Chapter 191: The Big Bang
Chapter 191: The Big Bang
Snape, now transformed into Slughorn, was waiting for Lily in an empty classroom.
He naturally didn't enter the Gryffindor common room but instead had a painting in the castle help him call Lily out from the girls' dormitory.
Not long after, a gentle creaking sound echoed, and Lily, wearing a robe over her nightgown, poked her head in.
"Professor Slughorn? You're looking for me so late? And why not in your office?"
From her tone, it was clear that Lily was quite familiar with Slughorn.
Snape tried to smile, striving to mimic Slughorn's usual gentle expression.
"I have something to discuss with you, Lily. Come, sit down over here."
Despite his efforts, Lily still looked at him with a peculiar expression.
"Professor, are you feeling unwell? It seems like you're forcing a smile."
Snape managed to say, "There has been an unexpected event, but that's not important. I have something to give you."
He didn't elaborate further; the more he talked, the more likely he was to slip up. So he got straight to the point and pulled out the experiment notebook Sherlock had given him from his pocket.
"Take this. Try to learn as much as you can from it before you graduate! It will help you in the future."
Lily took the notebook from him, flipping through it briefly, but couldn't make much sense of it.
"Why are you giving this to me? Soul magic is usually very advanced; I don't think I can learn it anytime soon."
"Even if you can't learn it, you must try. I can't tell you the specific reasons, but it's very important for you!"
Lily looked puzzled but didn't press further, tucking the notebook into her pocket.
Snape continued, his expression serious.
"Make sure to keep this safe and don't let anyone find it, no matter who it is. Don't mention it to anyone, not even me!"
Hearing this, Lily's confusion deepened, but she nodded hesitantly, trusting Slughind.
"Alright, I understand."
The room fell silent. Snape's mission was complete, but he hesitated, unwilling to leave just yet. He forced a smile, desperately wanting to talk to Lily a bit more, as if it were his last chance.
"How are you getting along at school recently?"
Sherlock stared at Eddie.
"There are many of them, and you're not like me. It would be dangerous for you to go."
Eddie's face showed no signs of tension; instead, he smiled calmly.
"Do you remember the three things I told you that night?"
Sherlock nodded silently.
"I'm an Auror in the Wizarding World. My duty is to fight against these people, so I can't back down and hide behind you now." Eddie's voice was calm yet firm. "No matter what, I should stand with you!"
Recalling their time together, Sherlock understood Eddie's character and knew that trying to persuade him to back down would be mocking him.
So, he finally nodded.
"But don't be reckless. If you need to back down, do so and cherish your life. Think about Amy."
Eddie's smile was bitter.
"I haven't forgotten that I'm a father, even though I haven't been a good one from the start."
"It's good that you're aware of it."
They didn't say anything more. Together, they left the lit hall and returned to the dark maze.
Under Bella's lead, the Death Eaters' progress wasn't much slower than Sherlock's group.
Barty Jr. had returned with a comprehensive memory from Madame Selwyn, detailing the positions of the doors and the complete route through the maze.
Just as they were about to reach the end and exit the maze, a hundred bright lights suddenly flickered in the pitch-black darkness ahead.
It was only when the lights illuminated that Sherlock's delayed spell echoed through the air.
"Thunder Blast!"
The walls in the maze were very sturdy, and he had tried many times to blast them open with an Explosive Charm without success.
So, with the walls between them, Sherlock could freely control his wand to cast the Explosive Charm on the side of the Death Eaters, without worrying about harming himself and Eddie.
The darkness absorbed light, subtly suppressing his Control Magic, but even with this suppression, he could extend his Control Magic to about eight meters.
Within an eight-meter radius, the darkness was no obstacle, allowing him to clearly see the positions of the Death Eaters.
A hundred Explosive Charms burst like fireworks in the silent night, exploding along the straight path where Bella and the Death Eaters were.
The light was instantly swallowed by the strange darkness, but the deafening explosions that followed seemed to pierce the eardrums!
Boom!!!
