Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle.

Chapter 229 Fiery Flames Dispel the Thick Fog
"boom……"

The dense fog, carrying immense force, shattered.

Three thick, dark gray fogs crashed into the invisible armor, like invisible, transparent bombs exploding in the air. The dense, heavy leaden clouds disintegrated and radiated in mid-air, carrying powerful shockwaves that spread in all directions.

There is a cavity that cannot be penetrated by thick fog. The outline of the cavity is outlined by ink-like clumps of fog. An invisible, transparent shield protects the museum, making it seem like an upside-down sphere.

Outside the sphere is a silent, destructive fog, while inside it is calm and tranquil. In the middle lies a layer of transparent iron armor, invisible and intangible, yet indestructible.

Hermione held her breath, staying by her unconscious parents' side, her eyes darting around, but she couldn't see anything clearly.

The thick fog blocked out all light, and the museum's circuitry had been damaged in the earlier battle. There was no sunlight or artificial light, and everything was pitch black, making it feel like a family had been abandoned in the wilderness.

The howling wind stopped, but the thick fog never got any closer.

For half a minute there was no sound, so quiet that she could hear her own breathing and heartbeat, a feeling that made Hermione panic.

Hermione's heart stirred slightly. She couldn't just sit here and wait to die. There was still no movement from above, and she felt that Professor Levent might be in a stalemate and needed some help.

"If we can find the dark wizard, we can use him to blackmail the monsters outside..."

She tried to listen for the location of the dark wizard, hesitated for a long time, and then cautiously lit up her wand with a glow. Her eyes widened suddenly, and she froze on the spot.

Two figures were just a dozen feet away. One of them was the young professor, dressed in a neat long trench coat. He was half-squatting in front of the dark wizard, looking at him and talking in hushed tones.

The witch next to her was also young, with brown hair, blue eyes, and a cool demeanor.

“Hermione, you’re traveling to Paris too?” Melvin smiled.

“Professor Levent…” Hermione hesitated for a moment, now didn’t seem like the time for small talk and catching up.

“Let me introduce you, this is Professor Christine Rozier from Beauxbatons…” Melvin waved her over, “Christine, this is my outstanding student, Hermione Granger.”

"Professor Rozier, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Hermione greeted them somewhat blankly and then approached the two professors. They were in a corridor on the south side of the Louvre, affected by the aftershocks of the Obscurus. It was as if they had been run over by a truck; the floorboards were torn up inch by inch, and the tiles on the walls were peeling off.

On a relatively flat open space, the black wizard from before was leaning against a stone pillar, half-lying on the ground. A few drops of blood flowed from the corners of his mouth and nostrils, and his expression was pale. He seemed to be on the verge of collapse.

With only his last bit of consciousness and strength left, he used it to tightly close his eyes; no one knows what he was thinking.

Melvin tapped his wand lightly, and his eyes involuntarily opened wide. His pupils were black and bloodshot, and the fierce, resolute gaze within them resembled that of a predatory beast. Yet this very beast dared not look the professor directly in the eye, its gaze darting away in terror at the slightest touch.

“Ancient magic, mind control.” Melvin explained casually, “The magic is transmitted through the gaze, probing into the subject’s brain, allowing the caster to access emotions and memories from the mind. It requires breaking down the defenses deep within the brain, making it somewhat difficult to perform.”

He stared straight into those eyes, their deep sockets like the bottom of a black lake, dragging the black wizard's consciousness into the lake, sinking it into a cold, bone-chilling abyss.

"Professor... what is he looking for?"

Hermione glanced at Christine beside her and asked in a low voice.

“Methods to control those silent ones.”

"Mo Mo Ran?"

Christine pointed to the sky, where three thick, dark clouds were charging towards the spherical armor. Within the fog outside the armor, three faces were vaguely visible – the three demons from before, relentlessly ramming the armor.

The invisible, transparent shield trembled, as if it were glass on the verge of shattering.

"That is the Obscurus. Some young wizards suffer heavy blows and psychological trauma, so they reject magic and suppress their own magic power, which leads to the mutation of magic power and the birth of the Obscurus. A dark magic creature, extremely fast and destructive, but extremely unstable and difficult to control."

Christine briefly explained, "Given that they are victims of cult-controlled and twisted beings, direct combat could exacerbate their trauma, and Melvin is looking for ways to control them and break free from the Obscurus."

