is not easy for a group wizard to teleport to a certain point at the same time, especially if the magical body defense system in Hogsmeade can cause some interference with the surrounding teleportation. Ryan whispered to Hermione. "Although it is a low-energy operation, it can't create spatial turbulence and completely wipe out the group of uninvited guys, but it can make some deviations in various teleportation methods through interference. ”

"I see! No wonder I thought of the meadow behind the house and ended up being teleported to the surrounding hills. I thought it was a mistake for me to teleport today. A small-looking brown werewolf said, Ryan remembered his name as Peter, and had been in charge of procurement because of his apparition skills.

"yes, you have to know that most wizards are not as good as you are at the level of apparition. In particular, the group of Death Eaters from all over Europe did not have tacit cooperation at all, so they had to identify a rendezvous point around Hogsmeade to assemble in advance to ensure that they could launch an attack on Hogsmeade Town at a unified time. Ryan said.

"But I have to admit that the Death Eaters did find a great solution. Ryan said, spreading his hands. "Because we have so few men that we can't surprise the enemy in advance, even if we know where they are. Instead, they could organize their ranks little by little where they could see Hogsmeade. ”

"I used to think that wizards were fighting with constant apparitions, fighting everywhere, with no positions and no spheres of influence. Except for a few key points, offensive and defensive, it is completely large-scale field warfare and movement warfare. Hermione's eyes widened. "I didn't expect that it would be like ordinary people's wars, and it would be necessary to have a departure camp, and even need to repair fortifications. ”

"Repair?" Ryan turned his head in surprise when he heard this, only to see through the glass window behind him that Percy and several wizards were magically digging a trench on the main road of Hogsmeade, and piling up all the dirt in the direction of the outside of the town.

"This should be somewhat useful. Lupin put his paw on the windowsill and looked at it. "Magic doesn't bend, and it's at least harder to hit when standing in a trench with half of your body exposed than when you're exposed. ”

That's right, Ryan suddenly realized. After all, the magic used by most wizards is all straight ray magic, so the same methods that Muggles use to dodge bullets can also be used to dodge those spells.

Percy didn't seem to be just digging a trench around the town, with the help of magic, they were able to dig a simple but complete system of trenches that allowed everyone to move around the town without being on the ground.

In addition to this, the whole town was mobilized. Many wizards put away their belongings outside their rooms, put fire spells on their buildings, and finally boarded all the doors and windows.

As the sun set, the Death Eaters outside the town became more active. Even Ryan could see figures moving in the distance in the woods through the gaps in the planks as he stood in front of the window that had just been boarded up by the Weasley twins.

Ryan and the others took advantage of this last pre-war time to start dinner, while Lupin and the others took turns to go to the only underground laboratory that could shield from magical fluctuations and turn into human form for dinner. If the basement hadn't been too small, the werewolves would have been waiting there in human form.

Before it was about to get dark, Percy and the others had finished all the fortifications, after which a group of wizards walked out of the Ministry of Magic and into the fortifications.

"They're basically newcomers. A giant gray wolf, larger than the other werewolves, spoke, and Ryan recognized him as the former Auror William. "However, if the fixed position is led by experienced Aurors or strikers, you should be able to contend with the more combative groups of Death Eaters and Dark Wizards. ”

"That means it's the best the Ministry of Magic can do right now, right? Hermione asked, turning her head to look at the giant gray wolf. "It sounds like our side has been in a very passive position. ”

"It's not that it sounds, but it's that we're really on the back foot in this battle. William nodded.

"But there is no way to do it, and an individual's combat level cannot be improved in a short period of time. Even if the wizards who now volunteer to join our side of the strikers are full of courage and determination, even if we have professional training. But in one-on-one combat, they really weren't the match for the battle-hardened Death Eaters. Not to mention the dark wizards who are now summoned by money, which one is not good at fighting. ”

"But I don't think they're going to rush into Hogsmeade. Ryan pointed to the houses that shone through the windows and doors, and from Ryan they could faintly see figures swaying in each room.

"These townspeople are powerful in defending their wealth and their homes. Don't forget, most of the people in Hogsmeade are native wizards who have lived here for generations, and they should have an advantage over the scattered dark wizards who have stormed the town. ”

"Besides, the primary target of the Death Eaters' attack this time is the Ministry of Magic in a screaming shack on the hillside outside town, and I don't think their main force will be sent here. This is also the reason why there are only a few experienced wizards here with a group of novice guards, because whether it is the Ministry of Magic or the Order of the Phoenix, their elites are mainly placed in the Ministry of Magic to prepare to face the main force of the enemy. Ryan finally explained.

"So the real reason Professor Dumbledore asked us to come over—" Hermione looked at Ryan halfway through, and Ryan nodded. "You're right, he put us here to protect the innocents in the town, and on the other hand, to be ready to support as a general reserve, and we can't know what is going on here in real time and react accordingly at Hogwarts Castle. ”

"Hopefully everything will go well tonight. Hermione said as she looked at the plank-nailed window, where the last rays of the setting sun had vanished, and the night had completely enveloped the world.