A Striking Sight

You can't trust politicians too much, especially cunning old foxes like Cregan.

What? Thunderbird's been dealt with? What? Scamander has been contacted and it's about to be extradited back to North America? What William, rest assured, this is the responsibility and obligation of the French Ministry of Magic, Thunderbird will never cause you any trouble...

Go to hell!

Cregan's mouth opened and closed, and the words he uttered were just like those in the current "The Quibbler":

Except for the date, everything else is fake!

The Thunderbird slowly descended, hovering in mid-air, constantly calling out to William.

The lightning around it grew increasingly intense, and suddenly the lightning struck down like a solid blue whip!

Several sections of sheet metal from the top of the carriages were struck by lightning and shattered, creating a huge gap.

What was originally a closed train instantly transformed into a convertible sports car.

William gripped the wand with four fingers, forming a semi-circular dome in mid-air to block the torrential lightning.

Lightning bolts rained down from the sky like a torrent, then split off on either side of the train. William stood firm like a pillar in the middle of the stream.

From a distance, with him at the center, it seemed as if he had withstood a vast, azure thunder pool.

A moment later, William's clear voice echoed loudly throughout the Hogwarts Express.

The Prefect organized the students from each college to move towards the front carriage.

Tell the train driver,

Drive faster!

Don't stop!

Accelerate!!"

William planned to force a derailment, instructing the driver to take the first half of the train and continue moving away from the area.

He then cut off the train, staying behind alone, enough to lure the Thunderbird away, and perhaps even pull off a much-anticipated "I can turn the tables this time."

He wasn't afraid of this vengeful, silly bird, but the large number of students made him feel somewhat constrained.

William wouldn't feel constrained in Paris Notre-Dame Square, because the crowd of onlookers were all France Auror.

They were masters of escaping; seeing the situation was dire, they immediately used "Apparition" to flee.

Looking at the group of elementary school students... many of them still looked bewildered, staring blankly at William and the ever-growing Lei Guang.

Finally, someone realized what was happening, and a little girl began to scream in terror.

Stark had indeed lied to her; this wasn't the set of The Hogwarts Express Murders, but rather the filming location of The Hobbit.

Seeing that no one moved, William impatiently shouted, "Percy, hurry up!"

Percy was startled, then realized what was happening, broke free from Ron's tug-of-war, and, ignoring the fallen badge, shouted:

"Listen to William, everyone move to the front. Prefect, count your students, make sure no one is left out."

The crowd surged forward, the magical barrier shattered and teetered on the brink of collapse, but the lightning in the sky gradually faded away.

The disappearance of cover does not signify safety; it is merely a moment of tranquility before a more violent attack.

The dark clouds in the sky swirled like tornadoes, gathering at an even faster pace.

The sky resembled an inverted sea, and the Thunderbird was like a large, fat fish.

It struggled to spin, leap, and close its eyes... summoning a large number of thunderclouds as it flapped its wings.

That's what makes the Thunderbird so terrifying—it can continuously gather lightning from the sky!

Taking advantage of the opportunity, William pointed his wand at the wrecked carriage and whispered a very complex incantation.

A strange whooshing sound came from all around, as if he were releasing the power of the wind onto the train.

"Protego Maxima!"

At the window, Luna hung a string of beautiful seashell wind chimes, which tinkled in the strong wind.

Soon, another person appeared next to William.

Hermione stood beside him, her wand pointed at the roof of the car, casting some protective magic that was of unknown effectiveness.

William glanced at Hermione; the girl's eyes were resolute, as if she had returned to Paris Notre-Dame Square.

Next came Anne, Cedric, Cho, the twins, Luna, and Harry, Neville, and Ginny...

"Children, you go first!"

A wizard strode over, his robes worn and patched in several places.

"We're staying to fight!" Fred shouted.

"That's right!" George said.

"We're short-handed... Go help the younger children," the wizard said gently. "They're more useful than staying here."

