The witches and wizards dispatched by the International Confederation of Wizards wasted no time.
Working in pairs, they swept across the city, battling the spreading Fiendfyre and rescuing anyone trapped in its path.
Under their organized efforts, the cursed flames were gradually brought under control.
The expanding inferno was steadily forced back within the boundaries of the Muggle-Repelling Charm.
The scorching heat began to ease.
As they worked, they also rescued numerous unfortunate Muggles stranded throughout the city.
After erasing their memories and rendering them unconscious, the wizards gathered them in secure locations.
Everything seemed to be moving in the right direction.
Even so...
The operation was far from smooth.
Leading the effort, the middle-aged witch rode her broom while speaking through a mobile phone.
"Mr. Rabin, please evacuate all Muggles from the area surrounding the Old City as quickly as possible.
You know perfectly well that having so many civilians here makes our work much more difficult."
An elderly man's voice answered from the other end.
"Of course, Madam. I understand that very well. But you must also understand my position.
In the face of a disaster like this, I have responsibilities as President."
"Please rest assured. Those personnel will only remain stationed nearby. They won't interfere with your operations."
The witch frowned as she looked toward the tanks, fighter aircraft, and countless machines that felt completely out of place beside magic.
She had no better solution.
In the end, she instructed the accompanying wizards to cast Disillusionment Charms and avoid being seen by Muggles whenever possible.
After ending the call, she tucked the phone away, raised her wand, and rejoined the others.
At the same time, her eyes remained fixed on the blazing heart of the city.
Knowing that Nicolas Flamel was still locked in battle with Britain's Dark Lord filled her with urgency.
"Everyone, move faster!" she shouted. "Mr. Flamel is still waiting for our support!"
Unfortunately...
She had no idea that the Flamel she was so eager to rescue had already been killed by his own ally.
At that very moment, Dawn stood alone atop a stone rooftop, quietly watching the fighter jets circling overhead and the distant columns of tanks.
"It should be about time..." he murmured.
Thinking of the middle-aged wizard currently under the Imperius Curse, Dawn glanced toward the thin wooden door that still stood open beside him.
The order he had given earlier had been remarkably simple.
Take the door. Leave the Old City.
Find Israel's senior leadership.
Place them under the Imperius Curse. Then force them to order the military to cleanse the Old City.
Such an absurd military command would naturally raise questions.
But for a wizard capable of casting the Imperius Curse, manipulating the chain of command was hardly difficult.
The only obstacle had been the Ministry wizards assigned to protect the Muggle leadership.
Conveniently enough, the middle-aged wizard happened to be one of their colleagues.
With surprise on his side, taking them down had been effortless.
As Dawn considered the plan, he became increasingly confident.
Improvised though it had been, its chances of success were surprisingly high.
Which made him wonder...
Why were wizards supposed to fear Muggles?
Society resembled a pyramid.
Control those at the top, and most of the people beneath them could be directed with little effort.
Thinking about the Statute of Secrecy that the Ministry treated as sacred, Dawn found himself wondering what exactly had happened centuries ago between wizards and Muggles.
His thoughts were interrupted by a sharp pain.
"Ah!"
Looking down, he found a bright green snake latched onto his ankle.
The flesh around the bite was already turning black.
Transfigured snakes carried no venom.
Which meant Voldemort had enchanted it with something else.
Without hesitation, Dawn incinerated the serpent with Fiendfyre before pulling one of Flamel's healing potions from his robes and drinking it.
Only after the black discoloration faded did he finally breathe easier.
"Tom! You actually ambushed me while I was distracted.
So much for the spirit of a fair duel. You're as despicable as ever!"
His irritation after days without proper rest was obvious.
Naturally, he ignored the fact that he himself had been fighting two against one only hours earlier.
Voldemort offered no response.
Taking advantage of the brief distraction, he transformed into black smoke and surged several hundred feet away.
He wasn't an idiot.
Everything that had happened after Dawn betrayed Flamel had made less and less sense.
If that was the case... The smartest choice was simply to retreat strategically.
His thinking remained perfectly clear.
Unfortunately... He had barely escaped before another wave of Fiendfyre swept in.
Once again, Dawn's cursed flames entangled him, forcing him to halt and wait for another opportunity.
From the rooftop, Dawn rubbed his still-aching ankle and silently added another grievance to Voldemort's growing list.
Narrowing his eyes, he watched the sun sink beneath the horizon.
Counting the days, he realized four had already passed. The fifth would begin shortly.
If everything went according to plan...
Tomorrow... Everything would finally come to an end.
