Hogwarts: Voldemort, don't stop me from studying

Chapter 946 Phoenix Arrives
The ball of light expanded rapidly in the air, and then suddenly exploded amidst the horrified screams of the crowd!

There was no deafening roar, only a silent yet dazzling golden burst of light!
Countless fine, dangerous time particles, like dandelions scattered by a gale, or like a golden rainstorm flowing against the current, sprayed down on the crowd gathered below, covering everything in their path!

"Do not--!"

"Get out of the way!"

"Armor protection!"

Exclamations, screams, and hastily cast protective spells erupted in an instant!

The judges, who had been orderly and imposing just moments before, were instantly plunged into indescribable chaos and panic! Everyone was desperately dodging and defending themselves, terrified of being touched by even a speck of golden dust!
However, at this moment, everyone realized that even defensive magic like the Ironclad Spell had no effect on the golden powder; on the contrary, it seemed to have attracted the interest of this thing.

Only wind, or airflow, and pure physical defense can stop these things.

Fontana waved his wand, and a whirlwind swirled around him and Lyra. He looked up at the golden waterfall, and a glimmer of light finally appeared in his usually solemn gaze.

Just then, Fontana heard Leila's voice:

"Don't let him escape in the chaos, sir."

"Don't worry, he can't get away."

Fontana said calmly, then spread his arms and, like a symphony conductor, gave a large, forceful swing—

Countless fine golden rays of light were forcibly drawn away and gathered from all directions—from the side of panicked faces, from the tips of fluttering hair, from the tips of waving wands, and even from the dust about to touch the ground!
Like rivers flowing into the sea, the light dust surged wildly toward Fontana, eventually coalescing at the tip of his wand to form a fist-sized ball of light once more.

The chaotic scene fell silent once more as everyone looked at the small ball of light, their expressions a mixture of fear and trepidation, but also greed and longing.

At that moment, they all seemed to understand Perez's madness.

Time magic is indeed...something to be incredibly longed for.

Amidst the strange surge of emotions, some noises were subconsciously ignored by the group—the intermittent sobs coming from their companions.

In the flow of light, not many people are able to protect themselves in time with the correct response.

Most of these wizards were high-ranking, pampered individuals. They came only to cheer for Lyra and to witness Hawthorne's downfall, satisfying their hidden malice.

Unexpectedly, even with Fontana and several elite Aurors present, they still had to face this indiscriminate attack.

Fortunately, not much light dust fell on them, and no one swallowed as much as Perez, so the changes that occurred to them were not drastic.

Some people simply become a little slower, while others feel as if they have become younger, with fewer wrinkles on their faces.

But some unfortunate individuals find it hard to accept sudden aging and can't help but cry and curse.

The murmurs were very muffled, and it was unclear whether they were cursing Hawthorne for refusing to surrender or Fontana for not acting in time.

……

As the crowd descended into chaos, Hawthorne had already dashed out. After running more than ten meters, he finally felt that the force that had hindered Apparition had disappeared!
Don't miss out!

As Fontana condensed the sphere of light, Hawthorne, without hesitation, grabbed the baby and spun around in place—

"Crack!"

Space suddenly distorted and compressed!
Just as his figure disappeared, a sharp stun spell struck the spot where he had just stood, but it only created a mud pit and stirred up a cloud of dust, proving futile.

"No--!!"

Rex Grimm, still unable to get up, brandished his wand and shouted, "He's escaped! Nicklo Hawthorne, he Apparated!"

The people who had been staring blankly at the orb of light were startled awake and were astonished to find that Hawthorne was indeed gone, and the noise resumed.

A pure-blooded nobleman in the crowd immediately turned to Fontana, his face full of frustration and anger, and shouted almost accusingly:
“Principal Fontana! Why did you let him escape?! You could have…” Fontana lowered his eyes and stared at him, saying, “Oh… I’ll go stop Hawthorne, and you catch this thing?”

As the orb of light floated forward, the pure-blooded nobleman's face lit up with joy and uncontrollable greed. He had just taken a step forward when he saw the light on it suddenly intensify several times, flickering as if it were about to explode!

He was so frightened that he backed away repeatedly, saying in a panic:
"No, no, no... I can't catch it, you should take it... I'm sorry, I was too hasty! Even if that Hawthorne guy ran away..."

Before he finished speaking——

"boom--!"

Not far away, on an open space about seven or eight meters away, a dull sound came from the space as if it had been violently torn apart!

Hawthorne, who had just apparated and should have escaped, stumbled and fell out of the distorted air!
He knelt on one knee, his face pale, and upon seeing the crowd, a deep despair appeared on his face.

The baby in his arms was clearly unable to withstand the intense discomfort of apparition and began to cry loudly, the innocent cries sounding particularly mournful in the night.

Lyra's eyes lit up instantly, and her people around her reacted quickly, raising their wands again and surrounding her.

Serafina rushed forward, blocking Hawthorne and the baby, and said sternly:

"Anyone who wants to harm them will have to step over my dead body!"

"Get out of my way, Serafina!" Lyra's expression hardened. "Or don't blame me for taking you down with me—"

“Then try killing me!” Serafina’s wand tip glowed. “Otherwise, I will never let you go!”

"Auntie—Layla—"

Stella, who had somehow run over from the manor, happened to see the two looking like they were about to kill each other, and cried out:

"Stop! What are you trying to do? We all share the same blood! Why did it have to turn out like this?!"

“Go back, Stella!” Serafina shouted. “This is not a place for you!”

"Put Ezra down, Nicolo!" Fontana ignored Piqueli and the others, speaking directly to Hawthorne: "Do you want to kill him? He's already suffered too much, and it's all because of you! For Ezra's safety, hand him over to me. I can make sure he doesn't get hurt again!"

However, Hawthorne held the crying baby tightly in his arms, his grip not loosening at all.

He slowly stood up, his body trembling from the pain, but his eyes, like tempered iron, swept over the faces around him.

He could no longer easily trust anyone—whether it was the once respected headmaster, the aggressive political enemy, or Serafina, who was trying to protect them.

Trust, along with his position and honor, has been utterly crushed tonight.

Reincarnating as a baby was his last responsibility, and his only remaining commitment that he could never relinquish.

When Lyra saw his gaze, she shuddered and suddenly unleashed a spell that abruptly knocked down Serafina, who was distracted by Stella.

Without further hesitation, she ordered sharply, "Seize him, and kill him if necessary! Are you going to wait until he tries to kill us again before you make a decision?"

Without hesitation, everyone raised their wands, and the sound of incantations echoed from all directions; Hawthorne gripped his wand tightly, ready for a desperate fight!
Even if he were to die, he would take Layla with him!

At this critical moment——

"call--!!!"

The night sky seemed to be cleaved open by a dark blue lightning bolt!

But that wasn't lightning, it was fire!

A massive, magnificent, yet incredibly fierce, dark blue flame, like a phoenix spreading its wings, plunged down from the sky without warning, its speed exceeding the reach of sight!

It dragged its long, burning tail feathers and, with an aura of destruction that could burn everything, crashed into the densest part of the crowd surrounding Hawthorne!
(End of this chapter)