The flames engulfed Dumbledore, and even from several meters away, the intense heat was palpable, distorting the air around him. Yet, in the very center of the blaze, Dumbledore felt no discomfort whatsoever.
On the contrary, he only felt warmth, a pleasant heat that dispelled the chill that had clung to his robes from the earlier rain.
Dry, comfortable, and perfectly tailored to his skin, his robes hugged him with an unusual ease.
Unlike last time in his office, Dumbledore was now outdoors, where he could let loose and fully expand his domain without restraint.
With a loud "whoosh," the fireball swelled, expanding dozens of times over, and engulfed a nearby mass of flesh.
In the next moment, the mass ignited, emitting a foul stench as it burned.
Dumbledore watched everything unfold with a calm expression, intently sensing the nuances of this newly mastered magic.
This spell felt different from any spell he had learned before.
Typically, once a spell was cast, his connection to it was limited, and even if he could still control it, there was always a distinct separation between himself and the spell.
But this time, it felt as though he had become the spell itself.
His intuition told him that visually, he still appeared as the elderly figure at the center of the fireball, yet, in reality, he was the flame itself. The figure at the center was like a mere peanut shell—visible yet only a small part of the entire entity.
In his hundred years of life, Dumbledore had never encountered such a wondrous spell.
He didn't know its name—it could be a brand-new spell of his own invention, or perhaps an ancient, long-lost enchantment...
But that didn't matter. Now that the spell was fully unleashed and in action, Dumbledore had found the perfect name for it—
[Divine Fire Domain]
Unlike his previously most powerful fire spell, Firestorm, this Divine Fire Domain had lower energy consumption, a longer duration, and a higher ceiling of potential power.
The only downside was a slightly longer activation time compared to Firestorm. However, once initiated, the spell would expand autonomously, similar to Fiendfyre, though with the difference that Divine Fire Domain was much more controllable, giving Dumbledore a sense of complete mastery.
An ordinary Fiendfyre spell of similar magnitude would be far harder to command.
As he immersed himself in the experience of his Divine Fire Domain, Dumbledore allowed it to expand, encompassing every scattered piece of flesh around him, leaving none untouched.
The flesh masses twisted and burned in the flames, their volume shrinking rapidly.
Driven by a survival instinct, they began to scatter in all directions, attempting to escape the fire. But Dumbledore wouldn't allow it. The flames shifted continuously, following the flesh wherever it moved, enclosing each piece within. At the same time, he carefully restrained the domain's size, preventing it from becoming too conspicuous.
However, even with Dumbledore's utmost efforts to minimize the domain's visibility, it still drew considerable attention.
The rain had stopped, and Fudge emerged from the lounge with a large group of wizards. One bearded wizard was the first to notice the unusual phenomenon on the horizon.
"Why is there a red glow flickering in the sky over there?"
Fudge lifted his head and looked in the direction the wizard had indicated. He could see a faint red hue flickering in the night sky above Hogwarts Castle.
More and more wizards noticed the shift in the night's colors, and eventually, an experienced wizard pinpointed the cause.
"It's a fire! Could it be that the forest is burning?"
The Forbidden Forest on fire?!
The thought alone startled Fudge.
Hogwarts' Forbidden Forest was a treasure of the British magical world.
It was home not only to various rare magical creatures but also to numerous rare and precious magical plants, many of which might only exist there. The Forbidden Forest was invaluable.
He quickened his pace toward the dim red glow on the horizon, with the other wizards hurrying alongside him. Some were intent on helping put out the fire, but others held darker expressions, with different intentions brewing in their minds.
Some began connecting the fire with Dumbledore's recent departure.
If, just maybe... at a moment when Hogwarts was already overwhelmed with crises! Rumor had it that Hogwarts held treasures amassed over centuries, an endless library of books, and a Forbidden Forest filled with magical creatures like a living trove of riches...
A fiery red glint appeared in the eyes of more than a few of them.
If Fudge had been a capable leader, he would have escorted the group of wizards off the school grounds before addressing the fire. But, being of only average aptitude, he quickly lost his composure in the face of such chaos and failed to consider the hidden risks in his actions.
