"Oh my god, what is that!" The crowd in the stands began to stir. They saw creatures that should never, could never, appear on the Quidditch pitch. Evil beings, creatures that should have been barred by the gates of Hogwarts, floated above the field. Countless black cloaks blotted out the already dim light. Withered, decaying hands inspired revulsion and fear. Many students, upon seeing these creatures for even a moment, felt a chill run through them, as if all joy and pleasure had been sucked away. Their legs went weak, and they felt as if they could faint at any moment.
Malfoy quietly observed from the side. He wasn't worried about Pansy, as she could protect herself. Besides, the most powerful white wizard had swiftly arrived on the field, casually waving his wand to gently lift the plummeting Harry with a soft force, as if an invisible layer of cotton had been laid beneath him.
The school healers arrived almost immediately, bringing stretchers. This was thanks to Ron; after the last incident, Hogwarts had trained a group of emergency responders specifically for such situations, and they were already being put to use.
Then, Dumbledore waved his wand, chanting a spell. His long, silvery-white beard danced in the wind, appearing even more majestic and imposing amidst the intermittent flashes of lightning. This was a reflection of his rage. In the past, even during battles with Death Eaters, he had always seemed calm and composed, never losing his composure.
But now, it was different. These monsters were threatening his students.
The audience only saw the dark sky brighten for a moment. The blinding light caused everyone to briefly lose their sight for a few seconds.
Suddenly, a phantom image appeared in the sky. A gigantic, silvery-white Patronus radiated dazzling light, particularly striking against the dark sky. This was Dumbledore's Patronus, a phoenix with silvery-white feathers. The students had never seen Dumbledore so angry. Not even the pranks during holidays or the students' violations of school rules ever caused even a hint of displeasure to appear on his perpetually smiling face.
Hundreds of Dementors were defenseless before Dumbledore's Patronus. An ordinary person's Patronus could only drive away these detestable creatures, but Dumbledore was different. His name was a symbol of power. Any Dementor that came into contact with the silvery-white flames spewed by the phoenix could only face one outcome: death.
Specks of silvery-white flame drifted in the air above the Quidditch pitch. Upon touching the Dementors' bodies, they suddenly flared with a bright, silver light, then expanded. The Dementors touched by the sparks were like gasoline drums doused in accelerant. With a 'boom,' they burst into huge, silvery-white fireballs, then exploded, like a dazzling firework display. One by one, the Dementors were annihilated in these fiery explosions, vanishing as if they had never existed in this world, leaving no trace behind.
The once fearless Dementors panicked. For the first time, they encountered someone who could threaten their very existence.
Like the rabbit mourning the dead fox, seeing their brethren burning and dying in the sky, they, who often brought fear and darkness to others, perhaps tasted fear and terror for the first time in their ugly lives.
They scattered and fled in a frenzy, their black robes rustling in the fierce wind and rain. A few stray Dementors that rushed towards the stands were dispelled by the silver light from Lupin's wand.
In less than a few minutes, all the Dementors returned to where they belonged. Their courage had been shattered. No, it was all the surviving Dementors. The Dementors that had almost filled the sky above the pitch were now few in number.
There's a price to pay for making mistakes.
The farce ended faster than anyone had imagined.
"What a lovely little cat, a very good Patronus indeed." Dumbledore's gentle voice suddenly sounded behind Pansy. His kind, amiable gaze was fixed on the tip of Pansy's wand, where a silver-white cat floated, covered in smooth fur. Its intelligent eyes stared directly at him, and it suddenly bared its teeth at him, raising its tail in a show of defiance.
By now, his earlier rage had completely vanished, as if his face had always been so calm and serene. Only those who had personally experienced it would know how his actions had stirred up such a storm.
"I was just taught by someone else." Pansy was a little flustered, looking around, not daring to meet Dumbledore's eyes.
Although most Slytherin students didn't particularly like Dumbledore, they would still be a little bewildered after being praised, considering his extraordinary status.
"Oh, you caught the Golden Snitch, very good." Dumbledore revealed a slight smile at this moment, stroking his silvery-white beard.
This made her even more embarrassed. Her small head, which had been looking around, buried itself in her chest, afraid of being seen by others.
This commotion also allowed the Slytherin students to truly and directly witness Dumbledore's strength. Aside from a portion of students who revered pure-blood, another portion valued strength. No matter how the outside world exaggerated Dumbledore's great achievements and unparalleled magical attainments, it was not as good as seeing it with their own eyes.
They now unanimously felt that this annoying old man was much more pleasing to the eye.
"Apart from Harry, none of you were injured, which is a good thing." Then, he scanned around with his azure blue eyes, once again revealing a gratified smile.
"Professor..." Gryffindor's Angelina wanted to say something, but Wood stopped her with a wave of his hand. His expression was somewhat dazed, but at this moment, he was desperately trying to concentrate.
"I know what you want to say, but losing is losing. Do you want them to look down on us even more? Gryffindor students don't lose without grace." Wood's voice was somewhat distracted, but anyone could hear the unwillingness in his tone, even as he said those words.
At this, all the Gryffindor players fell silent. They knew that Wood was actually in more pain than any of them right now.
"The match is now over." Dumbledore looked towards the audience. After casting a spell, his deep voice echoed throughout the entire stadium, giving all the teachers and students present a sense of security. After watching the students leave the field in an orderly manner, he dragged his wide, gray robes and walked step by step towards his office.
He only knew one thing now: he needed to have a good talk with Fudge. (To be continued.)
For more chapters
patreon.com/Jackssparrow