Glenn continued his descent, surrounded by ascending fragments of black fabric—the remnants of Dementors consumed by his Patronus.
The combined impact of Glenn's free fall and his serpentine guardian's devastating strike had scattered the fortunate few Dementors that escaped being devoured, blowing them away from his trajectory without touching him.
The Dementors below who had yet to be affected were once again paralyzed with terror. Their black mountain began collapsing simultaneously from above and below.
Damn it—we've been deceived.
The Dementors' voluntary clustering had enabled Glenn's single assault to eliminate at least two-thirds of their number, though it cost him tremendous magical energy. When the bottommost Dementors also scattered outward, leaving his vicinity completely clear, Glenn dismissed the Patronus Charm.
Allowing gravity to claim him, Glenn calmly retrieved a magical restoration potion from his obsidian ring. Despite his inverted orientation, his weightless state made consuming the liquid manageable. He uncorked the vial and drained it efficiently.
After securing the empty container, Glenn gazed toward the distant forest—now invisible beyond the horizon.
By my calculations, it should be time for the finale.
As if summoned by his thoughts, brilliant orange flames erupted from the forest's direction. Though unable to rival the persistent green Dark Mark commanding attention overhead, the conflagration proved spectacular in its own right.
Glenn's alchemical devices planted throughout the forest served multiple functions beyond releasing vaporized compounds and absorbing atmospheric moisture. He'd programmed them with countdown timers—when zero was reached, every device would self-destruct, obliterating evidence while sowing chaos.
After all, genuine Death Eater methods could never match the surgical precision he and Snape employed.
"That concludes operations on that front."
Glenn murmured with satisfaction, displaying zero concern despite his velocity approaching one hundred meters per second and imminent collision with unforgiving earth.
Then darkness claimed his vision.
........................
The forest where Glenn and Snape had orchestrated their ambush now blazed like a vision of hell.
Towering columns of obsidian smoke rose skyward as ancient trees crashed down, their charred skeletons scattered across the devastation like broken bones.
"Repulso Maxima!"
From within the flaming sepulcher of collapsed timber, a voice rough as grinding stone cut through the crackling inferno. Invisible force swept aside massive debris with contemptuous ease.
"What in Merlin's name transpired here?"
A figure caked in soot and ash pushed through the skeletal branches, emerging from destruction's embrace. He scrubbed the grime from his features, revealing the gaunt, aristocratic face that had graced Azkaban's most wanted posters.
Sirius Black had arrived.
"Grrrrowwwww..."
Behind him came a sound that belonged to nightmares—a growl that spoke of barely restrained savagery. More debris scattered as something immense forced its way through the wreckage.
The creature's fur bore scorch marks, emanating the acrid stench of burned keratin. Like Sirius, it wore a coating of ash and destruction.
It shook itself vigorously, sending clouds of dust spiraling into the smoke-choked air.
When the particles settled, the beast rose to its full height—towering head and shoulders above Sirius like some primordial predator.
A werewolf. But one whose amber eyes held human intelligence, courtesy of Wolfsbane Potion.
Remus Lupin had joined the party.
The transformed Lupin's massive lupine eyes reflected profound bewilderment. Like Sirius, he possessed no comprehension of the catastrophe surrounding them.
Werewolf cognition was limited under the best circumstances. Confronted with such unprecedented chaos, his current mental faculties proved utterly inadequate for analysis.
He turned toward Sirius, seeking guidance from his more cognitively equipped companion.
"Unnatural scents, massive explosions—what fresh hell is this?!"
"Questions later. Those damned mists have finally cleared—we need to locate Peter immediately."
Sirius teetered on the edge of complete breakdown. His meticulously crafted plan had proceeded flawlessly: depart the Ministry post-trial, rendezvous with Lupin at their predetermined coordinates, then intercept the Ministry convoy transporting Peter Pettigrew to Azkaban.
Their objective was simple—execute the traitorous rat before he could reach prison sanctuary. Every phase had unfolded perfectly until their forest positioning. Both Sirius in his Animagus form and the transformed Lupin had simultaneously detected through their enhanced non-human senses a subtle wrongness permeating the unnaturally thick fog.
Recognizing the atmospheric anomaly, Sirius had opted for tactical withdrawal to a defensive position.
They'd discovered a suitable cave where Sirius resumed human form, casting Bubble-Head Charms on both operatives to neutralize the mysterious vapors while maintaining surveillance of the transport route.
But before they could properly establish their watch, a cataclysmic explosion had transformed the forest into a hellscape of splintered wood and flame, entombing them beneath tons of debris. Only now, after confirming the absence of secondary detonations, had they excavated themselves.
"Awoooooo!"
Lupin nodded agreement while shaking ash from his fur—a motion that brought something in his peripheral vision into sharp focus. He released an involuntary howl, extending one massive claw toward the heavens in unmistakable alarm.
"What could possibly be more urgent than apprehending that backstabbing piece of—gah."
Sirius followed Lupin's gesture skyward, his complaint dying like a strangled scream.
The Dark Mark.
Shock proved momentary. Sirius recovered instantly, his eyes—already bloodshot from smoke inhalation—now crimson with volcanic rage.
"Bloody hell—Peter! Those bastards have already extracted him!"
"Lupin, with me!"
Sirius transformed fury into action. Like a starving man watching his last meal stolen, he launched himself skyward mid-shout, Animagus transformation completing before he reached apex. His canine form inhaled deeply, seeking human scent trails through the chaos.
The acrid smoke delivered a brutal education in atmospheric chemistry.
"Woof-whine—cough cough cough!"
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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