Chapter 186: Phoenix Tears And Entering The Fray
She excitedly stared at Kingsley’s leg: “Shall I start?”
“No,” Kingsley said sternly, “Remus is worse off than me. You should treat him first.”
Tonks didn’t care who she treated first.
And Remus, who had been spacing out ever since she got close, certainly wouldn’t mind!
Thus, before long, a pained groan, barely suppressed and trembling, echoed from the ruins, emitted by Remus:
“Gently… gently… it’s breaking…”
Battlefield first aid was a compulsory course in Auror training, with bone-setting being of utmost importance. After all, for wizards who could use potions, as long as the head and heart weren’t injured, even severe wounds wouldn’t significantly impact their combat effectiveness.
Only fractures could genuinely impair a wizard’s performance—an unsteady stance or an inability to wield a wand were far more serious than spilling guts!
Tonks had, of course, taken such classes… she just had never practiced them before.
Ignoring Remus’s resentful gaze, now rationalized by the pain, Kingsley, enduring his own discomfort, picked up the gilded box that he had specifically asked Tonks to bring.
“Kingsley, what is this?”
Seeing Kingsley open the box, Tonks, who was tending to Remus’s injuries nearby, curiously peeked her head over, asking the question while unconsciously adjusting the strap in her hand.
Kingsley caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye as Remus’s thigh twitched violently.
A muffled groan of suppressed pain could be heard.
Humph!
Serves him right!
Kingsley felt no sympathy for Remus; an old man in his thirties still harboring foolish fantasies all day deserved a lesson!
Ignoring Remus, whose ribs were in so much pain from being choked that he could barely breathe, Kingsley deliberately slowed down, opening the box with deliberate slowness.
Driven by curiosity, Tonks leaned in further and further.
Remus’s thigh was now raised, looking like it was about to spasm.
Kingsley finally opened the box completely, showing Tonks what was inside, and deliberately tested her, stalling for time to make the other person suffer a bit more: “Can you tell what this is? I can give you a hint—a natural potion with extremely potent effects!”
In reality, he didn’t need to stall at all.
The moment the box opened, Tonks couldn’t help but hold her breath, her eyes dazzled by the overwhelming golden light, almost blinding her.
The soft lining of the gilded box, made of red silk, cradled two small vials, each about the size of a thumb, crystal clear all over.
The vials were small, and their capacity even smaller.
As if a piece of glass artistry, only a small area in the center of each vial held two drops of liquid, like tears, radiating a golden glow.
Radiant and magnificent.
Tonks stared at the two vials, mesmerized:
“Are these… Phoenix Tears?”
“Yes, it seems your Herbology and Potions classes at school went well, haha…” Kingsley chuckled heartily, then coughed from the pain of his ribs being aggravated.
Tonks scratched her face: “Actually, I’ve seen them before.”
“Huh? Are they using actual objects in Hogwarts lessons now?” Kingsley asked, surprised.
Could it be the one by Dumbledore?
Tonks pouted: “How could that be? I’ve always felt the school’s textbooks should have been updated long ago. What century is it, still using illustrations to introduce medicinal herbs… It was Hermione; she has a bottle too and even showed it to me. It was in the same packaging, a gift from Vaughn to her. I was so envious back then, how romantic, only Vaughn…”
As she spoke, Tonks suddenly remembered something, her expression turning peculiar: “Hey, did Vaughn give you this one too?”
“…”
Kingsley’s expression also stiffened; he had felt the box getting hot in his hands when Tonks mentioned “romantic.”
Seeing Tonks’s strange expression now, he couldn’t help but cough: “You should pay attention to Remus. If you keep choking him, I suspect he’ll die.”
Tonks finally noticed Remus, whose face had turned red.
Then followed a flurry of activity, flustered apologies, and comforting words, though his breathing was ragged, that were unnaturally gentle.
