HP: The Duelist of Hogwarts - 478

Chapter 478: Aerial Battle

Fiendfyre exploded, instantly melting the ice shield and burning the treant to ash. Because the treant bought them time, Sean and Snape had already reached the exit of Malfoy Manor.

But at that moment, a rapid series of pops rang out as Bellatrix, Barty Crouch Jr., and the others arrived in a rush, raising their wands to strike. Seeing Bellatrix and Barty aiming at them, Sean’s mouth curled into a smile.

“Do it.”

At Sean’s order, Yaxley and Avery, standing behind Bellatrix and Barty, struck without warning. In the space of a heartbeat, the two of them brought down four Death Eaters. Time was too tight for Killing Curses that demanded heavy magic and clear incantations, but they still used the spells they were best at, and the four Death Eaters they hit were left grievously wounded.

Bellatrix and Barty noticed the ambush behind them and stared at Yaxley and Avery in disbelief. They raised their wands at once, ready to deal with the traitors, but Sean’s contingencies never stopped coming. Two young Death Eaters guarding the manor gate, who looked as if they had been stunned into stupidity, suddenly snapped their wands up. They did not even try to defend themselves, only launched a frantic, suicidal barrage at Bellatrix and Barty. Under that desperate pressure, Bellatrix and Barty were forced back again and again, giving Sean and the others the time they needed to escape.

The four of them sprinted out of Malfoy Manor. The instant they cleared the threshold, a dark red slash fell from the sky, cutting straight through the burning treant and landing beside Bellatrix and Barty. Voldemort’s body took form. He flicked his wand once, and the two young Death Eaters Sean had controlled with the Imperius Curse were blasted away. Voldemort did not hesitate for even a second. With Bellatrix and Barty following him at once, he left Malfoy Manor and in the same motion cast a wide-area Anti-Apparition Jinx.

Bang, bang, bang, bang. Four muffled impacts sounded as Sean’s group was ripped out of the Apparition state. Their bodies, already twisting and spiralling as they were about to tear free of the space, were forced out of the void by the Anti-Apparition Jinx. Yaxley was the most miserable of them all; his footing broke, and he slammed to the ground.

“Split up,” Sean said immediately. “Voldemort will probably chase me, so you two go straight to the place I told you about.”

The moment they were forced out of mid-Apparition, Sean made his choice. He flicked his wand and cast a Disillusionment Charm on Yaxley and Avery, doing as much as he could for them. Then he grabbed Snape, and the instant Voldemort, Bellatrix, and Barty fully emerged from the manor, Sean and his Head of House turned into black smoke and shot into the sky.

“Sean Bulstrode! You are not leaving today!”

With a low snarl, Voldemort erupted into thick black smoke as well, wrapping Bellatrix and Barty inside it as he chased Sean.

Above London, two streams of black smoke raced through the air, one pursuing the other. Fortunately, London was fogbound today, and both sides were flying high. A few people in tall buildings might catch a glimpse of something odd, but an excuse like low-flying aircraft would do. If needed, an “expert” could talk nonsense on the telly and smooth it over. Even if people knew it was rubbish, give it time and they would forget.

Sean fled with Snape in tow. Snape watched Voldemort gaining behind them and said in a low voice, “Sean, put me down. I’ll hold them back.”

“I came to save you, Professor,” Sean said. “I’m not abandoning you.”

“Fool.”

“Say what you like.”

“Put me down,” Snape insisted. “Go to Dumbledore. I can hold out until he arrives.”

“Professor,” Sean said, glancing back at the rapidly closing Voldemort, “do you think I’m actually that stupid?”

Then Sean spoke again, voice steady. “Professor, do you really have that little confidence in yourself?” “With you and me together, can’t we beat Voldemort and his two lapdogs?”

Snape looked at Sean, saw no panic at all, only calm certainty. He let out a slow breath and nodded. “Fine,” Snape said. “Then let’s do it.”

The moment the words fell, Sean and Snape spun mid-flight inside the smoke. They drew their wands together and unleashed a storm of spells back at Voldemort’s trio. Beams, flashes, and crackling currents of every colour poured from their wands and flooded the sky.

Voldemort’s trio, also shrouded in black smoke, swung their wands in reply, defending where they had to, countering where they could, and firing back into the barrage.

Whip, whip, whip. Bang, bang, bang. Boom. Spellfire collided and detonated in the air, producing a rolling chain of thunder.

Below, Muggles heard the noise and looked up. They saw what looked like fireworks streaking rapidly from west to east and assumed some idiot was setting them off in this weather. Still, the “fireworks” were coming fast, and they did look rather pretty, shame about the fog.

While the Muggles watched, Sean and Voldemort’s Killing Curses collided once more. The explosion sent a shockwave ripping outward, striking both sides from every direction and tearing Sean and Snape apart by force. One slammed onto the roof of a building below, while the other fell as black smoke, crashing onto the top of a different office block.

Sean and Snape were not the only ones split apart. Voldemort’s side was torn apart by the blast as well. Barty and Bellatrix were thrown onto the same rooftop as Snape. Voldemort spread the smoke around him into a pair of vast black bat wings, dragging a huge mass of cloudlike darkness as he landed with a crash on the roof where Sean stood. Without a word, he fired the Killing Curse at once.

“Avada Kedavra!”

“Avada Kedavra!”

Sean pulled the smoke around him tight and met Voldemort’s Killing Curse head-on, forcing another contest of raw power.

On the other rooftop, Snape used the access doorway as cover and fought Barty and Bellatrix. Snape had hidden his true strength for years, but now that he fought without restraint, he was not weaker than either of them. His Sectumsempra, invisible and formless, was lethally destructive. Even Bellatrix and Barty had to avoid it.

In the middle of that exchange, Barty flicked a glance at Sean, straining against Voldemort’s power, and said to Bellatrix, “Bellatrix, I’ll cover you. You go help the Dark Lord and finish Sean Bulstrode.”

Bellatrix’s eyes lit up. Without wasting breath, she burst from cover and charged towards the building where Sean and Voldemort were fighting.

Snape immediately moved to stop her, but Barty slashed his wand. Layer upon layer of flames surged in from every direction, blocking Snape’s path and swallowing his line of sight.