Crisis Triggered by the Prophecy Orb: Shooting at the Drop of a Hat

"Neville Longbottom, right? How are your parents?"

"Much better, because I will get my revenge." Neville said, raising his Wand. Bellatrix was about to retaliate with disdain, but Harry and Lucius stopped them in perfect unison.

"Now let's all calm down, okay?" Lucius said softly. "We just need that Prophecy Orb. If we snatch it out, no one will get hurt."

"Why does Voldemort want me to get it?" Harry asked.

"How dare you say his name!" Bellatrix couldn't take it anymore. "You filthy bastard."

"It's alright, he's just a curious little guy," Lucius explained with a smile. "Because only those mentioned in the Prophecy are capable of obtaining it; others would go insane."

Why didn't he come and get it himself?

"While the Ministry of Magic is focused on my dear cousin, the Dark Lord himself has exposed himself to them?" Bellatrix let out a maniacal laugh, but quickly calmed down. "However, preparations are almost complete, and if you're lucky, you might see him tonight."

"You can't just say things like that!" Lucius said with a half-smile. "It wouldn't be good if you scared them."

Harry remained expressionless, but his heart was in turmoil.

From what they're saying, Voldemort is coming too, and if they don't leave before he arrives, none of them will escape.

"Do it!" Harry shouted.

Stupefy.

The six men used Sleeping Charm on the Death Eater opposite them, but the Death Eater turned into black smoke and dodged the spell, clearing a path for them.

"Run!" Harry made a quick decision and led the five of them to run in one direction.

After a few turns, Lucius descended from the sky amidst a cloud of black mist, blocking their path.

To facilitate the movement of staff, the Ministry of Magic did not create Anti-Apparition Charm, which ironically made it easier for Death Eater around.

The room was filled with densely packed shelves, creating a visual obstruction. If it were in an open space, Harry and his group probably wouldn't even have had a chance to escape.

"Give it to me," Lucius said coldly.

They paused for a moment, then made a quick decision and turned onto another fork in the road.

Lucius was not surprised and Apparition after them.

However, Luna hesitated for two seconds and was knocked to the ground by another Death Eater caught up with her.

"Levicorpus"

She hurriedly picked up her Wand and cast a spell, sending the Death Eater flying.

The crisis was temporarily averted, but Luna was now separated from Harry and the others. However, it didn't matter, as they were all headed to the same exit of this room.

Because Death Eater would suddenly appear at any time, the others had to separate during their escape.

Neville and Ginny had just dealt with a Death Eater using Petrification Spell when they unexpectedly bumped into Luna, who was running over. Without wasting time talking, they teamed up again without hesitation.

A Death Eater transformed into black mist and caught up with Harry, his upper body floating in mid-air as he stared at Harry.

However, because Harry had the Prophecy Orb that Voldemort wanted, the Death Eater hesitated to attack, and was instead stunned by Harry's Stunning Spell.

Hermione and Ron were also entangled by a Death Eater. They fought and retreated, but their dueling skills were clearly not on the same level as their opponent's, and their spells were easily blocked.

As the two sides closed in, Hermione switched her attack to one side of the shelf.

Hundreds and thousands of Prophecy Orb rained down, forcing the Death Eater to deal with the trouble above them first.

From the shattered Prophecy Orb floated illusory, milky-white figures. These were the Prophet's Prophecy, and upon appearing, they began recounting Prophecy contents, barely obscuring the Death Eater ' view.

The six of them ran at top speed and finally met up at the intersection closest to the gate.

A strange sound suddenly rang out, and three wisps of black mist Accio from an unknown direction, blocking the door. Lucius happened to be among them.

"I knew you'd come here. Just swallow the Prophecy Orb honestly, and you'll suffer less."

" To Sectumsempra."

Ginny suddenly waved her Wand, and a blue-white light, accompanied by a faint surge of magic, shot straight ahead.

Lucius raised an eyebrow in surprise, then drew his Wand from his scepter and held it in front of him.

The spell flew in front of the three people but was blocked by a transparent semi-circular barrier, turning into thousands of white light spots and dissipating.

