Shadow of the Magic Dragon

The other three could no longer afford to deal with Aquila's clones. They endured Aquila's attacks, attempting to take the opportunity to defeat Skylar. Skylar had just finished casting spells and hadn't caught his breath yet, so he could only activate the protective functions of the Supreme Robe and the Night Star Cloak, dodging and defending at the same time.

But Daphne and Meredith weren't idle either; the two girls each used Stunning Spell to knock one of them unconscious.

Morganton shielded Astoria behind him, so he didn't make a move.

The two remaining opponents huddled together in a sorry state: the leader and the only woman, whose wand had been broken.

The two wizards high in the sky also stopped their wailing and screaming, probably because they were dizzy from being spun around.

Skylar opened a bottle of mana-restoring potion and drank it. While recovering his energy, he cautiously pointed his wand at the remaining two enemies.

After exchanging blows and understanding the enemy's spellcasting techniques and habits, Skylar finally realized where his sense of familiarity came from, and couldn't help but whisper, "It's been a long time, Professor Lockhart."

The leader seemed taken aback, removed his mask, which was now covered in cracks, and said with a wry smile, "As expected, nothing can be hidden from you, my best student."

The man was quite handsome; he was none other than Gilderoy Lockhart, who had left Hogwarts a year ago!

Since the end of his second year, Lockhart seemed to have vanished into thin air, disappearing from the entire wizarding world. Skylar had never seen him again, nor heard of his whereabouts, yet he never expected to appear here.

"You're a member of the Shadow of the Magic Dragon? You entered Hogwarts for Meredith?" Skylar asked coldly.

"Hahaha, I'm so glad you think that way," Lockhart laughed exaggeratedly, tears even streaming down his face, "But, unfortunately, you're wrong. I was actually forced to teach at Hogwarts by that old bastard Dumbledore!"

"Do you think I'd gladly accept this damned job Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor?" Lockhart scoffed. "It's a cursed job. Every Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor since the last few decades has met a bad end, and a few have even died. I'm doing just fine writing books; the royalties alone are enough for me to live a life of luxury. I'm not stupid; why would I apply for this position?"

Daphne couldn't help but ask, "Why did Dumbledore force you to become the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor?"

Lockhart laughed maniacally, "Hahaha, that's because I'm a fraud! My books, my exploits, are all fake!" Lockhart's gaze swept over Skylar and his group, and he sneered, "Looks like you're not as surprised as I expected. You must have guessed it already, right?"

Skylar remained noncommittal. He held the upper hand at the moment, recovering his magic, and let Lockhart continue speaking.

"Those so-called deeds have nothing to do with me," Lockhart's eyes gleamed with a strange light. "I only need to find these wizards, gain their trust, ask them how they were able to do those things, and then I'll cast a skillful Memory Charm on them so they'll forget everything."

"Unfortunately, once I had my eye on a target and was about to make my move when Dumbledore caught me red-handed. I begged him to forgive me, and as a condition for letting me go, I had to teach at Hogwarts for a year! I told him that I was not qualified to teach, but you know what he said?"

Lockhart's eyes flashed with overwhelming hatred. "He actually said it didn't matter at all! He told me I didn't need to teach the students anything! I just needed to play the clown, to make myself look like a Squib who knows nothing but fame... at least that's how I needed to act in front of Harry Potter, and successfully provoke his dislike!"

"I earned seven certificates in the O.W.L. Examination back in the day, and I've traveled to so many countries, finding powerful wizards hiding in various places. How could I possibly be unable to handle a bunch of Cornish Pixie, or even Expelliarmus!" He seemed to be talking to himself. "He made me a complete and utter joke!"

Skylar now understood everything. No wonder Dumbledore hired Lockhart as the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor. It turned out to be part of his "Harry development plan." By using a negative example, he wanted to make young Harry dislike him and stop him from indulging in his current fame, so that he could grow up quickly.

"Everything I did at Hogwarts was spread throughout the Britain wizarding world by the students. My fans no longer believed my books, publishers closed their doors to me, and without income, I became destitute, living on borrowed money and barely surviving. That's when my master appeared..."

Lockhart's face began to contort with rage. "He granted me power, enough to allow me to take revenge on Hogwarts. To repay my master, I am willing to serve him and offer my meager strength! Alright, enough of the reminiscing, Skylar. You were once my favorite student, and I don't want to hurt you. You should leave with the two young ladies from Greengrass!"

Skylar frowned. Was Lockhart out of his mind? They were clearly in the lead right now!

Recalling how they had been ambushed in a secluded corner, an absurd thought flashed through Skylar 'Skylar mind. A sudden sense of foreboding washed over him, and he shouted, "Mei, watch out!"

Skylar turned around, only to see Morganton instantly cast three Stunning Spell, knocking all three girls unconscious. He then revealed a sinister smirk, grabbed the unconscious Meredith, and vanished from the scene in an Apparition.

Skylar fired a very fast Reducto at him, but it was blocked by Lockhart's Shield Charm.

"Hahaha," Lockhart's laughter grew even more maniacal, "As expected of you, Skylar, to actually push us to this point, even revealing your last trump card..."

