Lynn moved at a steady pace, neither too fast nor too slow. Every step landed firmly.
His wand was held in his hand, its tip giving off a faint glow as his eyes swept through every dark corner around them.
Ron followed close behind, not daring to fall even a single step back.
Just then, a burst of hurried footsteps echoed from the distance.
They were frantic and uneven. More than one person was running—three, at least.
Leather shoes struck the stone floor in rapid succession.
Tap, tap, tap, tap!
Lynn immediately quickened his pace and ran toward the source.
He moved so fast that Ron saw only a blur flash past his eyes.
Ron gritted his teeth and ran after him with all his strength.
Soon, Lynn saw Ginny, Luna, and Neville racing toward him.
They had not noticed him yet.
Their vigilance needs work.
That was Lynn's first assessment.
At Hogwarts, during class, or even during an exam, their level of alertness might have been enough.
But on a real battlefield?
It was nowhere near sufficient.
The reason they were so distracted was obvious.
A Death Eater was pursuing them closely from behind.
The figure wore a black hooded robe, the hood pulled so low that it was impossible to see who was beneath it.
In the next second, the Death Eater dissolved into black mist.
He reappeared behind the trio in the blink of an eye.
His wand was raised, its tip aimed directly at Neville, who was running at the back.
Lynn kicked off the ground.
The air seemed to tear apart as he shot forward, producing a sharp whistle.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
Neville's spell struck the Death Eater squarely in the chest.
The Death Eater's body instantly stiffened, one arm still frozen in the motion of raising his wand.
"Levicorpus!"
Luna's voice followed.
With a gentle flick of her wrist, a blue light shot out and struck the petrified Death Eater's ankle.
The Death Eater's body flipped over at once, his head hanging downward and his feet suspended in midair.
"Reducto!"
Ginny's voice came last.
It was also the loudest, fiercest, and most resolute.
The spell fired from Ginny's wand flew straight toward the petrified, hanging, completely defenceless Death Eater.
Starting from the chest, his body became like glass struck by a hammer.
Cracks spread from the point of impact in every direction, covering him in an instant.
Then—
Shatter!
He broke into countless fragments, scattering from the air like a snowfall of black ash.
Three spells had struck the pursuing Death Eater in rapid succession.
Lynn stood before the three of them with wide eyes.
Wait... was that really Ginny?
But then he remembered the book Mrs. Weasley had given him—Prewett's Comprehensive Practical Combat.
Everything suddenly made sense.
What was family heritage?
This was family heritage.
Bang!
Neville, who had turned back to make sure the Death Eater was completely finished, ran directly into Lynn.
"Lynn, why are you—"
Neville had not finished speaking.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
For some unknown reason, the Prophecy Orbs resting on the shelves began collapsing in large numbers.
Like dominoes, one row after another fell.
Clatter, clatter—
More and more Prophecy Orbs crashed down, falling faster and more densely by the second.
Realizing something was wrong, Lynn waved his wand.
A rope shot from its tip and wrapped around the three people in front of him.
Then Lynn turned and flew toward a nearby door.
On the way, he casually tied up Ron as well, who had only just managed to catch up.
As for Harry and Hermione...
They could only fend for themselves.
It was not that Lynn did not want to save them. He simply had no idea where they were.
Bang!
Lynn smashed through the door.
The doorframe rang out loudly as the door flew open, struck the wall, and bounced back.
Lynn had been about to set the group down.
But what greeted them was not solid ground.
It was a massive, bottomless pit.
He looked down.
All he could see was pitch-black darkness.
Lynn's expression darkened.
Then he simply let go.
The ropes slipped away from his wand.
The string of "sausages" began to plummet.
Screams echoed from below.
Luna did not scream.
Instead, she curiously watched the other three as they fell at high speed.
Lynn waved his wand again.
The invisibility cloak flew from his pocket and instantly expanded in midair.
With a downward point of his wand, the cloak shot toward the falling group and caught all four of them securely.
The four huddled together atop the invisibility cloak, pressed tightly against one another and too frightened to move.
When Lynn leisurely flew over to them, Luna lowered her voice.
"I heard them. Harry is down there. Hermione too."
Your hearing is really that good?
Lynn closed his eyes and listened carefully.
Sure enough, it was not only Harry and Hermione below.
There were Death Eaters as well.
"Levi, watch them. Do not let them run around."
Golden-red fire flickered in the darkness.
Levi emerged from the flames.
After giving the order, Lynn accelerated and shot toward the bottom of the pit.
...
The light at the bottom of the pit was extremely dim.
Harry stood at its center, holding his wand in one hand and a crystal ball in the other.
