The moment Wade's words fell, Carlyle's mind instantly replayed the scene of their previous meeting.
It definitely had to be Wade talking to him; that feeling was something a soulless Magic Golem couldn't fake.
So when had the switch happened?
He remembered the moment Wade emerged from the shadows… the stretch of road where his mind had wandered… and the few seconds he'd spent with his back to Wade outside the cabin…
Looking back, every moment seemed like an opportunity for the exchange, but Carlyle no longer wanted to play this guessing game.
He stood rooted to the spot, not even caring about Byrd's angry, questioning gaze. He just felt as if he'd fallen into a bottomless abyss, his limbs growing cold and stiff.
In the instant Carlyle was lost in thought, Garr, standing nearby, saw the Magic Golem's smile and suddenly shuddered. He shoved Carlyle aside and dashed out the door.
The other Vampires also had no interest in the conversation happening in the room. They scattered just as quickly, turning to rush towards the windows and door.
But the door Garr had just pushed open suddenly slammed shut with a *bang*. A red light flashed, and the Vampires who crashed into it next were flung back as if they'd hit a steel plate.
The Vampires attempting to escape through the windows met the same fate. They sat stunned on the ground, staring at the magically sealed doors, their expressions a mix of despair and ferocity.
"Wizards! It must be the Wizards!"
"Are we surrounded?"
"Byrd, do you have any other plans? Use whatever means you have!"
"Run through the roof!"
The Vampires instantly spread out to find other exits. Some tried to smash through the walls, others stubbornly crashed into the doors and windows, and still others rushed up the stairs, hoping to leave through the attic.
Of course, some Vampires also charged at the Magic Golem Wade, attempting to take a hostage or something. But when the knife pointed at the Magic Golem, it, with a smile, casually plunged it into its own chest with a backhand.
With a knife stuck where its heart should be, the Magic Golem spoke in a light tone:
"Seriously? How is that any different from trying to threaten the owner with a broken broom? I'm a Magic Golem, you idiot. I might be killable, but as a hostage, I'm utterly worthless."
The scruffy Vampire recoiled in horror, then finally realized he was wasting his time and ignored this "broom," turning to join the group running upstairs.
The Magic Golem's gaze turned to Byrd, watching him for a few seconds before once again displaying that seemingly polite but unsettling smile.
"It seems you have no more tricks up your sleeve… Honestly, you've been lurking in Hogsmeade for months and gathered so many Vampires. Dumbledore has always worried you were planning something big—"
The Magic Golem noticed Byrd seemed a bit confused and added, "Like attacking the school, kidnapping students for covert transformation, or teaming up with Muggle armies to focus fire on the school. That's why he's been watching you for a long time."
Byrd was startled.
This Magic Golem, indistinguishable from a real person, was terrifying enough. The thought that Dumbledore had been watching them all along made his scalp tingle even more.
"So it was just a kidnapping after all… I have to say, you do have good judgment, but you still underestimated your opponents."
As the Magic Golem spoke, the people who had rushed up to the attic came rushing back down, bypassing the Magic Golem and Byrd, and joining the group ramming the doors and windows.
Carlyle had been standing by the door, but the other Vampires found him in the way and resented him for not noticing the switch. They grabbed him and forcefully threw him aside.
Carlyle crashed heavily into a shelf of miscellaneous items, then landed with a *thud*, unable to get up for a long time.
Byrd was unwilling to give up: "Dumbledore is guarding outside? But the information I got was that he's supposed to meet the Beauxbatons Headmaster today! An appointment of that level can't be easily canceled!"
"Oh, actually, Dumbledore can cancel. Of course, that would be very disrespectful, so he's indeed not here at the moment… How many more minutes until he gets back?"
As the Magic Golem spoke, it glanced down at the time. When it looked up again, it saw Byrd pull out his Wand, pointing it at the wooden door and shouting, "*Diffindo! Diffindo!*"
Magical light flashed across the wooden door, but it didn't shatter as desired.
Because at this moment, multiple elite Wizards were casting the Spell from outside the door. And while Byrd did possess some Magical Power, his skill was nowhere near that of Wizards who had received formal magical education.
However, under the combined force of everyone's ramming and Byrd's Spell attacks, a few cracks finally appeared on the wooden door.
Many Vampires showed delight, shouting, "One more time, three, two, one!"
