章 182: 0181 Unexpected Visit

"What's going on?"

Lupin looked at the door in the direction of Bryan's alarmed gaze, and he repeated his words in confusion, "What do you mean?"

Bryan did not answer, he adjusted his sitting posture, leaned on the back of the chair, and smiled and waited for the wooden door that was about to be covered to be knocked on, but what actually happened was much more intense than expected.

Boom!

As if someone had detonated a bomb at the door, the fragile door panel of Bryan's cozy residence instantly turned into flying debris in the violent roar, the rapidly expanding air wave wrapped in smoke and dust raged from the entrance hall and rushed into the living room, Instantly sweeping over Bryan's face.

Buzz!

The milky-white barrier that appeared out of thin air blocked the bullet-like sharp wood chips and rolling dust. Bryan was shocked and stood up from the stool. He really didn't expect that his old Professor would be so furious.

"Sorry, did I interrupt the reunion of old friends, Lupin!"

Ignoring the equally surprised Dumbledore's obstruction, Snape sneered and stormed into the room, and when he walked out of the dust and saw the faces of the two people who seemed to be dining in the living room, Snape's expression, as if he was about to take revenge, was instantly frozen!

The dust floating in the air slowly fell, and the half-moon lens cut through a fleeting light. Dumbledore shook his beard helplessly, carefully stepping on the rubble and rotten wood that was wet by the rain, and followed into the living room.

One second, two seconds, three seconds. Silence became the main theme in the living room.

Remus was stunned by Snape's impulsiveness, Dumbledore's hands crossed and pressed his beard on his lower abdomen, staring at the enchanted crude storm on the ceiling with interest, Bryan with tight lips and Snape with red cheeks looked at each other, the atmosphere in the room was weird and awkward.

Cough cough-

Looking at Professor Snape's face, who looked as ugly as if he had swallowed a few juicy slugs, Bryan blinked innocently, and then, a bright smile appeared on his face,

"Long time no see, Professor Snape, are you here to celebrate Halloween with me?"

"Bryan Watson!"

Snape clenched his wand, his face twitched slightly, he looked at Lupin for a while, and then looked at his proud student who hadn't seen him for more than half a year, and finally couldn't help but 'roar',

"Tell me, why are you here!"

"Now you understand, Severus?"

Dumbledore took out his wand and restored the damage caused by Snape one by one, and looked at him kindly and said,

"Remus did not help Black break into the castle, he stayed with Bryan all night, I think, you don't think Bryan is also Black's helper, do you?"

Dumbledore's short sentence has told everyone the most important information. Lupin, who was stimulated, turned pale on his cheeks that were red from drinking, and the knuckles of his hand pressed on the table were also white. He opened his mouth and stared at Dumbledore, his lips seemed to want to say something, but he didn't make any sound.

"Yes, Remus,"

Dumbledore answered the question in Lupin's eyes in a calm tone,

"Just tonight, Black broke into Hogwarts, he tried to get into the Gryffindor common room and do something."

Hearing this, Bryan's eyelids trembled. The mark he planted on Harry during the summer vacation still exists, which means that Harry has not been kidnapped or had left the area around Hogwarts.

"–Fortunately, Black did not succeed, no young wizard was injured, only a portrait was severely damaged."

Dumbledore continued, "We launched a search in the castle, but we haven't found Black's trace yet, Lupin, if you don't mind, I hope you can go back to the castle now and help Minerva and others continue their search for Black."

Lupin left without saying a word, and he didn't even have time to say anything to Bryan. He grabbed his cloak and ran out of the door, leaving behind a trail of regret and guilt.

The thunderstorm that raged for several hours finally stopped, and above the sky, the gale swept away the clouds, and the moon that was about to be full was looming in the clouds. Its pale light cast a shadow on Lupin's face, making him look more haggard and restless.

"You knew it a long time ago–"

As soon as Lupin left here, Snape, who felt he had been fooled, burst out the anger in his heart. He moved his gaze away from Bryan, who had always been innocent, and stared at Dumbledore with a blue face. He clenched his fists and his voice trembled with rage.

"You knew Bryan was in Hogsmeade a long time ago, Dumbledore, but you didn't tell me anything!"

"Oh, sorry, Severus, are you angry that I hid Bryan's whereabouts from you?"

Standing in this living room with a low ceiling from the ground, Dumbledore's head was almost stuck into the rolling thundercloud.

To avoid embarrassment, he sat directly on Lupin's seat. Hearing Snape's question, a smile appeared on his old face. He stroked his long silver beard and looked at Snape with a gentle and calm expression.

"If that's the case, Severus, I have to defend myself a bit. Although my memory is not as good as before, I don't seem to remember that you asked me to pay attention to Bryan's whereabouts?"

Snape was breathless, and his expression felt like he had swallowed a few more juicy slugs. He glared at Dumbledore, who seemed to be playing with him, and felt a surge of resentment in his chest.

"What about you, Bryan"

Snape gasped and stared at Bryan who had an 'innocent-me' face, he pursed his lips and burst out word by word, "You obviously left Hogwarts, why did you come back, and how did you get together with that-!"

