Chapter 395: Haley

Chapter 395: Haley

The alarm magic in the corridor was triggered, and Vold knew that "himself" was about to arrive.

He immediately walked into the operating room, "Madam Pomfrey, I'm almost here."

Madam Pomfrey immediately understood, looking at the girl's wounds and saying regretfully, "Just a little more."

Although she spoke like this, her action of opening the window was very decisive.

Vold turned back and took a glance. The girl's pitiful wound looked similar to what he had seen when he came in, but in reality, it was already just a minor injury.

"No, this is just right."

The two rode on broomsticks, one after the other, flying out through the window. Vold cast an Invisibility Cloak Charm to observe the surroundings, but suddenly, a loud boom came from above, and a large piece of iron sheet flew down, spinning, almost taking Vold down with it.

Both were startled and broke into a cold sweat. They looked at each other and turned their broomsticks upwards.

On the rooftop, there was a plane that had just taken off, and the people on the ground who didn't make it in time were anxiously jumping up and down. Some were pleading desperately, while others were cursing loudly.

"I'm an important researcher! If you don't take me, Zach, I swear you won't live to see the day you return!"

A man shouted loudly, and he seemed to have a bell on his body, ringing continuously, attracting Vold's attention for several glances.

The helicopter had already ascended a distance, but the cabin door was not fully closed, and several people could be seen sitting inside.

Amid the loud roar of the propeller, the man's shouting was probably as faint as a mosquito's buzz, and no one could hear it clearly.

But the man with a ponytail sitting by the cabin door saw the other's sinister look filled with resentment. He thought for a moment and said something to the person next to him.

In a short while, a pitch-black gun barrel appeared from the cabin door, pointing straight down.

Vold quickly grabbed Madam Pomfrey, and the two descended rapidly, hiding behind the side of the building.

"Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat..."

A series of gunshots rang out like popping beans, causing cement fragments to fly, and it didn't stop until after a dozen seconds.

Only when the sound of the propeller faded into the distance did the two cautiously fly up along the outer wall.

Such high-frequency, high-power weapons—Vold had no confidence that Iron Armor Spells could block them, or how many shots they could withstand.

The two arrived at the rooftop and found that those who had been surrounding the plane below had mostly died, with only one or two survivors gasping for breath.

Even though Madam Pomfrey had a healer's heart, at this moment, she didn't have the kindness to save people. Instead, she frowned as she watched the helicopter fly away.

Even the most secluded witches and wizards had heard of this Muggle mode of transportation.

They knew that planes could fly ten times faster than flying broomsticks, and the massive, heavy steel machinery made most spells ineffective. Once the distance became too far, the power of spells would also decrease significantly.

Wizards like Grindelwald, who could make an entire city fall into his magic, were a tiny minority. At least, Madam Pomfrey couldn't do it.

Even though the speed of the helicopter was relatively slower, catching up with it was almost impossible.

Madam Pomfrey thought, and Zach, the man with the ponytail sitting in the plane, and Veronica also had the same thought.

They understood the capabilities of witches and wizards much better than ordinary people.

Seeing the plane take off smoothly, Zach finally breathed a sigh of relief. Looking at the soldiers on the island who were like ants lying on the ground, he turned to Veronica and said, "Fortunately, we ran fast. The witches and wizards who came this time were like monsters. I wonder who that guy Aptun brought here."

Deceiving others starts with deceiving oneself. At this moment, he firmly believed that Aptun, the Glassesman, was a traitor.

Veronica forced a smile and asked worriedly, "Why didn't you bring Dominic? You know his research is highly valued. Leaving him behind will be hard to explain to the higher-ups."

"Do I need to say it?" Zach tugged at his collar helplessly and said, "The plane is so small. If we bring him, there's no room for the data. If we bring the data, there's no room for him. We have to leave one of them behind."

"Oh..."

—Wasn't there enough space on the plane?

Veronica was confused for a moment as she looked at the packed plane. She couldn't help but nod.

If Dominic wasn't sacrificed, the one left behind might have been herself.

Next to the two of them, there was actually an empty seat, but at this moment, they subconsciously ignored that spot.

