Returning to the previous tunnel filled with Gublai's fairy fire, Phineas continued to explore forward.
Gradually, he saw a ray of light—different from the glow reflected by the fairy fire. This was sunlight.
He quickened his pace and soon came upon a staircase leading upward. The daylight spilled down through the doorway above.
Phineas gripped his wand tightly and cautiously stepped onto the stairs.
He knew full well that there had been no guards in the tunnel behind him—so the vampires must have stationed someone at the dungeon entrance. It made sense; they wouldn't allow their captured "blood stock" and prisoners to escape so easily.
His judgment was spot on. As he neared the top of the stairs, he heard voices from just beyond the door.
"How long has Craven been down there? Why hasn't he come back up yet?" an older, dignified voice asked.
A younger voice responded indifferently, "Relax. He's just dealing with a little wizard—unarmed, no less. Craven brought two thralls with him. He can handle it."
Phineas quickly pieced it together: the red-haired vampire he had killed was named Craven. And now the others were starting to wonder why he hadn't returned.
If nothing else happened soon, they'd come down to investigate—find Craven dead, and discover the rescued prisoners.
Phineas cracked the door open just wide enough for his wand to slip through, then extended it into the corridor beyond.
Using wand transfiguration, he turned the wand into an eye. With one end pressed to his own, he could now see what lay beyond the door.
Two vampires stood there. One held a wand. The other, while unarmed, spoke with the calm certainty of one experienced in magic. Phineas suspected both were capable of spellcasting.
There was no way he could take them down quietly—not with the spells he currently knew.
If he'd learned the Unforgivable Curses, things might've been different. With the Imperius Curse, he could've controlled one vampire to attack the other. But he hadn't learned them—not yet.
Hogwarts, of course, didn't keep any books teaching Unforgivable Curses in its library, so they couldn't even be summoned through the system's "pass draw." Phineas had no other avenue to acquire them—at least not through conventional means.
Still, that didn't mean they were difficult to learn. The truth about Unforgivable Curses was that, despite their power and reputation, they were surprisingly simple. With sufficient magical strength and focus, even a young wizard could cast them. That's precisely what made them so dangerous—and why they were forbidden.
They were, in essence, weapons of mass destruction that anyone could wield. That alone demanded strict control.
Having made up his mind, Phineas closed the dungeon door softly and retreated back into the corridor.
He might not know the curses, but perhaps someone among the rescued did.
When he returned, the women had managed to free everyone from their cells. Unfortunately, only a few were wizards.
"Which of you knows the Unforgivable Curses?" Phineas asked, scanning the group.
The woman holding the vampire's wand—an Auror from Durmstrang—hesitated. "I do… but casting them means life imprisonment in Azkaban."
Phineas nodded. "I'm aware. But right now, they're our best option."
His tone left no room for argument. Though young, his years as heir of the House of Black had taught him leadership—and under the pressure of battle, that authority now surfaced in full. Though Hogwarts had kept such power in check, here, there was no one to temper him.
Faced with his unflinching determination, the woman could only nod.
"There are two unconscious vampires in one of the cells," he said. "Use them as targets. Teach me."
Reluctantly, she led the way to the two slumped bodies.
"The Unforgivable Curses fall into three categories: the Killing Curse, the Cruciatus Curse, and the Imperius Curse. All three are highly dangerous and deeply forbidden. Anyone who uses them on another person faces a lifetime sentence in Azkaban," she began solemnly.
She pointed her wand at one of the vampires. "Rennervate."
The vampire stirred, eyes fluttering open—only to realize, too late, that his captives had escaped.
The Auror didn't give him the chance to shout.
"Imperio!"
The vampire went still, his eyes glassing over.
"The Imperius Curse robs the victim of free will. No incantation resists it. Once cast, they will follow your commands absolutely. The curse requires focus—willpower. You must intend complete control," she explained.
"When successful, you'll feel a slight tingling where your wand connects to your arm. But be warned—victims with strong mental resistance can break free."
Then, without pause, she turned to the second vampire.
With a flick of her wand, a bolt of green light split the air.
"Avada Kedavra!"