The Pacifist Necromancer of Hogwarts

Chapter 374 The Hall
"Furious" was an understatement to describe Sirius Black's expression. A chilling rage covered his face, his eyes burning with a fierce intensity. His wand flew high above his head, whistling through the air as spells rained down. August, squinting in disarray, hastily deflected the spells. Various colored spells, illuminated by the blue candlelight, crashed against the walls, flying and exploding in a deafening roar. Harry, standing behind August, hurled at him not only spells from the "Standard Spellbook" but also a considerable number of spells not found in textbooks but widely known among students.

“Come here, Harry!” Sirius called out.

As if reminded, August turned to the side, his wand pointing at Harry—Sirius and Anthony's spells flew at the same time (along with Harry's petrification spell), hitting his armor charm with several loud bangs, and August was also shaken and staggered a couple of steps.

"Armor!" Anthony pointed his wand at Harry. "Harry Potter's wizard robes, come flying!"

As if pulled by an invisible thread, Harry floated low to the ground and then whooshed toward them, clattering against the candles along the way.

August immediately shouted, "Harry Potter's—" but his spell was interrupted by Sirius's attack, "Obstacles! Black's wizard robes, come flying!"

Sirius Black remained unmoved, coldly laughing as he flicked his wand, unleashing more spells at him before quickly glancing to the side: "Shattered to pieces—are you alright, Harry?"

"It's nothing." Harry climbed out of Anthony's wizarding robes. "What are you doing here?"

“Dobby brought us here,” said Sirius. “We’ll talk later. Let’s go!”

He pulled Anthony to his feet (the makeshift body was still not fully repaired) and slowly backed away. Harry followed them a few steps back, then suddenly shouted, "No! He has the Philosopher's Stone! Voldemort is going to—"

Before he could finish speaking, a flurry of footsteps sounded behind them. Then came a chorus of voices: "What's going on?" "What exploded?" "Was it the Time Hall?" "Are there new recruits in the Death Hall?" "Which experiment didn't leave anyone behind—"

Anthony turned his head. The doors of the Department of Mysteries were wide open, and a group of male and female witches stood in the doorway, their heads adorned with ribbons, some holding cups and refreshments, all staring at them in astonishment.

"...Who are you?" the leading witch asked tremblingly.

"Sirius Black!" another person exclaimed after Sirius looked at them.

Immediately afterwards, two more names were called out simultaneously: "Harry Potter!" "Lukewood! August Lukewood!"

August lowered his head slightly, his voice echoing in the hall: "It's quite remarkable that you recognized me, old friend."

The wizard who called out his name gasped and shrank back: "I...uh...I'm glad...well, you haven't changed too much..."

"Not much changed?" August sneered. "After you sent me to Azkaban, what a miserable life I had... was torn to shreds!"

His spell was aimed at the somewhat distracted Sirius. Anthony quickly tugged at his companion, dodging the incoming spell. A gasp rippled through the crowd of wizards gathered at the doorway, who frantically reached for their wands.

August laughed heartily, raised his wand and waved it a few times: "Time to go home!"

As if given a shove, he burst out of the candlelit room, darting past Sirius, who had just regained his footing. The door slammed shut behind him. Then he glided swiftly across the blue-lit foyer, past the unsuspecting group of wizards, and leaped into the corridor. Harry gave chase without hesitation, Sirius close behind, while Anthony followed behind, his arm hunched—his arm seemed to have dislocated when he pulled Sirius, and he was now somewhat weak.

He had just run into the corridor when he heard the elevator clattering. Sirius was arguing with Harry: "No, let me go!" "Enough, Harry! Back to Hogwarts!" "No, someone has to stop him—" "Someone will stop him, but not you!" "Then who? You?" "Yes, me! Or someone else, an Auror! This is the Ministry of Magic, Harry, there are adults all around here, some problems are left for them to solve—" "Voldemort is here too!"

The corridor was silent. The wizards who had rushed out to see what was happening stood frozen in shock at the doorway. Anthony slowly walked over and saw Sirius's face was ashen, his chest heaving violently.

"You're afraid of his name too?" Harry asked fiercely. "Then at least find an adult who isn't afraid of him."

