A group of wizards was packed tightly together, each of them pointing a wand upward as they advanced in unison, slowly moving across the campsite.
Harry narrowed his eyes and studied them carefully. Their heads were covered with hoods, and their faces were hidden behind masks.
Above them, four struggling figures floated in the air, twisted into all kinds of bizarre shapes. It looked as though the masked wizards on the ground were puppeteers, while the people floating above them were marionettes controlled by invisible strings rising from their wands.
It was a Levitation Charm, a highly advanced one. It acted on the clothing of those four people, distributing the force evenly so that they floated in the air like kites. Everything looked disturbingly natural.
After that, more wizards joined the procession. They laughed loudly and pointed at the bodies floating above them.
As the marching crowd grew larger, they became even more reckless. They waved their wands and casually set the tents around them on fire, even using the Killing Curse to murder nearby wizards.
Harry recognized the people floating in the air. One of them was the campsite manager, Mr. Roberts, while the other three seemed to be his wife and children.
One of the marchers below used his wand to hang Mrs. Roberts upside down.
Mrs. Roberts's nightdress fell downward, revealing a mass of gaudy underwear. The crowd below shrieked and jeered happily as she struggled to cover herself.
Ron stared at the youngest Muggle child, who was spinning in midair like a top, his head lolling weakly from side to side.
"That's disgusting," Ron said angrily, filled with a sense of justice.
Hermione and Ginny hurried toward them, with Mr. Weasley following behind. Bill, Charlie, and Percy also rushed out of the tent.
They were fully dressed, their sleeves rolled high, their faces tense. Ron's hand was still trembling around his wand, gripping it tightly as though he might strike at any moment.
"We have to help the Ministry keep order!" Mr. Weasley shouted over the noise as he rolled up his sleeves. "You lot get into the woods, stay together, and don't split up. I'll find you after this is handled."
Bill, Charlie, and Percy had already run toward the approaching procession, and Mr. Weasley quickly chased after them.
Ministry workers were rushing toward the scene from every direction.
"Move," Fred said, grabbing Ginny's hand and dragging her toward the woods.
Ron, Hermione, and George followed behind.
As they slipped into the trees, they all turned back to look behind them, only to suddenly discover that Harry had not followed.
George immediately shouted, "Harry, hurry up and get over here! It's dangerous over there!"
But as soon as he finished speaking, Ron forcibly dragged him away and said irritably, "Who do you think Harry is? He's defeated the Dark Lord several times and is stronger than most Aurors. The whole wizarding world thinks he'll surpass Dumbledore one day. Instead of worrying about him, you should worry about yourself."
George scratched his forehead. Remembering Harry's record, he felt a little embarrassed.
Seeing Harry also walking toward the marchers, George gave him an envious look, then turned and left.
Compared with becoming famous like the protagonist of a biography, he wanted to stay alive.
After all, unlike Harry, he was not the protagonist of some heroic story.
The colored lights that had once illuminated the path to the stadium had now gone out, and the entire area was in chaos.
Of course, the dim light was no obstacle for Harry. Observational runes flickered in his eyes, and his vision became as bright as daylight, clearer than anyone else's.
By the time Harry arrived at the battlefield between the many adult wizards and the procession, the fight had already begun.
From their conversations, Harry learned that the marchers were Death Eaters under Voldemort. They were using the three Unforgivable Curses and other dark magic without restraint, temporarily suppressing the adult wizards who had not yet gathered properly by relying on their numerical advantage.
Harry even saw a wizard from a pure-blood family killed by the Killing Curse, which made him draw his wand and prepare to act.
Although he was now working to reform the wizarding world and stood in opposition to most pure-blood families, that did not mean he could allow people to be murdered by evil right in front of him.
This had nothing to do with position. It was a matter of principle.
Facing so many adult wizards, he could not kill all the witnesses, so Harry did not use more extreme magic such as a split Killing Curse. Nor did he use disintegration magic, which could easily be misunderstood. He only used a Lightning Curse somewhat similar to ancient magic.
