[Bonus for Powerstones!♥♥]
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Nagini's enormous body was shrinking at an astonishing speed!
At the same time, Wade could clearly feel that strange, overwhelming power inside him—
That peculiar magic which had been on the verge of overflowing—was now being rapidly released!
It was obvious that it was his Transfiguration spell that had shrunk Nagini…
But it wasn't just Transfiguration.
To be precise, it was a Transfiguration cast using Ancient Magic.
By channeling all the Ancient Magic in his body into that one spell—Wade had unleashed an effect countless times stronger than any ordinary Transfiguration.
He knew very well. If he had used only his regular magic, with his current strength, there was no way he could've caused such a drastic transformation in Nagini.
He had witnessed her magical resistance back in the sewers the first time they met.
It was formidable.
Before long, the violently thrashing Nagini was completely immobilized.
Because now, her massive serpent form had shrunk to barely half a meter in length, and no thicker than a pair of chopsticks.
The very vines binding her to the ground were now thicker than her entire body!
Wade walked over and stared in astonishment at the pocket-sized version of Nagini lying on the ground.
He had seen something like this before, back in the game, when the protagonist used Ancient Magic to shrink a giant spider before stomping it flat. At the time, he hadn't thought much of it—but now, actually witnessing it with his own eyes, even using it himself… it was utterly insane.
Only now did he truly understand the appeal of Ancient Magic.
Although with his current reserves, this kind of powerful attack seemed to only be usable once per day, the sensation it brought him was overwhelming—pure, unfiltered elation.
Wade's hands trembled slightly. Just this tiny amount of Ancient Magic within him was enough to make him feel this good.
What if he absorbed more?
He didn't need to think about it to know the answer. If he had accepted that strange man's request earlier, it wouldn't have taken long before he became another version of him. Maybe even worse—because unlike that man, Wade didn't have a friend who could craft him a stasis cloak to hold everything in check.
The truth was, this kind of power wasn't just a temptation for Wade. It was the kind of power that could tempt anyone.
Haa.. fuuu~~
Wade clenched his fists and took a deep breath, forcefully snuffing out the impulse to turn around and go back to that strange man right now.
Without the confidence to suppress his own desires, he absolutely could not return.
Besides… who was to say this overwhelming craving for Ancient Magic wasn't itself a side effect brought on by the magic?
One day I'll lord over the world through my magic.. I shouldn't let this magic lord over my mind..Caution. Vigilance.
Wade silently reminded himself.
"Stupefy."
After being shrunk, Nagini's physical resistance had also been drastically reduced. If Wade really wanted to, he could crush her with a single stomp right now...
So just a simple Stunning Spell was enough to knock the severely weakened Nagini unconscious.
Wade then transfigured the surrounding vines into a cage, locking the now-unconscious miniature Nagini inside.
As the caster, he could clearly sense that this transformed state would last for quite a while.
He planned to hand her directly over to Dumbledore and the others and let them deal with it.
When it came to things like this, the ever-resourceful Dumbledore always had a way.
Wade lifted the cage and carefully sensed the magical fluctuations caused by Aurelius.
Perhaps due to Aurelius' incredibly strong self-control, the surges of magic from that direction had diminished quite a bit.
Wade believed it wouldn't be long before he stabilized again.
Without lingering any longer, Wade Apparated directly to the entrance of the Hog's Head Inn.
Holding the cage in one hand, he let the expression on his face shift naturally into one of urgency, then knocked hard on the inn's front door.
The Hog's Head did operate at night, but usually closed around midnight.
Which meant Aberforth had only just fallen asleep not long ago.
Hearing the pounding at the door, Aberforth instinctively reached for his wand.
He thought it was some drunken idiot banging about again.
"Which bastard's knocking? Don't you know we're closed for the night?!"
Clang-ling-ling!
The door to the inn was flung open with a bang.
Then the string of curses Aberforth had been ready to hurl got caught in his throat—leaving him thoroughly choked and frustrated.
"Wade? What are you doing outside? Shouldn't you be asleep in your room right now?"
Wade said anxiously, "There's no time to explain that—quick! Aurelius lost control! He's in the Forbidden Forest!"
"What did you say?!" Aberforth instantly stopped questioning why Wade was outside.
Without another word, he Apparated straight to the attic. When he saw it was completely empty, he reappeared in front of Wade.
Grabbing Wade's arm, Aberforth asked urgently, "Do you remember where exactly he is?"
"Of course I—" Wade didn't even finish his sentence before Aberforth seized him and Apparated them both to the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
They landed on the side closest to Hogsmeade.
"Did you see which way he went?" Aberforth asked, his voice full of urgency.
Wade paused, then pointed in a direction and said, "That way."
In truth, the forest was pitch black, and every part of it looked the same—Wade wasn't entirely sure either.
Fortunately, the magical fluctuations from Aurelius's Obscurial form were immense—Wade could still clearly sense the direction.
What puzzled him, however, was why Aberforth couldn't feel it too…
"Good! Stay here and don't go anywhere—whatever you do, don't go into the forest! Your Professor Albus will be here soon."
Aberforth gave his instructions urgently, then waved his wand in the direction of Hogwarts. A translucent white goat shot out from the tip and galloped off into the distance—It was a Patronus.
Then, Aberforth pulled a broom out of Merlin knows where, swung a leg over it, and shot up into the sky in the direction Wade had pointed.
Wade watched the disappearing goat-shaped Patronus, his eyes lighting up.
If he wasn't mistaken, that had to be the Patronus Charm.
And that white billy goat—must've been Aberforth's Patronus.
In the future, when Dumbledore founded the Order of the Phoenix, its members often used Patronuses to send messages. He hadn't expected the technique to already exist at this point in time.
Still, with Dumbledore himself about to arrive any minute, Wade quickly ran through the events of the night again in his head—making sure everything was in order.
He already had it all planned out—what he was willing to say, and what he wasn't.
It wasn't long before.. Pop!
The sound of Apparition rang out, and Dumbledore appeared beside Wade.
"I heard from Aberforth that you saw Aurelius lose control and run into the Forbidden Forest?"
"Yes, Professor," Wade nodded.
A flicker of doubt flashed in Dumbledore's eyes, but he also knew now wasn't the time for questions.
"I'll take you back to the inn first. Wait for me there. I need to go find them—I'm afraid Aberforth may not be able to handle this on his own."
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Read ahead: P^treon: Captain69
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