A certain Hogwarts professor of runes

Chapter 166 Releasing Water

Felix kept pondering the origins of the attackers.

He suddenly remembered the information from the dark wizard Aladdin: "It is said that the attackers were very arrogant; they warned the woman and left behind a bloodstained badge."

"What badge?"

"Iphamoni Magic School"

……

Was that badge really a warning? Or was it lost by accident?

At this moment, the attackers' four formations were scattered and broken, with only five or six people still able to get up. The front team was reduced to just one lucky little wizard.

But the short man didn't accept this luck at all; he would rather have passed out, because the devilish figure was less than two meters away from him, calmly watching him.

Felix walked slowly and steadily toward the short wizard in front of him, trying to alleviate the dizziness caused by the twenty or so Apparitions in succession. But to others, his steps seemed leisurely, and his gaze, though seemingly gentle, was like that of a dragon unleashed from its restraints, with ferocious spikes protruding from its body.

The air seemed to freeze. The surviving attackers struggling to their feet, the young Auror with a face full of grief and indignation, the Celeste trying to remain calm, and the man with a weathered face all seemed to have been put on pause.

The short man's eyes were filled with fear. He instinctively turned to run away, but was tripped by his unconscious companion. His forehead hit the gravel, and blood slowly seeped out.

When he got up from the ground, Felix was already standing in front of him.

"Let me see who you really are."

He reached out a hand and grabbed at the mask.

To the little wizard, the outstretched hand seemed to possess a magical power, rendering him completely immobile. He desperately told himself to run, but ultimately, he remained as still as a cold stone statue, his spirits plummeting. His lips trembled—

"don't want……"

"don't want!"

Two voices overlapped, the other one surprisingly coming from Noel Celeste, her grey eyes reflecting a panic that shouldn't have been there.

But Felix didn't stop; he decisively removed his mask.

For a moment, Felix froze, his hand holding the mask hanging in mid-air.

He assumed the person behind the mask was a witch, not only because of her short stature but also because of her shrill voice, all of which led him to believe she was female.

But beneath the mask was the blood-stained face of an excessively young boy—no more than fifteen or sixteen years old, and perhaps even younger than Percy Weasley.

The short man stared blankly at him, whose expression suddenly became inscrutable and hard to fathom.

He mustered his courage, snatched the mask, and stumbled backward.

Felix stayed put and did not give chase.

"Thump thump thump!"

A dozen or so black-robed wizards rushed into the hall, one of them shouting excitedly, "The person has been rescued! We can leave now! Has that old witch Celeste been caught?"

But the situation on the field was different from what he had expected. The newcomers were stunned. Their gazes fell on Felix, who had just put down his wand—with him at the center, and a dozen or so of his companions lying around him.

Less than a third of the people were awake, and some of them had just been awakened by magic, their faces showing a blank expression.

"Run!" the short wizard said in a hoarse voice.

"What?"

"Run!"

But the leader of the wizards didn't want to abandon these people, so he raised his wand, and the others chose to follow him.

A dozen red beams of light shot towards Felix. These newcomers were clearly elites; their scorching incantations were like lasers, but they were all blocked in front of Felix, with a ring-shaped barrier appearing and disappearing.

Exquisite lines of silver and gold intertwined continuously traced patterns in the air, and as the spell cast upon it grew stronger, its form became increasingly clear—

It was an enlarged half-body suit of armor, indistinct and flickering with magical flames.

The armor made of Ironclad Charms enveloped him completely, making him utterly immune to the attacks.

The black-robed wizards launched their attacks in vain time and time again, but their spirits inevitably sank into despair.

"Leave here before I change my mind," Felix said.

After a brief silence, the attackers—

"He...he's trapped by his own magic! Quickly, take the unconscious person away!"

The leading wizard made up some random reasons, saying that whatever the reason, this powerful enemy seemed to have no intention of attacking.

The others realized what was happening and used levitation and polymorph spells to drag their unconscious companion away, quickly evacuating the dangerous place.

During that brief yet seemingly endless minute, no one spoke. Celeste, the weathered-faced wizard, the French Ministry of Magic Aurors, and even the Muggle research experts all remained unusually silent, tacitly acquiescing to Felix's actions.

Felix's gaze fell on the last few people, who kept looking back at him as they ran, their eyes full of inquiry.

"Stop looking, let's go!" said a black-robed wizard.

The attackers left, leaving behind a hotel in ruins.

……

The three or five Muggle experts on the field looked around blankly, as if they were having a strange and bizarre dream.

From a calm and uneventful meeting to an unexpected attack, and then to a powerful young man jumping out and ending the battle in less than thirty seconds, isn't this just a dream?

Felix went to Maxwell's side and carefully examined his condition—he was unconscious and his face was covered with a dense rash of small bumps.

"This... gentleman? Is he alright?" the young Auror asked cautiously.

"It's not a big problem. I was hit by too many stun spells, plus a curse that was mixed in with it," Felix said, somewhat speechless. The curse seemed to be mocking everyone present.

Celeste emerged, her hair disheveled and covered in dust, accompanied by a weathered-looking wizard.

"You..." she hesitated before speaking.

"What exactly is the attacker's identity?" Felix asked bluntly, though he already had a guess.

"I don't know, maybe it's remnants of the Purge, or Grindelwald's admirers," Celeste said.

“I think you’re fooling me, Ms. Celeste.” Felix stepped forward, the silver light in his eyes completely obscuring his original light blue pupils. “Look me in the eyes.”

Her expression froze, and images flashed through her mind—

"Secret intelligence indicates that minors have joined the Reformation Society, further dividing our magical society, all because of those damned laws!"

"Cecil, we cannot back down. Taking one step back means taking ten steps, or even a hundred steps back."

"But Muggle-born wizards are also part of us, and the laws we make are hurting them! Since 1965, more and more people have felt cheated, Celeste, and this patience has reached its limit, which is why the Reformation Society was born, an organization that shames everyone. Our gentlemen of Congress sit on a giant magical firework, sipping their red wine with smug satisfaction."

"...The parliamentary families will not support this."

"So you're going to cover it up, Celeste? We're the legislature; we're responsible for the laws governing the American wizarding world!"

"Then what am I supposed to say, esteemed members of Congress, that because of our utterly foolish laws, Iphamony's students and graduates have conspired to form the Reform Society, preparing to rebel against the Magical Congress of the United States?"

"I must remind you, Celeste, that's a fact."

"I can't act like a fool in front of the congressmen... At the very least, I need to get a list."

"What are you planning to do?"

"...Patience, Cecil. Wait until summer vacation, set up a seemingly harmless trap with a sweet bait. Once you catch one or two people, you can draw out a string of names."

"Celeste, you yourself are excellent bait; they've set their sights on you."

"Thank you, Cecil."

I wasn't praising you!

"Cecil, remember to have the New York Ghost News release the news later..."

(End of this chapter)