"*Bang!*"
The entire wooden cabin shook as if it were about to be uprooted from the ground by this group.
"*Diffindo! Diffindo!*" Byrd swung his Wand, making a whooshing sound.
The Magic Golem said with a smile, "How fascinating, creating such a heated scene. It's almost like we're the villains in a movie."
"We?" Carlyle, the only one not participating in the door-ramming, got up from the ground, wiped the blood from his forehead, and turned to the Magic Golem, asking, "Who are you talking to?"
The Magic Golem smiled and said, "I told you before, hearing a heartbeat doesn't mean I'm alive. So you should have also realized that even if you don't smell anything, don't hear anything—"
A figure identical to the Magic Golem slowly emerged from behind it, holding a Wand. Its gray eyes held little warmth, and its face lacked that mechanical smile. It looked down at them from above, its indifference seemingly tinged with pity, like a god from another realm.
"—it doesn't mean there aren't any Wizards nearby," the Magic Golem slowly finished.
Carlyle stared in astonishment at the suddenly appearing Wade. It was as if his eyes were seeing double, and his heart was instantly filled with a mix of confusion and surprise.
Was Wade really here? Why did he suddenly appear? Did he think he could escape unscathed in front of dozens of Vampires?
Carlyle was about to shout a warning to the Vampires chanting and ramming the door for the last time when his eyes, extremely sensitive to light, suddenly noticed a white glow on Wade's Wand, growing brighter and brighter.
The Magic Golem also subtly shifted two steps, quickly positioning itself behind the real Wade, as if not to block him.
In a flash, time seemed to stretch dozens of times longer. Carlyle suddenly remembered something a senior Vampire had told him one afternoon after training—
"Carlyle, we are stronger, faster, and fiercer than Wizards, but never underestimate those skinny people holding Wands."
"Wizards have a Spell specifically for dealing with Vampires—the Sunlight Charm. It's said to be as scorching and terrifying as the sun, and even a child with little Magical Power can use it with devastating effect."
"That's why we Vampires aren't valued within the organization; we're only good for menial tasks like eavesdropping on intelligence. The higher-ups know full well that if we actually clash with the enemy, we'd shatter like ice floes upon impact."
"Only magic is your true reliance, Carlyle. Since you're fortunate enough to possess magical ability, you should dedicate yourself to studying magic! Sigh… I really don't know what the higher-ups were thinking, allowing you to become…"
He didn't finish his sentence, merely looking at Carlyle with regret and letting out a long sigh.
At the time, Carlyle didn't understand why that Vampire sighed. He just felt it was incredibly cool that he could now run fast, jump high, and turn into a bat.
Aside from the food never suiting his taste, he didn't see anything bad about becoming a Vampire.
As for the so-called "Sunlight Charm," Carlyle asked around and found it was just a rumor, like an urban legend; no one had ever truly encountered it. So, he gradually stopped thinking about it.
But at this moment, for some reason, he suddenly recalled that statement, that Spell "as terrifying as the sun."
Carlyle trembled as if electrocuted, reacting more swiftly than he ever had before.
He instantly forgot to make a sound, forgot his previous thoughts, and leaped, rolling behind the sofa. He grabbed a dirty curtain and wrapped it around himself.
Almost immediately upon landing, his ears caught a not-so-loud sound—
"Arcayus-Tomio!"
A small white light rapidly expanded, first engulfing Wade and the Magic Golem, then bursting forth, obliterating the entire room. It even shone straight out through the cracks in the windows and walls, with more and more beams of light, instantly making this secluded house radiate brilliance!
...
"Wow… It really looks like there's a sun hidden in the house! I want to learn that too!"
In the small grove outside the wooden house, Tonks couldn't help but shield her eyes with her hand, exclaiming in admiration, while also changing her hair and eyes to match the pure white.
"But that's a Forbidden Curse," a brown-haired Witch said uneasily. "Isn't that child breaking the rules by using that Spell?"
Tonks pouted. "It's fine… Guess who taught him that Spell?"
"Hestia, when facing dozens of Vampire enemies, using any Spell to protect oneself is permissible." Kingsley concluded, "I'll submit a report to the higher-ups, proving the rationality and appropriateness of Wade Gray's use of this Spell."
"Rational?" Moody said discontentedly. "A group of Aurors and Order of the Phoenix members hiding in the woods, letting a child go into such danger—that's the biggest irrationality! What exactly is Dumbledore thinking?"
