When the glow of Transfiguration faded, Lord Voldemort's expression froze.
An adult Norwegian Ridgeback appeared out of thin air. The original platform had been forcibly restructured and given life.
The dragon's spinal ridges tore through the scorched air, and its pitch-black wings cast vast shadows as they spread. A faint scent of sulfur drifted from its pale snout.
Lord Voldemort's crimson pupils suddenly constricted.
"This is impossible…"
He had witnessed profound feats of Transfiguration before, but this… was the Transfiguration of a magical creature?
Because of the differences in magical circuits and their mutual repulsion, wizards could not replicate the circuits of magical beasts and therefore could not transfigure magical creatures.
Those who dared to attempt this field either created warped monsters or turned themselves into monsters. How could such a form of Transfiguration, bordering on the forbidden, come from a first-year wizard?
Lucien reached out and stroked the dragon's scales, a trace of joy flashing in his eyes.
Hearing the system's prompt, Lucien became even more certain of his success.
To repay Loki's Mask loan, he needed to achieve perfect mastery of Transfiguration.
Building on his existing knowledge, he also had to develop new paths.
The answer Lucien had chosen was magical creature Transfiguration.
The greatest obstacle preventing wizards from entering this field was the magical circuit.
Repairing the young unicorn's magical circuit earlier had truly allowed Lucien to take a step forward on this path.
With that first step taken, he could finally see the direction ahead.
A year of study and accumulation had allowed the seed of his talent to sprout, take root, grow, and finally bear fruit.
"Nice trick! But Lucien, have you forgotten my teachings? The mutual repulsion of magical circuits…"
Lord Voldemort's lips curled into a cold sneer.
Transfiguring a Norwegian Ridgeback?
It was nothing more than an empty shell, right?
No matter how realistic a Transfiguration creation appeared, it could never truly replicate the magical circuit that originated from a creature's bloodline.
However, the very next second, Lord Voldemort's pupils suddenly constricted.
The dragon opened its massive maw, and instead of ordinary flames, countless illusory runes swirled and condensed within it like living things.
In an instant, a stream of dragon fire—not mere flame, but dark red and carrying those fragmented runes—surged toward Lord Voldemort like molten lava.
The air was instantly drained away. Wherever the dragon fire passed, even the protective magic Lord Voldemort had set up began to disintegrate on its own.
"Lucien, um… should I be doing something now?"
Harry had been brought to Lucien's side, the ropes binding him already burned away by the golden light.
Watching the grand exchange of magic between Lucien and Lord Voldemort, Harry felt he could not intervene, yet it also did not seem right to simply stand by. That was why he asked.
Lucien waved his wand, casting several Undetectable Extension Charms and expanding the room to more than a dozen times its original size, giving the transfigured dragon enough space to contend with Lord Voldemort.
Hmm, watching beasts fight was actually quite interesting.
No wonder some people aspired to become master trainers of magical creatures.
Hearing Harry's question, Lucien glanced at him.
He saw that aside from a bit of dust from rolling on the ground and his glasses sitting slightly crooked, Harry was otherwise perfectly fine.
Tonight's experiment was basically complete. He had tested his magical level and successfully carried out the Transfiguration of a magical creature.
"All right. Just stand still for now."
At Lucien's words, Harry straightened up instinctively, then saw Lucien point his wand at him again and again.
"Iron Head Charm."
"Pain Vanish."
"Protego."
"…"
"Two-Point Attraction."
Lucien finished the last spell. A point of phosphorescence clung to Harry's chest, and with another flick of his wand, the other end of the glowing trace shot straight toward Lord Voldemort.
On the other side, Lord Voldemort had just seized an opening in the dragon's defense. After all, it was only a magical beast, and a transfigured one at that. Its intelligence was still not high enough. He was about to cast the Killing Curse.
At that moment, a phosphorescent mark stuck to his chest.
"Harry, Accio!"
As Lucien softly chanted the spell, Harry himself was yanked into the air.
Crimson-gold net fire wrapped around Harry's body, yet he felt only warmth.
Under Lucien's control, Harry struck a Superman-like flying pose and shot straight toward Lord Voldemort.
The stream of crimson-gold flame trailed behind him like a flowing cloak.
Lord Voldemort was utterly bewildered, but instinctively tried to dodge the flying Harry.
For a split second, it seemed as though his face was about to collide with Harry's fist.
But just as Lord Voldemort was about to breathe a sigh of relief, the phosphorescence on his chest suddenly flared.
Harry's flight path twisted unnaturally, and at the same time, under Lucien's control, his body swung. A sweeping kick sent Lord Voldemort crashing to the ground.
"Ah!"
Smoke rose from Lord Voldemort's chest, and red blisters appeared on his exposed skin.
The intense pain searing his soul made Lord Voldemort scream without pause, leaving him unable to retaliate for a moment.
In the next second, Harry pressed himself directly against him.
A soft glow emanated from Harry's body, but to Lord Voldemort it was nothing less than torture.
At the same time, the fiery cloak clinging to Harry wrapped around both of them. Harry felt nothing, but Lord Voldemort once again tasted the agony of being burned alive in lava.
He struggled, trying to move his wand and cast a spell.
"Don't even try."
Whoosh!
A blood-red flying blade shot from the tip of Lucien's wand, severing Lord Voldemort's hand in an instant.
Lord Voldemort turned to look at Lucien, his eyes fierce.
"Using the magic I taught you against me?!"
Lucien met his gaze calmly, considering it repayment for Seleneia and the others.
Whoosh—!
A cold, sinister gust of wind swept through the room, briefly suppressing the scorching heat.
Lord Voldemort ignited Quirrell's soul with a curse, creating a fleeting chance to escape.
A chilling black mist drifted out from Quirrell's head and rushed rapidly toward the ceiling.
Lucien made a token attempt to intercept it, but without destroying Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes, he could not truly stop him.
After breaking through a layer of net fire, the black mist grew slightly thinner and vanished straight into the stone wall.
Lucien walked over to Harry and Quirrell, the flames parting automatically to open a path for him.
He waved his wand to separate the two. Harry seemed to have fallen unconscious from the impact with Lord Voldemort's soul.
As for Quirrell… his breathing grew fainter and fainter, and the rise and fall of his chest slowed.
Yet his expression was dazed, his gaze unfocused.
With great effort, Quirrell shifted his eyes toward Lucien, his lips moving.
After being possessed by Lord Voldemort, he had harbored ill intentions and done terrible things.
But it was not until Lord Voldemort's soul left him that Quirrell truly awakened, realizing what he had gone through and the choices he had made.
Quirrell opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end it condensed into a single sentence.
"How unlucky... cough.. I never ...should have gone into that forest in the first place."
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