I, Hogwarts Second Time Around.

Chapter 549 Love Can Overcome All Malice

Chapter 549 Love Can Conquer All Malice

The joyous waltz had ended. The orchestra began playing a soothing and melancholic song, its slightly sorrowful melody gently pulling the audience back to reality from the glamorous ball.

The people on the dance floor dispersed.

He returned to his seat.

"Where have you been? I've been looking for you." Hermione walked over, panting, her face still showing lingering excitement. She pulled up a chair and sat down next to Owen, seemingly unaware that the person next to her had already removed the Disillusionment Charm.

"Hibiscus's classmate dances so well. And she never seems to get tired," the little witch said, somewhat troubled.

Owen understood what she meant, and reached out to lift her legs and place them on his own lap.

"Professor Beauxbatons teaches traditional court etiquette, you know, they have that course." Owen gently stroked the girl's legs, trying to relax her muscles.

Hermione smiled shyly.

There were other people around.

However, despite her shyness, she still noticed Harry's bitter face.

And—the atmosphere around them was somewhat oppressive.

"What's wrong, Harry?" she said in a low voice. "Where did Ron go? I haven't seen him at all."

Harry's expression was cold, and he didn't know how to begin, but—it didn't matter anymore.

Just then, a huge silver object crashed through the ceiling above the dance floor and fell down.

This is a guardian beast, but its exact appearance is unclear. It landed among the terrified dancers, appearing as a ball of light.

People turned their heads, and those closest to it froze comically.

Then the silvery, misty orb began to emit sounds.

"The Ministry of Magic has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They're here."

Everything seemed so slow. Indistinct.

Hermione pulled her legs back and leaped into the air.

Harry also stood up and drew his wand.

Owen—he got up with a gloomy expression and walked toward Dumbledore.

"Owen—" Hermione called out to him, but he ignored her.

Many people had just realized what had happened; the silver orb had vanished, and people were still turning their heads, looking around. Silence was like a cold river, then ripples spread outwards from where the guardian had landed.

Some people screamed and tried to escape in a panic.

Harry and Hermione rushed into the crowd, following behind Owen.

Watching the guests scatter and flee, my heart sank into my stomach.

"If I were to ask you to stop your plans immediately," Owen and the others ran to the vicinity of the Burrow, and without a moment's hesitation, he rushed to Dumbledore, who had already removed his disguise.

"If you die."

He took a deep breath.

Thoughts ran wildly.

He knew this world, the intricacies of this story. He was cursed by Merlin, possessing immense power from the very beginning. He averted countless tragedies in the original story and guided everyone onto a dignified path as far as possible.

He gave opportunities to many people, even those whose hands were stained with blood.

If we treat this world as a game.

So, although the final boss has become more powerful, at least so far, all his teammates and companions are still alive; none of them have died.

He wants to keep this record.

Until the final chapter.

"If you die," Owen stared at Dumbledore, "it will be my responsibility."

"Oh my god—Professor!" Hermione and Harry exclaimed simultaneously.

They couldn't believe that the dilapidated wizard before them, with his dark body and burn marks on his neck, left cheek, and left hand, was Dumbledore.

Even in their dreams, they never imagined they would see Dumbledore so weak.

"That's surprising!" Dumbledore looked at Owen with some surprise.

"But how can the older generation fall behind the younger generation?"

He stood up with a smile.

Dragging his dying body, he faced the three young wizards.

"Professor—" Harry's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Oh—Harry," said Dumbledore, "don't worry—I'm off on my next great adventure."

More and more members of the Order of the Phoenix and the Federation appeared around them.

They held up their magic wands.

Their voices could be heard from afar—Ultimate Guardians—Ultimate Armor Protectors—Peaceful Guardians.

A person appeared outside the humble dwelling.

That's Victor.

He limped over to the open space, leaning on his cane.

Then the cane struck the ground heavily.

Countless stones then floated up, and the complex ancient runes, like threads, strung them together.

Then an arched stone door was created.

Push open the door engraved with the Three Sacred Relics.

Another view is clearly visible.

—A winding path!

Members of the Order of the Phoenix began directing the guests to evacuate.

Everything was planned.

In the distance, wisps of black mist descended from the sky.

Immediately afterwards, countless spells tore through the void and struck the protective spells that guarded the humble dwelling.

The immense magic left ripples on the dome.

It gives people the illusion that it is about to collapse.

"Alright, children," Dumbledore said, stepping into the field. "Let's face it like we're going to a banquet."

Someone noticed it.

Irving heard at least dozens of people call out his name.

The guests' departure slowed down.

Suddenly, he turned to look at Irving, winked at him, and said, "Remember the last thing—love can conquer all unknown malice."

The next second, the legendary wizard turned and began his journey home.

The wind had stopped.

The attack from the Death Eaters stopped.

Whether friend or foe, everyone present focused their attention on the old man.

Everyone knew that Dumbledore's stronghold was their last bastion—it would either stand firm or be breached in one fell swoop. Today, they would have a result.

"The punishment the Dark Lord bestowed upon you when you escaped last time is still fresh in my mind—"

A cloud of black mist landed not far from Dumbledore.

Then a wizard dressed in black robes emerged from the mist.

Wherever he went, the earth immediately dried up, the flowers and plants withered, and a corrupting magic lingered around him.

"You would never have said that, Tills," Dumbledore said calmly.

"It's all your fault." The dark wizard named Tils removed his hood, revealing a head covered in some kind of horn, his face filled with rotting, festering pustules—a truly gruesome sight. "Why did you resist?" he screamed hysterically. "If you hadn't resisted, the Dark Lord wouldn't have even bothered to study those spells—look at me now—a monster! A monster!"