He didn't directly say that the few who stayed behind would only be a burden, but used a more acceptable way of putting it, trying not to dampen the children's enthusiasm.

Who hasn't been this age? Lupin sighed softly, his eyes filled with tenderness as he looked at the group again.

Moreover, there were indeed not enough people; there were too many young wizards, and it seemed that there was crowding and trampling in the front carriages.

Cedric hesitated for a moment, then realized what was happening and decisively led the group towards the students.

William and Hermione were still casting the spell, but Lupin didn't say anything to let them go first.

Stark was clearly casting an extremely complex spell, a level of skill that had long surpassed that of ordinary wizards.

He's gone; Lupin alone couldn't stop that Thunderbird that appeared out of nowhere.

Granger's magical abilities surpassed those of his peers, but they weren't as astonishing as some might think; the spells he cast were... well, nothing special.

However... after all, the newspapers bombarded her with publicity for a month, and she was hailed as the Chosen One of Paris. She must have kept a low profile and kept her true abilities hidden!

Lupin began to imagine the scenario, muttering to himself as he quickly drew his wand.

Before the group could finish setting up the magic, a massive bolt of lightning suddenly poured down, and thunder roared across the sky.

A bolt of lightning, as thick as Basilisk, shot straight towards the Protego Maxima, and the fierce lightning exploded with a dazzling display.

Hiding in the thunderclouds, the Thunderbird flapped its wings, and another bolt of lightning struck.

Compared to the initial attack, it was slightly inferior in both power and duration, but the Thunderbird's "Lightning Draw" was fast and frequent!

It's no longer sustainable; instead, it's started relying on frequency to win!

Regardless of whether the attack was effective, the Thunderbird, like Thor Thor, drew down bolts of lightning that touched the invisible barrier.

In an instant, over a hundred bolts of lightning strung together to form a net of thunder.

As far as the eye could see, thick bolts of lightning occasionally climbed along the raised barrier, like ivy that grows and fades with light.

The light, seen from afar, was quite beautiful, like a stunning landscape!

The wind chime, which had been stretched taut for so long, finally gave way and broke off, falling to the floor.

But the light emanating from the tip of William's wand, like the candle flame in a lampshade, never went out.

All the students held their breath. Although the wind and thunder were raging, like dazzling fireworks, and their eyes stung, they refused to look away.

After Stark and Granger saved Paris, they had already caused a huge uproar among their peers.

The news that the French Ministry of Magic was helpless against the dark wizards was far more thrilling and exciting than who got first place in the grade or who became Prefect...

They couldn't wait to see the two men's magical abilities.

After being relentlessly attacked for several minutes, William finally couldn't hold on any longer, and his Protego Maxima was riddled with holes.

Suddenly, Anne rushed over, carrying a tattered hat in her arms.

"The Sword of Gryffindor?" William frowned slightly.

Otherwise, why would Anne bring the Sorting Hat? But what's the point of summoning the greatsword in a situation like this?

Could that big sword possibly be used as a lightning rod?

Or perhaps... the Sword of Gryffindor, falling into the hands of the Gryffindor heir, grants the user the power of Gryffindor simply by wielding it?

Okay... William has clearly overthought things.

Anne ran over and gently put the hat on his head. A moment later, William's furious cursing could be heard.

Why didn't you say so sooner!

"Why didn't you ask sooner!" the Sorting Hat's soft voice rang out.

"Hold me off for twenty seconds, Professor Lupin!" William shouted.

Lupin nodded silently.

William gripped his wand with both hands and, following the Sorting Hat's voice, began to chant softly, uttering a long passage of incomprehensible Ancient Runes.

William raised his wand high, and as he chanted, numerous runes appeared on the walls and floor of the carriages on both sides.

It was a large-scale defensive spell outlined in Ancient Runes. When activated, it stretched out like a dazzling starry sky, shimmering brightly within the carriage.

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