allendalepharm Chapter 356 Shadows Loom
Chapter 356 Shadows Loom
Chapter 356 Shadows Loom
When Lockhart first joined Hogwarts as a teacher, and the Dueling Club only had Harry's group of four and Draco's group of four, the young wizards had a heated discussion about a certain topic.
That is, if Muggles and wizards were to go to war, who would have a better chance of winning?
The young wizards engaged in a heated exchange of words.
Hermione, in particular, not only knew how terrifying Muggle weapons were, but also the useful things that Gellert Grindelwald, the dreaded dark wizard in wizarding history, said when he proclaimed the Muggle threat.
They left Draco and his companions speechless.
Left with no other choice, they sought help from Professor Lockhart, and received an answer that greatly surprised them—one wizard had won decisively!
Peter Pettigrew always remembered that moment when Professor Lockhart simply uttered the name of a spell, and the argument was over.
"Muggle Exorcism Curse!"
Professor Lockhart looked at the young wizards with a hint of helplessness. "This is part of the first-year history of magic course. This magic not only concerns the stability of wizarding communities since the implementation of the Act of Secrecy, but also the complete end of the historical event of the witch hunts."
It involves two major events that cannot be avoided when telling the history of magic.
"you----"
"Haven't you read it?"
Yes, but I didn't listen carefully because Professor Ghost Binns's lectures were just too boring.
Hermione, on the other hand, never imagined that the spells described in the textbooks for protecting wizarding territory from Muggle interference could actually be used in combat.
"With a single spell, even the largest Muggle army will disband on the spot. No matter how strong their will or how firm their beliefs, they will forget the day's battle."
Lockhart said mysteriously, "There's a book in the library—I won't tell you which one, of course—that records a debate from the early International Wizarding Federation, a debate that's been called 'almost changing the course of Earth's history.'"
"At that time, the wizards were making a decision on whether to cast a Muggle Expulsion Charm on the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, which are roughly the territory of the Muggle Kingdom today, in order to establish a kingdom of wizards."
Amid the exclamations of the young wizards, Professor Lockhart shrugged. "Clearly, the wizards didn't end up doing that."
"Why?!?!" Draco listened to this secret, his mind racing. The wizarding world... this sounded incredibly mysterious. "Professor, why wasn't it carried out?"
"Because of greed!" Lockhart stared at them. "Having a home where people can move freely will make them want more. If they accept the expansion of some remote territories, they will set their sights on the fertile lands where Muggles live, until they fill all the land and drive the Muggles into the sea—"
"There are too many Muggle people. If there aren't enough resources, wars will break out, and a large number of people will die every day."
"And wizards who rely on mental power to cast spells are not suited to living in a closed world, which would ultimately lead to war in the wizarding world as well."
This is a very large topic, and Lockhart can only offer a few casual remarks.
After all, the wizarding world is no longer dominated by pure-blood wizards. The existence of half-blood and Muggle wizards makes it impossible for such a thing to happen, otherwise it would bring about a huge social rift that no one could bear.
Therefore, there is no point in discussing this.
But the "Muggle banishment spell" that Professor Lockhart mentioned was deeply imprinted in the young wizard's heart.
The young wizards were amazed.
Peter Pettigrew, the little wizard Ron's pet in his pocket, was also amazed.
He always remembered the content of that lesson.
then----
When a rocket from a Muggle-launched man-portable rocket launcher destroyed their restaurant, Peter Pettigrew instinctively launched the most effective counterattack.
"Expel Muggles!"
The extremely powerful spell easily dealt with the mercenaries outside the restaurant.
The Muggles, under the influence of the magic, instantly had a multitude of things they desperately wanted to do. Some shouted, "I can't miss my daughter's 6th birthday!" and slammed on the gas in their SUV, leaving their companions behind. Others knelt on the ground proposing to another mercenary, only to be kicked away, because their goddess could no longer hold it in and desperately needed to find a toilet.
