The Muggle army should have been no match for the Four Founders. However, the outcome was somewhat surprising.
These soldiers were highly trained. Their collective will and resolve during the charge somehow managed to push back against the defensive spells.
Or perhaps, the Founders were primarily focused on defense and evacuation, unwilling to slaughter the entire army.
But even for wizards of their caliber, holding back a charging army without killing anyone was a struggle.
The air was filled with flashes of colorful spells and the screams of men and horses. Aside from Salazar Slytherin, who attacked the knights directly, the other three aimed primarily at the horses.
The others weren't surprised by this.
Salazar Slytherin held a notoriously low opinion of Muggles. That he wasn't using Avada Kedavra to wipe them out instantly was already a mercy. Expecting more from him was delusional.
There were simply too many soldiers. The army likely had orders to recapture the escapees for public execution, but in the chaos of battle, their bloodlust was aroused. Several children among the refugees had already fallen to stray arrows.
What started as restraint quickly dissolved. As casualties mounted, even Gryffindor and the others began to use heavier hands.
A tearing sound ripped through the battlefield. Godric Gryffindor suddenly unleashed the same fire magic he had used against the werewolves. A massive, lifelike fire dragon roared into existence, separating the army from the wizards. It expanded rapidly, instantly becoming a towering wall of flame.
The placement was perfect. aside from a few knights who charged too fast and were incinerated, the majority of the army was cut off, unable to advance a single step.
Faced with magic of this scale, the knights finally faltered.
In truth, very few soldiers were directly killed by the Founders' magic. Most casualties came from those who forced their way through the initial barriers and were trampled by the horses behind them.
Magic was a force beyond human resistance. No matter how large the army, once the four Founders erected their elemental walls—Fire, Wind, Water, Earth—the advance halted completely.
The elemental walls were colossal. The Fire Wall was scorching hot, threatening to melt anything that came close. The Water Wall stood like a vertical ocean, the crushing pressure of its currents enough to flatten an armored knight.
The Wind Wall was a tempest of invisible blades; getting too close felt like being flayed alive. Anyone reckless enough to charge through would be diced into pieces.
The Earth Wall was the most solid obstacle. A sheer cliff face rising out of nowhere, impossible to breach or climb.
The four Founders stood atop their respective elemental walls, looking down at the panicked Muggle army below.
---
Rey's position at Stonehenge was elevated, giving him a clear view of the battlefield below. The four elemental walls stood in a line, an impassable barrier no matter how many soldiers the army threw at them.
As expected of the Four Founders, Rey thought. Just this display puts most movie wizards to shame.
But awe had to wait. The rescued refugees had reached the stone circle.
A hundred meters wasn't far. As the fleeing crowd reached Stonehenge, the protective charms around the site dissolved automatically.
Rey placed his hands on the designated stone and poured his magic into it.
With a deep, resonant hum, the portal within the stone circle opened once more.
The refugees cast grateful glances at the young wizard as they rushed into the swirling vortex. Clearly, Gryffindor and the others had briefed them about the portal.
Once the portal was open, someone on the other side would maintain the connection. Rey only needed to supply a small, continuous stream of magic to keep the entrance stable.
However, just the act of opening the portal instantly drenched Rey in sweat. He had thought his magical reserves were bottomless, but activating the array drained him nearly dry in a split second. His magic felt like a thin, wavering thread, barely perceptible even to himself.
It felt like using every ounce of strength to lift a boulder, only to have his muscles give out completely.
As the last person disappeared into the portal, Rey couldn't hold on any longer. He collapsed to the ground, his body limp and powerless. He didn't even have the strength to crawl into the portal himself.
Seeing that everyone was safe, Rowena Ravenclaw and the others dispelled their elemental walls. After a final, cold glance at the Muggle army, they drifted back to Stonehenge.
"The total amount of magic in your body is indeed substantial. Just as I thought—enough to open the portal once. This massive expenditure should also solve the problem on your neck."
Rowena Ravenclaw smiled faintly at Rey, who was lying on the ground. Leaving him here to open the portal had clearly been her idea—likely a test to gauge the limits of his power.
But Rey had no idea what she meant about "solving the problem on his neck."
He gave a weak, bitter smile. Rowena Ravenclaw truly was the wisest of them all; everything she did had a purpose.
With a casual gesture, she lifted the eleven-year-old Rey as if he weighed nothing. The four Founders then calmly stepped into the portal.
The moment they entered, Rey felt the world spin violently. Already exhausted, he passed out instantly.
Down on the slopes, the stunned knights watched the magical portal vanish from within the stone circle, hesitating over whether to investigate the empty ruins.
---
Rey remained unconscious. Traveling through the portal was like riding a high-speed rollercoaster while drunk. His drained body couldn't handle the disorientation.
His magic had been drained completely. But along with it, the hard lump on his neck had also been emptied.
The lump slowly faded, like overstressed muscle relaxing after a massage, disappearing without a trace.
Rey felt none of this.
When he finally woke up, he initially thought the whole time-travel adventure had been a strange dream.
But seeing the sunlit canvas of a tent above him, reality set in. It wasn't a dream.
He didn't know how long he had slept, but it was undoubtedly the most restful sleep he'd ever had.
As he opened his eyes, he saw a young girl in a dress looking down at him from the bedside.
She was about thirteen years old. When Rey woke up, she simply looked at him, not saying a word until he managed to sit up.
She wore a beautiful dress and had lustrous black hair. Her features were exquisite and well-defined—a rare beauty. Yet, her face carried an air of natural nobility, like a true aristocrat, mixed with a hint of arrogance.
Rey noticed her immediately, but aside from a second glance to appreciate her looks, he wasn't particularly shocked.
"You're awake. I should tell Mother."
Before Rey could ask anything, the girl dropped the cold sentence and turned to leave, her demeanor haughty and aloof.
Rey was baffled. What was her deal?
Whatever. Who cares?
Rey dismissed the girl's attitude and looked around.
It was a nice room—or rather, a very large tent. The kitchen, bedroom, and living areas were all distinct and separated. Sunlight filtered softly through the fabric ceiling.
cracking his neck and stretching his stiff body, Rey walked out of the tent and inhaled the sweet, fresh air.
---
He was in a valley. A massive, natural valley with a river, forests, and grasslands. The tent was pitched on a green meadow.
Once outside, Rey realized the tent wasn't large at all. From the outside, it looked like a small two-person camping tent.
Small on the outside, massive on the inside—Undetectable Extension Charm.
There were about twenty similar tents scattered across the small meadow. In the distance, Rey could see a small town consisting of just a single street.
"Welcome to Godric's Hollow!"
Godric Gryffindor had walked up beside him unnoticed, smiling as he spoke.
---