Hogwarts: Even Voldemort Can't Stop Me From Studying

Chapter 869 240: Taboo

Amidst the scattered brilliance on the ground, the figure of Albus Dumbledore emerged like a legendary wizard stepping out of an ancient oil painting. Every strand of his hair carried the wisdom of ages, and his bright blue eyes shone brilliantly.

His arm steadily supported the boy, turning toward Harry, with a gentle curve of a smile on his lips.

"You did well, Harry."

The warm, mellow voice carried unquestionable affirmation. Harry's ears turned beet red in an instant, and he blinked nervously, his gaze shifting between Dumbledore's robe and the ground.

"Actually, I didn't do much. It was Vid who defeated them... Oh right! Voldemort has been resurrected. He even touched me! He used the Killing Curse on me, but I... I died... Yet, I seem to have come back to life! I... I don't understand what happened..."

His face showed a hint of bewilderment.

"I know, Harry, I know... We all saw it," Dumbledore continued gently, "But there's one thing wrong; you didn't die. Voldemort's Killing Curse wasn't able to kill you..."

"W-why?" Harry asked, "I heard... that those hit by the Killing Curse all die..."

"Oh, there are some complex reasons behind this..."

Dumbledore revealed a slightly proud expression and said, "But we'll talk about it later, okay? We can sit down, and I will slowly explain it to you."

Harry suddenly realized this wasn't the school, nor was it a good time for heart-to-heart talks. He nodded, stepping back to Dumbledore's side, casting a worried glance at Vid, and tightly clutching the golden teapot in his hands.

When he awoke on the ground, he saw the tattooed woman knocked out by the poppets, the golden teapot lying beside her, seemingly unnoticed by anyone yet.

Harry immediately ran over to pick up the teapot. The poppets did not stop his action, but he dared not use the teapot to restore Vid—

Undoubtedly, this teapot was a very dangerous magic tool. Harry worried that if he mishandled it, Vid might be turned into a baby, and he wouldn't know how to change him back.

…

Dumbledore's gaze finally turned to those dark wizards.

Death Eaters, Witch Pure Party.

Apart from Vid and Harry, the Light Beasts attacked everyone present indiscriminately. Yet, they seemed to have their own judgment standard, showing different levels of power to different targets.

For example, Braun was merely stepped on once and had already gotten up from the ground, only to be knocked over by a shining silver lynx before he could find his footing.

Most were not so fortunate, being crashed into by the Light Beasts, leaving them with broken bones, clutching their twisted legs and howling in agony.

A very few others looked as if they had been subjected to the Cruciatus Curse, lying limp on the ground, their eyes vacant and skyward, as if dead.

The remaining Light Beasts still roamed the battlefield. Their bodies had begun to turn transparent, yet they continued to deliver vicious blows to some now and then.

Thus on the ruins, screams echoed sporadically.

When those wizards drenched in the aura of dark magic caught the attention of the Light Beasts, Braun finally managed to stand up arduously on his own legs.

Clutching an arm that seemed displaced, he faced Dumbledore and bowed slightly.

"It's an honor to meet you, Headmaster Dumbledore."

Dumbledore's eyes narrowed slightly, his gaze piercing as it swept over the brown-haired youth before him.

After a moment, he slowly said, "Mr. Braun... truly, an impressive figure."

Across the screen, only sight and sound were left for human use, many details unable to be presented more comprehensively.

At one point, Dumbledore truly thought this brown-haired youth was a promising select of Gellert Grindelwald from the new generation of the Witch Pure Party.

Yet standing face-to-face now, he keenly sensed something... subtle and non-human about the young man.

Briefly, this realization made even Dumbledore shiver...

It wasn't because Vid and Grindelwald maintained contact until now—

This matter had long been anticipated by him, having understood his old friend's obsession and persuasiveness many years ago.

What made goosebumps rise on his arm was the existence of a poppet so indistinguishable from a real person!

This Braun... He wasn't like those cutely rolling over pets in Aslan Magic Workshop's window, nor like the steadfast soldiers at Vid's side.

His every move, the rhythm of his breath, the texture of his skin, those eyes brimming with emotion, the slight rise and fall of his chest as he spoke... All indistinguishable from a true living person!

If you didn't peel the skin or cut into the flesh, who would find his difference from a human?

This had already gone beyond the realm of alchemy...

Dumbledore's long beard floated gently in the air, betraying the turbulent storm under his composed exterior.

He recalled Nicolas Flamel once casually brought up a topic:

"Life Alchemy... that's a taboo in alchemy."

"When a creator begins to blur the line between life and creation, the line often first blurred is that of their own humanity."

"Hahaha... Though said so, this has always been the highest pursuit of alchemists throughout history—"

"Dementors, House-Elves, Banshees, Centaurs, Necromancy..."

"These magical creatures familiar to us today, who knows how many are the masterpieces of ancient alchemists..."

For a moment, Dumbledore's usually gentle eyes surged with rare fury, his demeanor frozen as if he were terrifyingly cold.

[Morry... Flamel!]

[What have you guys taught Vid?!!]

The headmaster's riveting rage made Braun instinctively take a step back.

He didn't know what was wrong with his previous demeanor... So it must be that, right? Was it because recalling Grindelwald led to misplaced anger on them?

Braun chuckled bitterly, bowing again.

"Please allow me to clarify, our trip was solely to stop Voldemort's resurrection and his attempt to acquire the Poppet Legion, with no intention of offending Hogwarts' dignity or interfering with the Magic School Championship."

"Or, does Headmaster Dumbledore intend to detain all wizards who participated in rescuing the Hogwarts Champions?"

"Bang!"

Suddenly, a detonating sound echoed through the air.

Grindelwald didn't bother to conceal his Apparition's noise. He appeared suddenly in his true form, his shiny dragon skin boots stepping perfectly on the vitrified ground.

The white-haired wizard appeared just in time to catch Braun's last words.

He turned towards Dumbledore, walking two steps forward, lightly chuckling:

"I heard Headmaster Dumbledore is the greatest White Wizard of our time... the exemplar of 'law-abiding'..."

The words "law-abiding" were enunciated with a meaningful, particularly mocking tone.

Grindelwald performed an exaggerated bow, saying, "Please elucidate—What laws did my children breach with their actions today?"

"Or perhaps—"

He drew closer to Dumbledore, his smile turning dangerous and teasing.

"Did the UK's Law Enforcement Department dictate that a magic school's headmaster can freely arrest and control foreign wizards?"

"Truly surprising, Gellert Grindelwald..." Dumbledore's eyes flashed with sarcasm, his tone cold as he said, "I never knew you actually took to reading law books?"