latelenovela Chapter 547: The Gaunt Ring - (1)
Chapter 547: The Gaunt Ring - (1)
In the village of Hogsmeade, Felix was conversing with a representative from the French Ministry of Magic.
The man named Giles Fitzgeller was quite talkative, and despite his habit of frequently smoothing his sparse hair, the conversation remained relatively relaxed and pleasant.
"I heard Mr. Heap is still the director at Beauxbatons, a talent discovered by Mr. Nicolas Flamel... He certainly chose the right person. Mr. Lemay has always been generous. I received quite a substantial scholarship during my schooling. He's a good man, isn't he, Merlin?" Giles turned to the middle-aged wizard beside him, who was the Deputy Headmaster of Beauxbatons.
"You're right," Merlin replied with gravitas. "Mr. Lemay's departure is a loss to the French wizarding community."
"That's true," Giles cleared his throat. "But now we have Mr. Heap. History has its cycles..."
"Yes," Deputy Headmaster Merlin concisely agreed.
Felix smiled silently. This conversation occurred as Giles subtly probed about the Beauxbatons scholarship arrangements for him. Upon confirming that everything remained unchanged, Giles spent a whole ten minutes excessively praising him. However, upon realizing Felix's lack of interest in the flattering remarks, Giles swiftly pivoted to extol the contributions of Nicolas Flamel.
Nicolas Flamel had left behind a considerable legacy, but Felix only took what was most useful to him, leaving everything else untouched. This included Nick's vault at the French branch of Gringotts; Felix had visited it only once, finding little of alchemical value worthy of his attention.
Therefore, when the goblin from Gringotts presented a stack of thick contracts, he chose not to annul a single one.
Felix believed that doing so would bring him pleasure.
"The wind is quite strong today," Giles grumbled, reaching to push away a strand of hair that incessantly tickled his nose.
But soon, distant clamor reached their ears. Felix raised his head, his expression turning serious as he gazed into the distance.
Extending his hand, a black dot appeared on his palm, spreading swiftly like ink dropped in water, and in an instant, a book materialized in his hand.
"Mr. Heap?" Giles asked in astonishment, eyeing the book of magical texts Felix held.
"We're in trouble, Mr. Giles. Inform others to take cover temporarily," Felix said calmly. His figure suddenly disappeared, reappearing at the outskirts of Hogsmeade.
An exaggerated black tornado bore down upon the village. Wherever the black whirlwind passed, rocks, grass, bricks, and trees were uprooted, causing chaos among the wizards.
"Quiet."
Felix heard the resonant voice of Amelia Bones. However, its effect was meager. Everyone was stunned by the sudden arrival of the natural disaster. Although the tornado was still some distance away, the howling winds and raindrops had arrived, hitting them head-on.
"Aurors of the Ministry, strike with me against the storm," Mrs. Bones shouted. Ministry staff emerged from various concealed corners.
Pressing his hand against the book of magical texts, pages flipped, and a dozen milky-white orbs flew out, heading straight for the colossal entity.
"It's the Lumos spell!"
"Professor Heap is here."
The black tornado engulfed the orbs, and after a few seconds, the tornado rapidly expanded. It seemed as if it aimed to roll down the clouds from the sky. Bright beams of light pierced through the roaring vortex, just in time to disperse it before it breached the village.
Forced to disperse into several smaller whirlwinds, the black tornado charged into the village, wreaking havoc. Rocks and branches plummeted from the sky. Felix watched as a boulder the size of a human head smashed a gaping hole in the roof of a shop. The subsequent whirlwind scattered the furnishings inside, resembling some kind of retching creature.
After dispersing one of the smaller tornadoes, Felix had to pause. Standing amidst the chaotic currents, he stared into the sky, where a black-robed wizard appeared, features indistinct, skin pallid.
His red eyes surveyed the wreckage below, silently breaking into a smile. Did thousands of wizards matter?
"You're utterly useless," Aberforth bluntly remarked.
Dumbledore waved, dispersing a whirlwind, listening intently. Seconds later, his eyes displayed a complex mix of surprise, regret, and hesitation. When he looked up, he found his brother glaring at him fiercely, seemingly pondering whether to land a punch on his nose.
"Ah, sorry, what were you saying?" Dumbledore hastily glanced into the distance; the battle had commenced. Felix had lured Voldemort outside the village, their clash echoing through the valley, black thunder accompanied by dazzling golden flames, raking the earth repeatedly, followed by a rain of spears, coins, and... was that butterbeer bottle caps?
In a corner, a chubby wizard with a walrus mustache peeked around, looking embarrassed when meeting Dumbledore's gaze.
...
A crimson-gold giant bird swooped down from the sky, its tail shimmering with golden light, sharp claws of the same color gripping a string of people, dragging one along its tail. Fawkes screeched disapprovingly, tossing off the one who'd been clutching its feathers all along.
"My word—"
"Ouch! Don't crush me."
"Quiet, stay alert!"
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville struggled to their feet, seeing Sirius cautiously wielding his wand, surveying their surroundings. "Take out your wands, kids," Harry and the others did so. Before them lay havoc, rubble strewn everywhere, display windows shattered, not a single intact pane to be found. A shop's sign had been pelted, dust thickly coating everything.
"That's Madam Puddifoot's shop! Where's her door?" Ron pointed at the wide-open doors of a teashop.
A figure staggered into the shop, Draco Malfoy. He almost crawled, rushing into the tea house.
"What's wrong with him?" Neville asked, puzzled.
"Probably regrets," Ron sneered. "No one asked him to come; he was gripping onto Fawkes' tail himself."
Harry gazed at Madam Puddifoot's tearoom, silent, suddenly feeling deceived.
Malfoy claimed to support Professor Snape, yet he never spoke about how he supported him, let alone admitted his father's affiliation with Death Eaters. The only valuable information he provided was admitting to handing the diary (a Horcrux) to Professor Snape.
But the problem was, Malfoy didn't know the diary was a Horcrux.
In hindsight, it didn't really signify much. Perhaps he feared being controlled by the diary again, so he voluntarily handed it over, choosing a professor from Slytherin House, just as he said, he didn't want any ties to the Chamber of Secrets...
As for whether he'd considered the safety of the Muggle-born wizard in between, only the heavens knew.
"Are we late?" Neville inquired, still showing traces of nervousness and excitement, seeing this as a legitimate action against Voldemort. "Did the mysterious figure attack here? But where are the professors? Headmaster Dumbledore? The Ministry's staff?"
No one was around.
Fawkes let out a cry, flying directly in one direction.
They exchanged glances.
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