Lupin looked exceptionally handsome at this moment.
Anton didn't answer him.
The effects of the 'Wizard's Eye' potion were gradually wearing off, yet he could still clearly see the 'magic image' of the magical mark on his arm.
He didn't know if it was a 'magic image', but that didn't matter.
Under the 'Wizard's Eye's' vision, the black pattern took on a three-dimensional form. A raised square bulge formed from dark green threads formed a spider covered in eyeballs.
Several curved lines were its legs, piercing his arm and extending upward through the flesh. From his elbow to his shoulder, finally reaching a point he couldn't see, but he knew it led to his head.
He didn't know what the spell was.
He had read a lot of Harry Potter fan fiction, but these ten or so volumes were just the tip of the iceberg. He couldn't remember most of it.
The only thing he had a faint recollection of was the short video of a man pulling back his sleeve to reveal the Lord's Mark.
"Armor!"
The Shield Charm blocked the old wizard's next attempt at the Cruciatus Curse.
Lupin quickly ran to his side and grabbed him. "I'm going to Apparate you away. No matter what happens, hold on to me!"
Anton shook his head, his eyes blurry as he followed the faint thread of the spider in his hand into the distance, meeting the old wizard's eyes.
The old wizard clutched his head with his left hand and let out a shrill wail, as if his brain was about to burst. He looked at Anton, "You saw it, didn't you? You saw it! You can't escape. I promise, just give me your wand and I'll help you break this curse!"
"Give me your wand!" The roar was accompanied by a wail.
Anton raised a brow. "Indeed."
He smiled and pushed Lupin's hand away. "Hurry up and leave."
He said this and slowly walked towards the old wizard, waving his old wand. "It's a deal, huh?"
Passing the table where he had been mixing potions, the old wizard was attracted by the waving of the old wand in his hand, not noticing that Anton's left hand had grasped the sharp dagger he used to cut herbs.
"Kid, you can't believe this!" Lupin shouted anxiously from behind.
Anton paused, pursing his lips. "Many things can't be solved by running away. If the outcome is death..."
He turned and gave Lupin a bright smile. "I choose to face it!"
What good would running away do now? As long as the magic spider on his wrist remained, he would have to live in constant fear, awaiting the old wizard's pursuit!
He was marked. Once the old wizard recovered and Apparated to him, he would still be dead.
He was no longer the mediocre office worker who had been idle before the time travel. Although he had traveled back in time as a ten-year-old, his mind had matured due to the many hardships he had experienced.
At least, he could calmly face any consequences of his choices, even death.
At this moment, his heart was more resolute than ever.
"Now's the time to leave,"
he said, approaching the old wizard again, his face brimming with sincerity. "Teacher, I was wrong. I was completely possessed. I shouldn't have treated you this way. Are you okay?"
The old wizard wasn't doing well at all. Seeing Anton about to bring him his wand, he sighed in relief and slumped down, pressing his hands against his head as if it would burst apart if he let go.
"Quick, give me the wand."
Lupin stood stunned in the distance, Anton's words echoing in his mind: "Many things can't be solved by running away..."
Ever since his best friends, the Potters, perished at the hands of the Dark Lord, and Sirius was imprisoned in Azkaban for betrayal, he had refused Dumbledore's orders and wandered from place to place.
He didn't know how to face everything, and all he could do was escape.
But escape was futile. The wails of the Potters and Wormtail's death seemed to pierce through time and space, and Sirius's shrill, maniacal laughter was seared into his mind, tormenting him every moment, every moment!
Finally, Anton reached the old wizard's side.
Anxious, he tried to support the old wizard, quickly passing his old wand to his left hand. His ill-fitting, wide robes tangled around his hand, and the wand looked like it would fall at any moment in the old wizard's anxious eyes.
Anton's right hand slipped under his armpit, supporting the old wizard with his frail frame.
"Give me the wand! Why are you helping me, you idiot?" "
Help you? " "Help you
?" "Haha, why do you say I should help you?"
Anton's face was filled with concern, but his right hand yanked the old wizard's hair with all its might. The immense force caused the old wizard's head to tilt back, revealing his wrinkled neck.
The old wand in his left hand fell, and the sharp dagger pierced through the sleeve of his robes and stabbed fiercely into the old wizard's neck!
Bang!
A huge gust of air struck, and Anton was instantly blown away.
The force was so powerful that Anton watched himself being thrown against the wall. He quickly raised his hands to support his head, closed his eyes, and prayed that he wouldn't be hurt too badly.
Suddenly, he felt himself become lighter, and a not-so-strong arm caught him.
He opened his eyes and saw Lupin's scarred, weathered face, his beard scraggly but full of a smile. "This kind of thing should be left to the adults."
But at this moment, a familiar, shrill roar rang out.
"Crucio!"
The light of the spell flashed, and instantly hit Lupin.
"Ah~~~~" The old man's gentle smile didn't last more than two seconds. He let out a miserable cry and lay on the ground, his whole body twisting and trembling.
Anton looked up in shock, only to see the old wizard standing up tremblingly, holding the old wand in his hand.
"You are special, my beloved apprentice."
"See? This is the true reaction to Cruciatus."
"Too bad, you're going to die too!"
The old wizard's eyes were cold as he pointed at Anton. "Avada..."
Anton didn't shy away, staring at the old wizard in shock.
Under the remaining effects of the 'Wizard's Eye' potion, he could see countless dark green cracks rapidly extending and twisting from the dagger on the old wizard's neck.
As the old wizard mobilized his magic power, the cracks suddenly erupted with powerful magical waves.
"Bang!"
A visual explosion of magic, like a silent roar, the cracks twisted into a magical pattern.
This pattern was extremely magical, captivating him.
Anton wanted to see more, but the spell's effects wore off.
As he regained his normal vision, blood was already gushing from the old wizard's neck. He hadn't even finished his killing curse when blood began pouring out of his mouth.
His eyes rolled back, and he was dead.
Anton's face darkened, and he strode forward. In the mysterious world of magic, there were so many possibilities for faked deaths; he had to finish the job!
However, as the old wizard died, the entire room suddenly began to shake.
The ground erupted with countless rays of light, the same lines he had seen through the wizard's eyes.
Anton had no idea what was happening. Dark magic is rarely described in the original novels, and he had no idea what was going to happen next.
He hurried to help Lupin up, only to find him pale and twitching, slumped against him.
"Damn, it's so heavy!"
He thought for a moment, then stuffed Lupin back into the box reinforced with the Invisible Extension Charm. Then, he thought again, and stuffed the old wizard in as well.
I closed the box, picked up my old wand, pushed open the door, and rushed out with all my might.
All in one go.