At last, Hermione raised her wand and cast the spell.
She was quite skilled with it; on an ordinary day, she could easily perform that charm, but now, trembling with fear, she botched it.
The tip of her wand sparked a few tiny flames, but no fire formed. Meanwhile, Neville fumbled through his pockets, scattering a whole pack of Every Flavor Beans across the ground.
"Merlin's beard!"
Neville's voice cracked. He watched in horror as the glowing fungal filaments writhed like living things. "It...it's climbing up! I'm going to be eaten!"
"Save me! Hermione!"
He screamed for help. Hermione's forehead was slick with fine sweat. Another faint spark burst from the tip of her wand, but it still wouldn't ignite.
"I—I can't do it."
The girl's voice quavered with tears.
The next moment, her hands were also ensnared, and her wand slipped from her grasp.
Seeing this,
"Hermione can't even hold herself up anymore."
Ian, still in his white mist form above the forest, sighed. He condensed onto the highest oak branch and gradually formed a human shape. He drew his wand.
Moonlight ran across his robes, and the tip of his wand glowed with a faint, eerie blue light. To avoid frightening them unnecessarily, Ian gave a subtle warning.
"Close your eyes."
All three heard the familiar voice from above the treetops.
But none of them reacted immediately.
A cascade of blue flames poured down like a waterfall, instantly engulfing the mushroom patch. Ron let out a nonhuman scream, his legs going weak as he nearly passed out.
"Fiendfyre! It's Fiendfyre!" Neville's voice shook uncontrollably. His toad, Trevor, had already fainted in his pocket, and Neville himself started rolling his eyes in panic.
"What's Fiendfyre?"
Hermione's face was paler than the moonlight. She had been fearless in her ignorance, but even without knowing the name, she could sense the destructive power contained in the blue flames.
"It's one of the most terrifying dark magics." Neville's teeth chattered. He didn't finish his sentence before the blue fire swept closer.
All three young wizards felt utterly insignificant.
And utterly desperate.
However, when they closed their eyes, expecting unbearable pain, it never came. Instead, they felt their bodies grow light, and they all gently fell to the ground.
"Hiss!"
Hermione gasped and opened her eyes.
Ron and Neville were equally shaken. Trembling, they looked around. The grass within a three-foot radius was intact, but beyond that, the surrounding area had been reduced to scorched earth.
Even the soil seemed to have turned to ash.
"This is Fiendfyre!" See? Nothing can survive its path!" Neville whispered, still visibly shaken.
"This kind of magic is terrifying."
Hermione clicked her tongue in awe. Having just started Hogwarts, her knowledge of the wizarding world was limited, so she could only rely on what she already knew:
Forbidden magic like the Fiendfyre curse—
Only someone like Neville from a wizarding family could probably recognize it. Ron could too; otherwise, he wouldn't be scared out of his wits.
"Merlin help us."
Ron collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily and savoring the relief of having survived. Of course, a fair bit of lingering fear still churned inside him.
"Who saved us?"
Hermione looked around, puzzled.
However, Neville's face grew even paler.
"I think maybe it didn't save us. Maybe it just gave us hope and then took it away." Perhaps he was overthinking it, but there was some logic to his worry.
"It's an extremely advanced and terrifying form of dark magic. Only the most skilled wizards can master it. I believe there must be an extraordinarily powerful dark wizard nearby!"
His voice, far from trembling, carried a calm rooted in a deep-seated fear of dark wizards.
Ron and Hermione were both taken aback.
"A dark wizard!?"
"Is it a Death Eater?"
"Heavens! I knew it! I just knew it!"
Ron immediately played the expert.
At that moment—
"Do I look like a Dark Wizard to you?" Ian's voice rang out again as he emerged from the thicket. His wizard robes rustled in the gentle breeze.
Even though the surrounding area was in disarray and the three young wizards were completely disheveled, Ian was spotless. The contrast was striking.
"Ian!"
Hermione exclaimed in surprise. Then, her expression turned strange as realization dawned. If she remembered correctly, Neville had said earlier that only an extremely powerful Dark Wizard could cast Fiendfyre.
Looking at the current situation—
The one who cast Fiendfyre had to be Ian.
So...
Was Ian a powerful dark wizard?
Hermione shivered at the thought and didn't want to dwell on it further. She didn't dare, either. Ron was equally shocked.
"Y-you cast the Fiendfyre?"
Ron's expression showed a mix of suspicion and fear. His question went unanswered.
"You three really don't make life easy," Ian said, shaking his head at the trio's pitiful state. He felt they had learned their lesson.
"Uh..." Neville snapped out of it and patted his head, realizing something suddenly. "Oh no! Wait! I heard from older students that Professor Snape can cast Fiendfyre, too!"
"But the headmaster allows it, so he's definitely not a dark wizard," Neville said firmly, his tone carrying both trust and a surprising sense of emotional intelligence.
Ian chuckled lightly. Twirling his wand in a graceful arc, he said, "In the dead of night, why are you three Gryffindor students wandering in the Forbidden Forest?"
He asked knowingly.
"The danger here… Professor McGonagall must have warned us more than ten times!" Hermione even adopted a serious expression, as if ready to report them at any moment.
"Guh~"
Ron immediately panicked.
Hermione twisted the corner of her robe, stammering. Neville lowered his head in shame, staring at his shoes. All three looked thoroughly intimidated by Ian.
Ron's Adam's apple bobbed nervously as he suddenly said, "W-we had a reason to come! Please, don't tell Professor McGonagall, okay?"
Though he was pleading,
It seemed he still wasn't ready to fully confess to Ian.
Sure enough.
Learning from mistakes seemed almost impossible for Ron. Hermione hesitated for a long while but ultimately couldn't help herself from wanting to confess.
"Actually…"
Just as Hermione seemed about to speak, a sudden commotion arose from deep within the forest. The sharp cracking of branches echoed repeatedly, interspersed with the heavy breathing of some unseen creature.
Then, a deafening roar tore through the night sky, startling countless birds from their perches.
(End of Chapter)
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