"Disarm."
Before the killing curse could even be completed, Rowan Mercer struck first. The spell snapped cleanly through the air, wrenching the wand from the traitor's hand.
"Stupefy."
The second spell followed instantly. The man collapsed without a sound.
If this had been the world of Rowan's first incarnation, lightning would have been the answer. A chained bolt, lethal and final. But this was a new world, one he didn't yet understand. Until he knew how deep the waters ran, restraint was the wiser choice.
Here, caution mattered.
In familiar territory, Rowan knew exactly where the ceiling was. He knew the strongest figures, the limits of power, and how far he could push without consequence. But this world was still an unknown variable. If something existed here that could erase him outright, standing out too early would be a mistake.
Behind him, the dark wizard had already turned back toward his captive.
"We were saying," Jerry Mario continued, his voice smooth as he resumed his speech, unaware that everything behind him had already gone wrong.
Rowan didn't waste the opening.
"Accio."
The fallen student's wand snapped back into his hand. In the same breath, Rowan moved.
Electric light flared.
He crossed the distance in a heartbeat, dragging the unconscious traitor with him. Before Jerry Mario could react, Rowan drove compressed energy into his body at point-blank range. The shock tore through newly reconstructed flesh, violent and overwhelming.
Jerry Mario was powerful. His magic was deep, his soul resilient. He had clawed his way back from death once already.
That was exactly why Rowan didn't hesitate.
The dark wizard convulsed, eyes rolling back as his body locked under the surge. His attention had been fixed entirely on Hallie. He never expected an attack like this. Not this fast. Not this close.
"Finite."
The binding spell shattered. Rowan seized the Triwizard Cup, still humming with residual portal magic, and activated it.
The graveyard vanished.
In an instant, Rowan, Hallie, the unconscious traitor, and the barely-stabilized dark wizard were gone.
The masked figures left behind froze in silence.
They weren't loyal out of devotion. Most of them never had been. Power, protection, self-interest. That was the foundation of their allegiance. The truly fanatical followers were long dead or locked away.
They had answered the call out of fear, not faith.
And now, their master was gone again.
No one needed to speak.
"Leave."
Decision made, they vanished one by one, abandoning the graveyard without hesitation.
The stadium erupted.
"They're back!"
Cheers broke out as Rowan and Hallie reappeared on the arena floor. Teachers, officials, students, and families surged to their feet. The celebration died almost instantly when they noticed the additional figures.
The traitor.
And the noseless man.
"Headmaster!" Rowan shouted, hauling Hallie back and releasing the current still running through Jerry Mario. "That's him. Jerry Mario. He's back. He's been resurrected."
The name hit like a shockwave.
Fear rippled through the crowd.
Isaac Taber reacted immediately. His wand was already raised before the murmurs could settle. Spells flew, followed by more as Victor and the professors joined in. Ministry enforcers moved without hesitation.
Jerry Mario barely had time to recover before the storm hit him.
The body he had only just reclaimed shattered under the barrage. Dark smoke tore free, spiraling upward as his soul fled the scene.
"I'll be back!" the scream echoed, raw and furious, cutting through the night.
The words lingered long after the smoke dispersed.
A heavyset man shoved his way through the crowd, panic written across his face.
"Julian!" he gasped, grabbing Rowan by the shoulders. "Are you hurt? Did they do anything to you?"
This body's father. Still alive. Still worried.
It was… unfamiliar.
Rowan adjusted quickly, forcing a shaken expression and steadying his breath.
"I'm fine," he said quietly. "I'm really fine."
For now, blending in mattered more than anything else.
He glanced toward the place where the dark wizard's soul had vanished.
Let him run.
Jerry Mario was no real threat in the short term. He'd need years to recover before attempting anything again. Rowan could deal with him later, once he understood this world properly.
The traitor was taken into custody on the spot. Rowan and Hallie gave a concise account to Headmaster Taber and the Ministry. A failed curse. A narrow escape. A desperate decision to bring the enemy back before he could vanish again.
It was simple. Believable. Enough.
And for now, it was the truth that mattered.