Harry Potter: Magic and Guns

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The Poisoned Horn Beast is a large and ferocious creature native to Africa, occasionally seen in Qizhadro. It resembles a swollen gray rhinoceros, with enormous, sharp horns that glow faintly yellow and translucent. When provoked, the horn is filled with an explosive venom that takes on a deep purple sheen.

Upon impact, the horn releases the venom, causing a violent explosion. The resulting purple poison cloud spreads across a 30-meter radius, creating a hazardous "no-entry" zone. However, due to their generally docile nature, Poisoned Horn Beasts won't attack unless provoked or approached too closely. Their relatively calm demeanor also makes them a target for poaching.

The horn, filled with purple venom, is a necessary ingredient for creating high-energy explosive potions. A single horn can fetch a price as high as 1,000 Galleons, which is quite reasonable considering the difficulty in hunting them. However, caution is required. The horn must be left to rest for at least two hours after being harvested; if it's collected immediately after the creature is killed, the horn must be handled with extreme care during transport. A slight bump can cause an immediate explosion. When handled properly, even a fall won't trigger the explosion.

Perhaps the person smuggling the Poisoned Horn Beast's horn was a reckless rookie? Not only was the item improperly handled, but they even attempted to smuggle it through the checkpoint. Such foolishness inevitably led to a swift and forceful response from the border guards.

Within three seconds of the explosion spreading, at least five small teams of ten soldiers each arrived fully equipped. Their black full-body exoskeletons had scales resembling fish scales, and the magical wands-guns in their hands were ones Harry had never seen before. They raised their left arms in unison, and magical barriers instantly appeared, cutting the area into countless individual cubes.

The still-dispersing purple poison mist was sucked away by some sort of alchemical device that resembled a vacuum cleaner. Any damage caused by the explosion was completely repaired in less than ten seconds. The injured civilians were swiftly carried away by medical personnel in white full-body armor, and a small medical tent with two doors was erected. Within a minute, the injured person was brought in, and they emerged looking completely refreshed from the other side of the tent.

As for the fool who tried to smuggle the contraband... his remains were quickly gathered in a black bag. Experiencing the explosion up close without protection left only fragments of his body, but the staff inspecting him were unharmed. Despite being at the explosion's center, their full protective gear kept them safe and sound.

The crowd's commotion lasted only a minute or two. Once reinforcements arrived and secured the scene, the chaos subsided. Those hoping to stir trouble amidst the confusion? Sorry, not happening here.

"Where's your Bubble Charm?"

Harry's voice came through muffled by the bubble charm, and the burly bear-man who had warned everyone about the toxic fumes from the explosion pretended not to hear. He turned his head, gazing around and commenting on how nice the weather was today.

But, perhaps due to his heightened sensitivity to the attention he was getting—or maybe because Harry's towering figure was hard to miss—he soon turned back and snapped, "You're so annoying! What are you staring at? I didn't mean to break the bubble, alright? It was an accident! It wasn't because of me! Ugh... forget it. You foreigners probably won't understand what I'm saying anyway."

The fluffy bear-man shot Harry a glare with his large dark eyes, looking quite intimidating. However, Harry couldn't help but feel that there was a certain goofy charm to him.

"If I understood you, would you be embarrassed?" Harry grinned, pulling out a wrapped stick from his pocket and tossing it to him. "I didn't see your Bubble Charm, but thanks for the reminder. Here, try a local specialty from my home."

"What is this? Why so formal?"

Though the bear-man seemed hesitant to take the package, as soon as the savory scent wafted from the wrapping, his large bear paws quickly grabbed the stick.

"Good taste!"

The dark bear's nose twitched slightly before he gave Harry a thumbs-up. "This smoked meat of yours is pretty impressive, it smells so good!"

Without hesitation, he tore the wrapping open, revealing a thick chunk of fruitwood smoked meat. The bear opened his enormous mouth, devouring a piece the size of half a head, chewing with evident satisfaction.

"Aren't you worried that I might have poisoned the meat? You're eating something from a stranger."

"It's fine, my nose is excellent. If there's any strange smell, I'll know right away. People say dogs have keen noses, but my bear nose is way better—six times better than theirs."

The big bear-man continued munching enthusiastically, his robust chewing filled with enjoyment. The rich aroma of the fruitwood smoked meat had already made the people in line behind him drool, despite it having no connection to England's local delicacies. This meat, however, came from the Forbidden Forest of Hogwarts. Harry had done a lot of hunting there recently, so he'd brought a small mountain of meat to the centaur camp, where the meat had been carefully smoked. Unlike England's dark cuisine, it was prepared with herbs and spices that the centaurs used to remove any gamey smells. They were masters at using spices.

The centaurs' herbal blends, after being simmered into a concentrated broth, even helped to reduce the pungent odors of Snape's potions. Their expertise in spices was nothing short of impressive.

They never asked each other's names. On the road, you meet all sorts of interesting people, and once you cross paths in the world, it's better to forget each other again. That way, when reminiscing, there's more room for the bittersweet nostalgia.

The seemingly long line ended after about ten minutes. Fleur passed the security check before Harry since she had no luggage and thus skipped many of the steps. Harry, carrying all their belongings in a black dragonhide backpack, had nothing that would be considered contraband. Passing through a security gate etched with intricate magical runes, and with their space bags scanned by odd devices, Harry smoothly passed through the checkpoint.

Following the signs, they walked for another minute before arriving at a brightly glowing hall. Every passenger who had cleared immigration would see their form blur as they entered the hall, their body surrounded by the same soft white glow, before completely disappearing.

"Where will it take us?" Fleur asked curiously, observing one person after another vanish, and she reached out to link arms with Harry.

"You'll find out when we get there," Harry replied with a faint smile, taking Fleur's hand and stepping into the softly glowing hall.

"Welcome to the Great Celestial Empire, honored travelers. You are about to arrive at the Celestial Gate of Shattered Leaf City. We wish you a pleasant journey."

In the brief moment of dizziness, their figures disappeared into the soft white glow.

(End of Chapter)