Alex hesitated, recalling the shattered corpse he’d found earlier. Wimzy’s round, hopeful eyes made him pause, but he sighed and said, “Alright, I’ll take you to him.”

  He gently guided the elf toward the se. Wimzy gasped when she saw the mangled body. “Master? Master!” she cried, stumbling toward the remains. Her small hands reached out but stopped short as she stared at the lifeless form. Tears welled up in her eyes.

  Alex k beside her, using the moment to examihe body more closely. The mert’s corpse bore deep cw marks, a rge se of flesh torn from the ned abdomen. Spell burns marked his back, likely from Sectumsempra a Cutting Curse. The bination of injuries suggested he had been attacked by both spells and werewolves, his body finally succumbing to the brutal assault.

  Even Alex, who had seen his share of gruesome sights, felt a chill. This level of savagery expined why the wizarding world held such hostility toward werewolves.

  Nearby, Alex noticed the shattered remains of a wooden cargo box. Most of it had been obliterated, but a few smaller drawers y scattered in the dirt. He picked one up and s the residue inside, reizing the faint sts of herbs. “Wormwood…” Alex muttered, identifying one of the key ingredients for the Living Hell Potion. “But no daffodil root powder to plete it. Lavender, Flobberworm slime, valerian… all for Sleeping Draught. Wimzy wasn’t lying.”

  He cast a trag spell over the area, firming the story further. There were human footprints leading the werewolves, five sets of werewolf tracks following, and o splitting off in a different dire. The lone werewolf seemed to have run at full speed, its tracks deeper and more erratic. “Why did that one separate?” Alex mused. ‘To get reinforts? Or for aask?’ His thoughts were interrupted by Wimzy’s soft sobbing. “Master worked so hard…” she whispered, her small shoulders shaking. “And now he’s gone…”

  Alex spotted Wimzy standing near a rge tree, tears streaming down her cheeks as she repeatedly banged her head against the trunk. "Wimzy is useless! Wimzy is a house-elf without a master! Why is Wimzy so stupid? Wimzy failed to protect Master! Stupid Wimzy!" she wailed, her voice raw with anguish.

  Before Alex could intervene, Wimzy snatched a sharp stone from the ground, holding it shakily. She aimed it at her head, hesitated for a brief moment, then lunged.

  Bang!

  A protective spell shimmered ience, knog the stone from her hand. Startled, Wimzy turo see Alex striding toward her, his expression a mix of anger and frustration. "What do you think you’re doing? Your master is dead, and instead of avenging him, you’re trying to kill yourself? Are you a coward?" Alex’s voice was sharp.

  Wimzy’s eyes widened, and she colpsed to the ground, wailing even louder. "But Wimzy is useless! Wimzy ’t fight monsters! Wimzy has no master! Master always said that useless creatures like Wimzy should die!"

  Alex pihe bridge of his nose, exhaling slowly to temper his growing irritation. ‘What kind of persos their house-elf like this?’ He looked at the distraught elf, speechless.

  Wimzy’s self-loathing wasn’t just heartbreaking—it was maddening. Alex didn’t uand creatures ted abuse and did nothing to ge their circumstances. His frustration grew as Wimzy, seemingly determined, stood and attempted to harm herself again. Without thinking, Alex grabbed her by the scruff and lifted her off the ground. "Enough of this!"

  Wimzy flinched, her tiny hands csped together. "M-Master Wizard, please let Wimzy die! Wimzy is nothing without a master! Wimzy’s cargo box is gone! Wimzy has no purpose! Please, do Wimzy a favor a Wimzy go!"

  Alex let out a heavy sigh. "You’re not dying. Not on my watch. From now on, you’ll follow me, and you’re not allowed to harm yourself. You’ll stay alive because you might still be useful. Now, e with me—we’re hunting those werewolves."

  Wimzy froze, her wide eyes staring at Alex in disbelief. "Master Wizard… are you saying… you’ll let Wimzy follow you? You’ll bee Wimzy master?"

  "Think whatever you want," Alex muttered, rolling his eyes.

  "Yes, Master! Does Master need Wimzy to fetch a e? Wimzy find a good one for punishments!" Wimzy’s voice brimmed with suddeement.

  Alex groaned, ping the bridge of his nose again. "No one’s beating you. Now up while I bury your master’s body. We’ll have plenty to do ter."

  Wimzy looked genuinely fused but nodded quickly. "Yes, Master! Wimzy is sorry for being useless!" She kicked a stone in frustration, only to hop on one foot when it hurt.

  Alex sighed deeply, kneeling down to look her in the eye. "Wimzy."

  "Yes, Master! Wimzy is here!" she responded, standing at attentioe the tears still glistening in her eyes.

  "You’re not allowed to harm yourself ever again. Do you uand me?"

  "Wimzy is sorry! Wimzy made a mistake!" she said, immediately raising her hand to punish herself by breaking her fingers. Alex gred at her, and she froze irembling. Shaking his head, Alex realized he couldn’t ignore her. She might genuinely hurt herself if left alone. "Stay there," he ordered, pointing to a spot nearby.

  Wimzy nodded solemnly, sitting cross-legged where Alex directed her. Alex turned his attention to the bck-market mert’s body. Despite the grim task, he felt obligated to bury the man properly. Leaving a human corpse to rot in the wilderness didn’t sit right with him.

  Ohe burial was plete, he picked up Wimzy and Apparated back to the fork in the road where he’d first discovered the interseg trails. The path split into two distinct dires. Orail was taken by the lone werewolf running at full speed, while the other led to the rger group of werewolves chasing the taurs.

  Alex thought carefully. The lone werewolf’s erratients suggested a separate objective, but the main group—apanied by the werewolf wizard—was clearly anized and purposeful. Based on the clues so far, Alex suspected their ultimate target was unis. "Looks like the werewolf wizard has shifted focus," Alex muttered, gng at the taur tracks mixed with the werewolf trail.

  From Moody, Alex had learned about the thriving bck market fical creatures in the wizarding world. Despite numerous Ministry crackdowns, smuggling operations tio flourish, often targeting rare or protected species like unis. These werewolves, likely w as muscle for the werewolf wizard, seemed to be part of su operation.

  Their use of potions—like the Sleeping Draught —hi a pn to capture magical creatures alive. However, without the right ingredients or quantities, their sleeping potions wouldn’t have been strong enough to subdue a uni. It was clear the wizard’s frustration had boiled over, and now, with no unis in sight, they’d shifted their attention to the taurs.

  Alex’s jaw tightened. taurs were proud and powerful, but even they could be overwhelmed by a coordinated assault. He knew he didn’t have time to waste. "e on, Wimzy," Alex said, setting his sights on the werewolf tracks leading toward the taur trail. "We’ve got work to do."

  "Yes, Master! Wimzy will follow Master and obey!" Wimzy chirped, her tone filled with determination.

  Alex g her, muttering under his breath, "Merlin help me." With Wimzy tucked securely under his arm, sprinted along the werewolves' trail.