Hermione raised the fluorescent light to look at the indistinct faces. The middle face was contorted with rage, its teeth clenched, while the other two faces were blank, their eyes vacant, seemingly just manipulated puppets. Three thick, dark gray clouds of mist continued to surge forward, the sturdy armor repeatedly shattering the mist, but the clouds ignored them and continued to charge.

No wonder Bastian had such a distorted master-servant mentality; he suffered a severe blow in his childhood, was brainwashed by cultists, and was instilled with wrong education.

"Can we really find it?" Hermione felt a pang of pity.

“I can’t find him.” Melvin stood up. The dark wizard in front of him had unfocused pupils and had lost consciousness. “He has received training in this area. Although he is not proficient in Occlumency, he is consciously on guard, and I have no way to probe into the depths of his memory.”

“Then we have no choice but to fight head-on.” Christine gripped her wand tightly.

“That white mist behind me is Bastian. She’s not a cultist; she’s here to help me,” Hermione quickly reminded her.

……

Bastian floated on the edge of the mist, desperately trying to tear her former companions apart. She was filled with guilt; she had already escaped Salem, so why had she clung to Hermione, bringing disaster and pain to the Granger family?

The torment and suffering she had endured in her childhood kept resurfacing, and an uncontrollable fear arose in her heart. She was afraid that the kind Mrs. Granger would die like her mother in the season when the snow melted, and that Hermione, like her companions, would have a small hole drilled into her forehead, lose her smile, and become a puppet to be manipulated at will.

"Stop! Stop!" Bastian cried out, tearing through the black mist behind them. "Wake up! Piccani..."

Bastian peered down through the gaps in the mist. His fear made the white mist surge even more violently. The transparent barrier seemed unable to withstand the bombardment and had cracked open, allowing the black mist to surge and pour into it.

The thick, black fog surged and churned, causing the air to vibrate and tremble like muffled thunder rolling through the clouds in summer.

Before the overwhelming black fog, the figures below appeared as tiny as ants.

Just as the black mist was about to engulf them, Melvin raised his wand high to his right. His lips moved, and the sound of him chanting the spell was so faint that it was almost inaudible. Yet, a gentle breeze swept across the entire world, and the three faces in mid-air looked down at that spot.

The dense fog seemed to be fluctuating, and a wizard with keen intuition could sense that the young professor's immense magical power was surging forth, far exceeding the scale of the fog.

"Fiercefire..." The incantation was in Latin, born in an ancient era when Latin was still in use, but its pronunciation was exceptionally strange. The ending tone seemed to contain the wailing and screaming of animals in a forest fire, overpowering the rolling thunder in the black fog.

A faint red glow emanated from the tip of the staff.

The moment the light shone on the black mist, orange-red flames immediately rose up and spread along the formless black mist.

The thick fog and leaden clouds that enveloped the Louvre transformed into burning flames, like the fiery clouds of a summer evening. The tiny particles turned into molten lava, and the raging whirlwinds fueled the fire, instantly engulfing the entire sky.

Three faces simultaneously revealed expressions of terror and pain as they struggled in the sea of ​​fire, their bodies writhing in the lingering flames, emitting painful roars and screams that were shrill and chilling.

Ashes kept falling from the sky, silently trying to turn into countless wisps of mist and surge in all directions, attempting to escape this cage of flames. But they were horrified to find that the gap they came from had closed again, and they were firmly sealed inside by the transparent bubble membrane, struggling amidst flames and thick smoke.

The raging sea of ​​fire spontaneously coalesced into various ferocious beasts: basilisks and fire dragons, sphinxes and venomous horned beasts... The violent fire beasts ran rampant in the air, the heat waves exuding a magic that could destroy everything, the black mist turning into fuel, and after burning, nothing was left.

Hermione's hair was tousled by the blast of air, the scorching wind hit her face, and her nose was filled with the strong smell of burning. The bright flames were so bright that even with her eyes closed, she could see a dark red glow.

“Professor, Bastian!” Hermione turned to look at the godlike figure beside her.

The fierce fire almost completely burned away the thick fog, leaving only a few thin, dim gray wisps, which were encased in the iron armor bubble membrane and slowly fell to the ground. The gray fog transformed into an unconscious boy.

After the power of the silent flame was exhausted, it could no longer maintain that form, leaving behind a weak shell.

"Notify the Ministry of Magic to seal off the scene, Christine." Melvin looked at the unconscious Obscurus and the Dark Wizard. The fire had been extinguished, and the surrounding area was a mess.