Anyway, that's how it went, and it all fell apart.
However, Peter the Pettigrew was also unlucky.
He benefited from the Duel Club's courses, but he was also terribly burned by them.
He was so used to the atmosphere of the dueling club's little wizard adventure team that for some reason, he didn't realize how selfish these dark wizards around him were.
They won't use magic to protect him!
Then a huge concrete block with reinforced steel bars slammed into his knee like a cannonball, easily shattering his right leg bone.
Even worse, as he fell to the ground with a groan, his wand slipped from his hand and fell to the ground, where it ended up under his weight.
With a snap, Peter Pettigrew turned pale and suddenly felt that the pain of his thigh being crushed wasn't so bad anymore. He trembled and reached down to his buttocks, staring wide-eyed in disbelief at the wand that had been trembling and slowly appearing in his field of vision, the wand that had accompanied him for so long.
It broke into two pieces, still connected by a bit of bark.
I don’t know if wrapping it with some tape will work as a temporary solution, since his former owner, Ron Weasley, used to do it this way for a while.
Okay, this is a negative example.
"No~~~"
Peter the Pettigrew wailed, as if he had lost something extremely important.
This is another story. When he was young, Aimu's neighbor, a witch, took him to buy a wand. Too timid to express his feelings, he never dared to confess his love. After his sister married a French Muggle nobleman, the wand became the only solace during that bleak time.
He hated his own cowardice and despaired of it, feeling utterly powerless, like a broken magic wand before him.
His screams failed to attract the attention of the other Death Eaters.
In fact, the mercenaries' ambush was extremely successful. Wizards are not omnipotent, especially without teammates who have exceptionally high intuition to foresee threats or are extremely cautious and on guard at all times. They truly endured a wave of rocket attacks with their own flesh and blood.
Many people were seriously injured.
This is where the difference between wizards and Muggles becomes apparent. Even if a wizard breaks their spine, has their internal organs shattered by a frontal shockwave, or even gets a crater in their head, the dark wizards present have enough ways to save their lives.
"Catch a wizard and burn him to ashes!"—This experience, learned from the long era of witch hunts, is undoubtedly true.
Of course, there are also people who are completely unharmed.
Bella.
She carried several top-tier magical artifacts collected throughout the long history of the Black family, one of which, a bizarre rag doll-like object, absorbed all the physical damage for her.
Almost immediately after Peter Pettigrew cast his spell, she quickly cast a healing spell and then rapidly cast a flock of birds out the window beside her.
The spellcasting was absolutely perfect.
The repair spell removed all the building debris and rocket fragments that had hit everyone, and in doing so, rebuilt the building's defensive capabilities.
The spell of the flock of birds was learned from Hermione's technique during the Triwizard Tournament, the "Torchfire Cup."
Hermione used this spell as a pervasive detection charm.
Furthermore, under Voldemort's guidance, Bella learned that this spell could also be used as a defensive spell for Muggle firearms, mimicking the use of Muggle anti-aircraft missiles and anti-aircraft machine guns.
Then, Bella followed closely behind the dense flock of birds and rushed out the door.
"!"
The sound of gunfire tore through the air.
Peter Pettigrew's Muggle Expulsion Curse had no effect on the sniper lying in ambush on a distant building; a bullet quickly struck the bird blocking Bella's path.
Then it was quickly struck and stuck by other birds that were rapidly deforming, causing it to deviate from its trajectory.
"Bang!"
After a loud explosion that tore through space, Bella, surrounded by phantom birds, teleported behind the sniper.
The man was clearly startled by the loud noise of the Apparition and hurriedly drew his pistol from his waist, but it was too late.
A magic wand was pointed at the back of his head.
"The soul leaves the body!"
One of the three unforgivable curses, the Imperius Curse.
Bella's voice was icy. "Find all your accomplices!"
The sniper, his eyes glazed, repeated, "Find all my accomplices!"