By the time the group with their concealed intentions reached the lawn outside the castle, everyone was stunned by the sight before them: Dumbledore, surrounded by flames, was controlling an enormous fireball large enough to cover the entire Quidditch pitch.
The fireball spun effortlessly around him, with about a dozen small "lumps" desperately struggling within it.
Those wizards with ulterior motives broke out in a cold sweat: could it be that… those things in the fire were… a person's flesh?
Noticing the wizards within the school drawn by the commotion he had caused, Dumbledore turned his head, a kind smile on his face. "I'm terribly sorry for disturbing everyone. No need to worry; it's just a dark wizard trying to fish in troubled waters."
A wave of polite responses arose from the crowd, with comments like "Haha," "Then we're relieved," and "Professor Dumbledore's fire magic has truly reached new heights."
"The hour is late. Would any of you care to stay the night in Hogwarts Castle?" Dumbledore's expression remained gentle, like a grandfather inviting his grandchildren to spend the night. But as his gaze swept over the wizards behind Fudge, not one dared to meet his eyes, not even Fudge, who was drenched in a cold sweat.
Dumbledore appeared so vigorous and youthful! Given his display tonight, who could believe he was over a hundred years old?
After hearing Dumbledore's implicit suggestion to leave, none of the wizards, except for a select few who were genuinely on good terms with him, dared to accept.
Stay overnight at the school?
No way, not after seeing that "dark wizard's flesh" trapped within that massive fireball!
So, the visiting wizards all took their leave, exchanging goodbyes with Dumbledore, who waved them off one by one. During these exchanges, Dumbledore's hands never stopped moving, and the terrifying fireball continued burning the meat-like lumps inside.
Some of the smaller ones had already turned to ash.
As Cornelius Fudge led the wizards away from Hogwarts, Dumbledore turned his full attention back to the lumps that had yet to be completely incinerated.
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While Dumbledore persisted in burning away the lump of flesh that Capricornus had turned into, Rhys was preparing for departure in the dungeon alongside Ravenclaw.
"I need you to help me create a body," Rhys said to Ravenclaw.
"Can't you do it yourself? I remember Transfiguration isn't your weak point," Ravenclaw replied, a bit puzzled, not understanding why Rhys needed her help.
"Because I need to conserve my magic for the journey and to deal with those little rats. More importantly, this trip will take at least a day, so I need this body to be a bit more… 'intelligent' and able to convincingly play the role of Rhys Lint."
"I could control this body for you," Ravenclaw suggested, her lips curving into a slight smile.
"Absolutely not."
Upon seeing her smile, Rhys declined her "kind offer" immediately.
He wouldn't dare let Ravenclaw control his duplicate body; who knew what she might do?
"I'll just stay in the library and attend classes. I won't cause any trouble."
"Impossible."
Though Ravenclaw's tone was entirely sincere, Rhys wouldn't believe a single word of it.
"I could swear by the Black Lake."
"Miss Ravenclaw, your credibility is bankrupt with me. Even if you swore by the Black Sea, it wouldn't matter!" Rhys refused Ravenclaw's request firmly.
He would never allow Ravenclaw to meddle with his duplicate body.
After several failed attempts, Ravenclaw finally accepted reality and joined Rhys in using Transfiguration to create the duplicate. As for playing tricks or leaving a hidden backdoor within the duplicate, Ravenclaw refrained.
Attempting such things right in front of Salazar would truly be taking him for a fool.
A few minutes later, a Rhys duplicate, brimming with magic, was ready.
Rhys circled around the duplicate twice, then frowned. The face generally resembled his, but something felt slightly off.
Yes, some details didn't look quite right!
Rhys looked at Ravenclaw. "Rowena, did you make changes to the facial structure?"
Ravenclaw: Of course! (▰˘o˘▰)
"Don't you think it looks more handsome? See, just a slight lift here on the nose, and a bit more contour on the cheekbones—"
"Rowena Ravenclaw!" Rhys couldn't help but call Ravenclaw by her full name. "This is supposed to be a duplicate of me, not some decorative statue! Stop altering my appearance without permission!"