As Harry's controllable magic increased, his strength grew stronger and stronger.
Now, even while restricted by the world, his magical power was enough to make ordinary spells display strength far beyond that of normal people.
As Harry poured out his magic, the entire world answered the call of chaos magic.
Dark clouds churned madly overhead, and the static in the air became visible to the naked eye.
Harry aimed his wand at the marching dark wizards, and dazzling white light suddenly erupted from the tip of his wand.
"Thunderbolt Tempest!" he roared, sweeping his arm forward.
In an instant, a thick bolt of purple lightning burst from the tip of his wand like a furious dragon, tearing through the dark night sky.
Wherever the lightning passed, the air erupted with sharp cracks. The terrified faces of the dark wizards were lit deathly pale.
The lightning struck them with precision, instantly wrapping them in blinding arcs of electricity.
Harry controlled the power of this spell so that it would not instantly reduce them to ash, but it was still enough to make them lose all ability to fight and, in all likelihood, fall unconscious.
The dark wizards' screams intertwined with the roar of thunder. Their bodies convulsed violently under the powerful electric current before collapsing to the ground one after another, losing consciousness.
Harry did not pause for even a moment. His wand constantly shifted directions, and bolts of lightning fell like rain, accurately striking every dark wizard who tried to resist.
The entire battlefield was enveloped in violent lightning. The dark wizards' attacks seemed utterly fragile before the overwhelming power of thunder.
The Ministry wizards and the other adult wizards stared blankly at the scene.
Before their eyes, Harry's figure flickered in and out of view amid the electric light. His gaze was firm and sharp, and the wand in his hand continuously released destructive thunder, completely suppressing the dark wizards' offensive. He looked like a god who commanded lightning.
Faced with such an astonishing assault, they found it difficult to interfere at all. They could only let Harry do as he pleased.
He had defeated so many wizards on his own. Although this magic seemed to be ancient magic, with strength far beyond ordinary spells, it still clearly revealed Harry's power.
But once that power was connected to Harry's age, many wizards completely lost their composure.
You're telling me a wizard this powerful still isn't of age?
Now, no one had the slightest doubt about the rumors that Harry would surpass Dumbledore in the future. Possessing this much strength and talent at his age was something even Dumbledore had been far from matching.
After the battle, the scorched grass was still giving off wisps of smoke.
When the final bolt of lightning faded from the tip of Harry's wand, it was as though every sound had been drained from the surrounding air.
Twenty paces away, the Ministry's Aurors were still half-crouched in defensive stances. Only when they noticed Harry looking at them did they realize everything was over, and they relaxed awkwardly with embarrassed smiles.
They could not be blamed for overreacting. Everything before their eyes was far too unreal. So many wizards had been defeated by one person. It made them think of Grindelwald, who had once tried to burn London by himself decades ago.
"Merlin's beard!" Mr. Weasley hurried over and carefully looked Harry over. Only after confirming that Harry was not injured did he finally relax, then reproach him, "Harry, don't be so impulsive next time. You rushed out by yourself and used such powerful magic.
"If even one Death Eater had reacted in time and hit you with the Killing Curse, you might have died. Not to mention the Ministry Aurors might have accidentally injured you as well."
Harry was always patient with people who cared about him. He did not explain how powerful he truly was, or that in this wizarding world, aside from spells cast by people like Dumbledore, very few people could actually harm him.
He merely smiled and apologized to Mr. Weasley, saying he would not be so impulsive next time.
At this moment, Minister Fudge finally walked out from among the Aurors. He glanced at the charred Death Eaters lying on the ground, stared at Harry with considerable fear, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "Are they all dead?"
Harry shook his head and explained, "No. They were only knocked unconscious by electricity and are seriously injured. However, if they are not treated, their injuries may worsen and kill them."
"That's good." Minister Fudge breathed a sigh of relief and ordered the others to treat the Death Eaters. He still wanted to obtain information about the Dark Lord from them.
