Hermione did not hesitate. She fired three spells at Tver in rapid succession.
But the ground seemed to sense them. Three stones immediately shot up, blocking the spells one after another before crumbling into sand and gravel, slowly falling back down.
Tver remained where he was, still smiling.
"I know this is difficult for you to understand right now, but just as I have not killed you today, I allow you to feel anger, sorrow, and grief, because I have always regarded you as my most precious students."
Hermione's face was taut as she flicked her wand quickly toward the ground.
But the Transfiguration she had just completed was instantly suppressed.
That casual display of power, so easily crushing her magic, made her bite hard on her lower lip. Her eyes were full of unwillingness.
"I know how much effort you've put in over the years. I know you don't want to see all that effort turn to nothing."
Tver opened his arms to them, his gaze resting on each of the four in turn.
"But wrong is wrong. I can help you make up for that mistake. Come. Accept my embrace as you once did, and together, we will change this unreasonable world."
Unexpectedly, after hearing that, Harry and Ron exchanged a glance and instead raised their wands with firm resolve, stepping to Hermione's side.
Even Malfoy, who had just been shoved aside, returned with a dark expression.
"I admit you're extremely powerful, and your words are very persuasive. But I will never forgive you for using Professor Fawley's face to do something like this."
Tver blinked, and his smile stiffened slightly.
The four gave him no further chance to "reason" with them. Almost at the same time, they attacked.
Spell after spell flew toward him. Even he had to take two steps back, letting the stones filling the air shield him.
But the four seemed determined. Their spells grew sharper and sharper, their attacks coming in endless variety.
The stones blocking them gradually condensed into a thick stone wall.
Through the gaps between the stones, the smile on Tver's face slowly vanished.
"If this is your answer, I hope you won't regret it."
"Drop dead, impostor!"
Ron swung his wand so fast it almost left afterimages. Perhaps after graduation, he had never again found such a sturdy target, one that let him cast spells to his heart's content.
Under the constant barrage, the stone wall grew even thicker. Spells struck it without leaving so much as a dent.
Hermione tried Transfiguration again, but it produced no response.
"Careful. That stone itself is magic! Get behind me!"
Malfoy suddenly realized something. He stepped forward and stood in front of the other three.
He gripped his wand with full concentration, swinging it out with force and drawing a half circle.
"Protego Diabolica!"
Boom!
A mass of deep green flame burst from his wand, forming a ring around the four of them and shielding them in the center.
Then the flames surged upward. As Malfoy pointed his wand forward, they turned into a huge green serpent and slammed straight into the stone wall.
Bang!
The stone wall exploded into countless fragments, scattered flames and shards of rock flying through the air.
"Did it work?" Harry asked urgently.
Malfoy panted hard, narrowing his eyes as he tried to peer through the dust.
The green flames lit their faces in flickering flashes of brightness and shadow.
Just then, the ground beneath their feet shook violently.
Then came continuous tremors, forcing all of them to sway with it.
"What is that thing?" Ron muttered.
The dust slowly cleared.
Tver's tall figure flew backward, both hands extended.
The ground around him rose as flexibly as flame, spinning at terrifying speed into a winding giant serpent that blotted out the sky.
Compared to it, Malfoy's fire serpent from moments ago was as insignificant as a little earthworm.
"Protego!"
Harry shouted, his wand hovering above the green flames.
A transparent suit of armor formed, and the flames on the ground surged upward.
Hermione and Ron immediately understood and cast Shield Charms to strengthen the fire shield.
Protego Diabolica, combined with three powerful Shield Charms, formed a broad flaming barrier.
At that moment, the head of the earth-and-stone serpent dropped from the sky and smashed hard into the fire shield, producing a shrill, distorted screech.
Harry stood at the front, his face pale and twisted from the rapid drain of magical power.
"Can you hold on, Harry?"
"You... don't..."
Boom!
A deafening explosion rang out.
The fire shield and the serpent's head burst apart together.
But the serpent's body did not lose momentum. Its massive stone form swung from side to side, dragging sharp stone fragments with it and sending all four of them flying.
Malfoy rolled twice across the ground, battered and disheveled, his blond hair in complete disorder.
His forty-year-old body felt as if it had been shattered. The pain made his mind go blank for an instant.
Until he heard a cry of alarm.
Malfoy raised his head and saw a muggle woman staring at him in astonishment.
And on the stone pillar, the device was still sitting there, completely intact.
Malfoy did not even get up. He simply pointed his wand.
The device shot toward his palm.
In those few brief seconds, he spared a glance toward Harry.
Because of where they had been standing, Harry, Ron, and Hermione had fallen in the same place, and the giant serpent was hanging above their heads, about to crash down.
One person, or three people.
Malfoy flicked his wand without hesitation.
The device immediately changed direction and flew toward Harry.
After doing that, his strength was completely exhausted, and he collapsed onto the ground.
But the next second, what reached Malfoy's ears was a firm incantation.
"Expelliarmus!"
Harry's lightning-fast Disarming Charm pierced through the coiling serpent's body, shooting through the smallest gap straight toward Tver in the sky.
The giant serpent instinctively twisted to block the spell.
Harry hooked Ron and Hermione on the ground with his feet, stretched his left hand toward the device, and pointed his wand straight at Malfoy with his right.
"Accio Draco!"
Whoosh!
Bang!
The giant serpent smashed heavily into the ground, sending dust billowing everywhere.
Tver slowly landed, but there was no longer any trace of them.
Only a panicked muggle woman remained nearby.
"No... I'm not..."
Tver's cold eyes glanced faintly toward her.
A huge mouth surged up from the ground and swallowed her whole.
…
Whoosh!
Inside a simple little house.
Harry was still clutching the device tightly, his heart pounding wildly.
Since graduation, he had not experienced such a tense, thrilling battle in a very long time. It had been more nerve-racking than his wedding day.
But it also made him sigh inwardly.
His younger self had really been reckless!
"Ron! Ron!"
Hearing Hermione's sobbing cry, Harry hurriedly tucked the device into his arms and looked down.
A long shard of stone was embedded in Ron's chest, and the spreading blood had dyed his shirt dark red.
His face was as white as paper, and his chest was barely moving.
Hermione pressed her hand over his wound, trying to cover it but failing, and she did not dare pull the shard out. Tears filled her eyes in her panic.
"He blocked it for me... but now... Dittany White Medicine..."
"Go to St. Mungo's!"
"But we're all out of magic."
Hermione raised her head. Her usually confident, composed face was full of helplessness.
In the confrontation just now, they had already used up nearly all their magic maintaining the fire shield.
Only Malfoy and Harry, who were better at combat, could still cast one or two spells.
If they forced Apparition now, it would only bring even greater danger.
Watching Ron's breathing fade to almost nothing, Harry felt a violent ringing in his ears, as though his head were about to explode.
"By Dittany White Medicine... do you mean this?"
A timid voice spoke up.