A flash of blue light, and the instant Allen's feet touched the ground, a wave of heat hit him in the face, as if someone had shoved the vent of an entire blast furnace into his face.
Sunlight streamed down from above, and he instinctively squinted at his eyes beneath the mask.
But then, a pungent, burnt smell filled his nostrils, as if something had been set on fire.
Allen rubbed his eyes and looked down.
The area near the entrance to Diagon Alley has been engulfed in a purple sea of fire.
Unlike ordinary fires that have only a thin layer of flame, these flames surged and expanded outwards like waves, each surge propelling them upwards significantly.
The firelight reflected in the shop windows on both sides, making the entire alley look like it had been filled with a river of purple lava.
What really sent chills down Allen's spine were the things inside the fire.
A giant serpent formed from purple flames was coiled on the roof of a shop. Its body was as thick as a wine barrel, and its head was higher than a street lamp. The tongue that came out of its mouth was a string of sparks.
Not far from it, a lion formed of flames was crouching on a pile of burnt-out shelf wreckage, its paws digging at something, with each paw producing a burst of new flames from its claws.
There were also several fire creatures that Allen couldn't name at all; some looked like birds, some like wolves, and some looked like a mixture of several animals that had been crushed and then reassembled.
They moved back and forth in the sea of fire, each movement stirring up the surrounding flames even more fiercely.
Diagon Alley was filled with screams and footsteps.
Wizards poured out of the shops, some carrying children, some dragging their companions, some running while looking back, their faces full of panic and fear.
They were all clearly caught off guard; the once bustling and prosperous Diagon Alley now looked like a living hell.
In the midst of their frantic escape, someone frantically waved their wand and chanted "Aguamenti."
The water jets, however, evaporated and dissipated the instant they touched the Fiendfyre, leaving not even a trace of coolness.
Some wizards even attempted to protect their shops with the Shield Charm, but the flimsy magical barrier was instantly pierced and burned away by the flames, proving utterly ineffective against the most violent Dark Magic fire in the world.
The giant Fire Serpent that had been coiled and roaring slowly turned its gaze toward the fleeing wizards, and the roaring fire dragons seemed to have found a new target, with fire chimeras spreading and chasing after the living beings as they followed their scent.
They roam the streets and alleys, smashing shop windows and burning store signs, igniting a new prairie fire wherever they land.
Allen stood on the rooftop, looking at the purple sea of fire, his brows furrowing slightly beneath his mask.
This is...
Fiendfyre?!
The fragments of knowledge Ravenclaw had left in his mind seemed to be triggered by something, automatically unfolding in his consciousness.
Records about Fiendfyre Fiendfyre, its nature, and ways to deal with Fiendfyre... all that knowledge surfaced one by one, as clearly as if someone had opened a book specifically about Fiendfyre in his mind.
The Fiendfyre is no ordinary fire.
It is Dark Magic flame summoned by the wizard's will. Once it takes shape, it will continuously devour everything around it that can burn, and it burns brighter and brighter.
Ordinary fire extinguishing spells are completely useless against it; water poured on it will simply evaporate instantly, and sand placed on it will simply be swallowed up by it.
It can even devour magic itself; those who try to block it with magical barriers will eventually have their barriers and wands burned together.
According to the knowledge left behind by Ravenclaw, there are only three ways to end Fiendfyre.
The first method is to have the caster actively withdraw the spell during the casting phase.
Fiendfyre is driven by the wizard's will. As long as it is not completely out of control, the caster can use their powerful magic and will to order its withdrawal, extinguishing the flames.
But once it gets completely out of control, the spellcaster can no longer control it.
Allen remembered that in the original story, Crabbe quickly lost control after unleashing Fiendfyre, and could no longer stop himself, ultimately being burned to death by the flames he had unleashed.
This is why even Voldemort himself dared not use Fiendfyre casually; if it got out of control, he himself would suffer the consequences.
The second method is to wait for it to burn out all the flammable material and extinguish itself.
This is the most common outcome, and the only way to avoid a direct confrontation with the fire.
Once out of control, the Fiendfyre cannot be extinguished by external spells. It will only keep devouring everything that can burn, and when there is nothing Sickle burn, it will slowly disappear on its own.
The fire at the Room of Requirement in the original story is based on this situation.
After everyone escaped, Fiendfyre burned all the piled-up items in the closed room, and the fire only went out after running out of fuel.
The third method is a theoretical possibility, but extremely difficult, requiring a stronger wizard to forcefully suppress it with overwhelming magic.
Although the original book does not explicitly state who did this, according to Ravenclaw's knowledge, if a wizard's magical power is far greater than that of the caster, they can use extremely strong magical power to forcibly suppress or extinguish Fiendfyre.
Allen took a deep breath, feeling a bitter taste in his mouth.
Must I put an end to this Fiendfyre myself?
He surveyed the scale of the sea of fire and silently estimated his fifth-tier magic power reserves.
A fifth-tier being against Fiendfyre is like a first-year student who has just learned the Levitation Charm chanting " Wingardium Leviosa " at a fully grown Hungarian Horntail.
Moreover, he had no idea who started the fire.
According to the original timeline, this should be near the end of the second book, with Ginny being taken into the Chamber of Secrets, Harry going to rescue her, Dumbledore should have a way to handle it.
However, the Fiendfyre in Diagon Alley is clearly not part of any plot in the original story; it's a new phenomenon created by the butterfly effect.
Can things get any worse?
As he was thinking, the Fiendfyre suddenly flickered, as if someone had stirred the wind direction deep within the sea of fire.
The flames parted to the sides, creating a narrow slit that revealed the figure of the person in the very center of the flames.
Her golden curls shone with a captivating luster.
The sky-blue robe stood out starkly against the purple flames.
Wait, this is...
Gilderoy Lockhart?
He stood in the center of that purple sea of fire, the flames around him seemingly tamed by his will, surging half a foot away from him, yet never reaching him.
He looked up, his gaze piercing through the gaps in the flames and landing directly on Allen on the roof.
Their eyes met instantly in the firelight.
Allen's slightly surprised gaze met Lockhart's.
Lockhart's lips curled into a knowing smile, and he mouthed something to Allen from afar:
You really did come.