Chapter 654: Homecoming
Chapter 654: Homecoming
Ryan and the others only waited a few seconds in the public bathroom of the Ministry of Magic before a loud thud came from one of the stalls. The grim-faced male wizard who had been pursuing them leaped out. As soon as he saw Ryan and the others raise their wands, Liam and Hermione simultaneously brandished the magic swords they had just retrieved from their Spatial Bags, one swinging from above and the other from below, aiming straight at him.
In such a confined dimension, wands were not much more effective than cold weapons. However, the male wizard pursuing them was not a typical house-bound wizard; he had seen his fair share of combat.
Upon being ambushed, he did not panic and retract his wand like a commoner. Instead, he forcefully completed his spell, pointing his wand directly at Hermione to cast it.
This desperate, all-or-nothing tactic was a spur-of-the-moment decision after he realized Ryan and the others were very young. He believed that someone like Liam, being young, would likely lack experience and hoped to force Liam and Hermione to withdraw their attacks and defend themselves, thereby securing a sliver of a chance to survive.
He quickly completed his spell, and a silver spell shot from his wand toward Hermione. However, Ryan and the others did not react with the expected panic. They continued their assault.
Everything happened in an instant. A short, sharp scream followed, and the grim-faced male wizard was cut into three pieces by the two swords and the bathroom stall door. A small purple crystal suddenly appeared in mid-air, blocking the silver spell aimed at Hermione.
"You are—three people—" The grim-faced male wizard's eyes widened as a tiny purple puppet slowly materialized from the air. Blood foamed at the corners of his mouth as he drew his last breath.
"Good job, Little Rose." Hermione turned to the Rose Crystal that had just appeared in the air, smiling. "If you hadn't acted, I might have been seriously injured."
"If not for me, I think you could have dodged that attack." The Rose Crystal floated beside Hermione and said, "So I just did a little bit of work."
"Everyone performed well today." Liam said to the two girls, pulling out a large number of bottles filled with Wildfire from his Spatial Bag. "Alright, let's set this up."
In just fifteen seconds, they crammed dozens of Wildfire-filled bottles into the small bathroom and retreated. Soon after, a series of loud thuds came from the bathroom.
"Snap." Hearing the noise, Liam snapped his fingers. Immediately, a massive explosion erupted from the bathroom, blowing off the roof and sending green flames spewing through the roof and windows. Amid the crackling of the flames, human screams could be heard.
"Let's go." After confirming that the Hit Wizards who had pursued them had mostly lost their ability to track them, Liam led Hermione and Rose Crystal away, leaving the British Ministry of Magic in a state of chaos.
"Three days ago, what was the price of White Fresh Essence in the shop?" As they Apparated into Weasley's Wizard Wheezes in Hogsmeade, two male voices spoke simultaneously from either side.
"Five Sickles per Galleon." Liam said, and as he finished speaking, two figures put down their wands and stepped out of the shadows. "I apologize, but this is necessary security. Welcome back."
"Fred, George, it's great to see you." Liam said, putting away the bloodstained swords with Hermione. "What are you two doing in the shop's lounge? Isn't there anyone else around?"
"Of course there are customers", Fred said. "But it's dinner time, so there aren't many. Downstairs, a few Wizards from Dundee are buying some basic defensive items, and Penelope is handling it alone."
"Compared to this small business, your safety is the most important thing." George continued, sniffing. "There's a strong smell of blood. What exactly did you do today? Hermione brought old Malfoy here and left immediately, and Lucius Malfoy rushed straight to Hogwarts Castle without saying a word."
"Um, to put it simply, we just ambushed a squad of Hit Wizards led by Delius. After the fight, we found a list on Delius, then we went to the Ministry of Magic to rescue a large group of Muggle-born wizards who were being treated unfairly. We had to fight our way out through a bunch of Hit Wizards loyal to the Ministry and a few Death Eaters. Oh, and we also smashed a disgusting statue." Liam gave a very brief explanation of what they had done.
"Wow, cool." The Weasley Twins said in unison. "To fight your way out of the Ministry of Magic in London, that's absolutely amazing. I have to salute you two."
"Right, you should quickly send a message to Headmaster Dumbledore to let him know you're safe." Fred seemed to remember something. "A few hours ago, Lupin left the shop for Norway and brought back a dozen people. He said Dumbledore had sent him to meet you, but since he didn't know where you were, he had to wait at the southern standoff point."
"Thank you, Headmaster Dumbledore." Upon learning that the Headmaster had arranged for someone to meet them, Liam felt touched. He quickly summoned his Blue Crab Patronus to send a message to the Headmaster.
Two minutes later, a Phoenix Patronus flew into the room. As it opened its mouth, Dumbledore's voice came out. "Liam, Hermione, I'm glad to hear that you've returned safely. I imagine you must be tired from today's events, so rest well. We'll meet tomorrow morning at ten o'clock, and the password is vanilla chocolate."
After delivering the message, the silver-white Phoenix disappeared. Once it was gone, George asked, "Have you eaten dinner yet? If not, we can have dinner together."
"Good idea, but let's wait a bit." Liam spoke to a silver wolf head charm and then looked up. "Professor Lupin and the others will be back soon. They've been working hard for us all day, so I want to treat them to dinner."
"Of course." Fred said, "Professor Lupin and the Werewolves have been patrolling around Hogsmeade at night, so they've been working hard. However, there are about a dozen of them, and we don't have our mother's household magic, so cooking might take too long."
"Don't worry about that." Hermione said. "Leave the food to Liam and me. We can have everyone's dinner ready in ten minutes."
"Alright, we'll go set the table. You two come down soon." The Weasley Twins walked down the stairs together.
After the door closed, Rose Crystal materialized from the air. "Alright, I'll help you bring the food over, then I'll go to Hobbit's Pipe for dinner. It looks like you two can't join me tonight."
"I'm really sorry." Liam apologized sincerely. "I'll take you out to dinner next time."
"Okay, it's a deal." Rose Crystal extended her right hand, and Liam quickly knelt down. He then extended his hand and held the Doll's hand. "I swear."
"Thanks, Big Brother." Rose Crystal opened a portal and brought out over twenty dishes, placing them on the table. She then waved goodbye to Liam. "Looking forward to our next dinner together."
"Same here." Liam waved back at Rose Crystal. "Enjoy your dinner!"
(End of Chapter)
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