Chapter 166. The Attack on the Blacks.
Grimmauld Place, Number 12.
A group of five figures in dark cloaks appeared before a small four-story brick building, their eyes immediately fixed on the structure with two doors: one marked with the number eleven, the other with thirteen.
Muggles passing by stared in genuine amazement at the figures who had appeared in such strange garments, wondering how they had managed it. Some stopped to watch the show. Others applauded the remarkable display.
"Fidelius," Amelia said, drawing the word out with contempt as she looked at the building, then turned an equally disdainful look toward the Muggles. Her irritation mounted slowly, and when she raised her hand, another hand closed over her wrist immediately, which only soured her mood further.
"Please, calm yourself. If you do this, the higher-ups will..."
She wrenched her hand free. A sharp slap rang out across the quiet street, leaving a red mark on the face of the man who had stopped her. He and the other three barely reacted. The Muggles, however, were completely riveted, watching eagerly to see what would happen next.
"Try to stop me again and you'll take their place," she hissed, eyes narrowed in warning. A wand appeared in her hand, and with a single sweep, a dome-shaped pulse, invisible to the naked eye, surged outward from her and enveloped the surrounding twenty meters.
The Muggles gave a slight start, then drifted away in various directions as though entranced. The moment they crossed the barrier's boundary, they returned to their senses, apparently forgetting everything they had just seen, and continued on their way. Those who needed to pass through the area simply walked around it without knowing why.
Within minutes, the street was completely empty. Amelia tucked her wand back into its holster.
"Capture Bellatrix Black alive. Kill the rest." She held a simple, black, time-worn dagger in her hand. "Hmph. Only fools would think this is enough to hide from us." She threw it. It sank into the brick wall like a knife through butter, and a ripple passed through the space. The house shuddered and slowly expanded outward, revealing an additional entrance. Before it stood the Blacks: Orion, Walburga, and Bellatrix, all of whom had heard every word. Wands were already in hand.
"Who sent you, and what do you want?" Orion stepped forward, his face tight with tension. He had already seen Amelia's power, and the last thing he wanted after that demonstration was to fight if there was any chance of settling this without combat spells.
"Hmph." A blast of wind shot from her hand, taking the shape of a blade, and flew straight at the pair.
"Protego!" Orion called out grimly, raising a barrier. The attack struck it in the next instant. Where does she get that kind of power? He thought, teeth clenched, feeling himself being steadily pushed back. And this was nonverbal magic, normally far weaker than spoken spells, and yet she hadn't uttered a single word. A monster.
A moment later, the pressure eased sharply. He caught sight of a second wand: Walburga's. Together they managed to stop the attack.
"So you can do something after all," Amelia said, a smirk tugging at her lips. She didn't want to repeat the mistake of severely underestimating an opponent, so she had decided to be more careful this time. But when she saw almost no real resistance, her smirk widened.
"Uncle..." Bellatrix's calm voice pulled Orion out of his thoughts. She walked past him, her expression neutral, and stood in front of the group. "If I go with you willingly, will you leave my family alone?"
"Bellatrix!"
At that same moment, one of Amelia's subordinates stepped closer and murmured to her,
"Captain, if we acquire another pair of eyes and ears among the British aristocracy, headquarters may ease the punishment somewhat."
"Hmm... that's a reasonable thought." She narrowed her eyes in satisfaction and looked back at the couple. "Agreed."
"Wait." Orion caught Bellatrix by the arm, pulled her back, and fixed a hard stare on the group. "Why do you need my niece?" He knew nothing good would come of this. For now, he was simply buying time until the Aurors arrived. He had managed to send a message before the barrier went up. "While you're answe... AAARGH!" He never finished. A small brooch on his chest exploded, and he grabbed his head and dropped to his knees as a stream of incoherent sounds of pain tore from his throat.
"Dear!" Walburga cried out in panic and dropped beside him, fighting down her fury with everything she had. She was hot-tempered but not foolish, and she understood there was nothing she could do here.
"I'll go!" Bellatrix shouted, barely holding her rage in check. Only then did Orion fall silent and slump to the ground. *One day I will make you suffer for this, you wretch.* Her cold, dark eyes burned into Amelia.
