Magical Studies at Hogwarts...

Chapter 288 Pale

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Supported by several dejected Aoros, Scrimgeour clutched his chest and struggled to stand up, but he was only halfway up when a sharp pain shot through his muscles and bones, and he collapsed back to the ground.

"minister!"

"I...I'm...I'm fine..."

With just a few words, Scrimgeour seemed to have exhausted all his strength, and could only gasp for breath. After a while, he felt a little better.

"How are our people?" he asked softly.

"The losses... are devastating," Ao Luo replied gravely. "We only have twelve people left..."

"Where are the others?"

"They're all...all..." Ao Luo took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Minister, we were too late. By the time we rescued them from those damned vines, they were all..."

"Alright!" Scrimgeour interrupted Aoro, shaking his head slightly, his gaze fixed on the two who were still fighting.

After a long pause, he sighed and said, "They...are all good young men..."

The voice was very soft, like a murmur, but her fists were clenched tightly without her noticing, and she did not relax even when she felt a sharp pain.

"Where are the students?" Scrinker asked again.

"Professor McGonagall and the others have arrived and rescued them."

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"That's good...that's good..."

His heart finally calmed down a little, but then a strong wave of dizziness overwhelmed him, and he fell backward. But he didn't fall directly to the ground; the Ao Luos caught him.

Dumbledore's arrival brought a sigh of relief to everyone, except for Dumbledore, whose expression remained serious as he carefully dealt with Ike's fierce attacks.

Just as Horace said, he was no longer as agile as he had been in previous years. This referred not only to his agility and reflexes, but also to his magical instincts.

Faced with Ike's fierce attacks, he mostly relied on his experience to anticipate the attacks. Several times, his mind processed the idea, but his hands were too slow to react.

That curse made him even weaker!

Fortunately, with the Elder Wand, the power of the magic was still guaranteed, forcing Ike to carefully deal with every spell he cast, which gave him a little breathing room.

But looking at Ike, who was constantly improving and gradually adapting, Dumbledore knew very well that he was no longer a match for him...

In contrast, Ike was much more excited. Although the previous battle had depleted his magic power significantly, thanks to the rapid recovery of his magic power from consuming the olive fruit, he was now about 60-70% recovered, and could even be considered to be in excellent condition, without using any large-scale, high-damage magic.

Such high-intensity, high-quality combat is rare, and it has allowed Ike's combat experience to improve rapidly. Even if Dumbledore was unwilling, he could only admit that he was now Ike's whetstone.

Ike grew increasingly excited as he fought, casting spells faster and faster, and gradually, subtle changes began to occur. Both he and Dumbledore noticed this, though their reactions differed.

Dumbledore's spellcasting gradually slowed down. Although he could still block Ike's attacks, that was all he could do. He could only launch occasional, unexpected counterattacks, but they were ineffective and were mostly evaded by Ike's Apparition.

suddenly!

After blocking one incoming spell, he Apparated to dodge another spell that followed. But when another spell appeared in front of him, just as he was about to raise his wand to block it, he felt his right hand suddenly twitch.

"Bang!"

The wand flew out of his hand, and his body was sent flying backward. He barely managed to regain his balance and avoid falling to the ground.

Ignoring the Elder Wand that was spinning towards him, Ecclesiastes raised his hand and unleashed two spells. A white light struck the Elder Wand, sending it flying back to Dumbledore, while the other green light landed directly on Dumbledore.

This time, Dumbledore was still a step too slow. He only used the Silent and Staffless Charm after the green light hit him. Although he was inevitably knocked away again, a smile appeared on his face.

"Snapped!"

Ike frowned, his left hand instinctively touching his abdomen. Looking down, he saw only bright red blood on his hand. He stumbled, taking several steps back before regaining his balance. By then, a lot of blood had flowed out, staining one side of his shirt red.

"He's injured! Grab him!"

Scrimgeour suddenly perked up and shouted. But before he could finish speaking, Sirius Black cast a spell first.

"They'll all be petrified!"

"Snapped!"

Ike waved his hand to block the curse, but it inevitably aggravated the wound in his abdomen, and cold sweat immediately poured down his forehead.

With a cold glance at Sirius and the others who were charging towards him, Ike waved his wand and vanished from the spot.

"Damn it!"

Sirius cursed and kicked a broken branch hard in frustration, which aggravated his wounds, making him wince in pain.

Seeing Ike leave, the Weasleys rushed to Dumbledore's side. They helped him up and asked with concern, "Albus, how are you?"

"It's alright, Molly." Dumbledore smiled, picked up his wand, and stood up with the help of the Weasleys.

After brushing the dust off his robes, Dumbledore chuckled and said, "It's just a little soreness. I dare say Ike's condition is much worse than mine." He then winked at the two of them.

Mrs. Weasley did not respond to Dumbledore's lame joke. With a straight face, she released her hand from his support and left without saying a word, heading towards where Bill, Ginny, and Fleur were.

"Isn't my joke funny, Arthur?" Dumbledore looked at Mr. Weasley, who was still supporting him, with a puzzled expression, but only received a kind smile in return.

Before he could say anything more, he was interrupted by Scrimgeour, who staggered over.

"Albus, how is it?"

"I'm fine, Rufus. It's you who need to rest and recuperate for a while," Dumbledore said earnestly to Scrimgeour.

"I've already sent word that the Ministry of Magic and St. Mungo's will be here soon, enough to ensure the wounded receive proper care," Scrimgeour said, a fleeting glint of ruthlessness in his eyes.

Dumbledore remained composed and said, "That's wonderful..."

As they were talking, a person suddenly appeared beside them. She wore square glasses and a dark green robe. Before she could speak, Dumbledore asked, "How are the students, Minerva?"

"Fortunately, only a few unlucky ones bumped their heads on the corner of the table, and Bobby has already healed them," Professor McGonagall replied, nodding slightly to Scrimgeour.

"minister."

"Professor McGonagall," Scrimgeour nodded slightly in greeting, then said to Dumbledore, "Let's leave it at that for now, Albus. I certainly have a lot to do next."

"Yes, such a big mess has happened..." Dumbledore said, "but I hope we can have a good talk after some time."

"Okay." Scrimgeour nodded in agreement, then turned and limped away.

After he walked away, Dumbledore suddenly turned to Professor McGonagall and asked as if he had suddenly remembered something, "By the way, Minerva, are the students all at school now?"

"Yes," Professor McGonagall said.

"That won't do." Dumbledore shook his head. "They have to get out and go to the Hogsmeade station, at least the new students do."

"By Merlin! You want those terrified little ones to go through it all over again?" Professor McGonagall's face was full of disbelief.

“Of course, Minerva, it’s a tradition,” Dumbledore said seriously. “It’s at times like these that traditions become all the more precious.”

"Magic should be beautiful and wondrous; we still have a chance to heal the wounds in their hearts..."

"They are our future, Minerva..."

As he spoke, he gently patted Professor McGonagall's shoulder with his right hand, then winked playfully and placed his hands naturally in front of him.

Professor McGonagall glanced at it subconsciously, nodded slightly, and had no other reaction, only imprinting the image of those hands in her mind.

One was very pale, and the other was also very pale.

A sickly pallor...

(End of this chapter)