It was the seat originally reserved for Dominic, but now, an invisible person sat there.

Snape sat expressionlessly next to them, and his cloak secretly lifted a corner, wanting to poke Veronica's gem ring, but Snape held it down.

Veronica couldn't see this, so she said, "You're right."

"Even though Upton is responsible, we'll definitely be heavily punished for such a devastating loss."

"There's no other way," Zach complained as he took out his phone. "Those old men sitting in their offices never understand the difficulties we face on the front lines. I'll call someone first, and at worst, I'll be sent to another uninhabited island."

Snape glanced over and saw him calling someone named Hugo.

...

The plane flew higher and farther away. Madam Pomfrey patted Vold on the shoulder. "Don't look. They can't escape. The Ministry of Magic will definitely be able to find out who these guys are."

"Hmm..."

Vold responded but didn't take his eyes off the plane.

He remembered seeing a helicopter that had been broken in half. Based on the location, it might have been the same one...

"Boom!!!"

The plane in the sky exploded into a ball of fire, its body breaking into two pieces as it fell from the sky with a loud whistle.

Madam Pomfrey turned her head and looked at the sky in shock.

Almost simultaneously, there was a loud "bang" nearby, and the two of them quickly cast Iron Armor and Obstacle spells before seeing that the person who had suddenly appeared was Snape.

His body swayed, and he fell to the ground.

"Merlin's beard, Severus, what happened to you?" Madam Pomfrey asked as she supported him.

Professor Snape's upper body was intact, but his legs were bloody, with exposed bones and severe burns.

Madam Pomfrey quickly began emergency treatment, and several potions flew out of her box.

"I was just on that plane..." Snape said through gritted teeth.

Madam Pomfrey's hand shook, and half a bottle of potion spilled onto Snape's leg, causing him to shudder in pain.

"Did you blow up that plane?" Madam Pomfrey asked in horror.

"No," Snape said through the pain. "I originally wanted to track those guys who escaped, but when they were reporting, the person on the phone said 'goodbye', and the plane suddenly exploded..."

He paused and looked at Vold, awkwardly complimenting him. "The cloak is really good."

If it weren't for the cloak, Snape might have also been overwhelmed by the sudden explosion, with no chance to escape using the Disapparition technique.

Madam Pomfrey finally relaxed.

Then she poured the remaining half-bottle of potion onto Snape's other leg, causing him to wince in pain.

Next, Madam Pomfrey gave him another bottle of potion for burns, and as soon as she opened the stopper, a strange smell assaulted their senses.

Snape had to pinch his nose and drink it, while Vold watched from the side, feeling amused.

Snape himself was the biggest supplier of various potions in the school infirmary. Since the maze game became popular, the number of students visiting the infirmary had increased exponentially.

So Snape deliberately made the already difficult-to-drink potions even more unpalatable, causing students to complain. Now, the boomerang had come back to hit him.

"Here, take this potion," Madam Pomfrey said, handing Vold a bottle. "The treatment of the girl's wound below is almost done. I was planning to check on her later, but now..."

"I understand," Vold said, taking the potion. "I'll finish treating her."

The wounds on Snape's legs, which had been slashed by sharp objects, were healing quickly, but the burns seemed more troublesome.

As Vold was about to leave, Snape called out to him.

"Wait, take the cloak with you."

The metal cloak rolled up and fell from Snape's body, floating over to Vold's side and spinning around proudly.

The cloak also had burn marks and a lot of ash, with bloodstains along its edges.

Vold pointed his wand, and the cloak became clean and tidy, so he put it on, mounted his broomstick, and flew back the way he had come.

He heard his own voice.

Vold patiently waited outside the window, and only after "he" left the room did he climb through the window.

The two puppets guarding the pillow looked at him in surprise, then looked at the door, seeming confused.

"Shh—"

Vold signaled for them to be quiet and approached the bed.

He had previously poured a bottle of potion to promote wound healing, but it was modified for Muggle physiology, and considering the girl's current weak state, Vold reduced the dosage.

So, Haley's healing was not ideal, and blood still slowly seeped out.

Vold sighed.

"The healing speed is too slow... My potion skills are still so far behind Snape's..."

