A wolf standing a meter and a half tall at the shoulder? That can't be called a mere wolf. That's a monster.
Hunched over, its eyes glowed menacingly in the dark, level with Rey's chest. If it stood up straight, it would tower at nearly three meters tall. Even Yao Ming would look like a dwarf next to this beast.
It reeked of wet dog and decay. Its body was covered in coarse fur, but its most terrifying feature was the massive wolf head resting on broad, muscular shoulders. The muzzle was stained with fresh blood, likely from some unfortunate creature it had recently torn apart.
With its bulging muscles and immense frame, it casually swiped its right claw. The protective charm Rey had cast shattered like thin glass.
"Holy shit!"
Rey's jaw dropped as he stared at the gigantic werewolf. Compared to this monstrosity, Professor Lupin's werewolf form looked like a cuddly puppy.
This was a beast built for slaughter, radiating pure, bloodthirsty malice.
And it wasn't alone. Standing beside the alpha was a slightly smaller werewolf. But even this "smaller" one was still significantly larger and more terrifying than the typical werewolf Rey knew from the stories.
"Fallen Werewolf!"
The red-haired eccentric calmly placed his pointed hat back on his head with one hand and stepped up beside Rey. He looked surprised, but not terrified.
"Fallen Werewolf?"
Rey asked, his curiosity piqued despite the danger. The stranger smiled and answered immediately, "Yes. Fallen Werewolves. Those who have embraced a special strain of lycanthropy, becoming addicted to the raw power and bloodlust of the transformation."
"Is that even a thing? Don't werewolves only transform on the full moon and turn back at dawn?" Rey was confused. That was what every Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook said.
The red-haired man seemed unfazed by the monsters. His calmness was contagious, and Rey felt his initial panic subside by half just by standing next to him.
"So, this guy is a 'Fallen' Werewolf? And the ones I know about are just regular werewolves?"
The stranger shrugged, taking another bite of the rabbit leg he was holding. The giant werewolf, having torn down the shield, didn't attack immediately. It just stared at the red-haired man eating the rabbit. Without its command, the surrounding pack held their positions, encircling but not striking.
"Is there a difference?"
"Of course. This guy can't turn back into a human. He's been drunk on the power of the beast for too long. At best, he's a wolf with human intelligence now."
The stranger spoke casually, clearly knowledgeable on the subject.
Rey got the feeling the man was giving him a lecture right there in the face of death. Maybe that look of surprise earlier was just an act to bait Rey into asking about "Fallen Werewolves."
Rey shook his head. Now wasn't the time to analyze the stranger's motives. At least for now, the red-haired man didn't seem hostile toward him.
Rey fell silent, considering his options.
Wolves are ferocious. A wolf-monster like this? He stood no chance. His survival depended entirely on the red-haired weirdo next to him. Hopefully, the man would save him in exchange for the roast rabbit.
"Hey, kid. What's your strongest offensive spell?"
The red-haired man finally finished the rabbit, tossed the bone aside, and stared down the alpha werewolf as he asked Rey.
"I can cast Everte Statum, Stupefy, the Leg-Locker Curse, and Sectumsempra." A brutal fight was imminent. Rey wasn't stupid; the stranger's power was clearly off the charts. If he was asking, Rey wasn't going to hide his arsenal.
Though, honestly, if he knew Apparition, he'd be out of there in a heartbeat.
"What's Sectumsempra?" The stranger asked a baffling question.
Rey paused. Sectumsempra was Snape's signature spell—a cutting curse that sliced like a sword. It was famous. How did this guy not know it?
"It's like an invisible sword that can slash from a distance," Rey explained quickly. Time was tight. What rock had this guy been living under?
"Ooh! Sounds useful. Can it kill in one hit? If not, do you have anything stronger? Because once I kill the big guy, things are going to get messy."
The stranger spoke with deadly seriousness. Rey thought for a moment, then gritted his teeth. "I know a Killing Curse that causes instant death."
"Good. When I kill the alpha, you take out the one on his right."
---
The brief, hushed conversation took place surrounded by the pack.
Hundreds of green eyes glowed in the dark, and directly in front of them, the two massive werewolves drooled as they looked at Rey and the stranger.
"Are you the red-haired wizard who excels at dueling? I challenge you."
The alpha werewolf spoke. Its voice was booming and distorted, its tongue lolling out as it spoke, strings of saliva dripping from its jaws. And it was smiling.
A talking werewolf. Rey didn't know werewolves could speak in beast form. This confirmed the stranger's words: this Fallen Werewolf was a beast with a human mind.
It had total control over its transformed state, abandoning its human soul to fully embrace the monster.
In Rey's understanding—both from his current world and the movies of his past life—werewolves were mindless killing machines. Seeing one retain its consciousness was unprecedented.
And it wanted a duel.
Rey was dumbfounded.
The magical world was weird. Since when did werewolves challenge people to duels?
But what confused him even more was that the red-haired stranger accepted. He stepped forward confidently, standing right in front of the towering beast.
The height difference was comical.
A duel requires somewhat equal footing. Otherwise, it's just a slaughter.
Right now, it looked like the stranger was going to be slapped into the dirt like a fly. The alpha werewolf even let out a howl of delight.
Meanwhile, the second werewolf—the "smaller" one—moved away from the alpha and closed in on Rey.
The alpha claimed the strong human. The smaller werewolf would settle for the eleven-year-old appetizer.
Staring at the hulking beast less than five meters away, Rey decided that regardless of how the stranger's duel went, he had to kill this thing instantly.
Now he understood why the stranger had asked about lethal spells.
This werewolf felt like a wall of muscle standing in front of him—a very fast wall.
Against a creature like this, anything less than Avada Kedavra wouldn't kill it fast enough. And if it didn't die instantly, Rey would be turned into meat paste.
A two-meter-tall werewolf killing a child? That's one effortless swipe of a claw.
The werewolf looked at Rey with mocking eyes, saliva dripping from its jaws.
The alpha liked tearing apart strong warriors. This one preferred tearing apart women and children. Their meat was tender.
---
"ROAR..."
With a deafening roar, the alpha werewolf swiped a massive claw down at the red-haired stranger.
At that exact moment, Rey pointed his wand at the werewolf in front of him and screamed, "Avada Kedavra!"
The duel between the stranger and the alpha was a massive distraction. Rey didn't care about their fight.
If he wanted to kill the werewolf facing him, he had to strike when it was least expecting it.
Now was the perfect moment. The duel had just started, drawing everyone's attention—including the werewolf facing Rey, who glanced over to watch the opening move.
Rey seized that split second. He cast the Killing Curse without hesitation, pouring every ounce of his magic into it regardless of the cost. He had to ensure a one-hit kill.
---