"That's great. Molly must have taught you such a dangerous spell!" Lucius said casually. "If she had used this spell, I might not have been able to block it head-on, but you're too young and your magic power isn't up to par yet."

Ginny seemed to feel mocked, glaring at him through gritted teeth, but ultimately suppressed the urge to attack.

The spell she just used was her most powerful magic, but its effect was clearly not ideal.

Lucius extended his right hand again. "Give it to me. Don't force me to do it."

Harry gripped the Prophecy Orb tightly, a layer of cold sweat appearing on his forehead. "If I give it to you, we'll really be meat on the chopping block."

"Actually... it wouldn't matter much if we didn't give it to them," Lucius sneered.

"Get out of the way, or I'll smash it," Harry said, feigning composure.

"You won't," Lucius said calmly. "Smash it, and we won't hold back at all."

Potter, you have a huge weakness: individualism.

The Dark Lord understands this perfectly well, which is why he lured you out of Hogwarts. You wouldn't want your friends to pay a heavy price for your foolishness, would you?

"We can't give it to him, Harry," Neville said very seriously.

"I know, but..."

"We were prepared," Ron said, though his voice sounded a little shaky.

"I'll do it!" Hermione hesitated for a few steps forward. "I don't know if it will work, but maybe it can create an opportunity."

"This is no time for jokes. If we go all out, we might have a chance," Ginny said in a deep voice. "There are three of them, but there are six of us. If we give it our all, we might not lose."

"You're right," Luna said softly, drawing her Wand.

"Sigh!" Lucius shook his head helplessly, "They won't shed a tear until they see the coffin!"

But the next moment, he couldn't help but swallow.

Hermione pulled a flintlock pistol from her pocket, its dark muzzle pointing directly at them from a distance of over ten meters.

Lucius felt an urge to curse out loud. He had witnessed the power of the gun firsthand, but he absolutely did not want to experience it himself. If he were hit, he would be badly injured, if not killed.

What's even more thought-provoking is why this gun ended up in her hands. If it was stolen, then she probably wouldn't be able to use it anyway. But if Aaron Gaius gave it to her, then he has to change his attitude towards this Muggle-born wizard. At the very least, he can't let her die here.

If they anger Aaron, the Malfoy family's future might be cut off.

"Stop!" Lucius shouted. "Miss Granger, put that thing down. We have something to discuss."

"Malfoy, there's no need to be so tense!" a Death Eater nearby asked, puzzled.

"Mulciber, if you really want to die, you can try it yourself."

The Death Eater called Mulciber fell silent. He had been stationed in Azkaban for over a decade and his understanding of the outside world was not extensive, but he was still familiar with Malfoy.

While he may not be the strongest, his judgment of the situation is extremely accurate; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to thrive in the Warlock world.

"Aaron gave it to you?" A gleam of joy flashed in Harry's eyes. "Now we're saved."

Hermione nodded slightly, then mustered her courage and looked across at the other side, "Let us leave."

"That's probably not the case." Lucius's lips twitched slightly.

What a joke! How can he explain releasing everyone to Voldemort? Even if he holds a high position among the Death Eater, he can't withstand the Dark Lord's wrath.

"Then there's no room for negotiation." Hermione said, about to pull the trigger.

"Wait, hand over the Prophecy Orb, and I can back down," Lucius reassured. "I can only decide to let you leave alone."

"And what about them?"

"That depends on their luck," Lucius said meaningfully. "I'm only backing down for the sake of the gun's owner. You'd better not push your luck."

Upon hearing this, Hermione smiled slightly and then pulled the trigger.

The Lycoris on the gun instantly lit up, greedily absorbing Hermione's magic.

"Run!"

Lucius transformed into black mist the moment she fired, flying away from the spot and leaving only a two-word warning for his companion in mid-air.

Before the two Death Eater could react, they saw a crimson bullet carrying a red shockwave hurtling towards them.

As experienced Death Eater, they sensed the immense danger in their minds. Before they could retreat, they instinctively raised their Wand in front of them.

A dazzling burst of fire suddenly erupted, and the magic that the two Death Eater were exerting themselves to unleash was quickly consumed by the flames.