Sirius's voice seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth: "You know he's here?"

"what?"

With a whoosh, another elevator stopped in front of them and opened its doors. Harry, Sirius, and Anthony hurriedly jumped into the elevator. Sirius, pressing buttons as he did so, gripped Harry's arm: "You knew Voldemort was here, and then you just came here yourself? Didn't you think of any other way? Anything—tell me, tell Minerva, tell Dumbledore—"

“I tried them all!” Harry said angrily. Ding, the door opened in the hall.

“Take Harry back to Hogwarts, Henry.” Sirius Black put Harry’s arm in Anthony’s hand. “I’ll go later.”

“No!” Harry refused outright, but Sirius pushed him out of the elevator.

"See you at Hogwarts."

“I said no too,” Anthony said, pulling Harry back. “Which floor, Potter?”

“First floor,” Harry said immediately.

"Which floor is the Auror on? Scrimgeour's office is on the second floor..."

"Henry!" Sirius said angrily and incredulously, reaching out to stop the door from closing, while glaring at the wizards who were squeezing into the elevator. The group stared at his hand blocking the door, one of them took out his pocket watch, glanced at the time, grumbled, and jumped out of the elevator. The others followed suit, crowding onto another elevator that had just stopped in the hall.

“Do you know what the best solution is right now?” Anthony turned to Sirius. “You take Mr. Potter back to Hogwarts and inform Professor Dumbledore to inform the Ministry of Magic, while I go downstairs to check the situation.” He stopped Sirius before he could speak. “But you won’t agree, for whatever reason. And my personal experience—no offense—is that Voldemort can kill you in a one-on-one duel. As for Mr. Potter, he obviously won’t go back to Hogwarts on his own. So let’s skip this debate and just assume we all compromise, then inform those who need to know as soon as possible, while trying to stop that Death Eater and get—what is it, Potter?”

Just then, the same employees from the Mysterious Affairs Department they had seen before surged out of another elevator, pushing aside the people waiting for it, and ran to a purple vase with gold patterns, smashing it to pieces. Instantly, alarms blared throughout the hall.

“The Azkaban fugitives are in the Ministry of Magic!” one of the wizards shouted.

The female voice above Anthony's head spoke in a cold tone: "Warning, an escaped prisoner from Azkaban has appeared in the Ministry of Magic. Please evacuate using the Floo Network and Apparate. Wizards in areas where Apparate is prohibited, please proceed to the nearest staircase or elevator. The Ministry of Magic wishes you a pleasant day. Warning, an escaped prisoner from Azkaban..."

Sirius Black had lowered his hand, but the elevator doors remained open, the alarm blaring repeatedly. Opposite them, empty elevators swooped down, heading to the lower levels restricted by the Anti-Apparition Charm. The hall was filled with the sounds of air crackling and panicked voices; green flames leaped high in the fireplace, and green light flickered on the golden doorframes.

In less than half a minute, the hall was empty. Harry pressed the "close door" button repeatedly, but there was no response. Anthony could see the fountain in the foyer beyond the main entrance, and several shadows beside it—Dobby was curled up at his master's legs, constantly tugging at his ears. Lucius Malfoy seemed to be having a pleasant conversation with a strange, brown-haired wizard, their hands clasped together— "Malfoy!" Harry called out, "He's here to help August!"

Malfoy withdrew his hand, tapped Dobby's back with his cane, and seemed to be preparing to leave—

"A compound decoction!" Sirius immediately realized. "That one next to it—it'll pulverize you!"

Anthony rushed out of the elevator as well: "Obstacles everywhere!"

The spell struck Malfoy, sending him flying backward and nearly plunging into the fountain. The brown-haired wizard, dressed in ill-fitting robes, brandished his wand and began to fight Sirius. Several members of the Department of Mysteries tried to help, but were repelled by Malfoy's spells. Antony continuously cast the Armor Charm on them. The alarms continued to blare above their heads.

"Who remembers the spell for the Freezing Curse!" a witch shouted. "Not the one from the Hall of Fear or the Hall of the Brain!"