"Kill them all!" Bella commanded.
"Kill them all!" the sniper repeated, his eyes gradually clearing. He dropped his pistol, turned around, gripped his sniper rifle, pulled the bolt, and aimed.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
Shot after shot, slaughtering the mercenary comrades who hadn't had time to escape.
Bella stood rooted to the spot, her gaze fixed on her surroundings, wary of any possible attack.
The situation was one-sided, and the victory came as no surprise.
This is related to the combat skills of the mercenaries who launched the attack, and also because these Death Eaters are arguably among the most outstanding individuals in wizarding society, aside from the magic masters.
However, the unexpected happened just like that.
An ominous atmosphere seemed to loom, and unexpected events occurred one after another.
Perhaps due to excessive use of the sniper rifle, or perhaps because the sniper rifles used by the mercenaries were of poor quality, the weapon unexpectedly exploded.
The gunpowder gas exploded abnormally in the confined space, and the huge shock wave released instantly shattered the skull of the Muggle gunman and sent Bella, who was standing next to him, flying and crashing heavily against the wall.
The high-speed flying fragments of gun metal resembled sharp, rapidly moving knives, instantly piercing Bella's lungs.
Before Bella could even cast a spell to heal her wounds, another terrible explosion, accompanied by intense flames, rushed towards her.
She didn't even have the time or the strength to wave her wand.
This mercenary had actually strapped a bomb to himself, with a pulse detector strapped to his body as the detonator. He was determined to take others down with him even in death, and his unorthodox methods seemed to have worked.
No~
Bella was filled with despair.
Death came so suddenly, so unexpectedly, that her pupils were quickly filled with the flames of the bomb.
In an instant, a strange, pale white pearl began to condense and appear before her, transforming into a tall figure that blocked her way.
It's Lord Dark Lord!
Tom!
Her Tom!
Bella stared wide-eyed at Tom, who appeared to be in a ghostly state, raising her translucent hand towards the flames. A banishing spell quickly pushed the flames in all directions.
However, casting spells in ghost form is too difficult.
What was originally a simple spell for Voldemort has now become incredibly difficult.
Boom~~~
The TNT explosive, comparable in quantity to that used in an anti-tank mine, instantly blasted a huge hole in the entire roof.
Even with the Dark Lord blocking her way, Bella still felt a burning pain. She felt dizzy and her brain was shaken by the huge shockwave, almost causing her to go into shock.
In the dim light, she seemed to hear another group of mercenaries rushing out from the building's basement and attacking the restaurant where they had been standing.
In the dim light, she heard the Dark Lord's agonizing screams, as if his soul were being torn apart, and his pale, translucent figure was ripped apart by explosives—
Do not!
Tom!
A surge of power erupted from her body, propelling her to her feet as she charged toward Tom, using both hands and feet.
Then----
He burst out of the hole in the top of the building, which had been blown open by explosives, and fell down to the ground.
15 stories high!
has it ended?
She felt a strange sense of relief.
She just hadn't had a chance to tell Tom that, with Lockhart's help, she wasn't as crazy as before, and that she was actually able to become a normal person.
She remained loyal as before, no longer with the mad infatuation of the past, but with a passionate love, a deep love for the hero in his eyes, a king who longed to change the world and possess supreme power.
Look, her love is so pure.
Everything in her life flashed rapidly through her mind; she thought of her parents, her two younger sisters Andromeda and Narcissa, and her cousin Regulus Black, who was so outstanding that he could be called "Black's pride."
She loved her family so much (excluding Sirius), but after she returned to normal, she never had the chance to tell them.
Bang~!
She crashed heavily to the ground, and darkness instantly enveloped her.
Huh?
wrong!
That was the sound of Apparition, not the sound of her hitting the ground.
Her gaze followed the darkness upwards, until she saw Voldemort's slightly pale face on the black wizard's robe.
"Soup----"
She struggled to raise her hand to touch her dream, but all she could do was spit out a large amount of murky, bloody bits of flesh.