A few days later, Harry woke up, went to the next room to wake Hermione, washed up, and then walked out of his suitcase into the Burrow.
Mrs. Weasley had already prepared breakfast. It was still the familiar bread and mushroom stew. Although it was not the best-tasting food, it had a warm, homely flavor, and Harry found it quite pleasant.
After breakfast, the Weasley family, Harry, and Hermione used the Floo Network to reach Diagon Alley. They bought the textbooks and materials needed for fourth year, then left Diagon Alley and headed to King's Cross Station.
When they walked onto Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, the Hogwarts Express was already waiting there. It was a deep red steam engine, billowing thick smoke.
After entering the train, Harry, Ron, and Hermione began looking for seats. Before long, they had moved their luggage into a compartment on the train.
Then they jumped back onto the platform to say goodbye to Mrs. Weasley, Bill, and Charlie.
"I might be seeing all of you again soon," Charlie said with a smile as he hugged Ginny goodbye.
"Why?" Fred asked eagerly.
"You'll find out," Charlie said. "Don't tell Percy I mentioned it. You know, it's 'top-secret information, to be announced when the Ministry deems it appropriate.'"
"Ah, I really wish I could go back to Hogwarts this year," Bill said, his hands in his pockets as he looked at the train with a somewhat wistful expression.
"Why?" George asked impatiently.
"You're going to have a very interesting year," Bill said, his eyes shining. "I might take some time off to watch part of it."
"Part of what?" Ron asked.
But just then, the whistle blew, and Mrs. Weasley hurried them toward the doors.
"Thank you for letting me stay with you, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione said.
By then, they had boarded the train and shut the door. She leaned out the window to speak to Mrs. Weasley.
"Thank you for everything you've done for me, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said with a smile as well.
On the way to Hogwarts, Ron seemed unhappy.
"Did you notice? Mum and Bill were hiding something from us. And worst of all, they deliberately got us interested and then refused to tell us."
Hermione nodded, but she was much more mature than Ron. "It may be something we aren't allowed to know yet. Once things develop, we'll find out."
Ron was somewhat dissatisfied with Hermione's answer. He looked at Harry and asked, "Harry, aren't you curious?"
Harry had learned from Dumbledore what Mrs. Weasley was hiding, but this matter truly could not be spread around right now, so he could not tell Ron and Hermione.
"Not really. We'll know when the time comes."
Ron looked suspicious. "You and Professor Dumbledore are so close, and you've been privately exchanging letters with him all the time. You definitely know what's going on."
Harry smiled and shook his head.
"You do know!" Ron shouted.
The Start-of-Term Feast was still held in the Great Hall, along with the annual Sorting Ceremony.
The Sorting Hat changed its song for the opening, followed by the Sorting as usual. However, this time, the first person was not Hannah Abbott.
After the Sorting Ceremony came dinner. The feast after the Sorting was always the best meal.
Once dinner ended, Albus Dumbledore rose to his feet. The buzzing conversation in the hall immediately stopped, and only the howling wind and the pounding rain could be heard.
"Well!" Dumbledore said, smiling at everyone. "Now that we have all been fed and watered, I must once again ask for your attention. I have several announcements to make.
"As always, I must remind everyone that the Forbidden Forest on the grounds is off-limits to students, and Hogsmeade village remains forbidden to anyone below third year.
"I must also tell you, with great regret, that there will be no Inter-House Quidditch Cup this year."
"What?" many young wizards exclaimed in surprise.
Dumbledore continued, "This is because a large event will begin in October and continue throughout the entire school year, occupying much of the teachers' time and energy.
"However, I believe all of you will find great enjoyment in it. I am very pleased to announce that this year at Hogwarts…"
Just then, a deafening clap of thunder rang out, and the doors of the Great Hall slammed open.
A man walked in through the doorway. He leaned on a long staff and was wrapped in a black traveling cloak, looking extremely mysterious.
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