Chapter 388: Phoenix and Dragon
The despair and oppression that had gripped everyone were swept away in an instant. Even the Slytherin students felt hope for life rekindled within them.
"Burn them alive! Incinerate these evil creatures!"
"Go, Dursley!"
The shouts rose from the stands, echoing across the pitch as the Slytherins witnessed the incredible scene above.
Never before had they so desperately wished that Dudley was one of their own.
"Why is his spell so powerful?"
Malfoy gritted his teeth as he stared at Dudley in the sky, a figure bathed in flames, like a being born of fire itself.
Despite his efforts over the past two years, the gap between him and Dudley had not shrunk—it had grown ever wider.
Even now, he was still lagging behind Harry and Ron—the very people he had once looked down upon
Was all of this really Dudley's doing?
"We're saved! Thank Merlin!"
Crabbe and Goyle cried out, overwhelmed with relief and joy. They had thought themselves doomed, incapable of resisting, staring helplessly as dementors swept toward them.
"He's so powerful…"
Pansy Parkinson whispered, watching Dudley mounted on Norberta, the Norwegian Ridgeback.
Though they opposed Dudley and looked down on him, even they could not deny his strength—it surpassed many of the professors.
Fiendfyre spread outward, igniting many dementors. Their bodies were consumed in terrifying flames.
They screeched as they tried to flee, attempting to douse the fire, but even the torrential rain could not extinguish it.
At the same time, Harry, Ron, and the others surged forward. Their modified Incendio spells forced the dementors back.
From the castle, reinforcements arrived, joining the battle.
Among them was Professor Snape, head of Slytherin.
Roaring and clashing spells filled the air as several Aurors appeared along the Quidditch pitch's perimeter.
"What… is happening?"
Everyone stared in disbelief at the scene on the pitch.
They had received word of trouble at the Quidditch pitch, but Apparition could not be used within Hogwarts. They had to come on foot.
They had assumed only a few dementors had breached the pitch, but almost every one of them was present.
And Hogwarts students were engaging them directly. The entire pitch had become a battlefield.
"Stop! Stop immediately!"
Kingsley Shacklebolt charged forward, his expression grim. But the dementors ignored his shouts.
He had no authority to command them.
"Notify Scrimgeour and the Minister immediately!"
His face darkened further.
He glanced toward the castle. At this point, Professor Dumbledore was still absent—most likely not even at Hogwarts.
"We must inform him immediately."
Kingsley sent word to Dumbledore via the only secure channel they shared, urging him to return to Hogwarts at once.
He knew Dumbledore's hatred of dementors. Seeing so many defy the Ministry's orders, invade Hogwarts, and violently clash with students, he could already imagine the fury Dumbledore would unleash.
"What should we do now?"
The Aurors around him were unsure.
On one side were the Ministry's dementors; on the other, Hogwarts students. They did not know whom to support.
"What choice do we have?" Kingsley snapped. "The dementors ignored Ministry orders and entered Hogwarts without permission. Do you expect us to side with them?"
"Act together. Drive all these dementors out."
Only then did the Aurors respond. They began casting Patronuses, pushing the dementors back.
But their effects were limited. The attacked dementors continued to assault the students, keeping only a cautious distance from the Patronus-protected areas.
In the sky, Dudley had already eliminated several dementors. Then, taking advantage of the chaos, he quietly ensnared a few more within the Mirror of Erised.
Having done this, he looked toward the ground and saw that Snape and Kingsley, among others, had joined the fight.
"Looks like the Ministry is finally stepping in," Dudley murmured.
By now, the news had likely reached them, though Hogwarts' protective magic had delayed their arrival.
Hum!
As Dudley contemplated his next move, a bright flame suddenly appeared above the Quidditch pitch.
Chirp!
A crisp cry echoed across the pitch, and from the fire, a phoenix soared into the sky.
Beside it, an elderly figure appeared.
"Expecto Patronum!"
A white phoenix materialised instantly, radiating waves of white energy that swept across the surrounding dementors.
In an instant, all the dementors sensed the threat. Under the white waves, they fled, disappearing quickly into the surrounding storm clouds.
"Fawkes… and Professor Dumbledore."
Dudley's eyes flicked to Dumbledore in the sky.
The Hogwarts headmaster had finally returned, signalling that this fierce battle was nearing a turning point.
As the dementors fled, Dumbledore's expression remained severe. His blue eyes radiated an oppressive power that instilled fear.
He seemed to struggle to control his emotions, but the slight trembling of his hands betrayed his rage.
His gaze swept across the pitch. Many students slumped in their seats, some unconscious, their faces pale.
The only relief: no student appeared gravely injured, and none had been reduced to empty shells, their souls drained.
He looked toward the stands. Students gripped their wands, sending blazing fire at the dementors. Gryffindor had the largest number of participants.
He also spotted Ron, Harry, Oliver, and the Weasley twins flying above the pitch on broomsticks, attacking as well.
Finally, Dumbledore's eyes fixed on the sky not far off.
Two figures—one carried by a phoenix, the other mounted on a dragon—locked eyes.
The Quidditch pitch had fallen silent, the torrential rain the only sound remaining, pounding relentlessly around them.