The voices of the Aurors outside filtered into the tent, and Charlie finally breathed a sigh of relief. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, then couldn't help but lift his foot and deliver a few kicks to Malfoy.
"Can't let this chance slip by..." Charlie turned to Kael and said, "This guy was laughing the loudest just now—and he was the first to use the Crucio Curse. I've been wanting to do this for ages."
"Crucio Curse?" Kael frowned, "Then you guys..."
"Oh, it's fine. Dad was lucky enough to dodge it... twice in a row."
As he spoke, Charlie got riled up again. Just as he'd put his foot down, he lifted it once more and gave Malfoy another round of kicks.
During this, Malfoy seemed to be waking up, so Charlie decisively fired a Stunning Spell, then kept on kicking.
Kael walked over, holding a bottle.
The noise outside was dying down, and the sky no longer sparkled as if fireworks were going off.
After about an hour, things gradually quieted down around them.
Mr. Weasley returned then, and brought along a group of grim-faced Aurors.
As soon as they entered the tent, the Aurors spotted several people tied together in the corner.
"Merlin's beard!" One of them clearly recognized these people and cried out, "They're all from those Pure-Blood families... Arthur, are you sure you didn't make a mistake?"
"Absolutely not, Delix, I promise." Mr. Weasley said, pointing to a pile of hoods and masks beside him, "These all came off them. And the headmistress of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, Madam Olympe Maxime, can also testify."
"Maxime?" Delix was a little surprised.
He certainly knew Olympe Maxime—held in high regard in France, immensely influential.
He just hadn't expected a foreign wizard to get involved, let alone someone so famous.
"These people tried to abduct students from Beauxbatons earlier." Mr. Weasley explained, "They seemed to want to blackmail Maxime into doing something."
"Despicable tactics." Delix snorted disdainfully, waved his wand, and directly hauled them out of the tent.
"Thanks for your trouble, Arthur."
Once they'd been dragged away, Delix grinned at Mr. Weasley, "One against seven and you still won? I never realized you were so formidable... You should really consider becoming an Auror."
"You're mistaken, it's because..." Mr. Weasley started to explain, but remembering those illegal Chomping Cabbages, he quickly shut his mouth and switched to, "It wasn't just me—the kids helped a lot too."
"Four against seven, and you managed to catch them without a scratch. That's impressive enough." Delix said, "If you ask me, you ought to think about joining the Aurors—at least it's a lot better than that cramped office you're stuck in now."
"It really wasn't all my doing." Mr. Weasley wanted to explain, but realized he couldn't avoid mentioning the Chomping Cabbages, so his face turned bright red.
"Alright, I get it. Looks like you do really love your current job." Delix chuckled, "But we have to go, Arthur. There's still loads to do. See you at the Ministry."
"Alright." Mr. Weasley nodded helplessly.
After the Aurors left, Mr. Weasley wiped the sweat and dirt from his face with his robes. He looked at Kael, hesitated a moment, then said, "About those Chomping Cabbages..."
"I got them from the school's greenhouse," Kael said, "Planning to brew some Magic Potion."
"That I don't doubt." Mr. Weasley shook his head, "But it's still not strictly allowed. If someone presses the issue, you might run into a bit of trouble."
"It's fine, Dad." Bill came over, patted his chest and said, "If it comes up, just say I gave the Chomping Cabbages to Kael. As a Curse Breaker, working somewhere as dangerous as the Pyramid, it makes sense to carry some magic plants for protection."
"No, just pin it on me." Charlie stepped forward too.
"Chomping Cabbage is one of the Chinese Fireball Dragon's favorite snacks, and since I work at the Romanian Fire Dragon Reserve, carrying some dragon treats is totally reasonable, right?"
"Thanks, but I don't think it'll come to that." Kael said, smiling and shaking his head.
"The wounds caused by Chomping Cabbages aren't hard to treat. I already used a special Magic Potion and some Healing Magic on them—their injuries should be almost healed by now."
"That's good." Mr. Weasley said, "If that's the case, it'll save us a lot of trouble..."
Bill raised his eyebrows for no apparent reason.
He'd been too tense to notice before, but now that he thought about it—
Hit them with a Disillusionment Charm sneak attack, then erase the Chomping Cabbages' wounds with Magic Potions... Well, damn, Kael's entire operation was seamless.
What exactly has he been learning at school these past few years…
But Mr. Weasley wasn't bothered about any of that. He looked at Kael, just about to ask after Harry and Ron, when another shout went up outside.
"Oh, damn it—can this just end already?"
Mr. Weasley rushed out of the tent, but the next second, something sparkling in the sky caught his eye.
It was an enormous skull—a huge serpent slithering out from its mouth...
Mr. Weasley's eyes flew open wide. He knew exactly what it was—or, really, any wizard a bit older would know.
"Merlin's beard..." Mr. Weasley exclaimed, unable to stop himself, "Why is the Dark Mark showing up here? Malfoy's already been caught!"
He'd always thought Lucius Malfoy was the mastermind behind the riot, but now, it was clear there were others, and they were even bolder than Malfoy.
In the Magic Realm, the Dark Mark isn't just released casually. Especially after Voldemort fell, getting caught casting it is almost as bad as using an Unforgivable Curse.
Bill and Charlie, following behind, also saw the flashing Dark Mark in the sky.
"Looks like someone else slipped through." Charlie said.
"Dad, should we go have a look?"
Mr. Weasley naturally wanted to—after all, it's been more than ten years since the Dark Mark last appeared, and he was curious to find out what was going on.
But before he could decide, a loud explosion echoed nearby.
Somehow, the Apparition restriction at the campground had been lifted, and the moment they saw the Dark Mark, nearly half the Aurors and Beaters rushed over.
About fifty people all told.
"Forget it..." Mr. Weasley shook his head, "There are already plenty of people there—even if we went, we wouldn't really be much help."
...