great-warnovel Chapter 90 Repelling the Death Eaters
Chapter 90 Repelling the Death Eaters
Chapter 90 Repelling the Death Eaters
At the same time, Hermione released the light arrow in her hand, and the same blue light streaked through the sky, colliding fiercely with the basilisk's breath.
The explosion rang out again, and the terrifying heat evaporated the venom and the body, leaving only the two pure energies clashing and forming a ripple.
It's blocked!
Everyone was thrilled. Lily's potion winds were still working, and if the basilisk didn't retreat soon, it might really be completely melted away.
But before everyone could continue to rejoice, a cold, chanting voice rang out: "Thunderous Explosion!"
The Death Eater leader, who had been entangled with Lockhart, slowly turned into a wisp of green smoke and disappeared, while his true form appeared above the tavern, unleashing a devastating Explosion Spell.
"No!" Lily's eyes widened in horror, but before she could make a move, the entire tavern was torn to pieces with a deafening roar.
A huge cloud of smoke billowed up, and Lily frantically waved her wand to clear it away before rushing inside.
Fortunately, the horrific scene she had imagined did not occur. A shaky barrier protected everyone. Old Tom, still shaken, held up his wand. He hadn't expected that the Ironclad Charm he had cast would actually stop the explosion.
Harry and the children, along with others, huddled under Old Tom's barrier; though a wolf-fox, it didn't seem to be seriously injured.
Old Tom wasn't some powerful wizard; he was just a kind old man with some connections and wealth. But the Death Eater leader was someone who could go toe-to-toe with Lockhart!
In a corner he couldn't see, the Golden Snitch Ghost Score, its light dimmed considerably, was quietly drifting back under Hermione's robes. Hermione, having cast Levitate, floated back to the ground as leisurely as a falling leaf.
The wizard is at her most vulnerable when she is charging up her spell. Naturally, she would not disregard her own safety. Score had been quietly guarding her side, preventing any sneak attacks. The moment the spell was cast, Score rushed forward and used the immense power of the radiant stone to offset most of the attack. Only a little of the remaining force destroyed the tavern, but the rest was blocked by Old Tom's spell.
Hermione landed gracefully and apologized to Lily, "I'm sorry, it was because of me that Harry and the others were in danger."
But Lily shook her head, not blaming her: "If you don't help, we'll all be in danger."
Instead, they directed their fury at the Death Eater leader in the air who had failed in his sneak attack.
She transformed into white smoke and soared into the sky, the pale purple magic potion wind swirling back like an angry serpent of nothingness, coiling around the dark shadow in the air.
The winged hippogriff also flew over with a cry. Lockhart, furious at having inadvertently let his opponent escape, turned his attention to the badly injured basilisk.
Dull explosions and flames erupted one after another on the snake's body, tearing off its scales and causing it to hiss incessantly.
The other Death Eaters kept their distance and didn't dare to approach for a moment.
The Death Eater leader Apparated once again, dodging the swirling winds of the potion. This wide-ranging, all-encompassing attack forced him to move further away from the tavern, eventually pushing him into the air.
Without realizing it, the sky seemed to turn redder, and the temperature in the air seemed to be rising. He had a bad feeling.
The basilisk was more agile than him. After its anger subsided during its struggle with Lockhart, it also sensed the approaching danger and hissed as it retreated below its leader.
Other Death Eaters followed suit and gathered around. The strange phenomenon in the sky became more and more obvious, just like the fiery clouds at dusk described in the book. The entire sky was filled with a strange heat wave.
"It's Dumbledore!" Someone spotted the figure who had silently arrived by the fireplace and was casting a spell while staring at the sky.
Now, everyone looked over there. The appearance of the most powerful white wizard, who represented hope, was undoubtedly a shot in the arm.
Now it was the Death Eaters' turn to panic, but Dumbledore's magic had already taken shape. A vortex of fire clouds gathered seemingly slowly but actually very quickly, enveloping their heads. Some of them cast spells at the sky, but the fire clouds remained unaffected. Others tried to use Apparition, but found the space as solid as an iron wall. Anti-Apparition unfolded silently, rendering their magic ineffective.
The serpent monster roared fiercely at the sky, while in the center of the fiery cloud, a condensed, white ball of light was about to burst forth.
