The light rapidly became brighter and brighter, its color paler, and in the blink of an eye it vanished from the air.
But Barty Crouch Jr. knew that the magic spell hadn't truly disappeared; like the blazing flames of the sun, the silent torrent surged forward. The doorway, the walls, the giant serpent, and the figure holding the bundle all rapidly carbonized and turned to ash in a few seconds, eventually vanishing.
Only the baby in the bundle persisted for two extra seconds, emitting a heart-wrenching scream. Thick smoke spewed from its malformed features, forming a giant, agonized human face illusion in the air, which was then instantly swallowed by the torrent.
"No—"
Barty Crouch Jr. simultaneously let out a heartrending scream, unexpectedly tearing open a gap in his sleeve, and shouted in unbearable pain: "Ah ah ah— You bastard! I will kill you, I will definitely kill you!!!"
In the midst of the howl, the cloak that nearly crushed him suddenly loosened, attacking Vid like an angry python.
Firebird Mikhail flew out abruptly, suddenly grew larger, and knocked the cloak away. It restrained its flame but still left charred marks on the cloak.
As the cloak was drawn away, its blade-like hem also withdrew from Barty Crouch Jr.'s thigh, and the torrent of heat flowing through his blood vessels spilled out without obstruction.
The man shouted, trying to counterattack, but could only fall to his knees helplessly. Vid immediately knocked the Magic Wand from his hand and stamped the small stick into pieces.
The battle between the cloak and the firebird came clashing fiercely, from inside to outside. If Mikhail had wanted to destroy the cloak with flames rather than purely physical confrontation, it would have melted down this suddenly rebellious creature long ago.
Vid glanced over but did not force Mikhail to take serious action.
Barty Crouch Jr., mouth agape, still had a throat spasming from pressure. He emitted a series of hoarse, intermittent gasps, laboriously lifted his head, and looked at the Magic Wand pointing at his brow.
The tip of the Magic Wand still faintly flickered with dangerous red light.
It was such a glow that turned his master into a heap of ashes.
Blood dripped drop by drop from the man's body onto the floor.
Vid's cloak was originally made of metal wire, and when Barty Crouch Jr. challenged it, not only were the neck and thigh injured, but the entire body was riddled with wounds. Not to mention the trauma caused by the pressure on internal organs.
This battered and bruised man seemed impervious to pain as he gazed at "Harry Potter" with his cold, calm eyes and finally realized something.
Barty Crouch Jr. swallowed several times, forcing out a hoarse voice from his throat: "You aren't... aren't Harry Potter... Who exactly... are you..."
Vid blinked and instead asked, "Is this your last words?"
Barty Crouch Jr. let out a hoarse laugh: "Do you think... you've won...? Do you think it's over? No... The Dark Lord will never die!"
Before finishing his words, he suddenly pressed his palm against the ground, causing the room's floor to transform and explode.
As Vid instinctively stepped back, Barty Crouch Jr. seized the opportunity to roll over and grab the old kettle that brought them here, disappearing instantly from where he stood.
Vid remained vigilant, and a few seconds later the cloak clashing violently with the firebird in the air halted and was directly smashed into the ground by Mikhail.
"Wait! Wait! What's going on?" the cloak cried loudly in distress, "Help, Master! Mikhail is killing me self-destructively! Are you displeased with your trusty assistant and trying to take this chance to get rid of me?"
The firebird abruptly stopped its striking stance, hovered above the cloak, tilted its head to study it for a moment, then smacked its wing against the cloak's hood.
"Ah, how can you hit the face? Even though I don't have one, my hood is so fragile..."
The cloak mouthed off as it shouted, then began to groan pitifully as if Mikhail had seriously injured it.
Vid relaxed completely, sitting directly on the ground, then lay down.
A small burst of firelight blossomed from the Magic Wand's tip with a "pffft," producing a tiny flame; creatures like Nobeta sneezing as a child would create fireballs larger than this.
Mikhail had returned to Vid's side, watching the small fireball curiously before lightly tapping it with its mouth. The fireball extinguished with a "pop."
Mikhail: "..."
It stared seriously at the flame's disappearance, then stubbornly scratched at the spot with its paw a couple of times, seemingly trying to dig the fireball out from under the floor.
The cloak sluggishly flew indoors, meekly and resentfully reporting: "Master, Mikhail just hit me..."
"You were cast with a Confundus Charm by that guy, mistaking us as enemies."
Vid explained simply, taking out two pieces of chocolate from his pocket, unwrapping them haphazardly and stuffing them into his mouth. After lying for a while, he finally felt somewhat recovered.
During this time, he experienced the world in front of his eyes seeming to warp and blur, knowing the Polyjuice Potion was wearing off. He removed his glasses and pocketed them, restoring his normal vision.
"Let's go." Vid instructed the cloak and firebird to return to him, saying: "With such a commotion, the Ministry of Magic may soon send someone over. We have to return to camp quickly."
Mikhail chirped twice.
"I know, that guy went back to camp too."
Vid spoke with a cold expression, "But right now, his priorities are treating his injuries first, then finding Voldemort once again turned into a wraith, rather than troubling others. What's more..."
Vid tapped his robe with the Magic Wand, subtly altering its style and color.
Vid said: "He was beaten up by Braun, who is involved with the Witch Pure Party. What has it got to do with Hogwarts student Vid Gray?"
—— No relation?
Mikhail tilted its head; its round eyes framing the thought, "Isn't that all you?"
The cloak wanted to quip, but given its recent mistake, it opted to forego commenting, transforming it into a strange "glug" noise.
Vid gathered his two small companions, glancing at the place seared by the Flame God without checking the result, then Apparated immediately from the spot.
If there were other subordinates gathered by Voldemort or dangerous Magical Creatures outside, confronting them in Vid's current state would be perilous.
He left a message for Delaine, asking him to dispatch someone to investigate later, then swiftly returned to camp.
Chaos hadn't ended, but most of the cursed Leprechauns and Veelas had been contained. Wizards who had been scattered previously mostly found safety, and the camp was quiet, save for a few tents still smoldering.
Vid exhaled, found a secluded yet wide space, unfurled the wardrobe space once more, and knocked the bell on top.
Soon after, the boys and girls emerged one after another.
"Merlin—" Ron was shocked, looking at the empty camp with wide eyes and asking, "Are we the only ones alive here?"
"Don't talk nonsense." Ginny rolled her eyes at him, tiptoeing and asking, "Where have Bill and the others gone?"
"Is it over?" Michael asked, as Leian silently supported Vid, saying, "You look exhausted; what happened?"
"Kreacher! Kreacher!" Harry shouted urgently, "Let's pitch the tent again!"
Soon enough, the tent stood again in the camp, and Vid lay comfortably on the sofa to rest.
Kreacher served him barbecue and hot chocolate; Padma brought a piece of cake, Hermione flipped through books searching for why magical creatures suddenly went amok.
Fred, Michael, Harry, and others kept watch by the door and windows, chatting and staying alert in case the monsters attacked again.
When Lupin returned and lifted the curtain, he saw such a harmonious and leisurely scene and asked perplexed: "Didn't you all hide in the forest? Have you not heard the commotion outside?"
Everyone looked at each other, feigning complete oblivion and innocence, asking, "Outside? Wasn't there a celebration all this time?"
Lupin: "..."