"Uh, actually it's like this–"

Bryan scratched his cheek, showing a clear smile, but before he could make up some ghost stories such as Hogsmeade is surrounded by mountains and rivers, the environment is quiet, and he has been fighting outside for many years and he is tired and wants to settle here, he was interrupted by Snape's angry tone.

"I need you to tell the truth, Bryan!"

Bryan blinked and continued to put on an innocent face. In a daze, he seemed to have returned to the scene of conversation he had after Snape caught him for secretly boiling forbidden potions in school.

"For money-" Bryan said succinctly, "Black's bounty, fifty thousand Galleons!"

How to say, regarding this answer, Snape was not too surprised, he didn't know Bryan for the first time today, when he was in and out of school, this guy did everything to get himself some Galleons.

"Ha, fifty thousand Galleons–"

Snape stared at Bryan, as if teaching a younger generation who had gone astray, and said angrily

"Do you think you can get this money, Bryan, huh? Black. That dirty, annoying-…. , traitor, but since he can escape from Azkaban, do you think you can handle him?!"

"What do you mean by that, Professor Snape?"

Bryan smiled, he responded to Snape's angry eyes, his tone was relaxed, but he showed a very strong confidence, "I'm afraid you have a little misunderstanding about my current ability, professor, in today's wizarding world, except for the old man outside who is eavesdropping on our conversation, I don't think there is any wizard worthy of my serious treatment. In fact, what you should care about is, can Black handle me?"

Bryan's almost arrogant words stunned Snape, he looked up and down at Bryan, looking at the young wizard in front of him who was both his most admired student and like his younger brother, and he suddenly felt that he was a bit strange.

"The growth of young people is so dazzling, Severus"

Dumbledore looked up at the pure and flawless starry sky after the thick clouds dispersed, and smiled and continued, "So that we always tend to ignore it subconsciously."

Bryan lowered his eyes and smiled, without uttering a single word.

But Snape was confused by Dumbledore's sincere praise. Indeed, Bryan was the most outstanding young wizard he had ever seen in his teaching career, and even in his thirty years of life. He even thought that he might not be able to suppress the current Bryan, but-

'Except for Dumbledore, no one can deal with me'

That was what Bryan had said, with a confident and arrogant tone, as if he was stating a fact. And Bryan's arrogant self-evaluation actually got the recognition of the greatest wizard of their generation, which confused him.

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章 183: 0182 Defeat Me

Snape stared at Bryan's smiling face with his unique sharp eyes, trying to see through the essence behind that confidence, but Bryan always responded to his scrutiny with a calm and composed manner, showing no sign of cowardice. Snape felt a surge of irritation and curiosity, wondering what secrets this boy was hiding behind his mask of indifference.

'When was the last time I saw Bryan fight?'

Snape couldn't help but think about this question, and without much effort, he remembered that it should be the night before Christmas in the fifth year, when Bryan had a fierce confrontation with a mysterious black witch in the Forbidden Forest, and even, after Dumbledore returned, he clashed with Dumbledore.

At that time, he was focused on saving Bryan from Dumbledore's hands, and he didn't think much about how incredible it was for a fifth-year wizard to resist Dumbledore's disarming charm, and when he came to his senses later, he wanted to find out Bryan's true dueling level, but he found that it was hard to force him to go all out. Bryan always seemed to have a trump card up his sleeve, that he rarely revealed.

This kid was in the fifth year. Snape moved his lips, and suddenly realized that he hadn't seen Bryan fight for six years.

Six years - for a talented young wizard, this was already a very long time, enough to make his strength change dramatically.

But - Snape's black eyes moved, holding his breath, he still couldn't understand, Bryan dared to claim that only Dumbledore could make him take it seriously, was this a bit too arrogant? No, Snape shook his head in his heart, denying this view.

He watched this kid grow up, and knew that Bryan was not a person who didn't know himself, and besides, Bryan had been wandering outside for these years, and he knew the situation of the wizarding world better than him who had always stayed at Hogwarts.

"Perhaps you have abandoned the virtues of humility and caution, Bryan -" Snape narrowed his dark eyes, and in a low voice, a gloomy and fierce magic power was sweeping out of his body.

"But since you think that Black, a dangerous criminal, is not worth your serious attention, as your head of house, I think I have to make you realize again, what a ruthless dark wizard can do." He said, his voice dripping with venom.

"Do you want to fight me, Professor Snape?"

Bryan raised his eyebrows strangely,

"I thought you knew I wasn't the kind of person who talks big." He said, his voice calm and confident.

"I used to think so, Bryan, but now I may have to change my opinion."

The rows of flickering candles on the ceiling swayed violently under the deep magic, and the tip of a birch wand quietly emerged from Snape's wide sleeve. He gripped it tightly, ready to unleash his fury and skill,

"Take out your wand, Bryan, try to defeat me, and if you can't, take your confidence and leave far away…. From here-"

Snape's tone wavered for a moment, but then became as firm as his eyes.

"And never come back!"

