The silence that hung over the square was shattered by a cold voice that came from the mouth of Severus Snape, who stared at the cloaked figure on the opposite side of the square with hatred. The figure was shrouded in darkness, hiding his face and body from view, and his gloomy presence seemed to cast a shadow over the night.
"He's not Black–" Snape said, his voice barely above a whisper, but loud enough for everyone to hear. He looked at the cloaked figure on the opposite side of the square, with no identifiable features, and his gloomy face radiated a chill that could freeze water.
The others who were with Snape were also stunned by his statement, but they did not have the same certainty as he did. Kingsley and Dawlish had been chasing 'Black' for a long time, but they had never clearly seen his face or heard his voice. They had dealt with many criminals who committed evil deeds, and they had developed a keen sense for detecting danger and deception. They had sensed from the dark wizard's attire and bold actions that he was likely to have escaped from that place, that place that contained the source of all evil. But they could not be as sure as Snape in their tone.
The only one who did not seem surprised or shocked by Snape's words was Dumbledore. He looked at the cloaked figure with a calm and curious gaze, as if he was trying to see through his disguise and understand his motives. He did not show any sign of fear or anger, but he did not have the usual sparkle in his eyes that indicated that he knew everything and had everything under control. He squinted his eyes slightly, as if he was always in a state of thinking, and he did not say a word.
'Did Dumbledore see through my disguise?'
That was the question that occupied the mind of 'Black', who stood on the other side of the square, facing the wizards who had cornered him. He had expected to meet Dumbledore, but he had not expected to meet Snape, who had recognized him despite his careful concealment of his magical nature.
He wondered if Dumbledore had the same ability, or if he had some other means of identifying him. He could not be completely sure, because in the contemporary wizarding world, no one could claim to know the full extent of Dumbledore's power and wisdom, except for the confident Voldemort, who was now his greatest rival and enemy.
"Dumbledore–" Kingsley broke the silence, lowering his deep and authoritative voice, "No matter who this person is, we have to catch him, otherwise, the Ministry of Magic can't explain it."
"Yes–"
A ray of light flashed across the half-moon glasses that Dumbledore wore, hiding the true thoughts of the deep blue eyes behind them. Dumbledore's tall and thin body, which had seemed to sag under the weight of age and responsibility, suddenly straightened up, and his voice became cheerful and lively.
"That's obviously the case." He said, as he waved his wand lightly, and a rope with invisible and binding magic, preventing escape and apparition, and hiding traces appeared in front of the dark wizard, and flexibly looped towards him, like a snake ready to strike.
Bang– A dull and short muffled sound echoed in the air, and a pale white fire flashed in the darkness, illuminating the square for a brief moment. The dark wizard's raised eyebrows and wand slowly fell, as he easily blocked Dumbledore's attack. He had anticipated that Dumbledore would not recognize him, otherwise he would not use such a simple and low-level magic to try to catch him.
The magic that the Bryan felt was 'low-level' in his senses was not so simple for the others. At least, the Aurors who witnessed this scene were shocked and amazed. They saw Dumbledore waving his wand, but they did not understand what he did, or how he did it. They only saw the result, which was that the dark wizard defended himself against Dumbledore's attack.
This was incredible and unbelievable. In the contemporary wizarding world, there was no one who could fight against the great Albus Dumbledore, or even match him In everyone's concept, except for the Dark Lord who had fallen, there should be no wizard who could block Dumbledore's magic, even Severus Snape, couldn't help but turn his face and glance at Dumbledore!
"Hehehe" The dark wizard sneered again, his voice cold and mocking. He took elegant and confident steps and stood at the bottom of the stairs, his chin raised with a defiant and arrogant expression. He looked down at the wizards who faced him, as if he was looking at ants that he could crush at any time.
"So, the famous Albus Dumbledore has no more than these tricks?"
The mockery of the mysterious dark wizard made everyone angry. Not everyone in this group of wizards was Dumbledore's 'student', but undoubtedly, Dumbledore was the strongest wizard in their hearts, and the dark wizard's mockery was undoubtedly a slap in the face of their faith!
The angry crowd did not make Dumbledore's old face show any expression. He shook his sleeve and showed his wrist holding the wand, smiling and responding in a pleasant voice.
"Actually, I always think that people's evaluation of me is a bit overrated, and I have to thank you for letting them realize that I am not omnipotent either."
Bryan hiding his appearance under the hood secretly rolled his eyes, and did not want to comment on Dumbledore's words. He felt that the old man was too cunning trying to lure him into a trap with his false kindness.