He slowly exhaled the hot, dry air filling his lungs. Just then, movement came from beside him.
The middle-aged wizard stepped back through the wooden door and gave Dawn a slight nod.
His mission was complete.
"Follow those wizards. Then reveal their positions to the Muggles."
Dawn never even turned around.
His attention remained entirely fixed on Voldemort.
The wizard obediently acknowledged the order.
After resetting the door's destination, he stepped through it once more and vanished.
Not long afterward... Among the gathering Muggle forces, an army officer received a telephone call.
Although uncertainty crossed his face, he still issued the order.
By then...
The sun had completely disappeared.
Beneath a moon stained crimson by firelight, the International Confederation's wizards finally extinguished all the Fiendfyre beyond the Muggle-Repelling Charm and regrouped inside a stone building.
"The spreading Fiendfyre has been contained.
A few tasks remain.
First, extinguish the central source. Second, erase portions of the memories of the Muggle government personnel."
A burly wizard summarized the situation.
"In that case, let's head over immediately. We'll assist Mr. Flamel in dealing with Britain's Dark Lord.
I wonder if he's really as terrifying as the stories claim."
"Don't underestimate him." Another wizard interrupted sharply. "Remember who the last Dark Lord was."
The mention of Gellert Grindelwald instantly sobered everyone present.
After exchanging reports and discussing their next steps, they prepared to fly toward the center of the disaster.
Then—
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Shrill whistles tore through the air like enormous scythes slicing the sky.
The entire building shook violently.
Chunks of stone crashed from the ceiling, smashing into an unfortunate wizard who hadn't reacted quickly enough and splitting his scalp open.
"Damn it! What's happening?"
A bearded Black wizard clutched his bleeding head in shock.
One wizard rushed to the window. The moment he looked outside, his face twisted in fury.
"Muggles! Fuck! They're attacking us!"
"...What? The Muggles? We just helped them contain the Fiendfyre! Have they gone completely insane?"
Disbelief spread through the room.
The leading witch's expression darkened. She immediately pulled out her mobile phone and dialed a familiar number.
The line rang for what felt like an eternity.
Finally, someone answered.
"...Yes?"
"Mr. Rabin! What exactly are you doing? Why is your military attacking us? Are you trying to start a war?"
Her voice was anything but polite.
The reply she received was equally cold. "I'm sorry. I know nothing about this... The order wasn't given by me."
Before she could speak again...
Click.
The line went dead. Every attempt to call back failed.
For a brief moment, she stood frozen.
Then she forced herself to calm down and immediately organized everyone to reinforce the building with protective spells.
Yet under the relentless bombardment of modern heavy weapons, the stone structure continued trembling violently.
Fresh breaches were blasted open almost immediately.
Only constant Repairing Charms kept the building standing.
"Damn it! We can't stay here!"
"We have to get out!"
One wizard quickly cast both the Shield Charm and the Disillusionment Charm before leaping through a window on his broom.
The next instant—Hundreds of tracer rounds streaked through the night like falling stars.
They hammered against the invisible barrier surrounding him.
Crack!
His Shield Charm shattered instantly.
The wizard had only enough time to register surprise before the hail of bullets tore him apart.
His body exploded into blood and shredded flesh as it tumbled from the broomstick.
"John!"
One of his friends screamed in horror.
"What's happening? He used a Disillusionment Charm! How could the Muggles still see him?"
"Maybe..." The leading witch said through gritted teeth, "...Thermal imaging."
"I don't know much about it. I've only heard it detects body heat."
"Merlin's beard!"
"What kind of strange magic is that? When did Muggles invent something like this?"
One wizard groaned.
Surrounded by gunfire, panic quickly spread. Suggestions flew from every direction.
"Damn it! The Muggle-Repelling Charm isn't working either! They're still attacking!"
"Idiot! They're not approaching the building!
How could the Muggle-Repelling Charm affect people firing from kilometers away?"
"What if we transform into animals and sneak out?"
"Ridiculous. Are you actually good enough at Transfiguration?
Without mastering Animagus transformation, ordinary Transfiguration won't last very long."
"Then what's your brilliant idea? You've done nothing except criticize everyone else!"
"Quiet! I'm thinking!
Damn it... If Apparition weren't blocked... Wait! Does anyone have a Portkey?"
"No! We came to deal with magical exposure! Who carries Portkeys around?"
"What about waiting for reinforcements? Once other wizards realize something's wrong, maybe they'll rescue us."
"You want to gamble on that? Gamble they'll come? And gamble we'll still be alive when they do?"
"Isn't Mr. Flamel still here?"
"For Merlin's sake! Use your brain!
