The Old Ones of Hogwarts

Chapter 579, page 588: Deep Space Echoes March 8

Everyone waited on the ground.

"What is that?" a young Auror finally couldn't help but ask, his voice hoarse and trembling. "Is that—is that Dumbledore's phoenix?"

"A phoenix?" His companion gave a wry smile. "A phoenix is ​​golden, breathes fire, and sings. It's a raven, a black raven, bigger than any other raven. And didn't you see? Those Dementors in front of it were like—like tamed dogs!"

No one could explain it all. They were just Aurors from the Ministry of Magic, well-trained and experienced, specializing in dealing with dark wizards. But what had happened today—that godlike duel, those crazed Dementors, and that raven that commanded the obedience of all Dementors—was far beyond their comprehension.

Gleeson slowly stood up, his legs still weak. He looked in the direction the raven had disappeared, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

"This matter—must be reported." He began with difficulty, "The Ministry of Magic must know that there is a raven—capable of controlling Dementors."

No one objected.

But they all knew how absurd the report would be.

"Boom!"

Just now.

The sounds of a massive battle erupted once more.

The nights in Beihai are always deathly still and cold.

The leaden-gray clouds hung low, tightly enveloping the Azkaban prison, which was isolated amidst the raging waves.

This prison, known as the most heavily guarded and impenetrable in the wizarding world, is shrouded in the cold mist of Dementors year-round. The waves crash against the rough black rock walls, producing a dull and despairing sound. Even the sea breeze carries the cold and decaying scent left by the Dementors, as if time itself has stood still here.

All that remains is eternal prohibition and despair.

But tonight, that deathly silence was shattered. An unprecedented surge of magical energy swept through the entire prison like a tsunami. Even the defensive spells surrounding Azkaban trembled violently, emitting a groan of unbearable strain, and cracks spread across the defensive barriers like a spider web.

The matter is difficult to quell.

The initial disaster seems to be escalating again.

It foreshadows a catastrophe that will overturn the entire wizarding world's understanding.

"How could this happen!"

"Oh my god! Everything is ruined!"

"Mom, I don't want to die here!"

The Ministry of Magic's Auror Command received an emergency alert a quarter of an hour earlier: Azkaban's defense system was completely out of control, the core prison was experiencing a magical riot, and Gellert Grindelwald, the most dangerous dark wizard in history, was suspected to have broken through the restrictions, while Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore was facing the enemy alone.

of course.

The Dementor riot was also mentioned.

However, it was clearly far less intense than the battle that was currently taking place. The clash of their auras had already alarmed the wizards within a hundred miles, causing a disturbance in their magical power.

Within minutes, a large number of elite Aurors gathered from magical strongholds in Britain, Ireland, and even across the European continent. Flying brooms streaked across the night sky, and Apparition flashed around Azkaban. They held wands and wore standard Auror uniforms.

Their faces were solemn and dignified. They came with the mission of suppressing dark wizards and protecting the peace of the wizarding world, and each of them was prepared for a fierce and brutal battle.

"Is this still the fighting power that humans should have?"

"Wow! The difference between wizards is just too big!"

"We have absolutely no way to intervene!"

The Aurors who came to our aid have arrived.

But when they actually arrived at the outskirts of Azkaban and stepped into the area shrouded in magical pressure, all the Aurors froze in place.

Their feet seemed to be nailed to the ground, unable to move forward even half a step. The terrifying pressure emanating from the top wizard was like an invisible mountain, pressing heavily on everyone's chest, making their breath catch, their wands burn, and even their fingertips tremble uncontrollably.

Let alone stopping it.

Without any orders, all the Aurors instinctively scattered, rushing towards the end of the corridor, the corner of the stairs, the protrusions of the prison wall, and the crevices of the rocks by the sea, desperately searching for a relatively safe hiding place. No one dared to approach the center of the magical turmoil, not even a single step.

"All we can do is pray!"

They gripped their wands tightly, their knuckles turning white from the force, their eyes fixed on the front, their pupils filled with disbelief and terror.

Everyone's mind went blank, completely forgetting their mission, leaving only instinctive awe and fear.

