"Good idea, get close to the manor first, and I'll see if there's any alarm magic. Lockhart was invisible, quietly approaching the wall with a few people, and in the night, even if it was only half a meter apart, the figures of the others were confused and completely invisible. "There's a trace of magic on the wall, wait a minute. ”

He pressed against the wall, carefully examining the magic on the wall: "It's just a Muggle banishment charm, I'll go in and see, you wait for me." ”

"Be careful. Hermione whispered.

Even though he knew she couldn't see her clearly, Lockhart nodded. After casting a levitation charm on himself, he easily crossed the wall. After landing, he didn't dare to move a single step, the entire manor was surrounded by Muggle expulsion charms, and it was a little difficult to tell if there were other alarm spells in it, he moved forward along the path step by step, carefully sensing the changes in the density of the magic around him.

After walking for dozens of steps, I didn't find any traces of alarm magic, I can't go any further, it's too close to the range of the house's Brave Loyalty Spell, the people in the house may look out, the effect of the Phantom Charm is definitely not as perfect as the invisibility cloak, and the Brave Loyalty Charm has its own alarm function, which is directly connected to the logistics department of the Ministry of Magic.

He quietly retreated, still climbing over the wall in the same place.

"What about people?" I couldn't see the other four people.

"This way. ”

"Go ......"

――

Upon returning to camp, Lockhart described to several people what he saw: "There was no alarm magic other than the Muggle Expulsion Charm and the Loyalty Charm. ”

"It's easy to understand that it's a hassle to cast alarm magic in the yard of your own house, and it's usually to scare yourself, knowing that the protection of the Loyalty Charm is almost flawless. "So tomorrow we can go and squat in the yard and wait for the target?"

"Well, let's start squatting tomorrow, and if the target will come out and take care of the garden or something, just do it. Lockhart said.

"Won't they have servants or something? Or house-elves?"

"It is impossible for a house with the Cruelty Loyalty Charm to have a servant, because it is possible for a house-elf to add an insider for some reason, but house-elves are almost immune to the Imperius Curse and the Truth Spitting Potion...... These things were developed for wizards, and they couldn't be kept secret enough to take us into the Loyalty Charm. ”

"Let's see the situation tomorrow, I don't believe they can't come out of the house!"

――

Unfortunately, it backfired: the Manjik family really didn't come out of the house, and the five of them squatted in their yard, and all day long they could see a skinny house-elf coming out to clean up the huge manor or something...... But there was not a single figure to come out of the clearing shrouded in the curse of Brave Loyalty.

They had almost been exposed several times - house-elves were too sensitive to fluctuations in mana.

――

"It seems that all their outings are done by the fireplace. Hermione said helplessly, with a hint of relief. "Otherwise, we can't go to the Ministry of Magic to assassinate this 'Auror Director'. ”

"It's Christmas in just over a week, there's no way they can't afford not to buy anything, maybe we can go diagon alley and squat," Blake tried.

"No, any wizard gathering place is their focus area right now. Albert discouraged, "And assassinating a high-ranking Death Eater in Diagon Alley would be in jeopardy if you get caught up in any wizard who passes by who is hostile or just wants to get a bounty." ”

"Well, I promise not to take any more pointless adventures. It is important to avenge the dead, but we should love the living more. Lockhart nodded, "I'm now betting they'll go to a nearby Muggle city and buy something, whether they're apparition or broomsticks." They'll all have to get out of the reach of the Loyalty Charm first, and we'll crouch until Christmas passes, and before we have a chance, we'll honestly look for a way to destroy the Horcruxes. Okay?"

"Well, I don't care. Blake said.

The other three young naturally had no objections, naturally. It seems that everything is up to Lockhart.

Christmas was approaching, and the snow was pouring down, and Lockhart suspected that no one would be able to spot them without any protective and concealment spells - the tents were covered with snow, and the whole thing was half-buried under the snow, and they had to wake up every morning worrying about whether the exit of the tent would be blocked by snow.

――

It was impossible for five people to go to the squatting together, two children or an adult, wearing invisibility cloaks, guarding the snow-covered Manjik family estate. Now it's even more cumbersome to hide your presence: the snow leaves footprints on those who walk by, and they have to hold their wands to clear them, and of course it's better to crouch in one place and not move.

In order not to be discovered, they did not even dare to use the Warmth Charm while squatting in the Manjik manor, and everyone wore thick clothes to carry out their own mission.

It is worth mentioning that Albert, the big boy in the sun, seems to be the least affected by the Horcruxes, and the Horcruxes are kept by his side almost half of the time, and the other four people are responsible for keeping the other half of the time.

Days of grueling squatting were not worthless, and the moment they finally waited for their target to leave the range of the Dash Loyalty Spell, two robed men emerged out of thin air from the clearing shrouded in the Dash Loyalty Spell, stepped onto the snow-covered steps, and then apparitioned away with a crisp pop.

――

The watcher immediately informed the others through a note, and after a while, all five of them gathered in the manor.

"Where did they Apparition leave?"

"Well, there are still a few footprints over there. Albert's sharp eyes saw the mark: "At the top of the stairs, it should be the junction between the Loyalty Charm and the ordinary world outside. ”

True, at the top of the stairs, there were a few stray footprints, and further inside, they were hidden by the Loyalty Charm.

"Just wait for them to come back on the steps?" Blake asked.

"To be on the safe side, I think it's better to look again, they don't necessarily apparition to the front of the house, maybe they apparition to the back door or the side door or something, and if we guess the wrong place, and then they come back and find our tracks, the whole operation will fail, and we will be in danger. "Hermione always likes the safest option.

"What if they don't come out again after they go out this time?" Lockhart asked.

"It's two days before Christmas, and they're supposed to be going to buy something unique to the Muggle world......," Albert said, "and from my own experience, it's definitely not enough to buy it all at once, and they'll definitely go out again tomorrow, so they can consider giving up the first move." ”

"Okay, just do it safely. If he hadn't made the final say, Lockhart might have retorted, but now that he was in the lead, he could no longer act entirely on his own ideas when he had the power to decide. He had the impression that he had hardly ever gone smoothly in taking action without discussing it with others. If he had known that Barty Jr. was hiding a role in Hogwarts, instead of blindly searching for it, he had discussed it with Dumbledore, and maybe the whole history would have been rewritten.

knew the plot, but still ended up like this, and even killed many Auror colleagues who were supposed to surrender after Scrimgeour's death, Dawlis, Gadvin, Joe...... More than once he was awakened in his sleep by violent remorse.

This must not happen again, and no living friends can be allowed to die, Black, Snape, Scrimgeour...... None of them can die again!

"Squat until they come back. Lockhart said firmly.

――

【Recommended Ticket】

――(To be continued......)