Hogwarts: Homecoming

Chapter 15: A Dangerous Showdown

"Amos Blaine?"

The easygoing, carefree expression that usually graced Bill Weasley's handsome face was gone. He was so stunned that as he jumped off the Nimbus 1700, his wizarding robe caught on a broken stump, nearly sending him sprawling.

"When Phyloia told me you had killed Prian, I thought she was just telling me some morbid little joke."

Bill's eyesight was limited from this distance. He could only see the motionless form of Prian lying on the ground, his back bare and the earth beneath him stained red. He couldn't tell if he was alive or dead.

"I can't believe it, Blaine. Are you secretly planning to slaughter all of Hogwarts?" Bill's gaze swept over the scene, taking in the unconscious Gryffindor players who had fallen from the sky. His expression began to twist in horror. When he saw Charlie's still form tangled in a bush, the shock on Bill's face vanished, replaced by a hysterical fury. He whipped out his wand without hesitation and pointed it at Amos. "Tell me, you bastard! What did you do to Charlie?!"

The Weasley children might have their squabbles, but when an outsider harmed a member of their family, their united front was a textbook example of solidarity.

"Don't shout, Bill Weasley," Amos said, unmoved. "Let's get them back to the castle first. I'll explain what happened in the forest to the Headmaster and the Heads of House. I have no desire to explain it twice. If you're curious, you can request to sit in."

"Stay right where you are!" Bill commanded, the tip of his wand trembling as he shouted. "Phyloia has already gone to inform Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape. Headmaster Dumbledore will be back from off-campus soon. You're not going anywhere until they arrive!"

A cold wind swept across his face, and the leaves rustled. Dawn was still some time away. A sharp, murderous intent lurked in the thick darkness, waiting for its moment.

Amos felt something and glanced towards the depths of the forest, his brow twitching. He wasn't sure what had caused that sudden, prickling sense of being watched. Considering that Acromantulas were not solitary creatures, staying here was not a good choice.

"It's not safe here, Weasley. Let's get back to the castle first," Amos repeated, his voice calm and even.

"The greatest danger here is you, Blaine! I'll say it again: stay where you are, and hand over your wand!" Bill's vigilance was on high alert. His eyes were wide, locked on Amos's wrist, his nerves stretched to the breaking point, ready to act at any moment.

Amos's brow furrowed. He looked again into the dark forest. A faint but clear sense of unease hung in the air, a lump in his throat. He was almost certain now that something was watching him.

"And I will repeat myself, Weasley," Amos's voice hardened. "It is not safe here. We are returning to the castle now!"

Bill's eyes instantly sharpened. To his ears, Amos's words were a clear signal that he was about to flee. He hesitated no longer and swung his wand down with sudden force.

FWOOSH! FWOOSH! FWOOSH!

As one of the most outstanding students at Hogwarts, Bill Weasley's combat skills were exceptional. In an incredibly short time, he had fired three dazzling jets of red light at Blaine, cutting off all avenues of escape.

However, for Amos, this was hardly a threat.

Since Bill Weasley was unwilling to leave, he would just have to be incapacitated and taken back with the others. It made no difference whether he carried five people or six. He had already revealed too much tonight; a little more wouldn't matter.

With a backhand flick of his wand, Amos deflected the Stunning Spell aimed at his chest. His wrist danced lightly as he silently cast the spell in his mind.

"Levicorpus!"

Bill's eyebrows shot up. He had finally confirmed it: this unknown Slytherin, Amos Blaine, truly possessed a level of power far beyond that of an ordinary student wizard.

"Protego!"

But Bill Weasley had his own confidence. He didn't panic at the incoming spell, quickly conjuring a defense in front of him.

CRASH!

A powerful gust of wind slammed into him. The immense magical force caused his Shield Charm to shatter on impact. Bill's previously calm and confident expression froze instantly. Before he could even register what had happened, he felt the ground vanish from beneath his feet. In the last moment, as darkness threatened to envelop his consciousness, a flash of sickening green light made his pupils constrict. The unseen watcher had finally revealed its fangs.

"Look out!"

At the very last second, Bill Weasley shouted a warning to Amos.

BOOM!

The moment the light of the Killing Curse struck the ground, a plume of emerald green fire erupted, its malevolent aura like Death itself dancing in the flames.

Amos, having rolled to dodge the curse, slowly climbed to his feet. Although he had been on guard, being ambushed by an Unforgivable Curse for the first time left a lingering fear. That single moment was the closest he had come to death since entering the wizarding world.

Around twenty. A woman.

From the hand holding the wand, visible outside the black cloak, Amos deduced the attacker's gender and approximate age.

The oppressive silence assaulted Amos's mind. The pervasive sense of danger made every cell in his body tremble. Under the dual influence of raw fear and a strange, thrilling excitement, the magic in his body surged to a fever pitch, as if it had been waiting for this very moment of life-or-death crisis.

"It doesn't matter who you are, or what your purpose is," Amos said coldly, his eyes locked on the attacker's face, which was hidden beneath her hood. "To break into Hogwarts, right under Headmaster Dumbledore's nose, and to attack an underage wizard with the most dangerous of the three Unforgivable Curses... I must admit, I'm impressed. You have a lot of daring."

The woman did not speak, merely let out a soft, contemptuous snort, as if a reply was beneath her.

"Dumbledore and the school professors will be here in five minutes at most. If you run now, you might still make it."

The wand in the woman's hand was steady, without the slightest tremor. This made Amos's heart sink. He understood that his opponent was determined to take his life.

But why?

Since entering Hogwarts, he had never offended anyone. His only connections to wizards outside the school were through selling potions via owl post. Could it be that one of his potions had killed someone, and their family had come for revenge? That was impossible. Amos was confident in his craft; such a tragedy would not have occurred.

Amos couldn't figure it out, and the attacker wasn't going to give him time to think. She knew Amos wasn't bluffing; Dumbledore and the professors were indeed on their way.

Tonight, the most perilous showdown had begun.

The green light that illuminated the forest once more was the starting horn for a race between life and death.

Amos's expression was more solemn than ever before. He raised his wand high, and like a king wielding his legendary sword, he brought it down in a sudden, sharp arc. The glowing tip of his wand was like a collapsing dam, unleashing a torrential, seemingly endless flood of magic. Under the black sky, that power coalesced into a silver river of stars, and with the force of a falling mountain, it crashed down upon the earth.

RUMBLE!

The ground shook violently. The large greenstone between them was instantly pulverized into dust. The rustling of tens of thousands of frost-covered leaves sounding at the same moment was terrifying.

When the dust settled and the light of the spell faded, a horrifying fissure, seventy or eighty feet long, had been torn into the soft earth.

This single spell was Amos's answer to the woman's Killing Curse.