Hogwarts: Harry Returns from Azeroth

Chapter 238, Section 237: Harry! Join the battle!
Truly powerful creatures do not need to adapt to their environment; the areas they set foot in will be transformed into a form that makes them feel comfortable.

If any Hogwarts students or teachers were to go to the underground classrooms of the castle at this moment, they would be astonished to find that these classrooms, which they had long been familiar with, had been transformed into something completely unrecognizable—a den of iniquity.

The stone floor was corroded and pitted, and occasionally puddles of yellowish-green pus could be seen. Huge white spider webs stretched from the ceiling to the outside of the corridor, and every now and then, small spider-like spider demons would crawl across the webs.

One after another, densely packed spider eggs were piled on the ground, and these eggs were still jumping from time to time, as if new monsters might rush out at any moment.

For fel-elemental demons, whose very being has bloodshed and destruction ingrained in their very being, dealing with war and launching wars in a short period of time has become almost instinctive.

They were carrying out their invasion of the other world in a very methodical manner. This spider demon clan was very skilled at it, and adult spider demons would occasionally come to this world through the portal burning with fel energy. Some of them were in half-human, half-spider form, while others were humanoid with bone wings.

The mere existence of demons in this world is enough to spread the pollution of fel energy, making the air stink and the land rotten. It is precisely because of this that the elemental life forms that have become active in the Hogwarts area have taken immediate action to retaliate. They cannot tolerate their territory being corrupted into this state.

For the resurrected elements, this is also a war, and they are willing to fight alongside humanity.

When Harry saw the castle's outline in the distance, he immediately recognized what was going on—he had seen the same scene far too many times.

"Fel energy?! The demons have arrived?!"

Even though he was mentally prepared for the appearance of demons, Harry's heart still felt heavy when Dumbledore mysteriously disappeared and demons attacked Hogwarts. This meant that the current chaotic situation in the world was very likely being manipulated by demons, and that the intensity of the battle would escalate, even to the point that he might be defeated and killed.

But there was no time to grieve over such a thing; Harry drew his warhammer and raised his arm, shouting—"For Hogwarts! Charge with me!!!"

"For Hogwarts!!"

Responding loudly, behind Harry were Fudge and a group of Aurors and strikers from the Ministry of Magic. He had originally intended to go directly to Hogwarts through the Floo Network tunnel between the Ministry of Magic and the Headmaster's office, but he did not expect that no matter how the Floo Network Management staff operated, the Floo Network, which should have been unobstructed, could not be connected.

Therefore, Harry and Fudge had to Apparate to Hogsmeade first, and then run from Hogsmeade to Hogwarts.

Demons surging outwards from the bottom of the castle have taken over the dining hall and the castle gates, while the defenders, led by Professor McGonagall, have retreated to the astronomy tower. Some spider demons have even broken out of the castle and are rushing towards the Great Totem and the Forbidden Forest.

For a demonic race like the Spider Demons, as long as they lay their eggs in unfamiliar lands, the war will be in the making.

If it weren't for the continuous stream of elemental spirits spontaneously responding to the call and rushing out of the Forbidden Forest and Black Lake to provide support, and engaging the spider demons in battle on the open ground outside the castle, things would probably have deteriorated into an irreversible situation before the Ministry of Magic's personnel arrived.

Earth elementals surged across the land, embodying the very essence of the earth. The ever-churning earth buried the spider demons among the rocks and soil, or hammered the Arannas warriors into a bloody pulp with its hard fists.

"Merlin's underwear! What kind of monster is this?!"

Fudge wasn't the only one to exclaim in surprise. For many strikers and Aurors, living in a world where humans were the dominant race, it was unimaginable that they would ever have to fight such monsters—not some dark wizard or smuggler, but—creatures that seemed like demons from myths and legends.

"Stay calm! These demons are not invincible!" Charging to the front lines, Harry smashed the head of an Arannas spider demon with his warhammer and shouted, "Attack them with every spell you can think of that is the most lethal! Ordinary wizarding magic won't do them a fatal blow! Minister Fudge!!"

Harry called out a reminder.

“I know!” Fudge gritted his teeth and said, “In the name of the Minister of Magic, I declare a state of emergency—all Auror strikers are to be released from the Unforgivable Curse! Defend Hogwarts!!”

To be honest, Fudge's voice was already trembling with tears. He regretted coming along and regretted not making up his mind to quit his job and run away a couple of days ago—now it was all too late.

However, unlike Fudge, who looked like he was about to die, Rufus Scrimgeour, the head of the Auror office, was much braver than his minister. He even followed Harry to the front line, constantly directing the Aurors.

These Aurors did not back down in fear. After Fudge ordered the restrictions to be lifted, many of them pulled out spells that were clearly dark magic.

During the war waged by Voldemort twelve years ago, in order to fight against the cruel and ruthless Death Eaters, Aurors were allowed to act less strictly according to the law. Even the three Unforgivable Curses could be forgiven, provided that they could later prove that the targets they attacked had a criminal record or were well-known Death Eaters.

Now, they have been freed from the ban once again, but this time the target is not a wizard like themselves, but a legendary demon.

Without further hesitation, Harry knew his saved power should be used in this situation. He threw his suitcase to the ground and kicked it away, shouting, "Come out, Angry Horn!!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a chill emanated from the open trunk Harry had just opened, and to the astonishment of the Aurors, a massive, icy blue creature suddenly burst forth from the seemingly narrow opening!
To be honest, thanks to a certain Magical Creatures Master who always manages to accidentally unleash all sorts of magical creatures, the Ministry of Magic's staff are quite familiar with this situation, but even so—

"That's—a dragon?!"