After a while, Tonks, stumbling, finally finished treating Remus’s injuries and came to secure Kingsley’s ribs. She then asked again: “Vaughn gave all the Phoenix Tears to you, so did you plan this beforehand? You and Remus would lure out the enemies and betrayers outside, but why didn’t you tell me?”
Seeing Tonks grab the chest strap and haphazardly start tightening it around his chest, Kingsley suddenly felt a twinge of apprehension:
“Uh, can I have a piece of chewing gum?”
Tonks snorted and threw him a piece.
Chewing the gum to distract himself somewhat, Kingsley tilted his head back, avoiding Tonks’s ministrations, and mumbled, “I promised your mother I wouldn’t let you take on overly dangerous missions before you became a qualified Auror… Bringing you to America was already a big risk… Mm—”
The chest strap tightened!
Kingsley finally understood Remus’s pain from not long ago.
The distraction from chewing gum hadn’t lessened the pain much!
Although it hurt, Kingsley knew Tonks’s technique was fine; she was just applying extra force deliberately, so he continued,
“Besides, we weren’t sure where the third party was at the time. Mr. Weasley only suspected such a group existed. Everything was unknown until it happened. They could have been hiding near that Muggle named William. Knowing too much would have been disadvantageous to you… Just like I told you before we left, if anything unexpected happens, don’t resist, just raise your hands. You don’t know anything anyway.”
Seemingly accepting his reasoning, Tonks finally eased up on the pressure.
After bandaging Kingsley, she glanced at the ongoing battle on the street outside, and as the fog gradually dispersed in the strong wind, exposing Muggle William on the battlefield, desperately shouting as he huddled on the ground, she pouted:
“Those betraying Aurors don’t look like they’re working with him.”
She paused, a confused expression on her face, and asked, “Kingsley, I’m actually a bit perplexed. Why are we involved in something like this? We came here, and Vaughn came here, not for the development of WAC? But now…”
She felt that she couldn’t understand the current situation.
They had joined forces with the Federation, helped the Federation investigate “Purifiers,” and then a Muggle who knew about “Purifier” intelligence appeared before them. They risked contact with a Muggle and confronted Ministry Aurors who were also looking for classified documents.
Then, these Ministry Aurors split up!
She directly felt that they were stepping into a quagmire, and this was not something they should have been doing.
Kingsley didn’t find Tonks’s confusion unwarranted; after all, she was only a young woman under 20.
She lacked the ability to correctly assess complex issues.
“My dear, many things in reality are like this. Sometimes, you can’t do what you want to do according to a pre-set plan… often, you have no choice.”
Like him, when Amelia added him to the delegation list, he initially just wanted to do his job as an Auror.
But reality didn’t bend to his will.
Even though he had never provoked anyone, he was gradually forced into Vaughn’s service.
Lost in a stream of wistful thoughts, Kingsley checked the binding Tonks had done, then took out the two vials of Phoenix Tears from the gilded box, handed one to Remus, and twisted open another for himself, pouring a small amount into his mouth.
The amber liquid looked viscous, but upon entering his mouth, it felt as light as a wisp of air.
Before he could even register the texture and taste, it slid down his tongue and esophagus, quickly entering his stomach.
The moment it slid down, a warm sensation spread from his stomach, encompassing his entire body.
Soon, his chest began to ache and feel itchy.
That was the potent healing effect of the Phoenix Tears beginning to take hold.
Kingsley sighed with relief, seemingly sinking into a lazy state induced by the warmth, but he still remembered to instruct Tonks:
“The connections are actually quite simple. WAC and the Federation have reached a cooperation, which you know. Mr. Ajinbad of the Federation is investigating a group called ‘Purifiers.’ We infiltrated Third Salem earlier to find them, which you also know.”
“Likewise, the mastermind behind those traitors outside also knows this. Although we don’t know who he is, that shadowy figure is clearly not satisfied with the current cautious state between WAC, the Federation, and the Magical Congress. So, he sent over Muggle William and a classified document.”
