In the dim corridor corner, the shadows of several figures stretched long under the torchlight, swaying with the flicker of the flames like ghosts reaching out to grasp something unseen.
"Wade Grey dared to challenge all of us. He must have already set traps ahead. We can't let him lead us by the nose," Ganish said calmly. "We need to be careful of him—or of his magic dolls—launching an ambush."
Zahid spoke up: "I know a spell—Flame Shield. As long as we put the shield in front, Grey's magic dolls won't be able to break through!"
"Flame shield?" Natasha's brows knitted. She looked at Zahid doubtfully and asked, "What kind of Flame shield?"
Outside the Streaming Mirror, while the students' faces were full of anticipation, many headmasters instantly sat upright, their eyes blazing as they fixed their gaze on the curly-haired Zahid on the screen.
The wizards who had experienced the war still remembered: Grindelwald possessed a Protective Flame Shieldspell called the Protego Diabolica, terrifyingly powerful, capable of reducing opponents to ash in an instant—virtually his signature spell.
Headmaster Adeso glanced at Dumbledore. Seeing that he had no intention of speaking, Adeso took the initiative and asked, "Professor Usha, does that child have any connection with the Alliance?"
Professor Usha of Al-Qadim frowned slightly, shook her head under the others' scrutiny, and replied, "No, he shouldn't… Al-Qadim doesn't teach that spell either. It's likely Zahid learned it from his parents or elders."
Unaware of the attention he had drawn, Zahid scratched his hair in confusion and said, "It's just this kind of spell!"
He extended his wand toward the passage ahead and spoke clearly: "Flame Shield!"
Boom—
From the tip of his wand burst a stream of golden-red fire, which, three or four feet away, suddenly spread out and expanded into a circular shield. Flames licked and roared at its edges, sparks flying outward and leaving scorch marks on the vines along the ground.
Natasha let out a breath of relief, and her hand secretly gripping her wand loosened slightly. "So it's that kind of flame shield," she said.
Zahid dispelled the magic, exhaled deeply, and added, "Save it for when it really counts. I can't hold that shield for long."
"Actually, I have an idea." Ganish pointed at the vines covering the surrounding walls. "Why don't we use these vines to make our own shields? If we set them alight, they'll burn Grey's magic dolls, and also guard against his spell attacks."
Everyone's eyes lit up at once.
To be chosen as champions for their schools, regardless of weaknesses in other subjects, every one of them was skilled in charms, transfiguration, and defensive magic against the dark arts.
Working together, they quickly crafted several shields large enough to cover all sides—front, back, left, and right. With levitation charms, they floated them into position, then set them ablaze. The temperature in the corridor spiked sharply, and their anxious hearts settled a little.
While they paused to make shields, Harry had quietly caught up. He heard the crackle of burning vines and their voices, so he cautiously halted, peeking from a distance to spy on them.
A small sand mouse had also scurried behind Harry, sneaking under a cluster of leaves, its beady black eyes peering out.
Neither Abby's group noticed Harry, nor did Harry notice the sand mouse lurking just two feet away.
When their group moved forward, the boy and mouse trailed carefully behind. Blue birds flitted here and there throughout the corridor, recording everything for the Streaming mirror. Everyone knew what they were, and ignored them.
"Hold formation, don't rush!"
Abby barked in a low voice, gritting her teeth as she and her companions advanced back-to-back.
The flaming shields rotated slowly around them, forming an impenetrable barrier that baked the damp, chilly underground corridor into sweltering waves of heat.
"There's a chamber up ahead!" said Olga, who was in front. "Stay alert—Wade Grey might be in there."
"Leave the shields to us!" Ganish said. "Olga, Zahid, Abby, be ready to cast your spells!"
They had long discussed how to seize the advantage the instant they encountered Wade—at the very least, to withstand the first wave of traps.
As long as they could break through the swarm tactics of his magic dolls and gain the chance to fight Wade Grey face-to-face, none of them believed they would lose to a fourteen-year-old boy.
Ganish, Samuel, and Natasha each controlled two shields to guard against magic doll ambushes. The other three gripped their wands tightly, not even planning to chant incantations—ready to unleash their most familiar spells the instant Wade appeared.
Just as they were about to step into the chamber, the sand mouse tailing them suddenly froze. It lifted its head toward the corridor's pitch-black ceiling.
Shhhhhh—
A faint rustling came from above. Samuel's ears twitched with unease surging in his chest.
He turned to Abby and asked, "Did you hear somethi—"
At that very instant, countless scorpion-shaped dolls poured down like a storm of black rain. Though their bodies were made from weeds and vines, under the firelight their shells gleamed with an eerie metallic luster.
Zahid's pupils shrank. He whipped his wand upward and shouted: "Flame Shield!"
A tongue of fire burst forth, forming a blazing shield above them. But the next second, countless magic dolls, cloaked in fire themselves, tore straight through the barrier and landed directly on the group!
They had caught fire, but the flames were not hot enough to incinerate them instantly. Besides, their bodies were not entirely made from plants.
The blaze only strengthened their assault. Because Zahid was tall, the first magic doll landed right on his head—and his curly black hair instantly ignited. Zahid let out a scream, thrashing wildly as he tried to slap the scorpion away.
The flame shield vanished at once, and more dolls crackled down from above, hissing and clawing as they pounced.
"Protego Arm—"
Abby hadn't finished the incantation before several scorpions landed on her. Their tail stingers pierced her skin, and a wave of paralysis swept over her like a flood.
She staggered to her knees and her vision blurred.
She saw scorpion dolls, heedless of death, trampling over the burning vine-shields and throwing themselves forward to swarm the still-resisting champions.
She saw Samuel fighting desperately against the ones in front, while four or five already clung to his back. Natasha's wand was torn from her grasp. Ganish seemed to be paralyzed as well. Zahid was the unluckiest—falling to the ground still ablaze, while several scorpions actually jumped onto him to help put out the fire.
Olga alone acted decisively. He covered his face with both arms and charged headlong into the chamber, roaring. Magic dolls that tried to block him were smashed aside or trampled underfoot. Even when his robes caught fire, he did not stop.
In Abby's fading sight, a spark of hope lit up—only for her to see Olga, the moment he broke into the chamber, ensnared by iron chains that shot out of nowhere and wrapped around his ankles.
A shrill, cracking scream followed, and the red-haired wizard was hauled upside down into the air.
Clatter!
A wand fell to the ground, rolled twice, and stopped—only to be casually picked up by a passing scorpion doll.
Abby: "…"
She should have despaired, but perhaps because Olga's final shriek sounded more like a little girl spotting a cockroach, she almost wanted to laugh instead.
"Thank goodness… Hope took the golden egg away…"
That thought flashed through her mind just as the darkness finally swallowed her whole.
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⭐Harry Potter: Becoming a Study God (HP:BSG)- 200+ Chapters
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