Chương 70: 70 Confrontation
The path leading to the castle was silent, save for the heavy thud of Lucas's boots pounding against the stone as he approached the entrance. The storm in his chest still raged, however, now it was controlled, focused.
The grand doors to Hogwarts creaked open under the force of his magic, not with care but with a violent crack that echoed through the deserted hallways. He didn't stop to admire the familiar sight of the entrance hall, the stone walls bathed in the soft glow of torches. He didn't slow his pace, moving with the speed and precision of someone on a mission.
Reaching the gargoyle that guarded the entrance to Dumbledore's office, Lucas didn't bother with passwords or niceties. His magic flared, and with a surge of raw energy, the gargoyle was flung aside like a ragdoll, crashing against the wall with a deafening bang. The staircase that would have risen with it was instead created out of the wall of the cylindric room.
At the top, Lucas flung the door open, not waiting for an invitation. Dumbledore was already standing behind his desk, his deep blue eyes behind half-moon spectacles locked on Lucas. The headmaster's face remained calm, though a shadow of concern crossed his features. He had felt Lucas's approach long before the door had opened.
"Lucas," Dumbledore said, his voice steady yet gentle. "What brings you here at this hour?"
Without a word, Lucas walked across the room, stopping a few feet away from Dumbledore. He tossed the letter and the vial onto the desk in front of the headmaster, the papers crumpling slightly under the force of the throw.
"Read it," Lucas snarled, his voice rough with anger. "Read what they want me to do."
Dumbledore didn't take his eyes off Lucas at first, studying him carefully before reaching for the letter. He unfolded it with deliberate care, his brows knitting together as he tried to read the message, yet the parchment was blank.
His gaze flicked back to Lucas, his blue eyes narrowing in thought as the blank parchment crinkled under his fingers. "I cannot see its contents," Dumbledore said softly, fighting to keep the storm brewing in him at bay. "It has been charmed so you would be the only one capable of reading it."
"How did they find me?" The question that had been on Lucas' mind ever since he read the letter forced its way out of his mouth.
Dumbledore sighed as he took off his glasses. "I believe you know how I found you."
The headmaster paused for a moment, waiting if Lucas wanted to comment, but he saw nothing but hatred in his eyes. It made him a bit jittery that he couldn't make out if it was towards him. "Then it wouldn't be farfetched for there to be other methods, would it? They might not be as precise and fast, but if someone really wanted to, then there is almost nothing you can do against it. I can write you a list if you want, but that is not what concerns me. What is written on...?"
The desk broke in two and the papers on it flew around the room as Lucas interrupted. "NO, you will answer my questions. Why did you never tell me? You always knew where I was at any time, didn't you?"
Dumbledore stood still, unflinching, though the calmness in his eyes was replaced by caution. "Lucas," he began with a firm voice, "I've watched over you, yes," Dumbledore admitted, his voice still composed, but softer now, as though he were choosing his words with care. "For your protection, Lucas. You were..."
"For my protection?" Lucas's laughter was hollow, bitter. The wind outside the room whipped faster, rattling the glass panes. "You've been tracking me like some caged animal! And you think that's protection?"
Dumbledore's lips pressed into a thin line. "I've done what I believed was necessary. You've been a target ever since it was revealed that you were a Legilimens. I was able to do something against it, when you were here in Hogwarts, but..."
"Hah, you think I will believe that? You of all people?"
"..."
"You let them find me, didn't you? You..."
"No." Dumbledore's voice was firm, cutting through Lucas's accusations. For the first time, the calm mask cracked, the storm in him surged to never before seen hights, revealing something harder beneath. "I would never let that happen. There are forces at work that even I cannot control."
"Then why didn't you stop them?" Lucas took another step forward, his eyes blazing with an intensity that made the temperature in the room drop. "Why didn't you stop any of this?"
Dumbledore met his gaze, unblinking, though Lucas's words seemed to affect him heavily. "There are limits, even for me. You must understand..."
"I don't want your understanding!" Lucas roared. "I want answers! Why did you lie to me? Why did you let me walk blindly into this nightmare? You knew all along, didn't you? This is all part of your twisted plan, isn't it?"
"There is no plan, Lucas," Dumbledore said resolutely, his voice almost lost in the echoes of the room, though each word carried the weight of a century. "Not one to hurt you, nor to deceive you. I've made choices, choices that, in hindsight, may seem..."
"Twisted!" Lucas barked, cutting him off. His magic surged again, filling the air with crackling energy. The temperature continued to plummet, and frost began creeping across the windows. "You knew! All these years... and you watched. Manipulated! Like I was just another one of your pawns. Another sacrifice to your greater good."
"I am not infallible, Lucas." Dumbledore's calm tone held now the faintest tremor of something darker, something carefully buried but stirred by Lucas's magic. "But you must believe me when I say I did what I could to protect you. That has always been my intention."
Lucas's magic swelled, swirling like a tempest around him, tendrils of raw energy snaking through the room. The frost crawling up the windows spread faster, a fine sheen of ice forming on the floor. His eyes, burning with fury, never left Dumbledore's as his fists clenched tighter, nails digging into his palms.
