"Foolish Muggles," Aeschylus whispered with his final breath, the words carrying the weight of a lifetime's prejudice and hatred.
The dying Obscurial lay motionless on the scorched ground, his remaining eye now closed against the reality of his defeat.
Every breath seemed to cost him tremendous effort, his chest was rising and falling in increasingly shallow movements as he awaited the inevitable embrace of death.
"If you insist on doing this—" he began, but the sentence remained forever unfinished as his voice faded into the eternal silence of death.
Bryan observed the man's final moments, his now brown eyes reflecting the complex emotions that came with witnessing the end of a life, even one so drenched in darkness and hatred.
A gentle smile appeared across his face—not one of triumph or satisfaction, but rather the peaceful expression of someone who had seen justice served.
He crooked his finger in a casual gesture, and his wand obediently returned to his hand with a soft whoosh.
Turning to look at the group of bound wizards waiting nearby, their faces showing a mixture of terror, resignation, and desperate hope for mercy, Bryan said.
"What comes next is the cleanup phase of this operation."
His words were matter-of-fact, almost businesslike, as if the apocalyptic battle they had just witnessed was just another day's work.
Louise stood apart from the group, her mind wrestling with thoughts and emotions that seemed to pull her in multiple directions at once. A question suddenly appeared in her mind, one that seemed to arrive from nowhere yet felt urgently important: 'Were they returning back to England now?'
For some unknown and inexplicable reason, a wave of melancholy suddenly rose from the deepest part of Louise's heart, making her expression grow dim.
The emotion caught her completely off guard—she had expected to feel relief, satisfaction, perhaps even joy at having finally achieved her goal. Instead, she found herself confronting an unexpected emptiness.
Indeed, logically speaking, everything should end now.
The murderer of her brother Fraser had been captured, and the criminal organization that had operated behind him had likewise been utterly destroyed by Bryan's thunderous and devastating methods. Prison cells awaited the survivors, trials would be conducted according to proper legal procedures, and everything seemed to be proceeding toward a neat, satisfactory conclusion—
"Wait!" Louise suddenly cried out, her voice cutting through the somber atmosphere. She blinked rapidly and said,
"The person who orchestrated this entire conspiracy—I mean, your student who was attacked by that curse—have you managed to figure out why they did this to her?"
"Perhaps," Bryan replied with deliberate vagueness.
His noncommittal response was accompanied by a thoughtful expression that indicated he was considering his words, considering how much information to reveal at this moment.
"All of this probably has something significant to do with that Adam Vogel," He continued after a moment's consideration. "I'm certainly going to a meet him."
"Do you have any idea where he might be hiding?" Louise pressed.
"Roughly speaking, yes," Bryan gave her another deliberately vague answer.
Before Louise could continue her line of questioning, Bryan smoothly changed the subject.
"Let's go up to the surface first, The German Ministry of Magic officials waiting above are probably jumping out of their skin by now."
Bryan spoke far too lightly. In truth, far from just being agitated, everyone associated with the German Ministry of Magic had fallen into a state of complete and utter hysteria that had began to overwhelm their ability to function as a governmental organization.
Above Ground
Woo-la, woo-la, woo-la.
The piercing, urgent wail of emergency sirens created a noisy symphony of panic that shattered the normally peaceful night air across the German countryside.
On the major highway stretching from the capital city of Berlin to the smaller town of Oranienberg, an unprecedented convoy of police cars, fire trucks, ambulances, and various other emergency vehicles stretched end to end for a full mile in both directions. The shrill and panicked wail of sirens made even the deep night restless.
The enormous golden fire net that Bryan had conjured still shrouded a significant area around the old fortress.
Spell after spell from the gathered Ministry wizards continuously struck against the golden net with flashes of multicolored light, but those magical attacks seemed pathetically powerless in front of the mighty Fiendfyre that Bryan had conjured.
Bang!
An explosive sound that seemed to shake the earth interrupted the German Minister's increasingly hoarse roaring.
The sound of the door slamming open was followed immediately by rapid footsteps as a breathless Ministry employee burst into the temporary command post that had been hastily established in a large tent at the edge of the containment zone.
The newcomer, his robes disheveled and his face flushed with exertion from running across the uneven terrain, reported in gasping bursts:
"Minister Adenauer, sir! Director Yeager has successfully managed to stop the Muggle rescue teams from approaching any closer to the affected area, and Director Conrad is currently engaged in urgent, high-level communication with the Muggle President's emergency response team. There should be concrete results from those negotiations very soon, sir!"
The news was delivered with the rapid-fire efficiency of someone who understood that every second of delay could result in catastrophic exposure of the wizarding world to Muggle scrutiny.
