The carriage slammed to a halt, throwing the cabin into sudden chaos. Julien and Elizabeth were flung to the side, while the man with the missing finger sprang up like a panther, his wand instantly sliding into his hand.
The carriage door was blown open by a massive, violent force. A burly man dressed in black vaulted inside. A vicious diagonal scar slashed across his face, and his eyes burned with malice.
"Cassian Thorne!" the scarred man sneered. "Hand it over! You dare touch something belonging to the Moon Shadow Council?"
So his name is Cassian Thorne, Julien thought to himself.
"It's safe in my hands," Cassian's voice was icy and composed. "Back off, Wolfgang. This isn't the place for your tantrums."
"Then let's see whose wand is faster!" Wolfgang roared, a sickly green light erupting from the tip of his wand.
A fierce duel erupted inside the cramped cabin. Blinding flashes of spells collided, rattling the carriage until its joints groaned. Fortunately, there were no other passengers on board.
But the Thestrals had clearly been spooked. Letting out piercing shrieks, they dragged the carriage into a frantic, erratic sprint along the invisible road.
Julien and Elizabeth pressed themselves flat against the carriage wall, not daring to breathe. They knew a battle of this caliber was far beyond anything first-years could interfere with.
In the chaos, a stray red jet of light struck whatever Cassian had hidden in his coat. The cloth wrapping disintegrated, revealing an antique bronze pocket watch.
The watch flew from his grasp, arcing through the air to land perfectly on the floor between Julien and Elizabeth.
Acting almost entirely on instinct, both of their hands shot out at the same time. Their fingertips brushed against the cold metal surface.
Instantly, an irresistible jerk caught them behind the navel! The world spun wildly, colors and sounds blurring into a single, stretched-out thread.
Julien only had time to grab Elizabeth's wrist before they were sucked into a violent magical vortex.
When the dizziness finally faded and their feet hit solid ground, they found themselves in a cold, damp, abandoned warehouse. The air was thick with the smell of rust and mold.
Cassian and Wolfgang had been dragged along as well. The two immediately resumed their brawl; the pocket watch had clearly been an unstable Portkey.
"Damn it!" Cassian roared.
Just then, two figures slowly stepped out of the warehouse's shadows. They wore matching black robes, and one of them bore a striking mark on his bare left forearm—a black crescent moon entangled in thorns.
"Oho, it looks like our 'messenger' has brought us an unexpected gift," the taller man sneered, his voice raspy. "Two little brats, and a suicidal dog from the Department of Mysteries."
"Kill them," the shorter man said, licking his lips. "Keep it clean. The Council doesn't like leaving traces."
Cassian's face fell. He threw himself in front of Julien and Elizabeth, his voice urgent. "Run! Don't look back!"
But it was too late. Wolfgang had already circled behind to block their escape route. The two men in black raised their wands in unison, deadly green light pooling at the tips.
Julien's heart sank to the bottom of his stomach. He gripped his wand tightly, his brain spinning at top speed as he tried to recall every defensive spell his grandfather had taught him. But facing opponents radiating such pure murderous intent, he knew their odds were slim.
Elizabeth's face had gone paper-white, but her eyes remained fiercely stubborn. The wand in her hand trembled slightly, but she refused to lower it.
In that hair-raising split second, just as the twin jets of green light were about to fire—
"Protego!" Cassian, Julien, and Elizabeth shouted the Shield Charm simultaneously. Instantly, three shimmering barriers—one large, two small—flared to life, enveloping them.
Cassian cast a slightly surprised look at the two kids. "Not bad."
"Hoh, didn't realize we had two little prodigies here." The tall man looked somewhat surprised as well, but quickly sneered. "Fine. Let's see how many more of those you can block."
"Avada Kedavra!!" Both men shouted the Killing Curse at the top of their lungs. Two jets of green light, far more intense than before, blasted toward them.
"PROTEGO!!!" This time, the green flashes not only shattered their shields but violently knocked all three of them back a large step.
"Enough! Balthazar! Stop playing around," Wolfgang barked from behind them. "Don't make me transform to help you. If I do, I'll be attacking indiscriminately."
"Hmph! Unnecessary!" The tall man, Balthazar, spat in angry humiliation. "Hartwell, we're doing it for real this time."
"Dermis Trahere!" Two streaks of bizarre pink light gathered at the tips of their wands.
A grave expression settled over Cassian's face. He had never heard of this incantation before. Was it a new dark curse developed by the Moon Shadow Council?
"Obscurum Flecto." The incantation was right on the tip of Julien's tongue. It was a Black family heirloom, the "Shadow Deflection Charm," though he had no idea if it would actually work against this.
Right at that moment, the warehouse roof was suddenly ripped off by an overwhelming force!
Bitingly cold wind and swirling snow poured in as a beam of white light cascaded down like liquid silver.
A woman—so massive her head nearly brushed the broken rafters—stood at the edge of the ruins. She had olive skin, a cascading waterfall of blonde hair, and eyes as commanding as a lion's.
Beside her stood a young girl of about thirteen or fourteen. Her long, silvery-blonde hair gleamed, and her flawless face carried a cool, arrogant composure far beyond her years.
"Scum of the Moon Shadow Council," the giant witch's voice boomed, dripping with unquestionable authority. "Your vile deeds end here."
"Madame Maxime!" Cassian yelled in pleasant surprise.
Seeing her sheer size and hearing Cassian's shout, Julien instantly knew who she was: Olympe Maxime, the Headmistress of the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic.
The two men in black clearly recognized the newcomer as well, their faces draining of all color. "Fall back!" the tall man shrieked, spinning on his heel to Apparate.
But Madame Maxime simply flicked her wrist, casting an invisible forcefield over the entire warehouse. "You think you can flee in my presence?"
The young girl beside Maxime waved her wand with elegant grace, a string of fluent incantations spilling from her lips. A ribbon of silvery-white light snaked out, accurately striking the wrists of the two men in black. Their wands clattered to the floor.
"Headmistress, they have marks on their arms," Fleur pointed at the men's left forearms.
Madame Maxime stepped forward. Her piercing gaze scrutinized the black moon emblem, a flash of icy fury in her eyes.
"It is them, just as we suspected. We have been tracking these rats for a very long time in search of a stolen ancient magical artifact."
Seeing that Cassian had already subdued Wolfgang in the back, Maxime finally turned her attention to the shaken Julien and Elizabeth. A trace of gentleness softened her imposing features. "Are you alright, children?"
Julien and Elizabeth supported each other as they stood up, shaking their heads. The sheer relief of surviving the ordeal left them momentarily speechless.
Cassian walked over and picked up the bronze pocket watch from the ground, handing it solemnly to Madame Maxime. "Madame, this is what they were trying to steal. It's connected to a highly dangerous ancient relic."
Madame Maxime took the watch and nodded. "You have done well, Cassian. Beauxbatons will take it from here."
Just then, with several loud pops, a few more men in grey coats materialized out of thin air—evidently Cassian's colleagues. After exchanging greetings with Maxime, they took the three prisoners into custody and departed.
Maxime looked back at the two children. "You were very brave. Now, allow me to escort you home. Elizabeth, your aunt's house is not far from here, correct?"