"But it clearly looks better this way."
"Sorry to disappoint that I didn't grow up to your ideal image!" Rhys replied irritably, with a quick wave of his hand to restore the duplicate's appearance back to his own, undoing all of Ravenclaw's tweaks.
Ravenclaw sighed.
Rhys noticed her subtle movements out of the corner of his eye.
Turning to see what she was doing, he saw Ravenclaw conjuring a small, palm-sized green vortex in her hand.
Rhys decided not to argue with her for now.
He pointed his wand at the duplicate, sending it off to walk around on the ground level.
Crafted with the combined ingenuity of two founders, this duplicate had an impressive range of functionalities.
Rhys could even share its vision and hearing over a certain distance, and controlling it to speak was no problem.
Once Rhys left the school, the duplicate could answer questions with simple phrases and even cast spells, all according to the instructions he and Ravenclaw had programmed into it.
"Are you really not considering giving me a bit of control? If the duplicate's auto-response mechanism causes any issues, I could step in to handle it," Ravenclaw suggested.
For a moment, Rhys felt tempted, but he quickly came to his senses—this was just one of Ravenclaw's usual tricks, and he knew better than to fall for it! He knew Ravenclaw's nature far too well.
If he handed over control of the duplicate, who knew if he'd find himself locked in a detention room upon returning?
"Alright, alright," Ravenclaw finally relented, shrugging her shoulders helplessly in the face of Salazar's complete lack of trust. For a brief moment, she wondered if maybe she'd overdone things, leading to this complete absence of trust between them after all these centuries as old friends.
She pondered this for two seconds before confirming it wasn't her fault: they'd left their vulnerabilities so obviously open—it was clearly an invitation for her to tease them!
Everyone enjoyed it, so how could it have gone too far?
Watching Rhys leave with his duplicate, Ravenclaw sighed. Salazar was getting harder and harder to fool.
If she'd gotten control of the duplicate, she would have definitely taken the opportunity to browse through every book she'd wanted to read in the library—there were several new books in the Restricted Section that had caught her eye!
Rhys guided his duplicate back to the Slytherin common room.
As soon as the door opened, a single oil lamp flared to life in the dark room. Daphne sat in a corner, expressionlessly watching Rhys's duplicate at the doorway.
Rhys: "…"
"Why aren't you asleep yet? Staying up this late will stunt your growth!" Rhys took control of his duplicate and spoke with mock concern.
"Blocking the common room door, huh? Makes it easy to catch young witches sneaking out after curfew, doesn't it?" Daphne raised an eyebrow, perfectly mimicking Rhys's tone.
Rhys thought to himself: This boomerang really came back fast—I walked right into that one!
"So, Mr. Lint, mind explaining how you managed to return from the bathroom to the common room entrance fully dressed? I'm really curious," Daphne said, her voice filled with feigned sincerity.
"Well, actually, there was a hidden teleportation array in the bathroom that activated and transported me out..." Rhys started spouting nonsense with a straight face.
"Even transported your clothes along with you?"
Daphne's comment made Rhys fall silent.
"Goodnight!" Rhys decided to head straight to his dorm and avoid further banter with this sharp-tongued girl.
"Wait!"
Rhys's duplicate stopped in its tracks.
"So, you went to deal with those three wizards, didn't you?" Daphne asked urgently. She was very concerned about those three sinister outsider wizards.
Rhys thought for a moment and decided to fall back on his usual reliable excuse.
"Yes, I caused a bit of a commotion and attracted Professor Dumbledore. The intruders have been dealt with now."
Finally hearing confirmation from Rhys, Daphne let out a sigh of relief. She'd been somewhat afraid that Rhys might actually ignore the situation.
Seeing that he seemed to have reassured her, Rhys withdrew his consciousness from the duplicate. The duplicate turned on its own and started heading to the dormitory to sleep.
But Daphne, who was standing behind the fake body, narrowed her eyes. She felt that something was wrong with the Rhys in front of her.
The next moment, a spell pierced through the chest of the fake Rhys.
___________
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