"What about the concealment barrier!" the burly Minister of Magic roared in response, his voice carrying his rising frustration and suppressed panic.
Nicholas Adenauer's face had turned a shade of red that spoke of dangerously elevated blood pressure, and the veins in his neck stood out conspicuously as he struggled to maintain some semblance of control over the rapidly deteriorating situation.
"How much longer must we wait for that damned barrier to be properly established? How much longer must we remain completely exposed to the sight of Muggles?!"
"Just ten minutes more, Minister!" another Ministry employee called out as he came running frantically from the dense woods that surrounded the area.
The man's robes were torn in several places from branches and thorns, and his face was streaked with dirt and sweat, but his expression carried the urgency of someone possessing crucially important information.
"Mr. Bayer says he needs just ten more minutes to complete the setup of the concealment barrier!" He gasped, doubled over with his hands on his knees as he struggled to catch his breath. "He's working with a full team of concealment specialists, and they're making excellent progress despite the challenging magical interference from the Fiendfyre!"
This series of answers proved to be fairly satisfactory, addressing the most immediate concerns that were keeping the Minister awake at night.
The face of German Minister of Magic Nicholas Adenauer, which had been as black as the bottom of a well-used cooking pot, eased somewhat as he processed the encouraging news. The lines of worry around his eyes softened slightly, and his clenched fists began to relax.
However, when his gaze fell upon the group of excited reporters on the other side of the emergency perimeter, those journalists who were practically vibrating with excitement as they prepared to wear out their camera shutters capturing every possible angle of this unprecedented magical incident—his briefly softened expression turned completely black again, darker than it had been before.
The reporters looked like vultures circling a fresh corpse to him, their eyes were gleaming with the predatory anticipation that came with sensing a story that could make their careers and ruin his.
"I want Cornelius Fudge to give me a complete and satisfactory explanation for this disaster!" Adenauer roared at Kingsley, who stood nearby with an apologetic smile hiding his own concern about the escalating situation.
"I swear by everything I hold sacred that I'll personally ensure Bryan Watson is sent to prison—Azkaban, Erkstäg, Nurm—I don't care which one, as long as it's the most secure and unpleasant one available!" Adenauer continued, his voice rising to a pitch that said he was rapidly losing whatever remained of his professional composure.
"I want him to spend every remaining day of his entire life behind bars, contemplating the magnitude of his reckless actions! He nearly caused the complete exposure of the Wizarding world to Muggle authorities here in Germany, and if you ask for my personal opinion, he should be dragged immediately to the gallows and executed as a traitor to all of wizardkind!"
The furious German Minister raged on with increasing intensity, his words becoming more extreme as his anger built upon itself like a fire feeding on dry wood. His face had progressed from red to purple, and spit flew from his lips as he gestured wildly with his hands.
"I don't care what impressive titles he carries, how powerful he's, or what influential friends he might have in high places!" He roared, his voice echoing across the emergency site. "No one—absolutely no one—has the right to endanger the statute of secrecy to this degree!"
The surrounding German Ministry employees, who had been bustling about with various urgent tasks, gradually fell into uncomfortable silence as their Minister's tirade continued.
In their professional opinion, based on years of experience with international magical politics, their Minister had absolutely no realistic way to send Bryan Watson to any prison, nor could he send him to face execution. The man's reputation and power were simply too extensive, his achievements too significant, and his political protection too robust.
Furthermore, if even some of what Kingsley Shacklebolt had shared with certain senior officials was true, then the question of who would ultimately bear responsibility for this incident was hard to guess.
The political complications were likely to be complex and extensive, with blame potentially falling on multiple parties depending on how the investigation extended.
The violent trembling of the earth beneath their feet interrupted Nicholas Adenauer's increasingly incoherent cursing and brought everyone's attention back to the immediate magical crisis at hand. The ground shook with such intensity that several people had to grab onto nearby objects to maintain their balance, while others were thrown to their knees by the force of the seismic activity.
The gathered crowd of Ministry officials, reporters, and emergency personnel blocked outside the towering fire net watched in rising astonishment as thick wisps of scorching white smoke began rising from the damp soil within the magical barrier.
The smoke emerged from multiple points across the contained area, as if a massive furnace hidden deep beneath the earth was roasting the ground from below.
At the same time, the surging waves of raw magical power emanating from underground were so intense that they could be felt as physical pressure against the skin. Many of the more magically sensitive individuals in the crowd secretly changed color, their faces paling as they felt the overwhelming forces beneath their feet.
