Chapter 693: The Great Deception - (2) |
"Investigations indicate," said Madam Bones with a grimace, her expression unpleasant, "that Edith Pandora has never studied the Fiendfyre curse before. The American Magical Congress investigation found that she is just an ordinary wizard, most skilled in household magic."
"Could it be that Grindelwald helped her?" someone asked, thinking of the two individuals pictured together.
"That question also remains unanswered, but—" Madam Bones paused, "yes, Grindelwald did not appear immediately. He seems to have witnessed it through live television broadcast as well. Keep watching."
A tiny ant-sized team surged from the edge of the frame, accompanied by intense gunfire. Edith Pandora retaliated, but she was quickly injured, taking cover behind a gray metal canister. Voices from the special forces team shouted, but their responses were met with successive red lights, so the team methodically spread out, surrounding her from all sides.
A whirlwind of sand and stones.
Edith Pandora seemed to release an immature hurricane curse, a swirling vortex about thirty to forty feet high, centered around the gray metal canister, temporarily halting the assault. Her whereabouts were temporarily obscured from view. Suddenly, urgent voices came from near the camera, "It's military helicopters, fantastic!"
Two helicopters zoomed past them, issuing a broadcast warning for journalists to evacuate immediately, but the journalists paid no attention, "They don't even have aircraft numbers." Two armed helicopters headed straight for the target, loaded with missiles. Subsequently, two machine guns emerged from the cabin, spewing out intense fire. For a moment, everyone thought Edith Pandora was done for.
The smoke cleared, and she was unharmed, accompanied by one more person—Grindelwald. Grindelwald erected a huge shield, blocking all attacks. Instead of continuing to fight, he lowered his head and conversed with the woman.
The scene on the magical photograph coincided exactly with what was happening now.
Grindelwald shook his head slowly, showing her his palm, then looked towards the black Fiendfyre, lips moving. They seemed to reach an agreement.
The woman no longer cared about the threats from behind her, and the wand redirected the Fiendfyre. Everyone could see she had no control over this magic; she was merely accumulating flames through her resentment. This could lead to loss of control, but with Grindelwald present, they were uncertain of the outcome.
The gunfire briefly ceased due to Grindelwald's sudden appearance, then resumed. Suddenly, two flames erupted beneath the helicopters, and Grindelwald glanced back, waving his wand, causing the missiles to explode in mid-air.
Then, from the tip of his wand, tiny blue lights surged out, like liquid flames, or burning streams of water, disappearing into thin air after about a foot, seemingly transferred elsewhere. No one knew what magic Grindelwald had used.
But the people in the meeting room witnessed its effects the next moment.
Missiles were launched one after another, exploding automatically when they approached within a few hundred feet of the two, as if hitting an invisible wall—"There must be a hidden magical barrier in the air!" exclaimed Sirius excitedly.
For the next half-minute, missiles exploded around them, but none could penetrate the barrier.
Seemingly casual, Grindelwald, after ensuring that the helicopters and ground forces could not interfere with them, focused his attention on Edith Pandora. Fueled by extreme emotions, the Fiendfyre reached a climax, turning into a monstrous creature made of black flames.
These creatures inherited their master's emotions; they appeared wild and ferocious, trampling the earth in a frenzy, charging in all directions—Edith Pandora fell to the ground, watching it all with delight.
The officials at the Ministry of Magic realized that the spell was out of control.
Sure enough, the Fiendfyre monsters lunged toward the only two lives in the field, continuously attacking them but being repelled by an invisible force.
Grindelwald pulled the woman up, calmly raised his wand, and instantly gained control over the Fiendfyre. The black flames became incredibly obedient in his hands; the fire creatures were reshaped into a lump, like monstrous creatures crouching in the original position of the factory.
Then he waved his wand sharply, and a hurricane appeared out of nowhere, far more powerful than what Edith Pandora had conjured. This whirlwind seemed to connect with the clouds in the sky, and the black Fiendfyre was torn apart by the raging wind, condensing into a stream rushing towards them.
The Fiendfyre merged with the hurricane, then expanded rapidly. The helicopters in the sky quickly evaded, but the flames were not aimed at them. The entire factory was engulfed in flames, burning to the ground. Grindelwald stared at the camera amidst the sea of flames, then suddenly, the vortex of fire shrank, and the factory disappeared from the ground, along with Grindelwald and Edith Pandora.
The helicopters slowly approached, revealing a massive crater where the factory once stood.
The scene ended here. The meeting room fell into silence for a long time.
"The International Confederation of Wizards and the American Magical Congress have deployed manpower to search for the whereabouts of the two, but to no avail. They fear that this incident will lead to even greater confrontation and conflict," Madam Bones said dryly.
"Then let them go find Grindelwald," Felix said disinterestedly.
...
The laboratory fire incident caused quite a stir worldwide. Footage seen by the Ministry of Magic was analyzed frame by frame by relevant departments of various countries. It was clear that Grindelwald hadn't exerted his full power. Yet, the conclusions drawn were still chilling.
"If this magic were to appear in a city, it could destroy several dozen blocks."
Grindelwald's past exploits were no longer a secret, being reported on by journalists and media outlets one after another. Correspondingly, unbreakable vows and the Wizarding Tenets appeared openly in Muggle newspapers, sparking waves of discussion and condemnation.
Several newspapers also received 'student letters.' Two of them remained neutral, while the others heavily criticized these letters, perhaps hoping to attract protests from disgruntled wizards. Naturally, they received no further correspondence.
But these were minor matters.
After Felix selected the students who participated in the special afternoon tea, he immediately began training them. The Ministry also assigned personnel to train them in etiquette and rhetoric, teaching them what could be said and what couldn't, how to handle provocations, and so on.
The students noticed that Professor Harp seemed to have developed a new habit—he often looked up at the moon, appearing pensive. Of course, Hermione saw this as a dangerous signal.
"Professor, you're not thinking of going to the moon again, are you?"
"Miss Granger, do you think there are traces of ancient wizards on the moon?"
"Well, it's highly unlikely, isn't it? If ancient wizards really did live on the moon, they would surely have left behind some architectural remnants, which would have been discovered by modern telescopes..."
"What if they used magic to conceal their presence?"
"Professor, that's just speculation!"
"Alright, actually I saw it in an ancient document..."
"Professor, your tone is odd. What's the name of the document? Can I see it?"
"...Nope, no peeking. You'll believe me when I bring back a few antiques from the moon one day."
Felix was preparing to tell a monumental lie—or perhaps more than one.
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