The Prisoners of Hogwarts

Chapter 214 The Magic Wand That Shines in the Back

Chapter 214 The Magic Wand That Shines in the Back

Then he noticed that Professor McGonagall was gripping her wand tightly in her right hand—this master of transfiguration had indeed sensed danger and made an instinctive defensive reaction at the last second.

He carefully examined the charred crater in the ground, then looked at Professor McGonagall's fallen position and posture. Judging from the power of the explosion, if Professor McGonagall hadn't taken any protective measures, she would likely be in more than just unconsciousness. It was her final defensive spell—likely a basic instantaneous form of the Armor Charm—that formed a thin but crucial magical barrier at the critical moment, barely mitigating the most fatal impact.

"What happened?" Lynch asked without turning around, continuing to check Professor McGonagall's injuries while subtly casting a spell with one hand under the cover of his body.

"We—we were just here, discussing this disturbing atmosphere in the school—" Professor Flitwick's voice wavered, his eyes unfocused, seemingly still reeling from the shock, "and—for just a moment, the slate beneath McGonagall's feet—suddenly lit up, and then—and then exploded! She was sent flying before she could even make a sound—"

Just as Lynch turned his back to him, focusing on checking McGonagall's injuries.

Behind him, Professor Flitwick's wand quietly slipped from his sleeve into his palm.

The panicked and helpless expression on his face vanished instantly, replaced by an almost fanatical and resolute look.

"Thunderous explosion!"

A blinding red light tore through the air, aimed straight at Lynch's back. However, just as the spell was about to strike, a semi-transparent barrier appeared out of thin air, deflecting the light of the spell. The deflected spell struck the stained-glass window at the end of the corridor, and with a deafening shattering sound, colorful shards of glass rained down into the courtyard.

Lin Qi slowly turned around, the hem of his coat remaining perfectly still amidst the surging aftershocks of magic.

His face showed no anger, but rather an expression of knowing what had happened.

Lynch stretched out his hand, and a wisp of gray mist condensed from the air, coiling around his fingertips: "According to you, Professor McGonagall was injured by the explosion of the stone slab beneath her feet, and then I arrived immediately. You didn't have a chance to cast any magic from beginning to end. But why... before the explosion, did I sense your spellcasting fluctuations through the mist?"

"Professor Flitwick," Lynch's voice remained steady, but his dark eyes were sharp as knives, "tell me why you attacked Professor McGonagall."

Professor Flitwick stood amidst the billowing dust, his small frame trembling violently with excitement.

His wand was fixed on Lynch, his eyes burning with fury.

"Explanation? You traitors are the ones who need explanations!" Professor Flitwick's voice was shrill and grating. "Look what you've done to Hogwarts! Ever since you started your so-called investigations, the castle has never known peace!"

"That fog, that suspicion, that division—it's all your doing!" Professor Flitwick continued to roar, his wand trembling slightly from the force of his blows.

Lin Qi frowned.

Professor Flitwick's accusations are completely unfounded, but what is even more alarming is the professor's current state—this intense, almost out-of-control emotional fluctuation is completely unlike him.

"Professor Flitwick, please calm down," Lynch tried to soothe him. "If we wanted to create chaos, why would we need a professor to control the overall atmosphere? And why would we need to investigate the attack?"

"It's all just a smokescreen!" Professor Flitwick shouted hysterically, "but I won't let you succeed! I will protect Hogwarts!"

Before he could finish speaking, Professor Flitwick waved his wand again: "Petrify them all!"

Lin Qi shook his head slightly.

Words could no longer rouse Professor Flitwick, who had fallen into paranoia; a battle was now inevitable.

Faced with the whistling petrification spell, Lin Qi simply raised his right hand and flicked his index finger lightly in the air.

A silver streak appeared, precisely deflecting the incoming spell. The deflected spell grazed his clothes and left a grayish-white petrified mark on the wall behind him.

A flicker of surprise crossed Professor Flitwick's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a deeper rage: "Such profound spellcasting skills prove your devotion to magic." Professor Flitwick's voice trembled with heartache, his wand pointed firmly at Lynch, "But unfortunately, you've strayed from the right path! When you first came to teach at Hogwarts, seeing your achievements in magical theory, I was proud of you—tell me, why did you choose to degenerate?!"

Lynch silently watched Professor Flitwick, who was nearly out of control.

At this moment, the professor of spells had bloodshot eyes, was breathing heavily, and his magical field was violently fluctuating. This was definitely not the polite, occasionally shrill but always rational Philius-Flitwick.

Words are meaningless at this point.

Any explanation or counter-question will only be twisted into more hostility.

Lin Qi slightly moved his right hand, his wrist flicking, and a solid binding spell shot out like a silver snake: "Immediately imprison!"

Almost at the same instant Lynch made his move, Professor Flitwick's wand had already drawn a sharp trajectory.

"Stop the curse immediately!"

He roared, and the silver snake vanished into starlight just inches from him.

"You think such a simple spell can trap me?" Professor Flitwick's voice was distorted with rage, and the light at the tip of his wand intensified. "Earthquake!"

The entire corridor shook violently, the stone slabs surging like waves, attempting to completely dismantle Lynch's foothold.

Lin Qi took a step forward, but his feet did not land on the solid ground. Instead, he precisely stepped onto an invisible staircase, and his whole body hovered steadily in the air a few feet off the ground.

This counterintuitive scene even stunned Professor Flitwick, who was in a fit of rage, causing his offensive to momentarily falter.

Taking advantage of this brief moment, Lin Qi spread his right hand outstretched, then suddenly clenched it.

The stone slab beneath Professor Flitwick's feet suddenly softened and deformed, wrapping around his ankles like quicksand.

"A mere trick!" Professor Flitwick roared, slamming his wand on the ground. "Restore to its original state!"

The stone slab returned to its original state, but Lynch had already completed the next spell.

He held his hands together in front of his chest, his fingers slightly bent, as if he were supporting an invisible sphere.

The thin mist that filled the air suddenly gathered in his palm, condensing into dozens of crystalline ice cones that hovered in mid-air, their sharp tips all pointing at Professor Flitwick.

Professor Flitwick's pupils contracted as he recognized the dangerous magic.

He swiftly waved his wand, creating a shield that shimmered with seven-colored light in front of him—

"Protect them all!"

Just before the ice spike was about to shoot out, Lynch's gesture suddenly changed.

Instead of shooting the ice spikes at the shield, he suddenly pressed his hands down.