"The battle taking place below must be incredibly intense," someone whispered in a low, awed voice, their eyes showing a mixture of fear and unmistakable longing to witness such an epic magical confrontation. "It's probably no less fierce or spectacular than what happened at last year's Quidditch World Cup Final."
However, after being glared fiercely by Minister Adenauer, the speaker smiled sheepishly and wisely decided to say no more on the subject.
Kingsley pressed his lips into a tight, worried line as he watched the earth's increasingly violent anomalies, his heart was filled with growing anxiety about what might be happening below.
That unnamed person had been absolutely right just moments ago—Mr. Watson must be encountering fierce and desperate resistance in the underground facility.
However, the fire net suddenly disappeared which caught everyone completely off guard.
One moment, the towering wall of golden flames had been dominating the landscape like an impenetrable fortress wall, and in the next instant, it simply vanished as if it had never existed at all. The transition was so abrupt that many people blinked repeatedly, wondering if their eyes were playing tricks on them.
The scorching heat that had been steadily roasting everyone within a hundred-yard radius vanished along with the flames, replaced immediately by a cool, refreshing breeze that swept across the area like a blessing from heaven itself.
Everything about the moment seemed dreamlike and surreal, as if they had all been transported from one reality to another without warning.
When Bryan and Louise appeared in front of Kingsley, many wands were immediately drawn and pointed at them, while urgent shouts demanding that Bryan lower his own wand filled the night air with overlapping voices.
"I think—" Bryan began calmly, raising an eyebrow with an expression of mild amusement at the dramatic reception.
He looked directly toward the powerfully built wizard who carried an unmistakable air of authority and was currently glaring at him with fury.
"You must be Nicholas Adenauer, Minister of the German Ministry of Magic,"
As if absolutely nothing of consequence had happened, as if he hadn't just single-handedly destroyed an entire criminal organization and created an international magical incident of unprecedented proportions, Bryan smiled with genuine warmth and extended his hand toward the furious German Minister of Magic in a gesture of polite greeting.
"Don't you dare, Watson!" Adenauer practically snarled through gritted teeth, his entire body language radiating hostility.
The German Minister looked as though he wanted nothing more than to physically tear Bryan apart with his bare hands and devour him alive. However, when faced with Bryan Watson's calm, confident smile, Adenauer found himself momentarily at a complete loss for words.
The disconnect between Bryan's casual demeanor and the magnitude of the situation seemed to short-circuit the Minister's ability to voice a clear response.
"You, Watson—I demand an explanation!" Adenauer finally managed to speak, though his voice was carefully suppressed, as if he were struggling to maintain some façade of professional dignity despite his overwhelming desire to scream. "I want a full, detailed explanation of your actions, Watson! Why did you do this? What possible justification could you have for creating this disaster?"
"What explanation do you need?" Bryan asked with apparent confusion, as if he genuinely couldn't understand what all the fuss was about.
He looked toward Kingsley for clarification, and when he noticed that Kingsley's hands were bound behind his back with rough rope and that he was still under armed guard, a faint displeasure appeared between Bryan's brows.
"Didn't Kingsley already explain the entire situation to you in complete detail?" Bryan asked, "We were pursuing a group of extremely vicious criminals whose documented crimes are far too numerous to list. Because of the special and urgent circumstances involved, and the immediate threat to innocent lives, I had to temporarily disregard certain legal restrictions."
"That's nothing more than your completely one-sided story, Watson!" Minister Adenauer shot back, his breathing becoming noticeably heavy as his agitation continued to rise.
"There's absolutely no concrete evidence proving that any such criminals actually exist! My people stationed in this area only witnessed you engaging in what appeared to be combat with unknown individuals in a university campus with a dense population of Muggles—and what incredible audacity you showed, releasing Fiendfyre in such a populated area! And the massive magical commotion here—practically everyone in Berlin must have seen those flames lighting up the night sky!"
"You need concrete evidence?" Bryan asked with a smile. He turned to look at the lonely watchtower and said softly,
"Then... here they come."
Before Minister Adenauer could ask the obvious questions about what Bryan meant by such a cryptic statement, a door of bright silver light suddenly appeared on the gray, defeated walls of the dim fortress.
Under the astonished gazes of everyone present—Jasna Rozier bound in a fire cage appeared through the magical doorway.
But this reveal was not the end of the show—it was only the opening act of a much larger production.
One by one, like actors taking their places on a stage, wizards and witches with haggard faces began emerging, each bound with ropes, as they formed a long, orderly line on the desolate grassland as if the concentration camp that had remained silent and empty for more than half a century had suddenly come alive again.