"Is this... the strongest white wizard?" Hermione looked at the sky with envy. This kind of magic, which was like a natural disaster, could be used by her to manipulate Dumbledore's ashes on the day she completed the Soul Pact ceremony if she wanted.
But she knew she wouldn't do that.
In the sky, the Death Eater leader's voice was cold and stern: "Having lost so many children, even if you go back, it will be a capital offense. You might as well stay here and serve your father!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Death Eaters around him exploded uncontrollably, turning into balls of green flame that suddenly enveloped the basilisk and its leader.
The next moment, the space that had been like an iron wall was finally pierced by the magic that caused mutual destruction. In the dark green vortex, the basilisk and its leader disappeared without a trace in an instant.
"Damn it! They got away!" A disappointed voice erupted from the crowd.
Dumbledore waved his wand, and the fiery clouds in the sky vanished without a trace, returning the sky to its unchanging, thick, leaden-gray clouds.
The survivors emerged from their shelters, looking at the ravaged land, and were filled with lingering fear. This was the destructive power of the wizards, and a world war was a thousand times worse.
Lily and Lockhart flew over one after the other and came to Dumbledore's side with the children.
"I'm sorry, Professor Potter, I didn't keep an eye on him." Lockhart sincerely apologized to Lily, his negligence putting the children in danger.
Lily shook her head without saying anything. Although her heart was in her throat at the time, thankfully the outcome wasn't bad.
Just then, James hurriedly squeezed through the crowd, leading people who had rushed from Cliff Street over: "Good heavens! What happened here! I was only gone for a short while!"
Dumbledore said softly, "Perhaps it's Merlin's blessing, but I rarely feel like coming to Malfoy Castle to buy some new flavors of candy."
That's what I witnessed. If it had been any later, I probably would have been having a headache dealing with the new Potions and Defense Strategy teachers.
But how could the old headmaster, now a ghost, taste the sweetness? It was nothing more than a lie that only a few could understand.
When Lily saw James arrive late, she was furious. She stood before him, hands on her hips, and yelled, "You disappear at the crucial moment! Do you know that if Dumbledore had been any later, my child and I would be dead here!"
James was completely bewildered by the scolding, but he didn't resist at all. Only after he fully understood the cause and effect of the matter did he hug Lily and Harry with lingering fear and whisper something to them.
A crowd gathered around Dumbledore, chattering amongst themselves.
Hermione went over to the other children, where Ron was staring blankly at the wand that had broken in two.
That wand is a glorious veteran passed down through the Weasley family for decades. Mr. Arthur, Bill, Charlie, and Percy have all used it briefly. Although they may not have been comfortable with it, it is, after all, a masterpiece from before the war, and its performance in all aspects is quite excellent.
However, in the chaos of the tavern collapsing just now, whether it was stepped on or hit by a rock, this old wand finally retired honorably.
"He broke it," Ron whispered.
"We can just buy a new one, it's no problem," Hermione reassured him.
"No, he broke it off in a very cowardly way." Ron shook his head, his expression unusually serious.
"Not in the fight against the dark wizard, but slinking away under the protection of others, because of a ridiculous landslide, he was broken in two." His voice was a little hoarse.
Hermione knew that what was really bothering Ron wasn't the wand itself, but Ron himself, who was a burden in this battle.
"Dad and my brother both gave up on this wand in the end and went to the wand selection instead. I think they were right." Ron raised his head, his face radiant with determination.
"I want to participate in the wand selection after school starts!"
"Me too, maybe we can team up," Neville chuckled from the side, having long disliked the standard wand in his hand.
Meanwhile, Parkinson, with Auror in tow, squeezed through the crowd and approached Dumbledore with a flattering smile.
Those around them glared at them angrily. These nobles of Malfoy Castle, in times of crisis, shut themselves away to protect themselves, their cold-bloodedness despicable.
"Dumbledore, thank you for your timely rescue. Malfoy Castle will forever remember your kindness. It's too chaotic here; let's go into the city. I'll have Honeyduke send over the latest products."
But Dumbledore seemed not to see him, turning to James and Lily with a smile, "It's getting late, why don't we go back to Cliff Street together? The air here is really not very good."
Parkinson's face turned a liverish color, and the surrounding crowd burst into laughter, but no one mourned the dead Muggles and wild wizards around them.