“That document is something the Federation and we desperately need, and also something the Magical Congress would never let the Federation know, no matter what. See, a tiny document almost caused a war between WAC, the Federation, and the Magical Congress.”
Tonks interjected, “But from the performance of those Ministry Aurors, they didn’t want to conflict with us. Mr. Donald Graves was very restrained…”
“So his subordinates betrayed him.”
Kingsley interrupted her, “I’m also surprised by Donald Graves’s restraint. I don’t know if his side detected something, but his attitude and actions aren’t that important. Donald Graves doesn’t want conflict, but the person manipulating things from behind the scenes will force him to ‘create conflict.'”
As he spoke, Kingsley felt the abnormality in his broken ribs gradually dissipate.
He tried to sit up and move his arms, but only a vague, uncertain pain, possibly phantom, lingered in his chest.
However, free movement was no longer an issue.
He stood up and looked at Remus, “Remus, how are you feeling?”
“Great, I can take a few more of those ‘Big Bang’ spells,” Remus said with a self-deprecating laugh, then added, “You shouldn’t be teaching Tonks these things, she’s only 19…”
“At 19, you were already fighting Death Eaters with James.”
Kingsley cut him off irritably, “The world is changing so fast. Look at England outside, Remus. Do you think one day England will become like America is now? Pure-blood and non-pure-blood conflicts escalating, and ambitious people running rampant.”
“And ambitious people don’t care how old you are. Whether you’re young or old, you’re just a piece on their chessboard… Believe it or not, since the mastermind arranged for Jack Graves to betray us, they probably never intended to let you, me, Tonks, or even those Ministry Aurors outside, off the hook.”
Saying this, Kingsley drew his wand, his eyes reflecting the flames outside:
“If we die here, war will be unavoidable. Even if the Magical Congress might sense something is amiss, even if Mr. Weasley foresaw the existence of a mastermind beforehand, if we die, all of it will be meaningless.”
“Our deaths will incite public hatred, hatred will destroy reason, and once people lose their reason, whether it’s the Magical Congress, WAC, or the Ministry, they will be swept into a real war that should never have happened!”
“That’s the environment ambitious people love, but for wizards like Tonks, war is no different from hell, no matter what!”
After his speech, Tonks was left stunned and bewildered.
Seeing Kingsley grab his wand as if to go outside, and Remus shrugging and following behind, she finally snapped back to reality and exclaimed in surprise, “What are you two doing?”
“We have to go help those Ministry Aurors outside.”
Kingsley’s expression was solemn.
Even without Vaughn’s orders, he couldn’t just stand by and watch hell descend upon the people he cared about!
…
Whoosh—
“Cough cough…”
Donald narrowly dodged a spell and, in return, sent back a flock of birds transformed into arrows of soil.
Coughing violently, he finally found a moment to cast a Spell-Stopping Charm on himself again.
The negative effects of the curse were accumulating in his body, and the meager counter-spell effect provided by the Spell-Stopping Charm was weakening.
Under normal circumstances, even as a Deputy Minister on the front lines, he would never have been in such a predicament.
This was because someone would have shared the burden with him, and also, external curses wouldn’t have taken effect on him so quickly—many potent curses require an object belonging to the target as a medium.
Toothbrush, water cup, or… hair, blood, skin flakes!
Especially the latter, these bodily tissues are the most crucial mediums for some ancient and troublesome curses.
The curse Donald was currently experiencing was likely one of those spells, which made him give a wry smile.
As one of the directors of the Department of Magical Security, his bodily tissues would never have been leaked. Only traitors from his own family would have had the opportunity to obtain them.
“How long did Jack and Evelyn prepare for today’s betrayal?”
Flashes of memories of his past interactions with the two flashed through his mind. Jack and Evelyn were both Head Aurors and were usually active on the front lines. He himself had been away from frontline work for a long time, only meeting the two once every month or two.
Their preparation clearly couldn’t have been for this time; the last time they met was three months ago, when they returned to Woolworths to submit their performance reports.
