McGonagall and the others looked at each other, their faces grave, but before they could ask further questions, another voice came from the hall.
"No, he won't, because Voldemort is dead!"
"Who is it?" Professor McGonagall turned around, startled, and saw a figure standing in the entrance hall.
Flitwick and the others immediately went on guard, as they realised that the wand in the other's hand was the wand that the late Headmaster Albus Dumbledore used.
Grindelwald strolled into the Great Hall, his sickly pallor and unusually thin frame putting a great deal of pressure on the assembly.
Professor McGonagall stepped in front of Grindelwald and said sternly, "Halt! Please state your purpose in coming here, wizard! And may I ask why you have Albus's wand?"
"I am only here to find one person… and if I may, I would not wish to harm any of my fellow wizards here…" Grindelwald replied flatly, his eyes sweeping over the faces of the assembled group before settling on Harry, who was wearing spectacles and covered in dirt.
Snape caught Grindelwald's gaze and quickly warned him, "His target is Potter. Get him out of here!"
Madam Pomfrey, who was closest to Harry, immediately reacted, pulling him behind her and urging the other students to take refuge, while McGonagall and Flitwick attacked Grindelwald.
"Excellarmus ~ (excluding your weapon)"
"Petrificus ~ (All petrified)"
"Stupefy ~ (Stupefy)"
… .
Charms of every colour flashed through the air.
Unable to confirm the identity of the intruder, the professors intended to subdue him and interrogate him.
However, they had clearly underestimated Grindelwald's strength. With a wave of his hand, an invisible magical barrier appeared in front of him. When Mag and the others' magic hit it, it only caused a slight ripple.
As Madam Pomfrey was about to take Harry away, Grindelwald became more serious, and with a powerful shake of his wand, the Great Hall exploded.
The fiery blast and shockwave knocked the professors out of the way, and many of the young wizards who hadn't managed to get out screamed, but when Grindelwald looked at them, they cowered in the corner, as if they had been hit with a Silencing Spell.
Harry was stunned by Grindelwald's Exploding Spell, and when he finally managed to get to his feet, the magnificent Great Hall was in ruins, and Madam Pomfrey, trying to protect him, was knocked out cold.
Remembering that this powerful wizard was after him, Harry gritted his teeth, picked up Madam Pomfrey's wand, and shouted, "Come on, I'm here!"
Grindelwald did as he was told and turned his head away from the shivering junior wizards.
Having caught Grindelwald's attention, Harry ran towards the back door without looking back, trying to lure Grindelwald out of the Great Hall and prevent further casualties.
However, before he could get far, the door ahead of him swung shut and locked itself, rendering his Opening Charm useless. Harry had no choice but to turn around and wave his wand at Grindelwald, who was approaching.
"Experialmus ~ Remove your weapon!"
A scarlet beam of light shot from the tip of the wand, aiming straight at Grindelwald!
Unfortunately, this proved to be futile, as the latter gently waved his wand, and Harry's Disarming Charm bounced off and hit him.
Harry tumbled to the ground, his wand in his hand.
Grindelwald's face broke into a smile when he sensed that the Elder Wand in his hand was no longer resisting his will, but he kept the tip of his wand pointed at Harry just in case.
Fortunately, the back door of the Great Hall was forced open by several spells!
Dawlish led a large group of Aurors to protect Harry, and Hermione and Ron were the first to drag him away. Instead of taking refuge with the other students, they summoned the Aurors stationed near Hogwarts!
Grindelwald's expression did not change. A dozen Aurors seemed insignificant to him, but soon another voice spoke behind him.
"Stonygates, move out!" Professor McGonagall shouted, and the whole castle shook. There were loud crashes from both upstairs and downstairs, and the armored knights and statues standing around the Great Hall seemed to have woken up from a deep sleep.
A great battle was imminent!
More than twenty spells came at Grindelwald from all directions at once.
Grindelwald held his most powerful wand in his hand without the slightest hint of fear. In an instant, a dark blue fire erupted, and the magical beams of light were extinguished before they could even get close. Then, they scattered into flames that transformed into dragons that burned the stone piers to ashes.
McGonagall, Flitwick, Dawlish, and twenty other wizards joined forces, but they were unable to suppress the raging flames.
However, the previous two vicious battles had caused Grindelwald to lose control of his internal injuries, and considering the possibility of Ivan Hals's return at any moment, Grindelwald decided against killing Harry Potter.
The Aurors surrounding Grindelwald reacted just in time. When they saw Grindelwald's wand pointing at them, they quickly fled, narrowly escaping death.
The Fire Dragon crashed into the Great Hall's wall, creating a three-meter-tall hole in the ground.
Grindelwald took advantage of the chaos to slip the Cloak of Invisibility over his body and escape through the gap created by the fierce fire.
Dawlish and the others did not anticipate Grindelwald's sudden escape and were unable to react in time.
In consideration of the other party's strength, McGonagall, Flitwick, and Dawlish decided to give up on the chase and use their limited manpower to strengthen the school's defences and protect the students, while informing the Ministry of Magic to request more support…