The hand holding his wand trembled.
His eyes were fixed on the witch standing before him.
"Where is Sirius?"
Harry's voice was forced out through his throat.
"You caught him. I know you did. He's here!"
The witch stood across from him in a black robe, a silver snake-shaped brooch pinned to her collar.
Her face was thin, her cheekbones high, and her chin pointed.
"Hehe. The little baby woke up frightened and thought everything in his dream was real."
Her voice was strained and high-pitched.
"Oh, Bellatrix, don't you know?"
Another Death Eater spoke from the side, his voice smug.
"Potter has a serious weakness—individual heroism. The Dark Lord understands that about him."
"I know Sirius is here!"
Harry roared, his voice growing louder.
"I saw it!"
His voice echoed through the pit.
The Death Eaters burst into laughter.
Bellatrix laughed the loudest, the longest, and the most crazily.
"You should learn to distinguish dreams from reality, Potter."
Another Death Eater's voice came through the laughter.
"Give me the Prophecy Orb."
His voice lowered.
"Perhaps then I can let you see him."
Harry felt as though he had fallen into an ice cellar.
He was certain now.
Sirius was not here.
Dumbledore had not said it outright, but Sirius was safe.
He had been right.
This was a scam.
A trap laid by Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters to take Harry's life.
And Harry had walked into it.
He had even brought his friends with him.
"Harry..."
Hermione, standing beside him, placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Oh, how united."
Bellatrix's voice came from ahead.
She looked at the surrounding Death Eaters and raised her wand.
"Seize the people around him. I do not believe he can remain indifferent while his companions are tortured!"
Just then, a world-shaking roar came from above.
"Moo—!!!"
The Death Eaters looked up.
An unimaginably huge Graphorn was diving down at terrifying speed.
"Scatter! Quickly!"
Bellatrix shouted as she threw herself aside.
She rolled once, then rose into a half-kneeling position, her wand already raised and aimed at the Graphorn.
But it was too late.
Boom!
One Death Eater at the bottom of the pit was crushed flat.
His chest cavity shattered, ribs snapped, and internal organs burst out beneath the enormous weight.
Blood flowed across the bottom of the pit, weaving between the broken stones and forming a dark-red pool.
The Death Eater did not even have time to scream before he became a pile of pulp.
"Ly... Lynn!"
Harry spoke haltingly, as though he had just seen a savior.
"I'm sorry..."
Harry lowered his head in shame.
Lynn did not even look at him.
"We deal with these Death Eaters first."
"Hahahaha~ Deal with us? Hahaha..."
Bellatrix's wild laughter came from the side, shrill and deafening.
Lynn's face darkened.
"What the hell are you laughing at?"
He waved his wand and fired a Cruciatus Curse directly at Bellatrix's face.
"Expelliarmus! Crucio!"
Bellatrix mistook Lynn's spell for a Disarming Charm and immediately tried to show off.
She flicked her wand, accurately intercepting the spell Lynn had cast. With a twist of her wrist, she attempted to deflect the red light aside.
She succeeded.
Lynn's wand was indeed knocked from his hand, striking the ground with a crisp clatter.
But Bellatrix also fell to the ground in genuine agony.
Her body rolled across the dirt, her hands clawing at the ground while her feet kicked at the rubble.
Her face twisted in pain. Her brows drew together, her lips peeled back to reveal two rows of blood-stained teeth, and veins bulged across her forehead.
The surrounding Death Eaters were stunned.
How could someone's Disarming Charm be so bizarre?
It was hardly any different from a Cruciatus Curse!
"Crucio!"
A Death Eater's voice came from the left, swift and fierce.
"Crucio!"
Another voice answered from the right.
"Crucio!"
The spells came from every direction like a net, striking toward Lynn and the other two from all sides.
Lynn waved his wand.
The ground rose at once, forming a huge earthen sphere that enveloped the group.
It was incredibly solid.
When the Cruciatus Curses struck it, they left only shallow marks.
Once all the spells had landed, Lynn waved his wand again.
The earthen sphere instantly shattered.
The broken stone became countless stone spears that shot outward in every direction.
Swish, swish, swish!
Clang, clang, clang!
The stone spears collided with Shield Charms, producing crisp, ringing impacts.
Some of the stone spears shattered.
Some Shield Charms cracked.
But no one died.
Clearly, the Death Eaters were still capable of blocking an attack at that level.
But then Lynn stopped playing fair.
He pointed his wand toward the ground and drew a circle.
The tip of his wand traced through the air, leaving behind a golden-red ring upon the ground.
"Protego Diabolica!"
---
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