“Was it then, or even earlier? Were the curse mediums they prepared only for me, or did they include Michael as well?”
Many questions piled up in his throat but had no opportunity to be voiced.
Another weapon “created” by Transfiguration flew at him head-on!
The triangular tactic wasn’t simply about stacking numbers.
The core of this tactic was to require the three participants to each use a set of spell combinations. Just as Donald was experiencing now, Evelyn Graves used Transfiguration, the wizard on the left used curses, and the wizard on the right used direct attack Evil Curses or Poison Curses.
Each of these three spell sets had to have a corresponding defensive method chosen for its target.
Evil Curses and Poison Curses could be blocked by a Full Body-Bind Curse or deflected with a wand, but this defensive method couldn’t intercept curses and was also very ineffective against Transfiguration.
If Transfiguration was used for defense, it couldn’t resist curses or Evil Curses.
Similarly, methods that could resist curses had no defensive effect whatsoever against Transfiguration, Evil Curses, or Poison Curses!
Its core purpose was to force the target of the tactic to constantly switch between three or more defensive modes, depleting his Magic Power, emotions, and even his thinking and reaction abilities, gradually throwing him into disarray!
It had to be said, this tactic summarized by the Graves family was very effective.
Especially when targeting an individual whose combat strength slightly exceeded, but not by too much, that of the attackers!
At first, Donald could still counterattack after each defense, but as time went on, he found it increasingly strenuous.
After all, casting spells required concentration, and frequent switching of defensive modes undoubtedly increased the burden on his brain and spirit, not to mention the negative impact of frequently invoking different emotions.
Another faint glint of light shot towards him from the front.
Donald instinctively conjured a shield, and the moment the shield formed and he dragged it in front of him, he suddenly realized that Evelyn had swapped positions with the wizard on the right who was casting Evil Curses just two seconds prior.
So, this time it wasn’t Transfiguration coming at him…
The thought had barely entered his mind when Donald felt the shield in front of him vibrate violently.
Bang!
Amidst a loud noise, a powerful shockwave suddenly spread out. The strong gust of wind roared into his ears like a hurricane, his entire head felt struck by lightning, and in an instant, the whistling of the wind, the rushing of spells, the shouts of anger and screams from near and far… all sounds faded away.
Donald’s vision went dark, and his limbs were stiffened by the vibration.
He relied entirely on combat instinct, adjusting his center of gravity the moment his senses failed him, to fall heavily to the ground.
Almost at the same time he fell, a gust of wind pressure passed over him, followed by the ground shaking, and countless fragments of cement hit his face and body.
“Damn it!”
Donald cursed inwardly, blaming both Evelyn and the traitors, and himself for being swayed by ingrained thinking!
But cursing was just a thought; Donald understood the gravity of the situation better than anyone. Fortunately, his eyes, blinded by the sonic boom, only lost their sight for a brief moment. His vision quickly returned, and enduring the double images and the resulting physical discomfort, he raised his wand and jabbed himself hard in the head.
Hum—
The awakening spell took effect.
After a long hum, his deafened ears regained their hearing, though like his eyes, everything was hazy and distant.
Donald struggled to get up.
But the shockwave effect of that sonic boom spell had already caused his limbs to lose coordination, leaving his hands and feet numb.
He strained his eyes open and saw several tall, slender figures hopping towards him. He heard Evelyn’s distant, familiar laugh: “…Poor guy… We didn’t mean to target you, this was all prepared for Michael…”
Evelyn’s shadowy figures converged and dispersed before his eyes.
Donald’s head felt groggy, as if he hadn’t slept for days, and a sleep demon kept luring him to give up struggling.
“I…”
He wanted to say something but couldn’t.
Evelyn seemed uninterested in his ramblings. Her layered shadows raised their wands, their smiles vanished, and a distant, cold voice entered his ears:
“Goodbye—Cousin Donald…”
I… am going to die?
Donald thought blankly.
Then—
Boom!
