Hogwarts' defensive wards had been breached.
Black Prison Wizards, House Elves, werewolves, and other creatures clashed directly with the wizards guarding Hogwarts.
Even though Alofman had diverted a significant number of elves to surround the summoning circle, the number remaining to assault Hogwarts was still overwhelming.
Few elves were powerful enough to rival a wizard one-on-one, but numbers were their greatest weapon. After clearing wave after wave of elves, the stone soldiers finally began to crumble.
One by one, the stone guardians were shattered by the relentless barrage of elf magic.
Spells flashed everywhere, and the chaotic sounds of battle—bangs, crashes, and explosions—filled the air.
Facing such a swarm, unless one possessed the power of the Four Founders to unleash massive area-of-effect spells, there seemed to be no solution.
Without sufficient magical scale and power, the elves were like weeds: cut down a batch, and another would instantly rush in to fill the gap, giving the defenders no time to breathe.
Among the wizards defending Hogwarts, only Madam Hooch could periodically release large-scale fire magic, clearing a temporary open space in the entrance courtyard.
But the moment the clearing appeared, before the flames on the scorched ground could even extinguish, the space was filled again by cursing, screeching elves.
There were simply too many of them outside the castle. It was an endless tide.
Killing them like this felt futile, as if the task would never end.
---
"ROAR!"
A dull, muffled roar echoed from deep underground.
The roar was majestic and powerful, as if an ancient beast beneath the earth was about to break free.
Sure enough, to the south of Hogwarts—in the sparse forest—the ground began to tremble.
After the roar, the trees shook violently. The entire forest floor, especially around the massive rock formation, began to bulge upward.
The earth cracked open, looking exactly like a legendary earth dragon turning over in its sleep.
"ROAR...!"
The ground split apart, and a deafening roar erupted from the fissures. No longer muffled, the sound was even more earth-shattering than before.
A large magical beast—especially one that could produce such a sound—was something the wizards dared not even imagine. The elves surrounding the forest stood frozen in terror upon hearing it.
Following the thunderous roar, the trees toppled to the sides. The elves looked at each other in fear, instinctively backing away, desperate to put distance between themselves and the source of the noise.
A giant dragon burst from the ground. First the spine appeared, then the head, followed by massive claws and enormous wings.
BOOM!
The earth collapsed inward as the dragon fully emerged. After a roar of pure release, it spread its wings and flapped them with tremendous force.
Two whirlwinds generated instantly beneath the wings, tossing the nearby elves into the air like dry leaves.
Rey had broken through the earth. His towering dragon form stood under the rising sun, his dark golden eyes scanning the trembling elves cowering in his shadow.
Helena lay flat against the dragon's neck, stretching her arms as far as they could go to embrace him. She was happy—overjoyed that Rey remembered her even in this form.
The young girl's heart was bursting with happiness, immersed in endless sweetness.
Rey glanced at the elves swarming like ants around him, let out a cold snort, and with a powerful leap and a flap of his wings, took to the sky.
The priority was to save the breached Hogwarts.
As long as he cleared the elves covering the hills and stripped them of their numerical advantage, the defenders inside Hogwarts could easily handle the stragglers who had already entered the castle.
A high-pitched dragon roar echoed from the sky south of Hogwarts Castle.
Every wizard and elf in the castle was stunned by the sound. Both sides paused in fear, unsure if the giant dragon circling above was friend or foe.
The dragon was immense. A few breaths of fire from a beast that size could easily bury the entire castle in a sea of flames.
Madam Hooch stood in the crowd, staring up at the dragon in surprise. She had given Rey a vial of Dragon King's blood, which would trigger a full transformation in someone with dragon lineage. However, she hadn't expected Rey's dragon form to be this gigantic.
"If you've lost your memories and just want to destroy everything you see... then you're nothing but a beast with dragon blood."
Looking at the dragon above Hogwarts, after her initial surprise, Madam Hooch muttered to herself in a low voice.
Her words were cold, even disdainful. But as the dragon circled, she spotted Helena clinging to its neck.
A rare smile of relief finally appeared on her indifferent face. "I suppose I can begrudgingly acknowledge you as kin."
---
Rey, carrying Helena, circled Hogwarts a few times before diving. A massive shadow swept across the ground.
"Dragon Fire!"
During the dive, a stream of concentrated fire erupted from the dragon's mouth.
Rey was like a massive aerial flamethrower. The condensed fire poured down in a continuous stream, blanketing the ground.
A sea of fire descended from the heavens, the raging flames impacting the earth. As Rey circled the perimeter of Hogwarts, the ring of fire cut off the elves' advance into the castle.
Under the dragon's breath, trees burned, and the earth itself seemed to catch fire.
Starting from Hogwarts as the center and expanding outward, in less than fifteen minutes, every hill and field outside the castle was turned into a blazing inferno.
As the fire spread, the elves scattered in panic, suffering heavy casualties.
Billowing smoke rose into the sky. Rey flapped his wings, clearing the smoke away from his body. As a dragon, he didn't fear the smoke, but Helena couldn't handle it.
This subtle gesture of care sweetened Helena's heart even further. She kissed Rey's neck gently, her heart filled with happiness once more.
While the pair enjoyed their affectionate moment in the sky, they didn't notice a small wisp of black smoke drifting amidst the chaos below, moving with purpose.
This wisp of smoke mixed with the dust and ash, but it was darker, thicker.
Its path followed Rey in the sky perfectly. occasionally, a human face would form within the dense black smoke, staring up at Rey. "It's been so long... isn't it time you fell?"
Caractacus Burke. The owner of the face was the little old man who had fled the underground hall.
Terence Barrow had been purified by Rey's exorcism circle, so the primary candidate for Burke's plans had shifted back to Rey. Rey had always been his first choice; that had never changed. Burke had simply been waiting for an opportunity.
And now, the opportunity had arrived.
Transforming into a giant dragon consumed an unfathomable amount of energy.
When that energy was depleted, Rey would be at his weakest. Both his magical power and mental strength would hit rock bottom.
At that moment, Burke could do many things—erase his original memories, implant new ones with special magic, and mold him into a true dark wizard.
---
Happiness is often fleeting.
Just as Rey was sharing a tender moment with Helena after scattering countless elves, a sharp pain suddenly struck his mind.
The pain was like a flash of lightning in the dark night, causing Rey's entire body to shudder.
The magic that had been surging through him like a mighty river suddenly began to wither rapidly. His massive body lost the power to sustain flight. Rey's wings dipped, and he began to fall.
Helena, clinging to his back, felt the shudder. "What's wrong?" she asked urgently.
"Nothing. We might have to make a crash landing!"
Rey replied, trying to control his wings, his voice carrying a light, teasing tone.
"This is no time for jokes!"
Helena adjusted her posture, hugging Rey tighter as she scolded him gently. Rey had told her about future airplanes that could carry ordinary people through the sky, so she understood what "crash landing" meant.
She wasn't worried about falling to her death at all.
Because with the person she loved by her side, she wouldn't be afraid, no matter what happened.