Through the interstices of the pulsating "blood vessels," the shocked gazes of the Knockturn Alley denizens were faintly visible outside.
—Wait, are the Dark Wizards holding a rally?
We didn't get a notification!
"Are we... stuck inside?" the students murmured, their eyes glazed with dread.
They watched helplessly as a grasshopper hopped onto the wall of blood. Instantly, it dissolved into a puddle of bloody froth.
???
Yaxley's heart skipped a beat.
His eyes widened in shock, and his head snapped around to glare at Ethan in disbelief!
—Wait, why would you do that?!
Aren't you trapping yourself in here too?!
Unless... did that guy figure something out?
A bead of cold sweat slid down his temple.
...Fucking hell, I finally understand why that bastard Snape refused to come along!!
Snap.
A red light flashed across the main gate.
The engraved restrictions were easily shattered, and bursting flames scorched the vines, causing them to wither and fall.
Ethan took the lead, pushing the door open and stepping inside.
With Bellatrix's wand and ancient magic awaiting him, Ethan was naturally in high spirits. It didn't feel like he was taking students out for training; it felt more like he was on a field trip.
Creeeak—
The rusted hinges turned, emitting a piercing, grinding sound.
Ethan raised a hand to brush aside the spiderwebs overhead and stepped into the darkness of the room. As he advanced, the light spilling in from outside seemed to stretch and follow him, as if the darkness was retreating step by step beneath his feet.
Then.
Ethan stood at the boundary between light and shadow.
He turned to look at the students, who wore expressions of nervous bewilderment.
They stared blankly at each other, their faces filled with a certain "clear-eyed stupidity."
...Why did he stop?
It took a few seconds for them to react.
Hastily holding their breath, they mustered all their strength, attempting to mobilize the mysterious magical power within their bodies.
Pfft, pfft.
Several distinct sounds echoed in the silent room.
Under everyone's gaze, Neville blushed crimson and slowly shrank back.
"Lumos... Lumos... Lumos..."
The hoarse incantations were chanted repeatedly, overlapping to create a profound and mysterious atmosphere.
Perhaps it was the lack of wands, but at this moment, the students could feel the cadence and rhythm within the familiar spell more deeply than ever before.
Finally.
Hum.
Tiny, hazy orbs of light drifted up around the students, slightly dispelling the slender, sharp claws extending from the darkness.
This result caused both Sirius and Lupin to raise their eyebrows in amazement.
They had assumed Ethan was just messing around, merely wanting to torture everyone...
But who would have thought—you were actually serious?!
"Not bad."
Ethan nodded slightly.
His gaze swept over the students who still hadn't managed to cast the spell, but he said nothing more.
He turned and walked deeper into the house.
He was a benevolent teacher; he wouldn't scold students for failing to meet requirements.
When the time came that they had to use it, they would surely achieve a breakthrough, right?
Inside the mansion, everything was decayed and filthy.
Dust billowed with every step, causing the students to cough incessantly.
Ethan casually dismantled a few small traps as he tracked the traces of magic. Using a spell to strip away the disguise, he revealed a trapdoor hidden beneath a carpet.
Another relic of ancient magic lies beneath this!
Ethan's breathing quickened slightly.
He drew his wand and began to chant.
The incantation rose and fell like a melodious elven song, echoing through the room.
Everyone was captivated, staring entranced as Professor Vincent chanted.
—Since the start of the school year, this was the first time they had seen the Professor actually use a wand.
"Protego."
As the incantation ended, a translucent glow emerged around each student.
It looked plain, yet in the blink of an eye, it forced back all the darkness in the room, enveloping them in a hazy protective light.
"So, it's not that our professor can't use a wand," Hermione murmured, "but that usually, he simply has no opportunity to use one!"
True.
Normally, those bizarre constructs of his were enough to thrash them. It never required Professor Vincent to personally intervene.
Ethan lowered his wand and said in a deep voice, "These will protect you to some extent. So, you need not have any reservations."