With a loud noise that could be heard even by semi-deafened ears, Donald trembled instinctively, but to his surprise, he felt no pain.
He opened his eyes in astonishment and saw, through his slowly recovering blurry vision, Evelyn being blasted away by a spell.
The next moment, he felt someone helping him up.
Turning his head in confusion, Donald saw a dark face shoved into his own, slapping him twice, then holding up a finger.
“Hey, are you okay? What’s this?”
Donald’s sluggish mind couldn’t quite process it yet.
The dark face looked distressed, “Remus, this guy seems to have gone senile, what do we do?”
“How should I know? Leave him, have Tonks help him up, you come help me!”
The light of spells flashed frequently around them, and Evelyn let out a hysterical roar. She and two others rushed over. Donald saw the dark face leave him, wave his wand, and join the fray, while another shorter person supported him.
Tonks… Tonks?
His dull brain finally began to whir, starting to recall who the dark-faced person was and who Tonks was.
His vision, also slowly recovering, no longer showed double images. After a few more breaths, and enduring the ringing in his ears, Donald turned his head to look at the witch supporting him, and stammered, “Why… why are you here?”
Tonks rolled her eyes at him, “Don’t ask me, I don’t know.”
“…”
Donald was puzzled as to why her attitude was so hostile… he hadn’t given her any trouble before…
However, now was not the time to probe for details.
He quickly looked back and saw Kingsley and Lupin being almost overwhelmed by the spells of Evelyn and the other three traitors.
Transfiguration, evil curses, poison curses.
Fortunately, Kingsley and Lupin were strangers to the Graves family, so without a medium, the traitors’ curses would be difficult to use effectively, at least for a short while.
Therefore, despite the hectic engagement, the two managed to hold their ground.
After watching for a while, Donald slowly recovered. He thanked Tonks, “Whatever the reason, thank you for offering your help.”
Tonks, being the type who responds better to kindness than aggression, scratched her face, “Uh, I didn’t do much, it was all Kingsley and Lupin…”
The girl’s straightforward personality brought the first smile to Donald’s face that night. He didn’t say any more, thanked Tonks again for her support, and slowly straightened up.
Observing the battlefield, Donald noted that Kingsley and Lupin were skilled in magic and experienced in combat, and could likely hold off Evelyn and the other two for some time.
He looked in another direction, towards Jacob and the others who were still struggling against the traitors.
“With Kingsley Shackle and Remus Lupin holding off Evelyn, I can break free to relieve Jacob and the others, and then rescue the Aurors scattered elsewhere…”
Thinking this, Donald breathed a small sigh of relief. Amidst the series of terrible situations tonight, he finally saw a glimmer of hope for resolving the predicament.
Seeing him holding his wand, seemingly preparing to join another battle, Tonks asked in surprise, “Hey, are you alright?”
“…Thank you for your concern. I’m fine now.”
As he replied, Donald hesitated slightly, but then dragged over a brick, turned it into paper, and hastily wrote a few lines before handing it to Tonks:
“This contains the core points of the Graves family’s triangle tactic, as well as Evelyn and their preferred magic and casting habits. Please pass it to Mr. Shackle and Mr. Lupin when you have a chance… Thank you again for your help, madam.”
After speaking, Donald disappeared into the shadows.
He reappeared near Jacob and the others.
“It’s Donald!”
“Damn it, what are Evelyn and the others doing?”
“She’s being held back by the WAC wizards, damn that John Bull!”
Donald’s appearance, while cheering up his allies, also caused great panic among the enemy traitors.
He was the Deputy Minister of the Department of Magical Security. Within the Graves family, the Minister could be anyone; if circumstances allowed, it could even be a Squib, though that was practically impossible. This was because the position of Minister held more political significance than practical meaning.
However, the Deputy Minister was different, usually a senior Auror from within the family.
Even though Donald had long since left active duty, when he was once the Head Auror, many of these traitors had served under him.