"Where—where did all these wizards come from?" a Ministry employee responsible for monitoring magical activity in this area muttered in complete bewilderment. "We have absolutely no record of any of them in our files. It's as if they appeared from nowhere."
No one paid particular attention to his confused observations, as most of the officials were too busy staring at the unprecedented sight in front of them. After a few seconds of stunned silence, the reporters present went completely and utterly wild with excitement.
Throwing caution and personal safety to the wind, they rushed toward the line of bound criminals recklessly, their cameras flashing like lights as they captured photographs from every conceivable angle.
The air was filled with the rapid-fire clicking of camera shutters and the excited shouts of journalists who recognized that they were witnessing a story that would dominate headlines across the wizarding world for months to come.
"This is the concrete evidence you demanded, Minister Adenauer," Bryan said with a satisfied smile that carried more than a hint of vindication.
"Of course, perhaps this evidence isn't quite sufficient enough to satisfy all your concerns," He continued with false modesty, "but if you take the trouble to send your people to conduct a thorough inspection of the underground base, you'll discover exactly what these people have been doing for months or even years... on your territory."
Bryan emphasized the phrase "your territory" with particular significance. He was confident that Nicholas Adenauer, despite his current anger, was experienced enough in politics to understand the deeper meaning behind those words.
Sure enough, Adenauer's expression underwent a subtle change as the implications hit him. He pressed his lips together tightly, clearly preparing to voice some kind of response, but Bryan smoothly continued speaking before he could gather his thoughts.
Leaning closer so that his words would reach only Adenauer's ears, Bryan spoke:
"The German Ministry of Magic now faces a choice, Minister. You can either bear the full responsibility and public shame of negligence—having allowed a dangerous criminal organization to operate freely on German soil for years without detection—or you can position yourselves as the heroic law enforcement agency that successfully uncovered and dismantled a dark wizard organization that posed a serious threat to innocent Muggles. The choice of which narrative becomes the official story is entirely yours to make, Minister Adenauer."
After hearing that single, politically devastating sentence, Nicholas Adenauer fell into complete and thoughtful silence, his expression cycling through various emotions as he rapidly calculated the political consequences of each possible course of action.
"Mr. Watson!" several sharp-eyed reporters had already managed to push through the crowd and were now swarming toward Bryan with the intensity of predators who had scented blood.
These experienced journalists, who had developed finely-tuned instincts for recognizing major news stories, couldn't suppress the excited grins that threatened to split their faces in half.
Louise, observing their behavior with the eye of a fellow media professional, pursed her lips in recognition—as a colleague in the same field, she knew very well exactly how exhilarated and professionally excited they were feeling at this moment.
"Could you please explain in detail what exactly happened here tonight, Mr. Watson?" one reporter called out, holding a camera ready to capture every expression and gesture. "Who are these people exactly, and what specific crimes have they committed that required such dramatic intervention?"
Similar questions filled the night air endlessly, each reporter trying to outshout their colleagues to get Bryan's attention.
Bryan raised his voice to be heard above the journalistic chaos,
"I would be very happy to have a completely frank and detailed exchange with all of you about tonight's events, and I recognize the public's right to know about these serious crimes.
Unfortunately, this is not the appropriate time for such a discussion. I must leave immediately to continue this investigation. Evil has not been completely eradicated—I'm now going to bring the true mastermind behind this entire conspiracy to justice."
"You absolutely cannot leave, Watson!" Adenauer snapped back to attention; his political calculations temporarily forgotten in the face of this new challenge.
He frowned deeply, his expression showing both frustration and growing concern about the consequences if Bryan were to simply disappear before the situation could be properly managed and controlled.
"You have a responsibility to remain here and explain to the proper authorities and general publ—" he began, but his words trailed off as he met Bryan's gaze.
Bryan's eyes were calm but absolutely resolute, carrying an intensity that seemed to say no force on earth would prevent him from pursuing his chosen course of action.
The silent confrontation between the two men stretched for several seconds, until Adenauer found his breath catching in his throat, effectively choking off his protests.
"Where exactly are you planning to go, Mr. Watson?" Kingsley asked. Despite being bound and under guard, Kingsley was also somewhat overwhelmed by the current situation.
He understood better than most that when dawn broke in just a few hours, a tremendous uproar would sweep through the entire European Wizarding world like a wildfire.
If Bryan Watson who would undoubtedly be at the center of every controversy and debate wasn't present to provide explanations and answer questions, the remaining officials would find it extremely difficult to manage the political and media storm that was sure to follow.
With his back turned to the flashing lights of dozens of cameras, Bryan paused for a moment in thoughtful consideration, then said softly:
"Nurmengard."
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