"Let loose and give everything you have to face the challenge!"
"This Defense Against the Dark Arts extracurricular activity..."
"Officially begins!"
With that, Ethan threw open the trapdoor and leaped down!
—He fell for it!
Yaxley watched Ethan's figure disappear, his pupils constricting.
He had to use all his strength to suppress the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
He thought darkly:
Poisonous fog that amplifies inner emotions, a Boggart that manifests one's deepest fears, fatal magical traps... plus heinous Death Eaters fresh out of Azkaban...!
All it takes is a moment of distraction, a single spell! You will become meat on my chopping block, waiting to be slaughtered!
So what if you look strange?
You're still just a wizard!
Yaxley didn't believe the gap between them was that large.
"Hmph, as long as you are human, you have things you fear... I wonder if your Boggart will be the thing that finally takes your life!"
A fierce glint flashed through Yaxley's eyes.
He turned his head to look through the vine-covered window at the terrifying blood-red wall.
His gaze darkened.
As if hypnotizing himself, he muttered:
"It will definitely—be my victory! The Dark Lord's victory!!"
The depth beneath the trapdoor was enough to kill ten demon hunters.
The underground of Knockturn Alley had been completely hollowed out.
"Illegal expansion, clearly," Ethan muttered.
He landed lightly, feeling shallow water beneath his feet.
As far as the eye could see, it was pitch black.
Nothing was visible.
Only a scent of decay drifted over, mixed with a cloying sweetness.
With a thought, several orbs of light—many times larger than the students' Lumos—floated into existence, illuminating a wide area.
If he weren't afraid of blowing his cover, Ethan would have simply used Avis.
Splash, splash.
His boot soles tread on the puddles, sending out ripples.
Ethan looked around.
Yet, aside from himself, he saw no one.
"Hmm, the students should have jumped down with me," Ethan mused.
In his cobalt-blue pupils, a dark pink flow of magic reflected, permeating the air.
It entered his nasal cavity, bringing a faint, sickly sweet scent.
Like pollen.
It traveled down his trachea into his lungs, diffusing into his blood vessels.
It ignited his blood.
It made Ethan feel a restlessness rising from the depths of his body, from the depths of his soul!
Splash-splash, splash-splash.
Beneath his mask, Ethan's cobalt-blue eyes grew increasingly bright.
The magic around him overflowed uncontrollably, condensing into a twisted, psychedelic wash of color.
As Ethan moved forward, the puddle beneath his feet gradually transformed into a sticky, scarlet swamp.
It clung to his soles.
Every step pulled up long, fleshy filaments.
"Hiss—"
Ethan took a deep breath.
He narrowed his eyes, the corners of his mouth grinning high.
If Yaxley could see his expression right now, he would probably skip all the formalities, kneel directly, and beg Ethan to become one of their Supreme Dark Wizards!
"Ah—it's been a long time since I've been this relaxed," Ethan smiled sunnily.
He raised a hand, caressing the stone wall that had manifested into a wall of flesh and blood. His fingertips playfully traced the agonizing, wailing human faces upon it.
"Miranda pollen possesses the effect of amplifying people's inner emotions... It really stimulates my inspiration."
"Is this supposed to be my bonus level?"
Ethan tilted his head.
With a terrifying, swirling visage, he looked down at the black mist huddled in front of him:
"Don't you agree, Mr. Boggart?"
—Come to think of it.
Back then, Professor Lupin hadn't let him participate in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class regarding how to handle Boggarts.
Ethan: "Since we're already here, it won't do if I don't let you play a role."
Sigh.
It is time to change the mindset of Dark Wizards, who think everything is fine as long as they catch people off guard and fire a Killing Curse.
Let him use the Boggart to teach the Dark Wizards a lesson~
This is an extra tutoring session~
"Just in time. My 'Ferryman of the Styx' has never had the chance to be fully utilized..."
Ethan slowly extended his demonic claw toward the Boggart, which looked like it was about to grow a mouth just to scream.
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