They understood his magical strength, which was why they were panicking!
Although Donald’s magic power and spirit were greatly depleted, and he was injured in the fight with Evelyn and the other two, it was because they were on the same level as him. The ones attacking Jacob and the others were merely ordinary Aurors.
His arrival quickly helped Jacob and the others stabilize the battle.
The traitors weren’t stubborn. Seeing their advantage gradually turn into a disadvantage with Donald’s arrival, some began to retreat, casting spells as they vanished into the shadows like smoke.
But Donald knew they hadn’t left.
Whoosh—
Donald swung his wand, and a raging fireball shot from the tip, blazing with intense heat as it streaked across the night sky, blasting the last traitor, who was still trying to cast a Full Body-Bind Curse while fleeing, away.
Flames and shattered pieces of the Full Body-Bind Curse, like streaks of light, scattered across the night sky.
The traitor was gone.
Donald frowned, looking at the surrounding darkness, and hesitated. Even without using a Dreamcatcher to transmit intelligence, he knew those guys were definitely hiding in the darkness, waiting for an opportunity!
Just as the traitors understood him well, he understood them equally well.
With space sealed and Apparition prohibited, they wouldn’t resort to “clumsy methods” to escape, as that would only expose them more thoroughly to Dreamcatcher surveillance and serve no other purpose.
Their only possible escape was the complete annihilation of Donald and his Aurors. Only by destroying as many forces as possible could they gain time to find a way to evade the Dreamcatcher!
Donald turned back to look at another battlefield. Over there, Kingsley and Lupin were still locked in fierce combat with Evelyn and the others. The dark environment made the lights of various spells stand out vividly and beautifully.
The entire road was devastated by the spells they threw at each other, with large sections of the concrete surface splitting open, revealing the soil beneath.
As he watched, Jacob walked over, panting heavily. The continuous fierce fighting had not only heavily depleted his magic power but also made his already unhealed ribs ache even more.
Clutching his chest, Jacob followed Donald’s gaze, “WAC wizards? Why are they helping us?”
“I don’t know,” Donald shook his head. He didn’t intend to ponder that question for now. He looked with concern at his brother’s labored breathing, “Are you alright?”
“Don’t worry!” Jacob laughed, “After beating those traitors, my injuries are at least 70% healed.”
“Don’t push yourself.”
After another reminder, Donald withdrew his gaze and looked again at the houses standing in the surrounding darkness.
After a major battle, although they were on the periphery of the battlefield, they had been affected by stray spells to varying degrees. Some were intact, but more were in ruins.
Suddenly, a red light lit up in the distance, and soon, a red ball of light slowly rose.
That was an emergency signal from a wand, indicating that the wizard who cast it was about to collapse.
Seeing this signal, Donald, who knew the traitors who had fled earlier were still hidden in the darkness, his eyes dimmed. He finally made up his mind, “Jacob, take three people to support Mr. Shackle and Mr. Lupin, drive Evelyn away… or kill her!”
Jacob blinked, “What about you?”
Looking at the emergency signal hanging in the air, Donald said, “I’m going over there to rescue people.”
“Donald…”
“Don’t try to dissuade me. I know those traitors are still here, and the rescue operation is dangerous. But I promised not long ago that I wouldn’t abandon them. Do you want me to break my word?”
Facing Donald’s serious expression, Jacob’s lips moved a few times. He wanted to say something but ultimately didn’t, only nodding heavily,
“Okay, you go first. I’ll come to help you after I’ve supported the WAC wizards.”
After speaking, he casually picked three people and hurried towards Kingsley and Lupin.
Watching his brother’s retreating back, Donald shook his head, dispelling the hesitation in his heart, and instructed the remaining people, “Tom, Daisy, Pluto… each of you assign two people, and then lead your respective teams to the east, west, and south to rescue our brothers and sisters. But remember – your primary mission is to preserve yourselves!”
Hearing this, the three Auror captains exchanged glances, but in the end, they raised no objections.