"Merlin's beard—what is that?" A young Auror, who had just graduated from Auror School not long ago, leaned against the cold, black stone wall, his body sliding down uncontrollably. His wand slipped from his limp hand and rolled to the ground. His voice trembled as he murmured to himself, his tone trembling with sobs.

His gaze was fixed on the area deep within the prison, where light was constantly emanating. "That's not an ordinary magical confrontation, this—"

This is a battlefield we have no right to interfere in!

At this moment, a middle-aged Auror with twenty years of combat experience bit his lower lip hard until he tasted blood and barely managed to calm himself down.

He stared intently ahead, his voice hoarse like sandpaper scraping: "Don't speak, hold your breath! That's Headmaster Dumbledore and Grindelwald—a duel between those two, even the slightest aftershock could crush us to dust! We don't even have the right to get close!"

The oldest Auror commander in the crowd had gray hair and his face was etched with the lines of time. He had participated in countless raids against dark wizards, seen the most ferocious Death Eaters, and experienced the most brutal magical battles. Yet, at this moment, his hand holding the wand trembled incessantly.

His aged face was filled with horror, his lips trembled, and he couldn't utter a complete sentence for a long time.

After a long while.

He managed to squeeze out, "It's over—it's all over—this isn't a battle, it's gods fighting. We mortals aren't even worthy to be bystanders."

Several senior Aurors around him nodded in agreement. Some covered their mouths tightly to prevent themselves from screaming, while others collapsed to the ground with their legs weak.

Everyone's eyes were filled with terror, their usual decisiveness and sharpness completely gone.

Just then, a deafening roar exploded, and the heavy black stone roof of Azkaban was instantly shattered by two extremely powerful magical forces. The broken stones and tiles scattered like raindrops, carrying a scorching magical aura, and crashed into the sea below, stirring up countless splashes.

The black night sky was instantly illuminated, and all traces of its previous gloom and deathly silence vanished.

Golden and black magical light, like two torrents, intertwined, collided, and exploded wildly in the night sky. The two figures kept approaching, fighting, and separating. Every close collision produced a roar that was enough to tear the sky apart. The sound pierced through the clouds and spread throughout the entire North Sea!

The waves were shaken so high that they surged several meters high, crashing wildly against the rock walls; with each brief separation, a long, burning trail of magic trail trailed behind them, the golden trail as brilliant as sunlight, the black trail as violent as hellfire, the two trails intersecting and crisscrossing in the night sky!

It weaves a terrifying picture of the apocalypse, illuminating the entire Azkaban, the roaring North Sea, and all the dumbfounded Aurors on the shore in every detail.

"By Merlin—am I seeing things?" The elder Auror commander looked at the two figures in the sky, and his wand fell to the cold stone ground with a "clatter".

He remained oblivious, muttering to himself, his voice filled with despair and shock, "Is this... the legendary supreme wizarding power? Is this Grindelwald, who nearly controlled the entire European wizarding world, and Dumbledore, our only reliance in the wizarding world? This power transcends the realm of spells; this is a confrontation at the level of laws!"

"I thought we Aurors were the top fighting force in the wizarding world, but in front of them, we are not even ants—" An Auror captain who had participated in many battles looked at the world-destroying scene in the sky, his voice full of self-doubt, "The wands in our hands are probably no different from wooden sticks in their eyes."

"Look! The flames surrounding Mr. Grindelwald! That's Fiendfire! The highest level of dark magic, Fiendfire!" An Auror skilled in dark magic defense screamed, his face ashen. "Ordinary Fiendfire can devour everything and is inextinguishable, but his Fiendfire has actually solidified! It's terrifying!"

In the night sky, Gellert Grindelwald, dressed in a long black robe that billowed wildly in the wind, hovered high above, surrounded by ever-growing and more violent black flames. These flames were unlike ordinary red flames; they were an extreme, deep black, carrying a chilling and destructive power that could devour everything. The flames rolled and surged, crackling and popping, scorching and distorting the surrounding air.

Immediately afterwards, the black flames frantically condensed behind him, stretching and taking shape, eventually transforming into a pair of enormous fiery wings that blotted out the sky. The wingspan was tens of meters, almost covering half of the night sky. With each flap of the wings, countless burning black fire feathers fell from the sky.

Like a world-ending rain of fire.

