A Certain Magical Hogwarts

Any wizard familiar with Dumbledore would say this: "You can always trust Dumbledore!"

That statement was undoubtedly true, even William agreed. However, he often thought: "Could you not always show up at the last second, sir? Are you secretly producing highlight-reel-worthy HP moments?"

Years later, William would bring up this peculiar tendency during a discussion with Newt Scamander, the renowned Magizoologist, and Harry Potter, the famous wizard.

Newt, Dumbledore's biggest admirer (and unapologetic fanboy), had said, "This is the headmaster testing us!"

Tests or not, William wasn't sure. But Dumbledore's entrances were always dramatic, maintaining his unparalleled flair.

Fawkes circled twice in the sky, flames flickering on its wings as a gentle breeze swept through the air. 

Suddenly, the phoenix burst into a fiery vortex, and from within, Dumbledore descended gracefully.

The emerald ring on Dumbledore's finger glimmered briefly.

Pebbles on the ground transformed into a phoenix, which soared into the air and landed between William and Voldemort, spreading its wings to shield William.

The Avada Kedavra curse struck the phoenix, shattering it into fiery fragments.

Dumbledore waved his left hand, sending William and Firenze back. With his right hand, he raised his wand vertically, causing all the scattered arrows on the ground to rise into the air.

Then, hundreds of arrows turned and shot toward Voldemort.

Voldemort sneered, flicking his wand to create a magical barrier around himself. The dense volley of arrows couldn't harm him in the slightest.

Dumbledore struck his wand forward three times, summoning a massive golden bow before him. 

A single arrow, shining like a beam of sunlight, streaked through the air, its brilliant white light piercing the dust and debris as it hurtled toward Voldemort.

The magical barrier shattered upon impact. Voldemort disapparated just in time, but the golden arrow curved mid-flight, relentlessly pursuing him.

In a desperate retreat, Voldemort narrowly dodged. The golden arrow struck where he had stood, leaving a crater over a meter deep.

Voldemort snorted coldly, launching his counterattack.

Both wizards exchanged rapid volleys of spells. 

Bright lights illuminated the battlefield, and their devastating curses obliterated debris and scorched the earth. 

Each spell struck with terrifying power, leaving craters and trenches in its wake.

The two of them apparated repeatedly, their spells carving massive ravines in the battlefield. 

William stood to the side Stunned.

This was what Professor Flitwick had referred to as; Dumbledore growing old?

The idea that Dumbledore had grown weak was the greatest joke William had ever heard.

Sweat dripped from Voldemort's forehead. 

His current strength was less than forty percent of his peak, leaving him no match for Dumbledore.

Even after ten years, Dumbledore was still this strong. Would this man never age?

This thought gnawed at Voldemort as he fired a streak of green flames at Dumbledore, only to miss. The flames struck the lake instead, setting its surface ablaze.

Dumbledore calmly waved his wand. At that moment, he unleashed his power without restraint.

The entire lake rose under his command, cascading into the air like an inverted Milky Way. The water surged toward Voldemort in a massive wave, threatening to swallow him whole.

The lake's transformation into an overwhelming pit had dwarfed what William's earlier water dragon spell had done.

The colossal torrent engulfed Voldemort, encasing him in a cocoon of shimmering water. It felt as though the entire lake was pressing him to the bottom.

Voldemort raised his wand and recited a complex incantation. 

Moments later, the water around him exploded outward, freezing mid-air into countless suspended rain curtains, visible to the naked eye, as though they were gates descending from the heavens.

As he escaped the water's grasp, Voldemort sneered, preparing to apparate.

At that moment, Dumbledore clenched his fist lightly, and the countless raindrops turned into sharp projectiles, hurtling toward Voldemort's back. 

However, he vanished before they could hit.

The rain struck the ground, splitting it open with a massive crack.

Dumbledore frowned, deep in thought.

Something was wrong.

Everything about tonight felt off.

Voldemort's attack at Gringotts had been necessary, but his actions tonight made no sense. He was recklessly burning through Quirrell's life force.

Why this impatience? What is his endgame?

While Dumbledore pondered, William had turned his attention to the centaurs.

The battlefield was devastated, riddled with trenches and craters. 

The centaurs had suffered heavy casualties in the fierce battle.

William knelt beside a wounded centaur, carefully removing an arrow from his flank. He pulled a vial of healing potion from his pocket and poured it over the wound.

Three drops of the green liquid dripped onto the wound, releasing wisps of green smoke. 

As the smoke dissipated, the bleeding stopped, and the injury looked days old. Fresh skin had already begun to form over the healing tissue.

The centaur gave William a grateful look. "My name is Ronan. Thank you for helping me…"

Before he could say more, Bane limped over, his expression grim.

"Young wizard, I appreciate what you've done, but you must leave the Forbidden Forest immediately!"

"Bane, what are you doing?" Firenze shouted. "William just saved us! Without him, we would've lost even more of our kind!"

Firenze's words drew the attention of the other centaurs.

"Firenze!" Bane roared. "Wasn't it a wizard who slaughtered our companions?"

"Not all wizards are the same!" Firenze retorted angrily.

"No, all wizards are the same. Firenze, we swore to never defy destiny! Have you not read the omens in the movements of the stars?"

Ronan, still lying on the ground, digged nervously at the dirt with his hooves. "Bane, I don't think we need to alienate wizards like this."

"Ronan, the centaurs concern themselves with the prophecies of the stars! We should not involve ourselves in human wars or have any contact with them!" Bane insisted.

Firenze rose onto his hind legs, furious. "Did you not see the slain unicorn? Did you not witness the carnage among our kin tonight?

"We cannot escape this! We must resist the being lurking in our forest!

"Bane, if necessary, I will stand with William and Dumbledore. I will fight alongside them!"

Firenze's declaration swayed some of the centaurs, but most still sided with Bane.

William, unconcerned by the centaurs' internal strife, knelt again to administer a blood-replenishing potion to Ronan.

Quietly, he said, "Ronan, use just one drop at a time when you return.

"I also have plenty of other potions. I know you're skilled in magical healing, but potions can be even more effective."

William smiled. "If you have extra herbs, we can trade."

Ronan glanced at Bane before subtly nodding.

William had his reasons for building rapport with the centaurs. The Forbidden Forest was far too dangerous, as tonight had proven.

He decided to keep Cedric and the twins out of its depths in the future. But they needed many herbs, and trading with the centaurs was the perfect solution.

As for Bane, William couldn't care less about his opposition.

Standing up, William glanced at Bane and said without fear, "Bane, you may live in the Forbidden Forest, but that doesn't mean it belongs to you!

"If you want to cause me trouble, go ahead!"

Bane, glancing at Dumbledore standing behind William, flushed but said nothing.

William and Dumbledore turned to leave.

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