The Dark Lord is here too! Do you really think Flamel can simply walk away?"
The room dissolved into utter chaos.
Then another wizard suddenly spoke. "What about the Weather Charm? What if we all cast it together?"
The others paused.
Recalling the Muggle machines flying overhead, they quickly began nodding.
"That could work."
"I'm in."
"Let's do it."
Agreement came instantly.
Every wand was raised.
Moments later, heavy storm clouds rolled across the sky, swallowing the moon and stars.
Thunder rumbled overhead. Lightning flashed through the clouds.
The aircraft were forced to withdraw.
Powerful winds rose. Rain poured down. Visibility collapsed.
"It's working!"
One wizard smiled excitedly as the bombardment outside noticeably decreased.
Just as he prepared to leave—
Rocket-propelled grenades screamed toward the building from every direction.
The explosions drove him straight back inside.
"Damn it!"
"When does this end?"
The bearded wizard stumbled and crashed to the floor again. Furious, he fired several red spells wildly through the window.
They accomplished nothing.
Now that their mobility had been stripped away, one of wizardkind's greatest weaknesses became painfully obvious.
Their spells simply couldn't reach as far as modern military weapons.
"So what do we do now?"
As everyone realized the Weather Charm still couldn't free them, another heated discussion erupted.
A short wizard suddenly brightened. "I've got it. What if... We use Fiendfyre ourselves?"
Everyone looked at one another.
True...
They had come here specifically to stop Fiendfyre. But under the current circumstances... It wasn't actually a terrible idea.
More and more faces showed hesitation.
Then a pale wizard gave a mocking laugh. "Excellent idea. Now tell me... Which one of you actually knows Fiendfyre?"
Silence instantly filled the room.
Fiendfyre was among the darkest and most advanced branches of Dark Magic.
Most of those present had been born to Muggle families. None of them had ever had the opportunity to learn it.
The room fell quiet.
Then the bearded wizard suddenly slapped his forehead. "Wait! We still have Mr. Scamander!"
"Mr. Scamander?"
The others looked confused for only a second.
Then realization dawned.
Among them stood one man who always traveled with an entire collection of highly dangerous creatures.
Every eye turned toward Newt Scamander.
Newt instinctively hugged his suitcase closer. He knew exactly what they wanted.
Release the creatures.
Create enough chaos to let everyone escape.
Logically... It was the right decision. Human lives should come before magical beasts.
Even so... He couldn't bring himself to agree.
"There's no time left, Mr. Scamander!"
One wizard pleaded.
"Do you honestly think those creatures will fare any better if they fall into Muggle hands?"
Newt's expression shifted.
There was truth in that.
Before he could continue hesitating, several wizards simply seized the suitcase by force.
They placed it on the floor.
Then opened it.
Roars immediately echoed from the magical ecosystem hidden inside.
The frightened creatures sensed the explosions outside and grew restless.
Without another word, the bearded wizard hurled the suitcase straight out the window.
Within seconds, curious creatures began climbing out. Several were struck by explosions almost immediately.
Panicked cries filled the night as they scattered in every direction.
More and more magical creatures poured from the enchanted case.
Niffler.
Bowtruckle.
Demiguise.
Mooncalf.
Occamy.
Murtlap.
Erumpent.
Thunderbird.
Nundu.
And finally...
A privately owned dragon, illegal to keep, burst from the suitcase with a deafening roar before soaring high into the night sky.
Every wizard inside the house stood speechless.
At that moment, they suddenly understood why so many countries had refused to allow Newt Scamander entry.
Though... Under the circumstances... Perhaps it wasn't such a bad thing.
That thought crossed more than one mind.
Meanwhile, the man at the center of it all rushed to the shattered window in visible distress.
Using the Hover Charm, Newt summoned the suitcase back to himself, closed it tightly, and hugged it protectively.
His worried gaze followed every creature that had escaped.
The leading witch suddenly frowned. "Wait. What about all the magical exposure those creatures are causing?"
"We'll deal with it afterward." One wizard waved the concern away. "Didn't New York turn out fine in the end?"
She pressed her lips together. But she said nothing more.
She didn't want to die either. And besides... It was already too late to object.
Still, as someone who spent her career working with Muggle society, she understood one thing perfectly.
After tonight...
The relationship between wizards and Muggles might never be quite the same again.
Time passed.
As the artillery gradually shifted elsewhere, the wizards exchanged glances.
Mounting their broomsticks, they flew away from the shattered building in search of somewhere safer.
From high above...
Chaos stretched in every direction.
Without question... Jerusalem's night had only just begun.
___________
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