The fire feathers fell densely into the North Sea below. The moment they touched the seawater, they stirred up a cloud of scalding white steam, which rose rapidly.

It enveloped the entire sea area, blurring the view, but it couldn't block out the terrifying magical pressure.

Albus Dumbledore, standing opposite him, held the Elder Wand.

Clad in a deep blue robe, his expression was calm yet unwavering. He was surrounded by a soft yet incredibly powerful golden holy light, a warm and profound radiance carrying the power to purify everything, a stark contrast to Grindelwald's black fiendish flames. The golden light swirled and coalesced behind him.

Ultimately, it transformed into an enormous, slowly rotating halo of light. Ancient and mysterious golden runes were engraved on the edge of the halo. With each rotation, countless tiny golden runes flew out from the halo and circled around Dumbledore, like loyal guardians, silently protecting him and resisting the terrifying erosion from the Fiendfire.

Grindelwald threw his head back and laughed, a wild and unrestrained laugh carrying fifty years of suppressed arrogance and recklessness. It echoed through the night sky, carried by the howling wind and the roar of magic, reaching the ears of every Auror and sending a shiver down their spines: "Albus! For decades! I was imprisoned in that cold cage, waiting day and night for this day!"

"I've been waiting for an opponent who can fight me with all their might, waiting for an opportunity to unleash my full power once again! Very well! You haven't disappointed me!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he swung his wand violently, and the pair of black flame wings that blotted out the sky behind him suddenly unfolded. Countless sharp black fire feathers shot towards Dumbledore at high speed like a storm, each fire feather containing the ultimate Fiery Magic!

It is incredibly sharp, capable of piercing through thick steel and burning the soul of a wizard; once touched, there is no hope of redemption.

Fire feathers pierced the air with a sharp whooshing sound, densely packed, almost sealing off all of Dumbledore's hiding space. The Aurors below gasped at the sight, instinctively closing their eyes, thinking that Dumbledore would be instantly swallowed up.

Dumbledore remained calm, steadily raising his Elder Wand and slowly drawing a perfect, enormous circle in the air. His movements were composed and unhurried, without the slightest sign of panic.

As he moved, the enormous golden halo behind him expanded rapidly, its light surging, transforming into a massive golden barrier that swept away all the incoming black fire feathers.

All I saw was...

The fire feathers struggled and exploded wildly inside the light wheel. The black flames and golden holy light clashed fiercely, emitting a sizzling sound. In a short while, all the fire feathers were burned to ashes by the purifying power of the light wheel, turning into nothingness completely, leaving not even a spark.

"Gellert, you're still so stubborn, so arrogant." Dumbledore's voice was gentle yet firm, piercing the night sky, carrying a hint of helplessness yet full of resolute rebuke, "You still don't understand that power is never meant to destroy, nor to control others."

"It has always been this way. You are obsessed with the so-called greater interests, but you are stepping into the abyss of destruction step by step. Even now, you still refuse to wake up."

"Wake up? Albus, stop with your hypocrisy!" Grindelwald's eyes flashed, a mad fire burning in his heterochromatic gaze, his tone filled with undisguised mockery. "You and I both know that this corrupt wizarding world needs change, it needs true power to lead! You possess the same power as me, yet you willingly hide in Hogwarts as a cowardly headmaster, protecting those ignorant Muggles and mediocre wizards. You're wasting your talent, you're desecrating power!"

The two exchanged barbs, but their hands never stopped moving.

Dumbledore pointed his Elder Wand forward fiercely, and the golden halo behind him surged forward with a destructive force. Wherever the halo passed, the air twisted violently, and the black fiery flames gave way. Like a falling sun, it crushed Grindelwald.

The light was so dazzling that it was impossible to look directly at it. The Aurors below all raised their hands to shield their eyes, feeling an overwhelming sense of warmth and oppression wash over them.

"Well done!"

Grindelwald did not retreat a single step; instead, an even more maniacal smile appeared on his face. His hands trembled rapidly, and black flames surged wildly around him.

All I saw was...

The enormous fiery wings behind him suddenly closed, enveloping his entire body and instantly transforming into a gigantic, pitch-black egg burning with raging flames.

The eggshell's surface was crisscrossed with patterns, possessing astonishing defensive capabilities, and it met the golden halo head-on.

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