"Don't speak!"
Voldemort's voice was hoarse, faintly suppressing pain, as if casting spells in ghost form had just caused him some damage.
This is a wound that touches the soul, and Voldemort had already suffered some great damage and changes to his soul.
Then he used Apparition beyond his own limits, rapidly traversing half the Earth to arrive at this place in an instant.
Only Voldemort himself knew how bad his condition was.
He felt like his whole body was being torn apart.
He had to put Bella down on the ground, panting, and half-kneel down. With one hand, he took out a Bone Spirit from his wizard's robe pocket and poured it onto the wound. With the other hand, he could no longer hold his wand gracefully and gripped it tightly to cast a spell on Bella's wound.
He had no time to pay attention to the Death Eaters he had painstakingly rescued from Azkaban who were currently engaged in a fierce battle.
They're dead, so be it! These useless trash!
Ok!
They weren't useless; rather, everyone was tainted by misfortune during the conflict in Azkaban prison.
Voldemort never imagined that he himself would be shrouded in misfortune.
Mysticism is always so terrifying; it's not even a curse, there's no cursed state that can be removed, it's just a shadow looming over you.
Damn Gilderoy!
This despicable guy is creating one expert after another in various fields, making it increasingly difficult to defend against him.
I don't know how much time has passed.
Bella finally recovered from her injury and was about to happily rush into Tom's arms when she saw that Tom's face was getting paler and she hurriedly tried to help him up.
"No!"
Voldemort shoved her away and forced himself to stand up straight.
Bella then realized that the fighting at the restaurant had ended, and the Death Eaters were heading this way.
"Master!" The men knelt on the ground.
Death Eater Rodolphus Lestrange hesitated for a moment before reporting, his voice tinged with embarrassment, "Pierce Sinkness and Peter Pettigrew are missing. It seems they were captured by those Muggles in the chaos."
Voldemort chuckled softly, looking down at him. "Captured by Muggles?"
The word "Muggle" was used very heavily.
Do you want to hear what you're saying? Two wizards of such power were captured by Muggles? Right under your noses? And you're just sitting here without even chasing them?
Rodolphus had no choice but to report, "Those Muggles threw in flashbangs, smoke bombs, and mandrakes all at once. Pierce didn't react in time and was knocked unconscious by the mandrakes' cries. And Peter Pettigrew, he seems to be seriously injured."
"Find them! Bring them back!" Voldemort didn't want to hear any more explanations or processes; he only wanted the result.
"Yes!" Rodolphus breathed a sigh of relief, quickly stood up, and led everyone to chase after the Muggles who had just left.
Just then, a torrential downpour began, rapidly washing away the tire tracks on the ground.
"What the hell is interfering with us!" Finally, someone reacted, cursing and screaming.
However, no matter how they cast the spells, it seemed to have no effect whatsoever.
"Never mind that!"
Voldemort finally snapped, roaring angrily, "Get moving, you fools!"
"I will handle this ominous situation!"
Of course he knew how to resolve the ominous sign.
After all, the ominous power of the Black family is not a new phenomenon in wizarding history. There have been people who have studied ways to counter it, but few Blacks have achieved the level of Sirius Black.
As for ways to control it—
Naturally, it is the Crabbe family's colorful ball fish back stone amulet, and it is even obtained in the form of "bone coins".
Just Crabbe —
Old Crabbe is dead, and young Crabbe has completely sided with Gilderoy, which is clearly another difficult hurdle.
It seems I'll have to contact Lucius Malfoy if necessary.
Voldemort narrowed his eyes, feeling that every step of his life after his resurrection had become so difficult.
Damn Gilderoy!
He released Grindelwald!
He also instigated the Dark Lord's purge of traitors!
He taught the students, and he poached the subordinates!
But all he could do was fly into a rage for no reason, and then slowly suppress that anger and seriously think about how to break the deadlock.