Using a Portkey still felt rather unpleasant.
But there was no helping it. An Anti-Apparition Jinx had been placed over the whole of Malfoy Manor, and only House-elves or special Portkeys could take people out.
Just before the explosion sounded, Su Er barely managed to grab old Ollivander and activate the Portkey. It felt as though a hook had caught him and jerked him violently backward. When he landed, he was still in the alley.
The Portkey had only taken Su Er and Ollivander out of Malfoy Manor, not carried them any farther.
The first thing Su Er did after landing was not to check on Ollivander, but to raise his wand.
A beam of red light shot toward the night sky with a piercing whistle as it cut through the air, then blossomed into a flower.
This was the agreed signal that the job was done.
There was no need to dwell on what followed. Fortunately, the battle had only been intended to buy time for Su Er to rescue the hostage. Apart from wounds inflicted by spells, no one had died.
That night passed into history amid that brilliant firework.
The morning at 12 Grimmauld Place was not particularly hectic, since everyone had gone to bed early the night before. Compared with all the mishaps of previous years, their departure went much more smoothly.
"Oh, Hermione, where's that pet of yours?" Ginny asked curiously just before they got into the car.
A trace of bewilderment flashed through Hermione's eyes. She had spent quite some time searching the house without finding Su Er, but the train to Hogwarts would not wait for her. She could only shake her head.
"I don't know either. I haven't seen it since this morning. It's all right. It's probably hiding somewhere, asleep."
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