Chapter 515: The Match Continues 2
Chapter 515: The Match Continues 2
Antoine and Dreyen were both exceptional wizards, their magical prowess surpassing that of most Aurors. However, their detection charms cast on the trees failed to reveal any magical traces.
Vid knew why—whenever they cast a detection charm, a circle of runes would light up near the base of the tree, about a person's height from the ground. The charm would be drawn to these runes like moths to a flame, then dissipate.
This was a scene only Vid could see. To Dreyen and Antoine, everything appeared normal.
Vid was pondering how to convince the two when Antoine spoke again, "Let's go. This forest has never seen magic. It's just a regular forest."
As soon as Antoine finished speaking, Vid's eyes lit up, while Dreyen frowned.
"Never seen magic? How is that possible!"
Dreyen's tone was grave, "How many Muggle-Repelling Charms has the Ministry cast around here in the past year? How many people have Apparated in this forest in the last few days?"
Antoine suddenly understood, "You're right!"
Vid touched the area on the spruce where the runes were etched, his fingertips brushing against the rough bark.
"Perhaps the person who cast the spell originally intended to hide the anomalies in these trees. But the large number of identical spells cast across the forest has created a peculiar field, masking even the magical traces that should be present."
"So", Antoine smiled, "the guy's elaborate preparations have actually exposed him?"
"It's not that his preparations were wrong", Dreyen said. "If it weren't for Vid's dream, no one would have bothered to check this place. Let's check again."
The three of them split up and moved forward, maintaining a few meters of distance between each other. To avoid being ambushed by the Dark Wizard who had enchanted the forest, Vid walked in the center.
Detection charms occasionally lit up on either side, but Vid cast his spells much less frequently.
After all, he only needed to look to see which trees had been enchanted.
Suddenly, Vid stopped, his gaze fixed on a particularly massive oak tree ahead.
Oaks are among the largest and longest-lived tree species in the world. In the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts, some oaks have lifespans exceeding a thousand years, with sprawling canopies like plazas and trunks several meters in circumference.
Vid had often marveled at such magnificent canopies while soaring above them as a falcon.
The oak tree before him, though not as grand, was still visually striking, with a trunk that would require three or four people to encircle.
The key was that the runes around it had a break, as if the caster had paused mid-stroke and then clumsily tried to fix it.
Vid's eyebrows twitched, but he felt no joy, only a hint of frustration.
The Dark Wizard had been well-prepared, meticulous, and cautious, his deranged behavior almost making Vid imagine the Joker from Gotham.
But this sudden mistake was like a smear on a perfect work of art or a dirty footprint on a luxurious silk.
The image of the Joker shattered, replaced by that of a miserable high school student forced to do homework by their parents, knowing the answers were wrong but ignoring them anyway.
Regardless, the enemy's mistake was good news for them.
Vid cast a detection charm on the oak tree. The spell's light was still drawn to the circle of runes, but after a moment, a faint silver glow appeared at the break.
The silver light flowed down the tree trunk like a breached dam, illuminating the entire tree.
A few seconds later, the silver light began to darken, spreading like black smoke and emitting a faint, crunching sound.
Two more seconds passed, and the detection charm failed, causing all the phenomena to vanish.
Antoine and Dreyen had already been drawn to the scene, their heads tilted back as they watched the series of changes.
The moon was nowhere to be seen tonight, and to avoid drawing attention, only the wand in Antoine's hand emitted a faint light, casting shifting shadows on their faces.
"This is indeed an extremely evil and powerful dark magic", Dreyen concluded after a moment.
"Obvious, we can all see that", Antoine rolled his eyes and said, "The question is... is this really the curse that can turn trees into dark creatures?"
"How should I know? I haven't seen that spell any more than you have", Dreyen replied. "I need to inform Grindelwald."
Vid chimed in, "Then I'll contact Dumbledore..."
"No need, we can handle it", Dreyen interrupted, pausing before adding, "Didn't you say Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix are dealing with another group of Death Eaters? If they divert resources here, it might allow some to slip through the cracks."
"But if there are many cursed trees..." Vid was still uneasy.
"That's Grindelwald", Dreyen said coolly.
The statement was oddly convincing.
To deal with trees, even those cursed and animated, the most powerful spell is still the fire charm—no one could doubt Grindelwald's ability to set things ablaze.
"And what if Dumbledore and Grindelwald start fighting each other once they meet?"
Antoine shuddered, "We barely survived the last battle."
Vid couldn't help but laugh at this.
Dreyen went to contact Grindelwald, while Vid stared at the towering oak tree, which was as tall as a ten-story building. A sense of heaviness settled in his chest.
Even if the tree was immobile, completely destroying such a massive and majestic life form was no easy task. Even with Fiendfyre, it would take a considerable amount of time to burn it all.
During that time, if the tree were awakened, it could easily push through the Fiendfyre and charge into the stadium, spreading the flames to every visible area and causing catastrophic casualties.
Moreover, these trees weren't just a few; they were spread throughout the entire forest.
The time they had to act was limited. The stadium was already filled with a hundred thousand spectators. If the Dark Wizard wanted to maximize the damage, he could awaken the forest at any moment.
The Dark Wizard was likely nearby, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
If they started chopping and destroying the trees without being fully prepared, the Dark Wizard might immediately notice and awaken the forest early, charging into the stadium to begin the slaughter.
At that point, their only choice would be how to survive, not how to prevent the tragedy.
—Should they really entrust everyone's lives to Grindelwald?
Vid didn't think so.
A faint silver light flickered at the tip of his wand, then disappeared.
(End of Chapter)
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