"This is all your fault!"

Suddenly, he raised his wand, and a beam of green light shot straight at Dumbledore.

"Die—why don't you just die!"

The menacing sound echoed across the open space.

It terrified everyone who heard it.

Dumbledore sidestepped, dodging like a falling leaf.

The next second he appeared behind the wizard named Tils.

Before rejoining the Death Eaters, he was merely a member of a minor, well-known dark wizarding organization in Europe. Several years prior, he had agreed to Voldemort's plan to invade Hogsmeade. In that battle, he partnered with the werewolf Fenrir; after the chaos, Fenrir was killed by Owen, while he seized the opportunity to escape.

But it's clear that Voldemort's money wasn't so easy to collect.

Dumbledore waved his wand, and countless weeds sprouted beneath his feet, quickly engulfing Tills's body.

Tills unleashed another nasty, dark yellow spell, but Dumbledore dodged it.

The next second, a huge fire rose from beneath his feet.

In an instant—the flames reached several feet high. Under such intense heat, finally—the monster, which even the Killing Curse couldn't kill, turned to ashes and died completely.

This is the experience gained by the participants after the last battle with these monsters.

These corpse-like monsters only die when they are completely reduced to ashes; ordinary broken arms and legs only slow down their movement.

More black fog appeared around them.

More and more dark wizards are getting involved.

Dumbledore pointed the Elder Wand at a pile of rubble, and powerful magic gathered the rubble together.

A stone statue, over ten feet tall, appeared on the ground in an instant.

The stone statue moved quickly, and each time it swung its fist, it would cause the stones on its body to smash towards the corresponding target.

Several dark wizards, unable to escape in time, were hit by stones.

But none of them died. Even though half of their bodies were crushed under them, they were still alive, cursing with their mouths open.

Those dark wizards—the tears from their wounds didn't flow with blood.

Rather, it is some kind of living monster, a messenger from hell parasitizing my body.

Purple bat wings dragged their worm-like bodies. Their filthy, repulsive bodies were riddled with eye sockets, each containing a yellowish, vertical pupil that darted back and forth eerily.

From the mouthpart at the tail, from which an unknown liquid was flowing, beams of purple pulse light swept down in a devastating barrage.

Dumbledore erected a shield to block the beams of light.

Then, with a deft wave of the wand, a powerful white spell burst forth from the tip.

A blazing ring of fire, several feet thick, surged and hurtled towards the sky.

It was somewhat like the flames of a raging fire, scorching all invading enemies.

The golden flames eventually transformed into a fire dragon.

It roared and charged into the sky, killing almost any of the strange beasts that touched it or injured it.

With a single breath of dragon fire, a rain of monsters began to fall from the sky.

"Is this the last dance?"

The flames turned to ashes, leaving only residual warmth in the air.

An angry, cold voice rang out.

Black smoke billowed, and a figure landed on the ground.

The smoke dissipated.

A tall, thin man with snake-like crimson vertical pupils, pale and terrifying skin, and a full head of silver hair appeared in the open space.

In an instant, all the other wizards present froze to varying degrees, their faces ashen.

"This time, it seems you have no chance of escape, Dumbledore."

Dumbledore remained calm in the face of criticism.

"You had a chance to turn back, Tom. But you cruelly abandoned it."

"Shut up!" Voldemort's face darkened, and he unleashed a deadly spell, which Dumbledore dodged. The spell struck the protective charm of the Burrow behind him.

The next moment, intense golden cracks spread across the protective spell, and the dome, like a shattered mirror, evaporated little by little, turning into ashes.

"When will you stop spouting that arrogant air?" Voldemort said coldly. "See? This is my power—tell me, what reason do I have to refuse?"

"There are things in this world that are more powerful than these." The power of the spell cast by Dumbledore's wand could be felt even by Owen and the others in the distance.

The guests fled in panic. They dared not linger any longer at the moment the dome shattered.

The Death Eaters stormed in, and the Order of the Phoenix went to fight them off.

A chaotic battle is about to break out.

"And you, precisely, do not understand these things!" Dumbledore's voice still echoed in the open space.

Voldemort conjured a silver shield from the thin air to deflect the spell.

No matter what spell Dumbledore used, he could not destroy it.

"Ridiculous!" Voldemort cried, his crimson eyes blazing with a frenzied fire that would eventually consume him and then set the world ablaze—but at this moment he was clearly bewitched by the power of his own and was not listening to a word of it.

"That's the truth, I must admit, but taking your life won't satisfy me." Dumbledore remained calm, as if it were Voldemort, not him, who was about to die.

"Oh!" Voldemort was furious, his face twitching uncontrollably. He was like a volcano about to erupt. "You mean you can kill me whenever you want?"

He sneered, "Dumbledore—you overestimate yourself."

As soon as he finished speaking, a powerful purple lightning bolt appeared out of thin air.

It struck Dumbledore in an instant.

Voldemort raised his wand.

The magic wand, covered in crystals, unleashed a terrifying power.

Countless grotesque tentacles rose from a cloud of black mist at the tip of the staff, rushing madly towards Dumbledore, who had fallen to the ground.

Like heavy hammers, they slammed into the ground one by one, causing the ground to tremble.

The dust settled—but Dumbledore was nowhere to be seen.

He used Apparition to evade it.

Voldemort seemed to have anticipated this.

He gave a cold laugh and disappeared from the spot.

A burst of flame erupted, and he reappeared.

At that moment, Voldemort was standing in front of Owen and the others.

"Watch out!" Harry shouted in shock.

But just as he was about to cast the spell...

An invisible force suddenly erupted.

His head felt like it had been hit hard. He was dizzy.

Then his neck tightened—Voldemort had grabbed him.