Auror couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"What kind of dragon is that?!"

"I've never seen a dragon like this before!!"

"My God! It's so beautiful!!" It really is beautiful. The angry horn that had burst out of the world of suitcases once again felt the air of true nature. The bright sunlight in the sky shone on her ice-blue body, reflecting magnificent colors. She roared and then swooped down from the sky!

Open your mouth! Dragon's breath!!

It was not the scorching flames of an ordinary fire dragon, but a pale breath that fell like a silver river—bringing cold and low temperatures!
Frost Breath!!
Such a massive summoned beast—no, a gigantic creature—is extremely dominant on the battlefield. Angry Horn didn't care about the elements still fighting, since they were all elements and wouldn't die anyway. Therefore, her breath directly covered the Arannas Spider Demon and the elements.

In an instant, the spider demons were frozen into crystalline ice sculptures, which shattered into pieces of ice as the elements attacked.

With just one breath, she had completely wiped out all the demons in front of the castle gate. Angry Horn flapped her wings and flew in the sky, roaring loudly, satisfied with the results of her attack.

"That's a dragon, isn't it, Professor Potter?" After shattering the frozen demon sculpture with a Stunning Charm, Scrimgeour approached Harry and said, "Why did a dragon crawl out of your trunk?"

As the minister of Oro's office, a powerful figure who is usually responsible for arresting smugglers, poachers, and other lawbreakers, Scrimgeour's expression was somewhat complicated at this moment.

“Of course not,” Harry said without changing his expression. “Angry Horn is an elemental creature. As you can see, her body is made of ice crystals. She just looks somewhat like a dragon... There are no dragons like that in the wizarding world right now, are there? So she is not a dragon.”

“…You’re not the first person to say that, Professor Potter,” Scrimgeour said expressionlessly. “Another troublemaker always says that too…but never mind.”

"Don't scatter! Attack as a team!" Scrimgeour didn't even glance at Fudge, who was gradually pulling everyone in front of him, but instead asked Harry directly, "Professor, you seem to know a lot about these monsters?"

At such a critical moment, Scrimgeour would not choose to dwell on something insignificant—well, at least not affecting the overall situation, and even having a positive effect.

At least Ragehorn is currently wreaking havoc among the demons.

“I know that much, but it’s not convenient to go into details right now. We need to hurry and support Professor McGonagall,” Harry said seriously. “Your Aurors are very capable.”

Harry had witnessed several times how these Aurors would take advantage of the demons' battles with the elements to launch surprise attacks with dark magic and kill the demons. Compared to ordinary wizards, these Aurors were quite powerful in combat.

“Moody taught us a lot,” Scrinkler said with a smile on his lion-like face. Without saying much, he continued, “Since you know so much about this, Professor Potter, what do you think we should do next?”

If it were an ordinary wizard, Scrimgeour wouldn't have been so polite, much less obey his orders during such a tense time of war, but Professor Potter—he was truly a special case.

All his achievements to date, as well as the way he had just charged ahead of everyone and smashed a demon's head to pieces with a warhammer, deeply impressed these Aurors, and also impressed Scrimgeour—at least he felt that he could not have done the same thing at the same age.

Whether it's magical skill or this courage.

Leave the professional matters to the professionals. Since Professor Potter knows about these demons, let's just follow his orders.

“The Element told me that Professor McGonagall and the others are working hard in the Astronomy Tower. You should remember how to get there, right?” Harry asked.

“Of course, I will never forget Hogwarts,” Scrimgeour replied.

“Very good. Then you take the Aurors to support Professor McGonagall. Leave the battle outside the castle to the Elementals. This open space is more suitable for them to perform. We must take Hogwarts back,” Harry said seriously. “Don’t worry about the loss of the castle. As long as we are alive, the castle can be rebuilt.”

“I understand. And what about you, Professor Potter?” Scrimgeour asked.

“I have to go to the Headmaster’s office,” Harry said gravely. “I don’t know why the Headmaster’s office is disconnected from the Floo Network. Dumbledore left something very important there, and I have to go see it. The appearance of demons at Hogwarts is definitely a premeditated attack. Someone in the castle must have guided the demons’ arrival, otherwise they wouldn’t have been able to enter this world.”

“I understand,” Scrimgeour gave Harry a deep look. “Be careful, Professor Potter.”

Not one to mince words, Scrimgeour, having received the exact directions, decisively led the Aurors toward the Astronomical Tower.

The open space outside the castle had been completely cleared by Angry Horn and other elements, but demons were still pouring out of the castle in an endless stream.

Completely unstoppable, this Frost Incarnation Dragon (Elemental Ascension Version) has had its bloodthirsty instincts fully unleashed, and it craves more opportunities to unleash its power.

After receiving Harry's permission, Wrathhorn flapped its wings and soared over the perimeter of Hogwarts, constantly breathing frost on the demons that rushed out of the castle and those exposed in the corridors and courtyards.

Seeing that the situation was initially under control, at least the demons' offensive had not broken out of Hogwarts and reached nearby Hogsmeade, nor had it polluted the Forbidden Forest, Harry breathed a sigh of relief—he was really afraid that Hogwarts was gone, that the demons had completely occupied the castle, and used fel magic to corrupt and strengthen it as a bridgehead for their invasion of the world.

After communicating with the elementals, Harry quickly rushed into the castle and took a completely different path from the Aurors, heading towards the headmaster's office on the eighth floor.

The area Harry passed through was completely overrun by demons. Everywhere he looked, there were steel or rock armor destroyed by fel energy, and demon corpses were everywhere—well, even more common than demon corpses were demons themselves.

(End of this chapter)