He tossed his wand to the woman in black, and then a terrifying aura of black energy surged from his body. Within this aura, the faint outline of a goat-headed man with snail horns could be seen...

The female wizard hid behind Lockhart, summoned her two unconscious companions with Summoning Charm, and then vanished in Apparition.

The instant the female wizard vanished, Lockhart exploded with a bang!

The moment he saw the black aura, Skylar thought of Peter Pettigrew's sacrificial magic. He could no longer care about the fleeing enemy and quickly drew an Ancient Runic Magic Symbols in the air with his finger!

In the face of life-or-death crisis, Skylar poured all his magic into the rune. Ravenclaw's Diadem and Slytherin's Locket simultaneously rose into the air, emitting a rainbow of light, and each emitted a beam of light that connected with Skylar's wand like a laser beam. The wand emitted a light, clear chime, Ancient Runic Magic Symbols suddenly materialized, transforming into the phantom of a palace that enveloped Skylar and his unconscious companion.

The explosion was very powerful; the nearby forest was completely leveled.

However, inside the illusory palace, none of them were injured.

Skylar finally succeeded in casting a complete Gruni spell, but at this moment he felt no joy whatsoever.

Skylar used Rennervate to awaken Gareth, Daphne, and Astoria one after another. Seeing the horrific damage around them, they were all filled with lingering fear and awe at Skylar's methods.

The fact that such powerful magic could simultaneously protect three unconscious people without them getting hurt was beyond their imagination. After all, they all knew that Skylar hadn't made any prior arrangements in this place, which meant it couldn't be Protective Charm spell like "Protego Totalum" or "Protego Horribilis."

Gareth quickly learned what had happened and realized the seriousness of the situation, which made him frown.

Not far away, they found two men in black who had been swept into the air; their bodies had been blasted far away by the force of the explosion. Gareth cast an unknown spell on their heads, simply repairing their mangled faces—one of them was a member of a collateral branch of the Abbott Family, and the other was a butler from the Slughorn Family; neither of them were important figures, but they held a certain position within their respective families.

At that moment, the people from the Ministry of Magic Apparition.

Gareth said he would handle the matter and told Skylar and the others to return to camp first.

Throughout the journey, Skylar's face was so dark it seemed to drip ink, and the veins on the back of his hand, gripping his wand tightly, were bulging from the excessive force. Suddenly remembering something important, he quickened his pace and hurried back to the camp.

The First Camp was a scene of devastation, with signs of magical destruction visible everywhere. House Elf from each family were working diligently to repair their tents. During the riot, most of the House Elf had been ordered to remain in the camp to prevent criminals from taking advantage of the situation to enter and steal.

Those thugs posing as Death Eaters wouldn't attack camps with House Elf, since owning a House Elf is practically a symbol of an ancient, Pure-blood families. Of course, people still needed to evacuate; after all, who knows what might happen?

"Dino!" As soon as he entered the tent, Skylar called out the name of the House Elf impatiently.

With a snap, Dino appeared respectfully before the three. "Dino is here. May I ask what business the young master has with Dino?"

"I know that House Elf and their owners have a soul contract. Can you sense Mei's location now?" Skylar said quickly.

Dino closed its eyes and clasped its hands together, as if casting some kind of mysterious magic. After a while, it shook its head, revealing a very confused expression. "I can sense Master's presence, but I can't sense her location at all. It's like... it's like the soul contract has been affected by some kind of force... By the way, why didn't Master come back with you?"

"Mei's in trouble! She's been captured by some mysterious organization, Dino! I need your help!" Skylar said urgently. "Listen, Dino, I know you only obey your master, but Mei might be in danger. The longer we wait, the greater the danger becomes. I need you to teleport me to the Shafiq Manor, is that alright? Please!"

Logically, Dino shouldn't have brought outsiders to the Shafiq Manor without Meredith's permission. However, Meredith was currently missing, and Dino knew a little about the close relationship between the mistress and Skylar. After only a few seconds of hesitation, it nodded in agreement.

"You two stay here for now and wait for Uncle Gareth to return. I'll be right back!" Skylar instructed Daphne and Astoria, then took Dino's hand, and the two disappeared with a crackling sound.

In Hambleden, a small village forty miles west of London, outside a grove of trees, a man and an elf suddenly appeared from the void.

"Is this the place, Dino?" Skylar asked.

"Yes, Master Malfoy," Dino said, his voice full of doubt as he paced near several large pine trees, "the ancestral home is right here—" He even circled one of the pine trees, which was adorned with some decorations, "Strange, why can't I see it?"

"The Fidelius Charm," Skylar said calmly.

"What?"

"This is a spell that can completely conceal a location. It's at the highest level of concealment magic. Neither tracking spells, revealing spells, Homenum Revelio, nor even Trace or Taboo, can break through its concealment," Skylar explained. "You know exactly where you are, but even if you put your face right up to the actual door of the ancestral home, you still won't see anything."

"Then what should we do?" Dino looked a little flustered. For him, his master's safety was his most important mission.

Skylar has begun to calm down. Meredith must be saved, but panicking won't help.

"Let's go." Skylar's voice was chillingly cold. "Trust me! No matter how many difficulties we face, I will definitely rescue your master."