Hogwarts: My name is the Unforgivable Curse...

Chapter 359 Grindelwald Returns!

The next moment, the tips of the two wands simultaneously released waves of mysterious deep blue ripples, instantly transforming the normally filled space into one that seemed to be submerged in water. Within that space, the faint silhouettes of three objects appeared, but they were obscured by a thin veil and could not be clearly seen no matter what...

"It's those ghost ships!"

Someone in the audience pointed at the screen and exclaimed in surprise—the three illusory objects that Dumbledore and Karkaroff had forced to appear were none other than the ghost ship that the warriors had just been riding!

They actually managed to get the thing that was stuck in the spatial passage out—and judging from Karkaroff’s performance just now, it seemed that Dumbledore saw through the magic that he had spent several minutes finding at a glance.

The students who had noticed that small detail earlier felt a chill run down their spines, gaining a more realistic understanding of the Hogwarts headmaster's power.

As time went on, people realized that the rescue would take far longer than they had imagined. Dumbledore and Karkaroff had been holding their wands aloft for nearly ten minutes. Karkaroff was already deathly pale, panting heavily, his eyes bloodshot, and he even needed to use his other hand to support his wand to keep it steady. Even Dumbledore was sweating profusely, and his long white beard was visibly trembling—for a top wizard to appear like this, the mental strain this magic consumed was truly terrifying.

"...I can't hold on much longer, Dumbledore!"

A moment later, Karkaroff suddenly stumbled, nearly interrupting the magic he was maintaining. His body swayed, and his voice seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth: "I need to rest—I can't effectively cooperate with you right now, and I might even be interfering..."

"You should go and rest, Professor Karkaroff."

Dumbledore's tone was equally serious: "I can hold on a little longer—and I think we're close to success."

"I am extremely grateful..."

Before he could even finish a word of thanks, Karkaroff's arms went limp as if all his strength had been drained, and he collapsed to the ground. After catching his breath, he pulled a bottle of potion from his pocket—it looked incredibly expensive—and drank it down in one gulp. His complexion improved considerably. He then glanced at Dumbledore: "I only have one potion left to restore my energy—do you need it, Dumbledore? I can Apparate back to get it…"

"Then I'll leave it to you."

Dumbledore's voice also began to sound muffled: "This spell is more expensive than I expected; I'm afraid I'll need to replenish it..."

boom!

Before he could finish speaking, Karkaroff vanished instantly, only to reappear a few seconds later with a loud bang behind Dumbledore, holding a bottle of potion identical in color and packaging to the one he had just seen. He handed it to Dumbledore, saying, "You're back—here's your potion."

"Thank you, Professor Karkaroff."

Dumbledore quickly made a few assisting gestures with his left hand, then reached out and took the potion bottle, which Karkaroff had kindly opened, brought it to his lips, and tilted his head back to drink a large gulp...

"puff!"

The students and Durmstrang professors were shocked to see that, almost instantly, as he tilted his head back, Dumbledore immediately spat out the potion he had just drunk, his face visibly turning black. Anger and confusion flashed in his eyes, and then he turned his neck slightly, as if to turn and question Karkaroff.

However, the next moment, Karkaroff, who had just been "exhausted," and Ludo Bagman beside him raised their wands at Dumbledore. As their mouths changed, two beams of emerald light shot out from their wands and flew to Dumbledore's side in the blink of an eye...

"Avada Kedavra!"

The intense green light illuminated half of Dumbledore's face, freezing his expression in shock. The deadly green light magnified in his pupils, but having already exhausted most of his energy, and still holding the magic that held the lives of three students in his hands, Dumbledore had no strength left to dodge and could only watch helplessly as the two Killing Curses drew ever closer…

boom!

Suddenly, another crimson flame burst into flames in front of him. A beautiful red bird appeared just centimeters from Dumbledore's back, taking the full force of the two green beams that struck its body. Then, with a mournful cry like a lament, its entire body turned to ashes and vanished...

"Fox!"

Dumbledore cried out in panic, quickly reaching out his left hand to catch the fledgling bird falling from mid-air and pulling it into his arms: "Karkaroff, Bagman...why?!"

Karkaroff and Barty, who were being watched by him, merely sneered, seemingly having no intention of continuing their attack. Instead, they put away their wands and even took two steps back.

"It is not we who will kill you, Dumbledore."

Little Barty chuckled coldly, then turned to look at the empty space beside him, and adopted a respectful tone: "It's your turn to appear, sir."

"Great, that annoying bird is finally gone."

A cold laugh rang out where Barty was staring. Then, the previously transparent air seemed to wrinkle and bend like silk, gradually forming the outline of a human figure. Within the outline, solid colors quickly emerged, eventually filling in a complete human figure. He was looking at Dumbledore with a complex gaze, but a faint, cold smile always lingered at the corner of his mouth...

He was an elderly wizard.

His face was very thin, etched with deep wrinkles, but his complexion was surprisingly good, and his eyes were bright and clear, without the cloudiness often seen in the eyes of the elderly. His posture was also very upright, and if you didn't look at his face, you would hardly notice any signs of old age. His hair and beard were gray and meticulously groomed, and he wore a magnificent and appropriate wizard's robe, making him look like a nobleman who had just attended a banquet.

"Long time no see, Albus—it seems you've had a good fifty years."

The old wizard gracefully waved his wand, greeting Dumbledore with a calm and composed tone, as if he were merely exchanging pleasantries with a friend he had met on the road.

"..."

Dumbledore stared blankly at the old wizard before him, who seemed to have turned to stone, completely motionless, unaware that the magic in his hands had almost stopped. His lips trembled for a long time before he slowly uttered the name that would shake the entire magical world.

"Gellert..."

(End of this chapter)