The entire world seemed to tremble, and even Eddie and Sherlock had to grab onto the walls to prevent themselves from being knocked over by the earth-shattering shock.
The Death Eaters facing this scene felt it even more acutely!
The moment the light flashed, Bella’s face changed dramatically, and an overwhelming sense of panic surged within her!
In the span of a second, she made the most correct decision, throwing herself backward and collapsing onto the Death Eater who was only half a shoulder’s length behind her.
Just as she hit the ground, the other Death Eaters finally reacted.
But it was already too late!
The shockwave, capable of tearing everything apart, accompanied by scorching heat, ravaged the entire corridor!
The wall closest to the explosion’s epicenter couldn’t withstand the nearly apocalyptic force and shattered instantly, sending countless fragments flying everywhere.
The Death Eaters were some distance from the most powerful part of the explosion, but when the wave reached them, the orange protective shields of the leading Death Eaters suddenly illuminated.
These Armor Charms activated immediately, but the force that could shatter a wall couldn’t be contained for more than two seconds, and the shields burst into fragments!
The Iron Masks and black robes of the three leading Death Eaters were shredded to pieces, leaving their bodies nearly unrecognizable, with blood and flesh mangled. They were instantly killed and fell to the ground.
The corridor was narrow, and the Death Eaters were numerous, so their formation was stretched out.
This meant that only the three front-most Death Eaters suffered fatal injuries, while the shockwave’s power diminished the further back it traveled.
The Armor Charms shattered, but those in the back only sustained minor injuries.
Bella was originally doomed.
However, her quick reflexes saved her. She used her comrades’ bodies as a shield.
The three Death Eaters who were killed by the explosion fell on top of her, protecting her from the impact and blocking many of the smaller debris from the walls. Her Armor Charm shattered, and her hair, scorched by the high temperature, became even more disheveled.
Under the observation of Control Magic, Sherlock couldn’t see all the Death Eaters, but he had a clear view of the few who were most affected.
The power of nearly two hundred Explosive Charms was beyond what a normal person could imagine, but it was far below Sherlock’s expectations.
Taking advantage of the dark environment, he chose a position close to the Death Eaters for the explosion, which should have caused more casualties, but only three were killed.
There was something strange about the darkness in this room!
It not only absorbed light but also weakened the power of spells.
Moreover, he had been using spells continuously today. Besides the daily one hundred general counter-curses on the Time-Turner pendant, he had used fifty Petrification Charms in the Hall of Time and two hundred Transfiguration Spells.
That made a total of three hundred and fifty spells. Adding the two hundred Explosive Charms he just used, the five hundred and fifty spells had left his body extremely fatigued.
Eddie clearly noticed this issue and stared at Sherlock’s pale face.
“Your stamina is severely depleted; you can’t keep pushing yourself to cast spells continuously.”
“I know, but this time it was a good opportunity for a surprise attack, so I wasted a lot of energy,” Sherlock said regretfully. “But the results were mediocre; only three of them died.”
Sherlock’s condition was poor, but the Death Eaters were unaware of it.
“Fall back! Everyone, fall back!”
Bella, covered in dust and dirt, stood up and shouted.
Even without her warning, no one dared to move forward, and they retreated to the next corner.
One of the three dead Death Eaters was Bella’s brother-in-law, Rabastan, Rodolphus’s younger brother.
But Bella didn’t even glance at the unrecognizable corpse, retreating to the center of the Death Eaters.
While obtaining the item Voldemort required was crucial, the Death Eaters couldn’t afford to suffer too many casualties, or Bella would have no way to explain it.
“This must have been at least fifty Aurors casting Explosive Charms together! Where did they get so many people?”
The question came from a young voice, and Bella glared at him.
“The Ministry of Magic can’t have that many Aurors! The person in the Hall of Time was off; he could cast multiple spells alone!”
She glanced at the large hole in the corridor wall caused by the Explosive Charm and quickly formulated a plan.
“Lucius, take fifteen people and continue to engage him here. I’ll lead the rest around to the other side!”
(End of Chapter)
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