Along the way to the place where Sue and Mandy had took off into the woods, two prefects came walking towards them. They froze in surprise at catching sight of Professor Dumbledore and Millicent Bulstrode.
"Professor, I'm glad you're here,' Ernie Macmillan said
"What's happening in Hogsmeade?" Dumbledore said, quickly. He had only exchanged a few brief words with Macmillan before and knew he tended to be a bit pompous and waffle on. It was better to get to the point.
"The Aurors have arrived, Professor," Ernie said. "Reinforcements—they're clearing things up at the town. Cedric … Cedric Diggory I mean, told us to head back to the castle."
"Are there still students in Hogsmeade?" Dumbledore demanded.
"Yes, professor—but I think they're all with Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick and Tonks," Ernie said. "We saw them going into that old, abandoned pub, didn't we, Hannah?"
Hannah Abbot nodded.
Dumbledore relaxed slightly. If the Auror reinforcements were here and the students were with the three professors, they should be safe. "Come with me, then escort Mrs. Bulstrode to the castle," he ordered.
"What's happening, professor?" Ernie asked, sounding eager.
"Death Eaters in the woods, some students have gone after them," Dumbledore said, darkly. "Now, come."
Millicent led the way for another five minutes. "Here," she said, finally. "I recognize that old tree with a marking that looks like a face."
"Very good, head back to the castle,"
"Professor, should we …"
"You will do as I say and return to the castle," Dumbledore said, interrupting Ernie. He waited until they walked off and then, he headed into the woods.
The trail was easy to follow. Sue and Mandy had made no attempts to conceal themselves. They had charged through the undergrowth after Greyback.
Dumbledore quickened his pace. He had to reach them before they found Greyback, or find Greyback before they did. He knew what sort of savage beast Greyback was. The werewolf disgusted him. Dumbledore didn't fear many things, but he feared what a brute like Fenrir Greyback would do to his students.
The woods were dark. Dumbledore paused and listened but there wasn't a sound to be heard. Faintly, he could just about hear noise from the direction of Hogsmeade, but the woods were so dense that tended to swallow the majority of noise.
He waved his wand, casting a detection spell—nobody was nearby. So, he continued onwards, following the trail left by the two Ravenclaw girls. He moved quickly, but not running—he didn't want to risk either falling or missing something important. He had to be cautious—quick but cautious.
Dumbledore wished he was surprised at werewolves support for Lord Voldemort, but he wasn't. They had been mistreated and oastracised by the wizarding community for centuries. He had spoken long and hard about treating werewolves better—using Professor Remus Lupin and Professor Severus Snape of werewolves who were fine in the wizarding community and didn't pose any danger, but he had gone unheeded.
Now, the werewolves had all flocked to Voldemort's side. The brute he was following now was the worst of the lot.
As he went, Dumbledore cast non-verbal sensing and detection spells, but there was nothing nearby. Sue Li and Mandy Brocklehurst had tracked Fenrir Greyback a long way. Dumbledore feared the worst. Greyback wasn't the type to flee. Dumbledore suspected he was leading the two girls into a trap.
A minute further into the woods and he emerged in a clearing. Dumbledore felt his heart sink as he saw the body lying under a tree in the center. Keeping his wand raised, he hurried over.
He felt sickened by what he saw. It was Mandy Brocklehurst, and she had been brutalized. A large chunk of her hair had been torn out, he robes were in tatters and her bare arms were covered with thick gouge marks, scratches and even teeth marks. Greyback had set on her like a rabid dog, biting, scratching and gouging every inch of her that he could. Her lip hung loose, almost ripped off by Greyback's teeth and one of her ears was missing. That wasn't the worst of it. Dumbledore felt a surge of fury as he saw one of her eyes had been gouged out by the beast.
"He took …" she gasped, opening her remaining eye.
She was alive!
"Which way?" Dumbledore urged, crouching down. He had his wand out and began casting non-verbally all of the healing charms that he knew.
"He took Sue … there … that way …" Mandy raised a hand weakly, pointing to the right.
Dumbledore raised his wand and fired a jet of sparks into the air. This was no normal shower of sparks—they shot over 100 feet up and exploded in a burst of light. A few seconds later, there was a faint pop as Penelope Flint and Marcus Flint appeared.
"Albus … what …" Penelope began.
"There's no time," Dumbledore said, sharply. "See to Miss Brocklehurst, she is grievously injured."
He glanced down and was impressed to see that Marcus Flint was already seeing to her. He had never thought highly of Flint. He had been capable enough in some lessons, but had a reputation for being a bully. It seemed he was doing well as an Auror and Dumbledore felt glad he had changed.
"What happened?" Penelope asked.
"Werewolf … Greyback."
"Got it," Penelope pushed Marcus gently aside and started applying her own healing charms to Mandy's wounds.
Without another word, Dumbledore set off at a brisk pace. He didn't even want to think about what the brute Greyback could be doing if he had taken one of his students. He wished he had thought to summon a broom, but it was too late now.
Greyback had torn through the undergrowth at a great pace, leaving a clear trail for all to see. Dumbledore had barely gone more than 100 yards when he saw her—Sue Li, she was lying on the ground and like Mandy, she had been brutalized.
Sue Li was quite clearly dead. Her throat had been torn open and there was a thick pool of blood around her. He eyes were open, staring blankly.
Dumbledore hurried over and felt repulsed. She had been partially eaten. Her robes had been torn off and large chunks of her thigh were missing. This was no mere biting—Dumbledore could tell, this time, Greyback had fed.