With this in mind, Snape attacked without warning, sending a white beam of light straight at Lupin.
Due to his poor condition, Lupin was slow to react and was only able to create a barrier of magic to block the attack before the beam hit him and knocked him to the ground.
Ivan saw that Lupin had been attacked and Peter had slipped close to the door, so he did not hesitate.
"A flock of birds!" Ivan waved his wand, and since he was dealing with Snape and Peter, he did not use a fatal spell.
The piles of debris and planks around them transformed rapidly under the influence of magic, and in a matter of moments, flocks of birds had gathered, swarming towards the door like arrows…
Half of them were there to pin Snape down, and the other half were there for Peter!
Ivan's plan was thwarted when Snape gently flicked his wand and a black light exploded in midair, eroding the birds before they could even get close…
After absorbing the nutrients, black flames appeared from the corroded bird remains and swept forward…
Peter, on the other hand, was swimming in the middle of a fierce battle, his heart in his mouth, as dangerous beams of light passed over his head, and from time to time a few spells landed beside him.
Peter could only do his best to hide and pray that he would be able to escape.
On the battlefield, a spell hit Snape and was deflected by a reflective beam towards Peter.
He managed to jump out of the way just in time, but the shockwave sent him flying through the air and crashing heavily against the door.
Peter squeaked and screamed. He was covered in injuries and dirt, but his face was filled with excitement, because the exit was just ahead and he would soon be able to escape!
At this thought, Peter, despite his weakness, scrambled over the threshold and ran towards the evening sun…
The relief of escaping death filled Peter's mind…
Then, a thin hand suddenly reached out from the shadows and grabbed its tail, lifting it up…
…
In the room, the battle raged on.
"Hales, I didn't think you'd collude with Black. It seems you're the one who brought these idiots, Potter and Weasley, here!"
As Snape spoke, his hands did not stop moving, and he struck out a few charms with his backhand, even wondering if he should use some high-intensity jinxes!
After all, Ivan was far more powerful than he had expected.
He originally thought that even though Ivan was talented and far stronger than his peers, he was only at the level of an ordinary adult wizard or even an Auror.
He did not expect that he would not be able to take him down in a short period of time!
Ivan used his wand to guide a round table to block Snape's attack.
Ivan had seen Peter's furious escape through the door, so he was both anxious and helpless when Snape blocked his way.
He had Dobby watching over him, but that was not a hundred percent insurance policy.
Like Snape, who managed to sneak in with the help of the Disillusionment Charm, which Dobby failed to notice…
With this in mind, Ivan steeled his heart and ignored the risk of exposure. He had no choice but to use bloodline magic to end the battle.
Ivan closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, they were orange and snake-like.
Snape was caught completely off guard. As their eyes met, a bone-deep chill filled his body and he froze, as if his consciousness had been sucked in…
Ivan was not in good shape either. Snape's magic was three times stronger than Ivan's, and the difference in the amount of magic used up was too great.
This made Ivan secretly curse in his heart. He had used the Basilisk's Eye to quickly end the battle, but he had unexpectedly fallen into a predicament where he had to compete in magic power…
"Expelliarmus!"
Lupin, still lying on the ground, seized the moment and swung his wand at Snape.
Unable to dodge, Snape was hit head-on, and the Shield Charm lit up around him, blocking the spell.
However, due to the previous battle, the Shield Charm's protection had been reduced significantly, and it soon shattered after absorbing the power of the Disarming Charm.
Snape was knocked back several steps, escaping the clutches of the Basilisk's eye.
Feeling his body stiffen, Snape felt a deep sense of dread. He had never heard of a spell that could petrify a person with just a look!
Ivan had closed his snake eyes and was breathing heavily.
The use of the Basilisk Eye on Snape once again showed Ivan the drawback of the Basilisk Eye, which was that it was best not to use it on people whose magic far exceeded their own!
In less than a second, he had lost a third of his magic, and Snape did not seem to have lost his ability to fight…
Snape moved his stiff wrist to check Ivan's condition through the reflection of broken glass on the floor, and was relieved to find that Ivan had expended a lot of energy.
It would be terrifying if such magic could be used indefinitely!
Fortunately, there seemed to be some restrictions…
By then, Lupin had stood up and the match was back to two against one.
"Stop it, Severus! It's a misunderstanding, we have no reason to fight… and there's no need to waste time here…" Lupin advised.
"Waste of time?"
Snape's face fell, and he scowled at first, then he spoke with disdain.
"Very well, it seems my holding back gave you the illusion that you could easily defeat me? Remus, times have changed, and numbers do not work so well!"
As Snape spoke, he seemed to remember something, and his expression became ferocious. He raised his stiff wrist, and an invisible blade began to form at the tip of his wand.
"Today is the day you and Black die, and no one can save you!" Snape's voice roared.
"That may not be true, sir!"
A high-pitched, strange voice suddenly sounded from the doorframe behind him.
Snape's face fell, and he felt a violent blow to his waist. His wand flew out of his hand, and his body was thrown against a rotting cupboard…
Then a small house-elf came in, clutching a miserable grey-black rat.
"Well done, Dobby!" Ivan was so relieved to see this that he immediately transformed his wand into a rope and tied Snape up.
Lupin also put away his wand and hurried to check on Sirius.
"Professor Snape! If you could put aside your prejudice against Professor Lupin and Sirius, and think about it, you would know that we are not lying to you…" Ivan explained with a shrug.
Snape didn't reply. He couldn't move, but he glared at Ivan and the others.
"I think he needs to be taught a lesson before he'll behave himself!" Sirius stood up with Lupin's help, furious at the thought of being knocked out by Snape's sneak attack.
"Save it," Ivan snapped. "Don't add to the mess. If it weren't for your nasty jokes in the past, we wouldn't be in this mess today."
'You even told him about that?'
Sirius looked at Lupin suspiciously, but Lupin was equally confused.
After some thought, they both turned to look at the grayish-black rat in Dobby's hand.
Then Peter must have said it!
Peter, in Dobby's hand, mistakenly believed that Sirius and Lupin were after him, and his heart sank…