"You won't have the strength for it," Amelia said, as though reading her thoughts, the contemptuous smirk still in place. She raised her palm toward the wall where the dagger was embedded.
It vibrated, pulled itself free, and flew toward her hand. But halfway there, it changed course, and a moment later it settled into the hand of an elderly man with a long beard, who was studying the artifact with mild curiosity.
"My girl, that is a very interesting little toy you have. I would very much enjoy hearing where you found it." His unhurried voice and the look in his eyes, which held nothing but contempt, filled Amelia with a wild, unfamiliar irritation. No one had ever treated her this way. But a strange, creeping unease, combined with how easily the old man had taken her dagger, made her wary. "But never mind. I'll pull it out of your head myself later."
The moment Bellatrix saw the wizard's face, her heart lurched. She recognized him immediately from the day Voldemort had met ihiros.
Ihiros Ihiros. But why is he... And then the pieces snapped into place all at once. Unknown attackers. The assault on Severus's shop and his home. They want me alive. And now his teacher has appeared here.
"Who are you?" Amelia demanded coldly, her wand back in hand. At her gesture, the others drew theirs as well.
"I'm simply an old man very concerned for his student." He squinted slightly, turning the artifact over in his palm, then raised one hand and snapped his fingers.
Another dome-shaped wave swept outward, swallowing everything within seconds. When it reached the size of Amelia's barrier, it erased hers completely. Then, abruptly, the new barrier ignited: a wall of fire surrounding everything, burning without consuming, bathing the entire area in a deep crimson glow.
The display genuinely shook every wizard present, especially the organization's members, who realized their situation was growing dire. Even Bellatrix and Walburga couldn't hide their shock. Neither had ever seen anything performed on that scale, wandless, and with such complete ease.
"And then, of course, there are my animals that you killed." As he finished speaking, several dozen blades of force surged toward him. The old man let out a tired sigh. "Such clumsy magic. You could at least make an effort. Show some respect for an elder." A transparent film formed over his finger. He pointed it at the incoming projectiles and, without any visible effort, destroyed the first, then the second, then the third.
Walburga watched in horror, barely able to contain it. She and Orion had barely managed to deflect one of those, and she knew exactly how much force it carried. What this man was doing was simply beyond comprehension.
She thought she was the monster. But... when the last blade was gone, she flinched. He was the real monster.
Before the old man could so much as draw a breath, two perfectly shaped stones erupted from the ground and tried to close around him. Wind whipped around his body, and he was simply somewhere else, a meter away, untouched. The organization's members still did not stop: hundreds of icicles converged on "Ihiros" from every direction, followed by a dark magical wave that coated them.
He saw the dark icicles approaching. His hand burst into crimson flame. He swept it outward, and the fire surrounded him completely; every icicle that touched it dissolved on contact.
"A blend of ice and dark magic. An interesting combination." He looked down at Amelia, who had fallen to her knees, thin streams of blood trickling from her nose, eyes, and ears.
She had attempted to breach his mind and been thrown back by the recoil, slamming into a wall. Not a plain wall—one lined with spikes.
Even with the artifact that enhanced mental magic, I couldn't do anything. Fear flooded her mind for a moment, a sensation she was entirely unaccustomed to. Why was there nothing in any record about a wizard this powerful? What were those useless spies doing here? If I survive this, I am going to make every last one of them pay.
"Noooo!" The panicked scream snapped her out of it. She turned toward its source and saw only the old man and the dying fire.
When their eyes met, a wave of cold swept through her entire body. In that moment, she remembered her subordinate, the one who had suggested reporting everything to headquarters and waiting for orders. At that moment, she realized she might have made the worst mistake of her life. But it was far too late.
I have to survive. Her eyes swept the area in search of anything useful and settled on Bellatrix. There. A current of wind wrapped around Amelia, and she launched herself at Bellatrix, a wild snarl on her face. Bellatrix, whose attention had been fixed on the old man, caught the movement only at the very last instant, but it was already too late to defend herself.
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