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Disappeared?!
Amos-ta's face was filled with shock. He stared at the spot where the black witch had stood, his expression both shocked and confused.
Apparition or Portkey?
Thoughts flashed through Amos-ta's mind, but then he dismissed them.
It was well-known that Hogwarts grounds were protected by numerous powerful spells. Common wizarding methods of teleportation wouldn't work here. The magical core protecting the school came from the vast magic accumulated by Hogwarts Castle over thousands of years; that was a completely different level of power. Even if the Four Founders were reborn, they probably wouldn't be able to break through the defensive system they had set up back then.
But the reality was that the mysterious black witch, the moment the Sectumsempra curse fell, glared venomously at Amos-ta, then unwillingly vanished into thin air.
Amos-ta, with a puzzled expression, scanned his surroundings, hoping to find some clues. But the black witch was indeed no longer there, nor had she merely gone into stealth again.
How was this possible? Although they were in the Forbidden Forest, they hadn't breached the walls Hogwarts had set up within the Forbidden Forest. Theoretically, they were indeed still within the school.
Amos-ta no longer had the presence of mind to continue suppressing the still-burning Fiendfyre. He took a step, carefully approaching the spot where the black witch had last stood.
The Sectumsempra curse just now had not been for naught; there was still a pool of crimson blood on the ground, presumably left by the black witch.
Disordered footsteps were already heard from not far away. It seemed the school professors had finally arrived. Amos-ta stared at the blood on the ground, which hadn't fully seeped into the soil, his face filled with unwillingness.
Such a powerful witch, who harbored hatred towards him, was lurking in the shadows, observing him, yet he knew nothing about her identity. This filled Amos-ta's heart with intense unwillingness.
"You left a flaw,"
Amos-ta murmured to himself. Before Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape arrived, he pulled out a small bottle and drew the blood from the ground into the bottle. Then, he cast a Freezing Charm on the bottle.
"I will find you."
Snape and McGonagall were not the first to arrive at the scene. Dumbledore arrived before them.
In the air, thick with the scent of burning and scorching, a dazzling crimson light suddenly flashed. Albus Dumbledore, gripping his phoenix's claws, appeared in mid-air without any warning. After materializing, he landed steadily on the ground from mid-air. His agile and nimble movements showed no sign of him being over a hundred years old.
After landing, Dumbledore quickly surveyed his surroundings. When he saw Amos-ta, who was standing in a scorched earth patch and looked shocked by his appearance, as well as the unconscious Gryffindor team members and Bill, who was still hanging upside down in mid-air, a chilling fury sparkled in his deep blue eyes behind his half-moon spectacles.
In the invisible world, the enraged Dumbledore was like a black hole with immense gravitational pull. The moment he appeared, the ocean of magic seemed to be affected by the powerful tidal force of a full moon. Its surging and roaring could almost be heard!
The first thing Dumbledore did was extinguish the Fiendfyre that Amos-ta had failed to completely suppress. He merely waved his wand casually, and the pale Fiendfyre and the golden flames summoned by Amos-ta instantly vanished without a trace.
"Your wand, Mr. Brazen."
Dumbledore's voice was calm, yet filled with an undeniable firmness.
Amos-ta did not want to hand over his wand. Everything that happened tonight could be clearly explained. So, he hesitated for a moment, but this brief hesitation almost brought him great disaster.
Tonight, Amos-ta finally witnessed a side of Albus Dumbledore he had never known before, a Dumbledore who had always been kind and friendly to all young wizards, regardless of their house.
At this moment, Dumbledore was the legend who had once directly defeated the first Dark Lord, Grindelwald. He was the most powerful wizard of his time, who had suppressed the second Dark Lord for nearly thirty years, preventing him from rampaging. He was a man who alone was enough to contend with the reputation of the entire Ministry of Magic as President of the International Confederation of Wizards.
For Dumbledore at this moment, not obeying an order meant resistance!
Without any feints or preamble, Dumbledore simply raised his wand and used a simple Disarming Charm.
However, under the overwhelmingly powerful magic, the space traced by the spell light was directly ionized into hundreds of thin strands of lightning. Amos-ta felt his scalp tingle, and his face suddenly turned pale.
The silver-black magical vortex that had previously effortlessly dealt with Charlie's attacks disintegrated instantly under the impact of the Disarming Charm's light, not even holding on for a split second!
However, this didn't mean Amos-ta was ready to surrender. He also had his pride.
In a flash, he swung his wand wildly, directly pulling a gleaming metal shield, its surface engraved with golden serpent patterns, from the void to block the path of the spell.
Thump!
A low, heavy thud, like muffled thunder echoing across the earth in a winter night, instantly spread across mountains and rivers.
Amos-ta felt countless golden stars flash before his eyes, his feet went soft, and he stumbled backward a few steps.
Dumbledore also seemed not to have expected Amos-ta Brazen to block his spell. A hint of surprise flashed in his deep blue eyes, but it was merely a hint.
"Stop it, Headmaster Dumbledore!"
Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape finally arrived at this moment. When they saw the horribly ravaged Forbidden Forest before them, Professor McGonagall's body swayed violently, and she covered her mouth with her hands, her face filled with disbelief.
Snape was tougher than her. He rushed directly towards Dumbledore, who was preparing to wave his wand again, and loudly shouted to stop him,
"Wait, Dumbledore, there must be a misunderstanding here!"
Severus Snape strode forward, very boldly and impolitely grabbing Dumbledore's hand, stopping him from continuing to act.
Then, a sweating Snape glanced around. When he saw Bill Weasley hanging upside down from the Incarcerous Charm, his breathing suddenly quickened.
"Releasing Bill."
He lowered Bill. Bill Weasley, dizzy, comically stumbled to the side the moment he landed, his handsome face filled with fear.
Only after Professor McGonagall leaped over Snape and Dumbledore to gently comfort him for a while did he finally come to his senses and realize the current situation.
"Professor McGonagall, I saw it. Someone used the Killing Curse, just now. I swear I saw it clearly!"
Bill's still-shaken words, once spoken, were like a biting wind passing through, silencing everything.
Snape, holding Dumbledore's hand tightly, could feel the old, wrinkled hand in his palm tense, trying to break free of his control.
"First, hand over your wand, Amos-ta!"
Snape, his face tense, looked at Amos-ta Brazen, who was standing alone, before Dumbledore did. His tone was firm and unyielding,
"Trust me, Amos-ta, the misunderstanding can be explained, and I believe you!"