"I never trusted you," Lucas snarled, his voice now laced with venom. "But I never expected you to go that low."
Dumbledore's expression didn't change, but the atmosphere between them thickened, as though the room itself could sense the tension. His deep blue eyes narrowed, catching the glint of the torches, the firelight flickering ominously. His magic, unseen but ready, searched for his wand sneakily.
"I am sorry, Lucas," Dumbledore said, each word deliberate, heavy. "But not everything is as simple as you wish it to be."
"Don't give me that!" Lucas exploded.
With a flash of his wandless magic, the shattered remains of the desk flew across the room, wood splinters suspended in the air as if they were frozen in time. The shards hovered, trembling in the air between them. "You knew! You could have warned me, stopped them from turning me into this... weapon. But you chose to do nothing."
"Stop this now, before you do something you'll regret," Dumbledore warned, his tone shifting, sharper now. The shadows behind him flickered, and a hint of his own power slipped through his usually calm demeanor.
"Regret?" Lucas's voice dropped, low and cold. "The only regret I have is coming here, Dumbledore. I need the truth, and if I have to rip it from your mind..."
Before Lucas could finish his threat, Dumbledore moved with a speed that belied his age. His hand flicked, and with a sharp *crack*, the air around Lucas shimmered. A barrier of pure ice snapped into place, separating the two of them.
"You will not invade my mind," Dumbledore said, his voice no longer soft, but commanding, like the roll of distant thunder. His eyes were cold now, steel beneath the calm surface. "You are angry, yes, but do not mistake your anger for power."
Lucas's expression twisted into something darker. "I don't think you have a say in this anymore."
He brought out his own wand, magic already gathering in a brilliant burst, but Dumbledore was faster. With a swift gesture, the floor beneath Lucas rippled, and thick chains of stone sprang from the ground, wrapping themselves around his arms and legs, pinning him in place and wrangling his wand out of his hand.
Lucas' expression didn't falter. He closed his eyes briefly, focusing inward. When they opened, they were pitch black, shadows crawling from his pupils all over his body like ink spreading through water. Wherever it met the chains, they would harmlessly pass through his now blackened body. At the same time all of the torches died, throwing the room into darkness.
Dumbledore raised his wand and the room lit up again. The darkness pulsated as if it was alive, shying away from the light, which flew close to the ceiling, where it floated like a miniature sun. But the darkness Lucas summoned didn't dissipate, it slithered along the walls, dancing in the corners and cracks, waiting.
Lucas's body blurred and his form became indistinguishable from the shadows, vanishing entirely from sight. Dumbledore stood still, unfazed. The area around the headmaster remained a bubble of calm light.
Suddenly, the attack came, not from any particular direction but from everywhere at once. Shadowy hands surged from the walls, floor, and ceiling, converging on Dumbledore with lethal speed. At the same time, Lucas's Legilimency charged into Dumbledore's mind, seeking to break his mental defenses and overwhelm him.
Dumbledore's wand flashed, and with a flick of his wrist, a liquid barrier manifested from the light around him. The shadowy hands collided with the shield, disintegrating upon impact, the force sending *thuds* through the room. The mental assault was met with equal resistance. Dumbledore's mind, a secluded, weathered stone cottage atop a quiet, misty hill, fortified by decades of discipline, stood like an impenetrable fortress. He felt Lucas's onslaught, the sharp edges of his Legilimency scraping against its walls, but only amounting to shallow cuts.
The shadows recoiled, but only for a moment. Lucas was relentless. His magic swirled, gathering into a concentrated mass, before shooting at the artificial sun.
The clash resulted in an explosion that swallowed the whole roof, exposing the room to the storm that mimicked the chaos taking place.
Neither of the two flinched as debris rained down around them.
The storm kept on raging in concert with Lucas's fury, wind howling through the exposed room. Rain pelted down in sheets, but Dumbledore's magic kept him dry and steady, even as the shadows crept closer.
Lucas reappeared briefly, his wand back in his hand aiming at the sky. His magic surged, shooting straight up, calling pure destruction.
And the heavens answered.
A flash of lightning ripped through the storm-clouded sky, blindingly bright and crackling with raw energy. The thunderclap followed, shaking the very foundations of the castle.
The headmaster moved, with a fluidity and speed that Lucas thought was impossible.
Dumbledore cast something on himself and raised his hand, not his wand, but his hand, and as if he were plucking an apple from a tree, caught the lightning.
For a moment, everything was still. The lightning crackled, disintegrating the headmaster's robes, but not harming his skin. Lucas's eyes widened in disbelief.
With a calm yet commanding gesture, Dumbledore clenched his fist. The lightning shuddered violently before imploding in a burst of blinding light, scattering harmlessly into the rain-soaked sky. The storm seemed to whimper in retreat, the wind calming, the thunder rolling away into the distance.
Dumbledore's eyes glowed with an ethereal light as he lowered his hand. "It is over," he said with unshakable authority, befit only him. "You will not win this, Lucas."
----
AN: before anyone comes crying. This is his first time fighting with his emotions and Legilimency is a fickle thing, requiring finesse he normally has, but not under those circumstances. He also lacks a few other things compared to the monster that is Dumbledore.
But is it satisfactory?
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