Everyone climbed out of the tank.
Arthur said gravely, "That tank's firepower is terrifying. Even a giant with skin like iron was blown apart."
Bill nodded. "Indeed. Blasting Curse alone could never kill a giant."
Arthur turned to the children. "All of you, step back. Bill and I will handle this one."
Before his words had fully settled, Hydrus Lestrange had already raised her wand.
"Diffindo."
The giant's legs were severed cleanly at the knees. Its massive body pitched forward and smashed face-first into the dirt.
The creature seemed unable to comprehend what had happened. After rolling onto its back, it sat up clumsily and touched the jagged stumps where its legs had been.
"Roar! Roar!"
"It hurts—hurts!"
Arthur froze.
The decisiveness.
The precision.
The sheer power.
Every aspect of Hydrus's spellwork was first-rate. He had heard the children call her a prodigy, but seeing it with his own eyes was something else entirely.
Hydrus walked up to the fallen giant and shifted her state, her mind slipping into Legilimency.
[Pain. It hurts so much.]
[Mama… I want to go home.]
[No. I must obey Lady Tethys.]
[I must grab the little one.]
[But my legs are gone… I might not reach her.]
The thoughts looped endlessly—simple, crude, pitiful.
Hydrus straightened.
So it really was Tethys.
In her memory, the goblin woman was never one to gamble everything on brute force. If she had sent giants, then she must have prepared something else as well.
Hydrus switched again—this time peering into the future.
A few seconds later, a faint smile curved beneath her mask.
So that's it.
A red flash suddenly burst from the forest.
But Hydrus had already seen it coming.
With a casual flick of her wand, she knocked the Stunning Spell aside.
Seven or eight goblins stepped out from between the trees.
Arthur's expression darkened.
Every one of them was holding a wand.
One-on-one, he was confident he could defeat a goblin. But this many? He had no such confidence at all.
Hydrus pulled out the mask she had received at Christmas and placed it over her face. Instantly, a cold, serpentine aura enveloped her—pure Slytherin menace.
"Arthur," she said calmly, "take them back into the tank. I'll handle this."
"But Hydrus, they all have wands!"
"Ants holding weapons are still ants," she replied lightly. "Don't worry."
She walked toward the goblins.
Arthur turned to usher Rick and the children back into the tank—but he himself did not go in.
No matter how confident Hydrus sounded, he could not stand by while a young girl faced such danger alone. He couldn't forgive himself for that.
Then—
Arthur's eyes widened.
Hydrus vanished into motion, surging straight into the goblin formation. She moved faster than sight, her form flickering and drifting, impossible to track.
If he had to describe it, Arthur thought she looked like a Dementor accelerated to terrifying speed.
He never even got the chance to help.
Every time Hydrus shifted position, a cutting curse flashed out.
She drifted through the enemy ranks like death itself, harvesting lives with chilling efficiency.
"She's ruthless," Bill murmured from inside the tank, watching through the periscope. "Ron… is that how Hogwarts teaches cutting curses now?"
Ron shook his head violently. "I haven't even learned that spell yet!"
Fred added, "No way. The school would never allow us to use cutting curses on people!"
Ron scowled. "It's the Sorting Hat's fault! Putting Hydrus in Slytherin—she's been hanging around Dark wizards too much. They've corrupted her!"
On the battlefield, eight goblins lay broken.
Five were dead. Two were seriously wounded.
The last was on the verge of collapse.
How were they supposed to fight this?
They couldn't even touch her—yet her attacks were instant death.
Then, suddenly—
Three spells streaked through the air.
Not toward Hydrus.
Toward the remaining goblins.
Three Stunning Spells struck cleanly. The goblins collapsed where they stood.
As the dust settled, a slender figure emerged from the forest.
"Impressive. Truly impressive," a hoarse, distinctive contralto said. "To think Miss Lestrange possesses such mastery at such a young age. You've opened my eyes."
Tethys.
"I apologize for the fright," she continued smoothly. "Those goblins were traitors—former subordinates of the old Gringotts elders. They hated you for destroying the bank and sought revenge."
She stepped closer, hands empty. "I learned of their plan and hurried here as fast as I could. Sadly… I was still too late."
Hydrus narrowed her eyes behind the mask, her voice unreadable. "So I should thank you, Miss Tethys?"
"Oh no, no," Tethys waved hurriedly. "I didn't help at all. Even without me, you would have handled them easily. And this was our people's fault to begin with—I wouldn't dare accept your thanks."
Hydrus already knew the truth.
From beginning to end, this had been Tethys's scheme.
Her current state—Legilimency enhanced by a Dementor constitution—was something she had obtained from Tethys herself.
Hydrus suddenly smiled.
"Miss Tethys, I have a question. Would you indulge my curiosity?"
"Of course."
Hydrus rested her chin on her hand. "I know those goblins and the giants were arranged by you."
Tethys's expression changed.
"You wanted to stage a heroic rescue," Hydrus continued calmly, "so I'd feel indebted and agree to help you excavate the Nordic ruins. That part is obvious."
She paused, watching Tethys's composure strain.
"But that's not my question."
Hydrus's smile widened. "What I want to know is—how did you know I'd be at the Weasleys' today?"
Silence.
Then Tethys spoke slowly. "I don't understand, Miss Lestrange. Why are you so resistant to helping us uncover the ruins?"
"Why?"
Hydrus already had the answer. She was simply enjoying herself now.
"Because I'm not interested," she said brightly. "I now possess wealth far beyond what Gringotts ever held. A single ruin doesn't tempt me in the slightest."
"And ancient magic?" she added. "I couldn't care less. After all—I don't happen to have a grandfather named Ranrok."
Tethys's face went pale.
For the first time, she felt truly exposed—stripped bare under Hydrus's gaze, with nowhere to hide.
"It was Fudge, wasn't it?" Hydrus said suddenly. "The Aurors have been stationed near my home for a while now. My movements today were no secret."
Her eyes locked onto Tethys.
"In the Ministry, someone with access to my whereabouts—and shameless enough to accept goblin bribes—there's only one person that fits."
Tethys exhaled slowly. Then nodded.
"A terrifying mind, Miss Lestrange. I lost fairly." She hesitated. "But—"
"Stupefy!"
The spell came fast—sharp, sudden.
Tethys never expected it to succeed. She only needed a distraction. A chance to escape.
After all, she had just watched Hydrus slaughter her subordinates like weeds. She knew her own strength was no better than theirs.
The spell struck Hydrus squarely.
Tethys froze.
Then her eyes lit up with wild joy.
It worked?
"I—I've been stunned," Hydrus groaned dramatically, clutching her stomach and shaking. "Oh no, I'm collapsing. I'm about to be captured!"
Tethys: ...
Hydrus straightened, laughter bursting free. "Surprised? Was it unexpected?"
Her Dementor constitution rendered her nearly immune to magic—save for a Patronus.
But this time, it wasn't that.
It was the Iron Shield Charm embedded in her green mask.
A master-grade protection spell—far beyond what a second-rate goblin like Tethys could ever break.
Hydrus raised her wand.
The joke was over.
Tethys was too dangerous to be left alive.
She was no Dumbledore. She would not leave seeds behind.
"Diffindo."