Dumbledore said nothing, separated by a door panel, Bryan couldn't see what his expression was, but obviously, he acquiesced to Professor Snape's behavior, and even, he might want to take this opportunity to get a close look at his current level.

Bryan sensed the old man's silent observation, and felt a mix of gratitude and resentment,

Looking at the determined Professor Snape, Bryan rubbed his forehead and smiled bitterly, he just wanted to spend Halloween with Lupin at his residence, but not only did he find Sirius Black, who had been missing for a while, suddenly jumped out, even Professor Snape wanted to pull out his wand and compete with him.

Bryan felt a surge of amusement and annoyance, thinking that this was a ridiculous and unnecessary situation,

'Could it be that I still have Voldemort's curse on me, and because I was too close to Lupin, it resonated?' He joked in his mind, trying to find some humor in the chaos.

He smiled, his eyes twinkling and playful.

"If you insist on doing this -"

Out of respect, Bryan put away his frivolity, his expression returned to calm, his right hand hanging naturally suddenly opened, and before Snape could react, the cozy living room where they stood, decorated with festive ornaments, expanded by several times in area in a hasty blur, and Bryan, who was originally in front of him, also appeared a hundred feet away, and, walking leisurely, approached Snape.

"Then, as you wish."

As Bryan's voice fell, Snape, who had come to his senses, suddenly felt like he had fallen into deep water, a clear pressure lingered around him, and this pressure was so heavy that it made him feel suffocated! The slender figure that was approaching from a hundred feet away became tall and insurmountable at this moment, and even the rhythmic footsteps exuded majesty. Snape felt a chill run down his spine, as if he was facing a predator that could tear him apart at any moment.

'This feeling' - Snape's eyes showed horror, he had experienced it on the Dark Lord!

The Dark Lord may not necessarily be the most powerful, but there is no problem in calling him the most evil. Most of the Wizarding world had never experienced what it was like to face Voldemort, but Snape, who had followed him, knew that the crushing sense of powerlessness, fear and despair are deeply rooted in the soil of the soul, making you unable to muster the courage to resist.

But now, after many years, Snape never dreamed that he would relive this nightmare-like fear on another wizard, and this wizard was his proud student who was in his early twenties.

At this moment, Snape believed that Bryan had the strength to face Dumbledore, a legendary wizard, but he still raised his wand, he wanted to try if Bryan could break his composure. He wanted to see if he could still surprise him with something.

"Expelliarmus!"

Accompanied by a sharp shout, the red beam of light that shot out from the tip of the wand crossed the eighty feet distance in the blink of an eye, and very accurately grazed Bryan's cheek. But it didn't hit. Snape felt a flash of frustration and admiration, knowing that Bryan had dodged his spell with a subtle movement, and anticipated his attack.

Tap, tap, tap

The steady footsteps made Snape's eyelids tremble, he failed to test him. The young man was no longer the young wizard who was wary of everything at the sorting ceremony many years ago! He was distracted for a moment, and the distance between the two had come to fifty feet.

Snape swallowed a mouthful of saliva, he knew he had to use more powerful magic, but he was worried about it, he narrowed his eyes, and raised his wand again, suddenly pointing at Bryan.

Silent spell casting, 'Expulso!'

Boom!

Bryan didn't dodge the spell, the milky white iron armor barrier that appeared out of thin air after being modified twice by magic didn't fit in front of him, but unexpectedly appeared in front of Snape five feet away, and this directly resulted in Professor Snape being blown away by the explosion caused by the dissipation of his own Expulso Spell! Snape felt a blast of heat and pain, as he was thrown back by the force of his own magic, and crashed into the wall behind him, he felt his bones and muscles ache.

Tap, tap, tap

The footsteps were still stable, greasy black hair stuck to his cheek, Snape, who looked miserable, got up from the ground, and looked at Bryan again, with an incredulous expression on his face.

Snape knew that his genius student was very good at modifying standard spells, but to make the iron armor charm cross such a distance and appear directly in front of the opponent. He didn't know how he did it, but he knew it meant that Bryan had the ability to make the iron armor barrier have more complex shape changes.

The distance between the two had narrowed to fifty feet, and at this distance, Snape could clearly see Bryan's expression. Like the deep blue sea, calm and without a ripple, but under the deep and unfathomable sea surface, there was a radiating aura affecting the surrounding that was irresistible.

A sense of powerlessness rose from Snape's heart, he hadn't done his best, he still knew many advanced dark magic, some of which were powerful magic taught by the Dark Lord himself, with terrifying effects that made people despair.

But Snape never thought of using those magic, at first because he didn't want to hurt Bryan, and now because he knew that even if he did, it wouldn't have any effect.

"Do you remember the magic I taught you, Bryan!"

Sweat ran down his cheek, Snape straightened up, panting and said, "I warned you, only use it when your life is threatened."

"Sectumsempra -" Bryan's footsteps didn't stop, he smiled and said, "A very powerful offensive magic, a year ago in the Norwegian Fire Dragon Nature Reserve, I used this spell to kill that red-scaled dragon."

Snape's face darkened, if this matter was dug up someday, he will be famous-

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