Snape was able to retain the healing properties of potions while not causing any harm to the body, even when used on Muggles.

New potion poured down, and the wound healed at a visible speed.

Vold quietly recited the healing charm, and his wand moved slowly above her body, accelerating the healing process.

As the last wound gradually disappeared, the girl's skin returned to its pristine and intact state.

Vold waved his wand again, and the blanket automatically flew up and covered Haley. The operating room was also cleaned, and the rusty air was swept away by a small whirlwind, sent out of the window.

At this moment, the Tranquilizer was already wreaking havoc, and the entire building was shaking, as if it would collapse at any moment.

Vold did not run away; instead, he faced the Tranquilizer with his not-so-deep magical power. Rather than running away, he stood by the operating table, waiting for Haley to wake up, which could ease Dumbledore's pressure, and was better than fighting alone.

Could this girl calm down the rampaging Mabel?

In fact, Vold didn't know, and he believed that Dumbledore might not have much hope either.

But Mabel persisted in looking for Haley in that state, even if the girl might have already died, and she didn't give up easily. Vold believed that the bond between them must be extraordinary.

However, even if they failed, it didn't matter.

At least they really saved one person.

Moreover, with the arrival of the school professors, it could also reduce Dumbledore's pressure, which was better than fighting alone.

Suddenly, Vold felt a strange magical power, and he rushed to the window. He saw a strange distortion in the air on a distant street, as if a vortex had suddenly appeared in the air.

Immediately after, "Bang," four or five wizards holding a rusty bucket appeared on the street.

As soon as they landed, they were startled by the overwhelming black whirlwind, and the wizards drew their wands in a panic, shooting beams of light at the Tranquilizer.

Soon after, another ten or so wizards appeared one after another, some holding broken shoes, some holding wide-brimmed hats, and some holding damaged flower pots, suddenly appearing from various places.

The rolling black smoke sometimes expanded to fill the entire street, and sometimes shrank like a wild dog sneaking into the hallway. It suddenly appeared and then suddenly disappeared, swift as lightning, never directly confronting the wizards, only fleeing everywhere.

During its escape, it continuously damaged the buildings on both sides, and the soldiers or researchers lying on the ground were mercilessly torn apart.

The street was torn apart, and the black fog was blasted into pieces, but as long as its core wasn't shattered, the Tranquilizer could still wreak havoc, transforming into a hideous monster, attacking everything that Mabel hated.

Among the fighting wizards, Vold even saw the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, who he didn't expect to see.

Vold didn't know if Fudge had anticipated the situation he would face after coming here, but he only saw him shouting at Dumbledore and then drawing his wand to join the battle.

The numerous wizards tried to control the Tranquilizer, and the tips of their wands released thin, blue-white beams of light, driving away the massive Tranquilizer from all directions, gradually gathering it together.

Only by controlling the Tranquilizer and finding its core could they deal with this dangerous creature.

The black fog occasionally transformed into the shape of a monster, emitting painful roars, with dark red glows flowing within, looking both dangerous and evil, but unable to break free.

Perhaps they didn't need Haley; the wizards themselves could solve this problem.

But Vold also knew that the reason Dumbledore had not been able to defeat the Tranquilizer and agreed to let Vold reverse time to find someone to save Haley, awakening Mabel's humanity, was because he also pitied the tormented girl.

Suddenly, Vold heard a faint moan from the girl behind him.

He turned around and saw Haley on the operating table, opening her dazed eyes, and asking in a daze, "Where is this? Who are you?"

"I'm a friend of Rita Skeeter, and I came with Mabel to find you." Vold asked gently, "Are you okay?"

"I'm... okay."

Haley sat up, rubbed her eyes in a daze, looked around, and said in a daze, "I... I can't remember..."

She saw the surgical instruments next to her, shuddered, and showed a fearful expression.

But after touching her chest, Haley breathed a sigh of relief.

"I seem to have had a nightmare." The girl smiled embarrassedly, looked around, bent down to look under the bed, and then asked in a low voice, "Where's Mabel?"

"She—" Vold was considering how to answer when he suddenly heard a burst of gunshots in the distance—

"Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat..."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end