The impact of the explosion slammed the two against the wall before stopping them. Their defenses weren't timely, and although they weren't seriously injured, they looked disheveled.

"What is that thing?" Mulciber asked, still shaken. He couldn't believe that a witch who hadn't even graduated could make him feel threatened with death.

"You don't know, but I do?" another Death Eater said indignantly. "Malfoy is fast, but if the three of us worked together, we could definitely stop him."

Harry and the others stared blankly at Hermione, Ginny and Luna even had stars in their eyes.

With just this one move, her image in their minds instantly rose several levels.

Hermione herself was also stunned, deeply shocked by the power of the gun. However, the weakness she felt was real; the huge loss of magic almost made her lose her balance.

"Let's go quickly, the other Death Eater will catch up soon after hearing the gunshots," Harry said. The others realized what was happening and immediately ran towards the gate.

After all, they were being hunted by Death Eater; if they had been a step later, they might have lost their lives.

However, when they finally managed to rush out of the main gate and into the circular room, they were dismayed to find that the door leading to the hall was mixed up with the doors of other rooms, and even the marks they had made on the door had completely disappeared.

"The Department of Mysteries is certainly mysterious enough, isn't it!" Ron forced a smile.

They heard rapid footsteps coming from the door behind them, realizing that the Death Eater were catching up. Without pausing for a moment, they found a door and slipped inside.

On the other side, the Divine Thunder Hall.

Aaron slammed his hand on the table, and the image in the Crystal Ball was once again obscured by mist.

He and the Thought Form performed Divination four times. The first time, they rode Thestral through the night sky, but the scene of their journey was meaningless.

The first time was to find the Ministry Atrium empty, which didn't surprise him. Voldemort had prepared a trap, so surely he couldn't even handle the security guards on duty.

The third one was more important. Harry got the Prophecy Orb, and then the Death Eater appeared.

To be honest, the escape scene was quite thrilling, but Aaron could still handle it, as the weapons he prepared for Hermione were sufficient to deal with the situation.

When Hermione fired the gun for the fourth time, he really couldn't hold back anymore, and he finally realized what he had overlooked.

Both the Lycoris and the Moon Drop were enough for her to protect herself, Lucius readily gave her a way out.

She didn't appreciate it at all. Giving someone a tool that could save another person is just a joke!

"Damn it! What kind of hero are you trying to be!"

The Magic Power wasn't very high to begin with; that shot drained at least 30-40% of it.

"What should we do? Go or not?" the Thought Form asked.

"Let me think about it some more."

"Still want more?"

"Otherwise what?"

She only used the weapon I gave her. Her family might just give her a warning and that's it. But if we get involved, our escape route will be completely cut off, and the price will be too high.

Besides, as long as the Prophecy Orb remains in Harry's hands, they won't be in dire straits. At least the Death Eater won't easily kill them, and as long as they hold out until the Order of the Phoenix arrives, they won't be in any danger.

The Thought Form rolled its eyes speechlessly. If Kuan hadn't seen the original body packing up all the props on the shelf, he might have actually believed it.

"Abei," Aaron called out.

The Holy Dragon immediately jumped onto the table, "Master, I am here."

"Get ready, we might have to travel at night later."

"How come I never realized I was such a hypocrite before!" the Thought Form quipped.

"Hogwarts doesn't Apparition, so even if I wanted to go, I'd have to leave the school grounds first!"

You remain here to Divination, and keep an eye on the Book of Prophecy. Notify me immediately if anything seems amiss.

"This might be a tough battle. Voldemort might personally intervene. Are you sure you're prepared?"

"Professor Snape will inform the Order of the Phoenix. There are tall people to hold up the sky when it falls, although they may not be as tall as me," Aaron pondered. "Don't worry, even if I get involved, I won't let myself get too deeply involved."

"I'll Apparition to find her and then leave immediately. As for the others... I'll save them if I can, and if not, I can't worry about that anymore."

The Thought Form knew that the main body had probably made up its mind this time, and let out a long breath, saying, "Plans never keep up with changes. We may be able to see the Voldemort, but we must not underestimate him."

"That's why I brought all those props. If things get out of hand, your secrets might not be kept hidden. I will never reveal my most important trump card."