"Uh… probably doesn't want those Vampires to be alerted and escape early?" Arthur Weasley guessed.
Tonks snapped her fingers and said, "Wrong. He did it to uncover the Vampires' true conspiracy."
"Anyway, that kid did a great job; that Sunlight Charm was used beautifully!"
Another Wizard said happily, "If it were us, we couldn't use a Forbidden Curse openly. Those officials and lawmakers at the Ministry of Magic are all scum!"
"You're right, they're all scum!" Tonks agreed, nodding vigorously.
"Scum!" Moody also nodded, tapping his cane and repeating loudly.
Kingsley, who was reluctantly a member of the bureaucracy: "…"
Arthur Weasley, who also helped draft some laws: "…"
"Let's go." Kingsley cleared his throat, walked out of the woods, and said, "With such a powerful Sunlight Charm, it's almost time for us to wrap things up."
...
Carlyle couldn't comprehend the carefree mood of the human Wizards. He huddled under the curtain, still feeling an unspeakable terror.
His eyes were tightly shut, but the suffocating sea of light still penetrated the fabric's gaps, seemingly searing his retinas to ashes. Every inch of his skin felt an intense, burning pain, as if his entire being was about to melt into the light.
Carlyle didn't know if the other Vampires were also screaming, but he felt as though his own throat was tearing from shouting, only then did he sense the terrifying heatwave gradually receding.
After a long while, Carlyle finally pushed aside the curtain and slowly climbed up.
At this moment, his pale skin was already scorched and swollen with red, and his blue eyes were bloodshot and continuously tearing. There were even several disgusting yellow blisters on the back of his hands, which caused piercing pain with just a touch.
Carlyle gasped for breath, looking around.
The Vampires were covering their eyes, rolling on the ground and screaming. The number of figures seemed to have decreased by almost half, but he couldn't tell who—because at this moment, everything he saw was blurry and blood-red.
Carlyle looked up at Wade.
He stood with the Magic Golem on the landing at the turn of the stairs, his expression unreadable.
A distance of a few meters felt like an unbridgeable chasm between them.
The hollow-faced Vampire youth stood blankly. The cracked wooden door diagonally opposite him suddenly exploded inward, and true sunlight gently poured in, followed by a group of tall figures.
"Good morning, fang beasts," the dark-skinned Wizard leading them said. "You are under arrest."
The heavily injured Vampires were roughly dragged up from the ground by the Aurors, handcuffed, and pulled out the door, screaming incessantly all the while.
A Witch walked up to Carlyle. "Mr. Carlyle Johnson, your actions have violated at least seven laws. I regret to inform you that you have been expelled from Hogwarts, and I need to destroy your Wand."
Carlyle seemed not to hear, remaining motionless.
"Mr. Johnson, please hand over your Wand!" the Witch said sternly, her voice hardening. Several Aurors who were cleaning up the scene looked over.
"He cannot hand over his Wand, madam," Wade said. "His Wand was stolen by the Vampire who escaped earlier."
Hearing Wade's voice, Carlyle suddenly seemed to snap awake and reached into his pocket.
—The Wand, which had been in his pocket when he entered, was indeed gone.
At the same time, Wade and Kingsley exchanged a look, and the Witch also looked at Kingsley.
When they were in the woods, they had all seen a Vampire carrying a blond man, dashing into the forest from another direction and running off, but at Kingsley's signal, no one had tried to stop them.
Kingsley looked at the witch and nodded slightly.
"Oh, alright then… the destruction of the wand will be postponed for now," the witch said gravely. "However, Mr. Johnson, given your previous actions, you are required to report to the Ministry of Magic for trial two days from now at nine in the morning. Before the trial, you will be held in custody by the Auror Office. Do you have any questions?"
"I…" Carlyle slowly lifted his head, his voice hoarse. "I want to apologize to Wade, I want to see Dumbledore… Also, if I'm expelled from school, can I… can I go back and get my things?"
This was certainly against regulations, but perhaps it was because Carlyle was young and had been tricked and exploited, or perhaps he looked so pathetic at the moment, that the witch's expression softened slightly.
"Please," Carlyle whispered, tears streaming down his face. "My real parents were killed by those Vampires, leaving me with only one keepsake, and I… I have no other relatives. No one can do this for me… Please…"
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