Red beams of light, like fireworks, burst open in the sky.

A few minutes later, the air trembled repeatedly as the Apparitions of the Aurors swarmed in, dressed in uniforms and carrying various equipment for handling the scene. Hermione stared blankly as the French Aurors took photos and recorded the events, then used specially made handcuffs to put on the dark wizard and the three unconscious boys.

A middle-aged male wizard with dark circles under his eyes, seemingly the captain, wore a badge on his chest and, despite his dark circles, methodically directed the operation.
"Notify the memory deregistrant to seal off a three-mile radius around the Louvre and implement the emergency plan."

"Have the ministry prepare a special prison, designed to be a Level 5X dangerous magical creature."

"..."

The Aurors dispersed without a word, repairing the damaged floors and walls. With a gentle wave of their wands, they closed the cracked glass and replaced the window frames, making them fit perfectly. Some of the Aurors also provided basic treatment to the dark wizard and the three Obscurians, and then cautiously took them into custody.

Soon after, other wizards arrived and blocked the news along the museum and surrounding streets, erasing the Muggles' memories.

One of the idle Aurors walked up to the group of people involved. His dark circles were even thicker than the Auror captain's. His tired eyes looked them up and down: "Melvin, how did you find out?"

"We just happened to run into each other."

"Who is this little witch?"

“My students were visiting a museum when the spell was cast and unfortunately got caught up in this incident.”

"What a coincidence?" Mr. Grevis asked, his face full of suspicion.

Faced with the strange wizard's questioning, Hermione remained calm and nodded emphatically: "That's right, just as Professor Levent said."

"Please explain the specifics. The Auror Bureau needs to take a statement."

Christine stepped forward and said, "I am more familiar with the French Ministry of Magic, so let me explain."

With the Rozier family vouching for them, the matter was temporarily put to rest. Hermione and Melvin encountered no trouble, and no foolish Aurors came forward to question them. They were allowed to take the unconscious Grangers to the hospital first, and their statements could be recorded later when there was time.

……

The morning mist that had enveloped Paris finally dissipated, and the number of cars and pedestrians on the road gradually increased. Hermione walked slowly beside the professor, the sunlight shining on her, her expression somewhat dazed.

The unconscious Grangers floated behind them, having cast an invisibility spell. Hermione was walking with Melvin to the hotel. She knew her parents well; they were only under a sedation spell and would wake up in a while. There was absolutely no need to go to the hospital.

After walking some distance from the Louvre, Hermione lowered her voice and asked, "Professor, Bastian, she..."

“Tell me about you and Bastian,” Melvin said, genuinely curious.

“I met Bastian while I was shopping yesterday. She was wandering alone on the street, and I gave her some food. She followed me to the hotel that night…”

Back at the hotel, Hermione recounted the events of the past two hours, still finding it unbelievable. "We thought she was a trafficked or abandoned child, and we were planning to adopt her, but...sigh."

“Salem, dark wizards, slaves, Obscurians…” Hermione looked up. “Professor, what’s going on here?”

"The Salem started as a group of extreme Muggles in America who had been involved in witch hunts and trials for centuries. Later, they developed into the New Salem, which gradually evolved into a cult. They joined forces with a group of descendants of dark wizards and attempted to overthrow the Magical Congress of the United States..."

Melvin's introduction was extremely concise, omitting many details. Given the little witch's personality, she would spend time in the library researching on her own after returning to school, so there was no need to explain the minor details in detail.

"...Inspired by the New York incident, the Obscurus was a tool they cultivated to destroy wizards. They used torture and pain to make them despise magic, and used drugs and psychological control to brainwash them, turning these tools into weapons."

Hermione pursed her lips and remained silent, but when she heard that Obscurus was unlikely to live past ten, the expression on her face changed.

“Bastian is different from ordinary Obscurians. Her soul has undergone some transformation, which has caused her power to become distorted. It seems to have become more stable, but it is still uncertain whether it will go out of control or whether it will die young.”

Melvin watched as she opened the door to the hotel suite and settled the Grangers on the sofa: "After what happened, are you still planning to adopt her?"

“At least I don’t regret it, and neither will Mom and Dad.” Hermione’s voice trembled.

Mel smiled and waved his wand. A wisp of white mist drifted out and scattered on the carpet, gradually revealing the outline of a child. The girl blinked her bright blue eyes and looked at the little witch with tears streaming down her face.

(End of this chapter)