The Death Eaters tried to flee the moment they realized they weren't facing a normal wizard.
They had expected frightened Ministry officials, panicked campsite guards, or perhaps a few Aurors. Instead they found themselves trapped on a battlefield controlled by someone who could fly without a broom and command Fiendfyre as though it were an extension of his own body.
Victor landed lightly on the grass and swept his wand sideways.
The Fiendfyre basilisk surged across the clearing. Its enormous burning body cut through the darkness like a river of molten gold before coiling across the Death Eaters' escape route. The first wizard to reach it stopped immediately.
The heat alone forced him backward.
Nobody was stupid enough to run through Fiendfyre.
"Spread out!" someone shouted.
The Death Eaters scattered in every direction.
A green flash erupted from the group.
"Avada Kedavra!"
Victor accelerated upward before the curse could reach him. The Killing Curse passed harmlessly beneath his feet and vanished into the night sky.
The attacker barely had time to react.
"Expulso."
The explosion threw the masked wizard through the air and ripped his wand from his hand.
The remaining Death Eaters opened fire.
Red, blue, and purple curses filled the clearing.
Victor twisted through the storm of magic with impossible freedom. Flight offered advantages no broom ever could.
A blasting curse missed his shoulder by inches.
"Confringo."
The curse detonated against a tree behind the attacker, showering him with splinters and knocking him off his feet.
Meanwhile, the Fiendfyre continued tightening its grip on the battlefield.
Whenever the Death Eaters attempted to regroup, the basilisk cut them apart. Whenever they tried to retreat, cursed flames blocked their path. Apparition failed. Coordination collapsed. Panic spread.
Victor descended toward the weakest section of the formation.
A Death Eater looked up.
"Avada—"
A Stunning Spell struck him before he could finish the incantation.
Victor landed, pivoted, and cast again.
"Expelliarmus."
Another wand flew through the air.
Before its owner could recover, the Fiendfyre wolf burst from the darkness and crashed into the ground beside him. The impact threw him off his feet.
The dragon finally moved.
Its enormous burning wings unfolded as it swept across the clearing. Several Death Eaters fired curses at it. The spells vanished into the living fire without effect.
The dragon opened its mouth.
Flames exploded across the ground, spreading around the remaining Death Eaters until a burning ring surrounded them from every side.
Victor stood outside the prison of cursed fire.
Behind him towered the dragon.
The basilisk circled the perimeter.
The wolf prowled through the gaps.
Every route had been sealed.
The surviving Death Eaters stood together in the center with shaking hands as the reality of their situation finally sank in.
The battle had ended several minutes ago.
They simply hadn't realized it yet.
Throughout the campsite, witches and wizards were beginning to notice the unnatural glow illuminating the night sky.
Then came the pops of Apparition.
Ministry officials arrived in waves.
Senior officials.
Members of Magical Law Enforcement.
One after another they appeared around the edge of the battlefield, only to stop at the sight before them.
Burning tents.
Scorched earth.
Unconscious Death Eaters scattered across the field.
And at the center stood a hooded wizard surrounded by Fiendfyre that moved like living creatures awaiting orders.
Nobody wanted to be the first person to make a mistake.
A Ministry wizard slowly raised his wand.
The others followed.
Dozens of wands pointed toward Victor.
The atmosphere became dangerously tense.
Victor glanced in their direction.
Several officials instinctively tightened their grip.
Then he looked upward.
The next second he shot into the sky.
He simply accelerated upward as though gravity no longer applied to him.
Gasps erupted across the campsite.
By the time anyone reacted, he was already hundreds of feet above them.
Several tracking curses shot after him and missed completely.
Within moments he became a dark silhouette against the night sky.
Then he vanished.
Silence settled over the battlefield.
The only sound came from the crackling remains of Fiendfyre as specialized Ministry teams hurried forward to contain it.
Finally, one of the older officials lowered his wand.
"Flight magic..."
The words came out as little more than a whisper.
Uneasy looks spread through the gathered witches and wizards.
True flight was almost unheard of.
Another Ministry wizard swallowed.
"You don't think..."
Nobody answered.
Their eyes drifted across the devastation left behind.
Defeated Death Eaters.
Overwhelming magical power.
Impossible flight.
A cold feeling settled over the gathering.
Because there was only one wizard in modern history associated with all three.
*****
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