"Clear water...as clear as a spring?"

"Definitely not! What about the petrification spell? The most normal one?"

Sirius shouted, "Petrify them all!"

“That’s right!” the wizard who asked the question said excitedly, raising his wand. “Petrify them all!” The spell landed on the floor, not even near Malfoy or anyone else.

"Heart-piercing Bone-splitting!" the brown-haired wizard shouted. "Shattered to pieces! Thunderous explosion! Heart-piercing Bone-splitting! Collapsed unconscious!"

He struck one of the wizards, and the others quickly dragged their unconscious colleague aside.

Sirius said impatiently, "You're no help! Get out of here!"

“He’s right,” one of them said decisively, pulling the others along as they carried the wizard, who was under a stun spell, away from FlooNet.

They had barely disappeared into the fireplace when several dark figures reappeared in the hall amidst crackling sounds.

“Bellatrix,” Sirius stared at the dark-haired woman, “doing well in Azkaban, huh?”

“Very good, dear cousin. I’m very proud,” Bellatrix replied.

Then, without warning, spells shot from both of their wands. The next moment, they began to duel. Sirius Black taunted, "Focus! You were much better before!" Bellatrix shouted, "Notify Master! Potter is here!"

Several wizards who had come with her rolled up their sleeves. Anthony's petrification spell struck one of them, but some of the others had already pressed down on their tattoos.

"Stand still, dead!" Harry shouted, the spell flying across the hall and striking a Death Eater who had just regained his footing from Apparition. The man hopped comically a few times before collapsing to the ground.

"Beautiful!" Sirius exclaimed.

Bellatrix turned and sneered, "Hit by baby Harry? You're even more useless than I thought!" She flicked her wand, deflecting Sirius's spell without even looking at him, then turned back to mock him, "Don't you have any decent spells? Or have you forgotten how to use a wand?"

“Don’t get entangled with him, Bella!” Lucius Malfoy said. “We should get the Philosopher’s Stone—”

Anthony and Harry unleashed their spells at him simultaneously. Malfoy waved his wand, deflecting them. The Explosion Charm detonated against the fountain's wall, flooding the area. A Death Eater charging towards them slipped and fell hard, grabbing the brown-haired wizard's robes and tumbling down with him. Anthony cast the Armor Charm on Harry, and as he looked up, he saw the brown-haired wizard crash into the fountain's sculpture—a golden, water-filled sculpture with the sculptor's elf's ear tips. He cried out in pain, and Malfoy used the Levitate Charm to lift him from the fountain and slam him to the ground.

Bellatrix's spell collided with Sirius's, producing a deafening sound.

"Fine!" she shouted amidst the sirens and the sounds of fighting, "Give me the Philosopher's Stone!"

“The Philosopher’s Stone?” Anthony said in surprise. “But Mr. Flamel said he had the only Philosopher’s Stone. Does the Ministry of Magic also have a Philosopher’s Stone?”

“It’s just a half-successful imitation,” someone answered him. Anthony turned around and saw a handsome boy walking through the golden doors, wearing Hogwarts robes.

Harry yelled and covered his forehead in pain.

"Harry, Harry!" Sirius cried anxiously, hugging Harry tightly. "What's wrong?" For some reason, Bellatrix didn't seize the opportunity to attack him. Instead, she stood silently in place with a cruel and fanatical expression. Malfoy still held his wand, facing off against Anthony.

The boy's gaze first fell on Harry's face, staring intently for a while, before turning to Anthony and smiling slightly at him: "Professor Anthony."

"Which college are you from?" Anthony asked. "Never mind, let's leave first. Did you pass the Apparition exam?"

The other person didn't answer his question, but just looked him over with great interest. Anthony urged, "Let's leave quickly, it's not safe here."

“Uh…” Harry groaned.

The boy shifted his gaze from Anthony's face, glanced at Harry, and then turned to the brown-haired wizard on the ground: "August, what do you think? Should I leave?"

The brown-haired wizard barely opened his eyes: "As you command, master."

“Oh,” said Anthony, taking a few seconds to process it. “Oh, Voldemort. You look much better than the last time we met.”

(End of this chapter)