Ancient Wizards Return to Hogwarts...

Chapter 165 Vulcan Domain

The flames engulfed Dumbledore, and the terrifying temperature could be felt even from several meters away, distorting the very air. But Dumbledore, at the very center of the flames, felt no discomfort whatsoever. On the contrary, he felt warm all over, and the chill that had settled on his wizard robes from the rain was completely dispelled.

The dry, comfortable, and snug-fitting wizard robe clung to his skin, making him feel exceptionally comfortable.

Unlike last time in the office, today Dumbledore, in the open outdoors, could freely expand his territory without restraint.

With a whoosh, the fireball expanded dozens of times in size, engulfing the nearest ball of flesh.

The next moment, the ball of flesh burst into flames, emitting a pungent stench.

Dumbledore watched everything unfold before him expressionlessly, intently experiencing the new magic he had just grasped.

This spell was unlike any spell he had ever learned before. Previous spells, once cast, had little connection to the caster; even if they could still be controlled, the separation between the caster and the spell was always very clear. But this new spell seemed to have transformed him into the spell itself.

Dumbledore's intuition told him that visually he was still the old man at the center of the fireball, but in reality, he was the fire itself. The body at the center of the fireball, like a peanut vine, looked conspicuous, but was only a small part of the whole system.

In his entire life of a hundred years, Dumbledore had never seen such a wondrous spell, nor did he know its name. It might be a completely new spell he had invented, or it might be a long-lost ancient incantation…

But that doesn't matter. After fully unleashing the spell and exerting its full power, Dumbledore had found the name that best suited his spell—

[Vulcan Domain]

Unlike his most powerful fire spell, "Pulsefire," this "Vulcan Domain" consumes less energy but lasts longer and has a higher potential. Its only drawback is that its activation time is slightly longer than "Pulsefire." However, once activated, the spell expands on its own, somewhat similar to the Fiendfyre curse, but the difference lies in the greater controllability of "Vulcan Domain." Dumbledore felt an almost intuitive control over it; a Fiendfyre curse of the same size would be far more difficult to manage.

As Dumbledore experienced his "Vulcan Domain," he allowed it to expand, encompassing all the scattered fleshy spheres on the ground without missing a single one.

The fleshy spheres twisted and burned in the flames, their volume rapidly shrinking.

Driven by their survival instincts, the fleshy balls began to scatter and flee, trying to escape from the flames, but how could Dumbledore possibly let them have their way?

The flames constantly changed shape, following the fleshy mass wherever it went, tightly enveloping it within. At the same time, Dumbledore diligently controlled the size of the domain, preventing it from becoming too conspicuous.

However, even in this area where Dumbledore was trying his best to suppress his voice, it still attracted a lot of attention.

The rain stopped, and Fudge led a large group of wizards out of the lounge. Then, a wizard with a long beard was the first to notice the unusual sight on the horizon.

"Why is there a red light flashing in the sky over there?"

Fudge looked up in the direction the wizard had pointed and saw that the night sky over Hogwarts Castle had indeed changed; he could vaguely see a dim red color appearing and flickering in the night sky.

More and more wizards noticed the change in the night sky, and eventually an experienced wizard discovered the truth.

"There's a fire! Is it a forest fire?"

A fire broke out in the forbidden forest?!

Fudge was terrified by this possibility. The Forbidden Forest of Hogwarts was an extremely valuable treasure of the British wizarding world. It contained not only various precious magical animals, but also a large number of rare and precious magical plants. It was probably the only place in the entire wizarding world where magical plants still remained. The Forbidden Forest could not be lost.

He quickened his pace, hurrying towards the dark red glow on the horizon, followed by the wizards beside him. Some were going to put out the fire, while others, their expressions enigmatic, harbored other intentions.

They connected the fire with Dumbledore, who had just left.

If, just in case… Hogwarts is currently in a state of utter chaos! It's said that Hogwarts Castle contains treasures accumulated over a thousand years, countless books, and the Forbidden Forest is home to magical creatures that are like moving treasure troves…

Many people's eyes turned a fiery red.

If Fudge were a shrewd and capable person, he would have evacuated the group of wizards off campus before dealing with the fire. But he was only of average ability and panicked when faced with unexpected events, completely unaware of the risks hidden in his actions.

When this group of scheming individuals arrived at the lawn outside the castle, they were all stunned by the sight before them: Dumbledore was enveloped in flames, and a massive fireball large enough to cover the entire Quidditch pitch was smoothly swirling around him under his control, with a dozen or so small "lumps" struggling inside the fireball.

Those wizards with ulterior motives immediately broke out in a cold sweat: Could that be... a person inside the flames?!

Seeing that the wizards lingering on campus had been drawn by the commotion he had made, Dumbledore turned around and gave them a kind smile. "I'm so sorry to have bothered you all. It's nothing, just a few dark wizards trying to take advantage of the situation."

A chorus of polite remarks rippled through the crowd, such as "Haha," "Then we can rest assured," and "Professor Dumbledore's fire magic has improved even further."

"It's getting late. Would you like to stay the night at Hogwarts Castle?" Dumbledore's expression remained incredibly kind, like a grandfather inviting his grandchildren to stay overnight. But when his gaze swept across the faces of the wizards behind Fudge, none dared to meet his eyes. Even Fudge broke out in a cold sweat: Dumbledore was far too vigorous for his age!

Judging from his condition tonight, who would believe he's over a hundred years old?!

Upon hearing Dumbledore's order to leave, apart from a very few wizards who genuinely had a good relationship with him, no one dared to accept it.

Staying overnight at school? Don't be ridiculous, didn't you see those "dark wizards" inside the fireball?

So the wizards present bid farewell to Dumbledore, and Dumbledore waved goodbye to them one by one. While socializing with the visiting wizards, Dumbledore's hands were not idle. The terrifying fireball was burning the fleshy orbs non-stop, and some of the smaller ones had already turned to ashes.

Cornelius Fudge led the wizards from outside the Hogwarts campus away, and Dumbledore began to focus on dealing with the flesh balls that had not yet been completely burned away.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Here's the second update, a comparison picture of a Niffler and a Platypus!

The next update will be a little late, so please check it when you wake up in the morning!

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Thank you Mo Xiaodou for the donation!

(End of this chapter)