On the periphery of the Grimmauld Square encirclement, a large number of magical reactions appeared. At the same time, the neon lights of the Muggle's police cars and fire trucks also stopped and did not approach the inner circle. This meant that the relevant departments of the Ministry of Magic had begun to eliminate the impact of the movement he made. He could hear the distant sirens and the muffled voices of the Muggle officials, who were probably being confounded and obliviated by the wizards.
Bryan knew that if he didn't plan to slaughter the entire wizarding world tonight, then now, he should find a way to get away. He had already achieved part of his goal. He glanced at the dark sky, where the stars were dimmed by the light pollution of the city. He wondered if he could find a way to escape through the air, but he quickly dismissed the idea. He knew that Dumbledore had set up a powerful anti-flying wards around the square, and he didn't want to risk being caught by the phoenix's flames.
"I'm sorry for the trouble I caused you tonight–"
Bryan said in a hoarse and vicissitudes of voice, he nodded politely to Dumbledore and the Ministry of Magic's hitmen. His tone sounded sarcastic and insincere to them, as if he was mocking their incompetence and helplessness.
"If you have nothing else to say, then I'm going to leave now."
"Foolish Delusion!"
Dawlish, who was in charge of monitoring the whole plan of the Black House, glared at the dark wizard who had lost his face, and said viciously. His face was red with anger and humiliation, and his eyes were bloodshot. He clenched his wand tightly, as if he wanted to curse the dark wizard into oblivion.
"You won't go anywhere, except Azkaban!"
But apart from him, no one else moved, they just cast their eyes on the tall figure of Dumbledore, who was concentrating on the dark wizard, suppressing their restless thoughts, and waiting for Dumbledore to give instructions. They knew that Dawlish was being impulsive and reckless, and that they had no chance of capturing the dark wizard without Dumbledore's guidance.
"It seems they don't want you to leave, sir–" Dumbledore said humorously, "I personally would prefer to find a quiet place to have a drink and have a good chat about your intentions in trying to break into the Black family's old house."
He smiled warmly, as if he was inviting a friend to a tea party, but his eyes were sharp and penetrating, as if he was trying to see through the dark wizard's disguise and identity. Snape, who had great expectations and wanted to kill Black tonight, but found that he was not him at all, still remained motionless, but his doubtful eyes glanced over. He was puzzled by Dumbledore's words, and wondered if the old man had any clues or plans. He also felt a surge of curiosity and hatred, wanting to know who this dark wizard was and why he pretended to be Black.
'Find a quiet place and have a drink.'
Bryan squinted his eyes, 'did Dumbledore really mean something by saying this, could it be that he had seen through his disguise and knew who he was?'
Logically, this was impossible. Dumbledore was powerful, but he was not omniscient, and there was no reason why he could see through his magic that had been disguised layer by layer so quickly. But this was also uncertain, no one knew where the limit of the greatest wizard of their time was. He felt a trace of anxiety and caution, thinking that he should not underestimate Dumbledore's wisdom and experience.
After thinking for a moment, Bryan decided to leave as soon as possible. His eyes fell on the phoenix on Dumbledore's shoulder. This phoenix was not simple, it could enter and exit any area that prohibited apparition at will. If Dumbledore was determined to catch him, with the help of this phoenix, he would have to spend great effort to escape.
"Thank you for your sincere invitation, Dumbledore, but you have a lot of trouble to deal with tonight, so I think it's more appropriate to change the time–"
Bryan bowed gracefully, and in Dumbledore's condensed gaze, a terrifying magical intention swept through like a wind, making all the Ministry of Magic's hitmen cold. The earth and the air began to shake at the same time, and the restless magic was like dry and waterless firewood, and the star sparks sprayed from Bryan's wand tip ignited it in an instant!
Boom!
The ground split open, creating a rift several yards wide that encompassed everyone, including Dumbledore. The yawning chasm erupted into a pale white wall of flames reaching up to a hundred feet high. The surging heat and the faint, menacing roars in the firewave scared more than half of the Ministry of Magic employees to sit on the ground! They felt their skin blister, and they screamed and scrambled to get away from the inferno. They had never seen such a powerful and destructive spell, and they wondered if they were facing the end of the world.
This inferno astounded Severus Snape, who had witnessed the might of Voldemort up close. He instinctively cast several of his favorite spells, attempting to cut through the wall of fire, but the sharp, transparent blades were devoured by the rolling flames, producing no effect. He felt a shock and a chill, realizing that this dark wizard was not only stronger than he had imagined, but also more ruthless and cruel.
"You can't handle this, Severus."
Dumbledore, who was also surprised by this magic, regained his composure and raised his wand. A spatial blade seemed to materialize out of thin air, slashing directly at the wall of fire! It was a rare and advanced spell, showing Dumbledore's mastery and skill.
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