"I'll go with you instead!" Charlie suddenly shouted.
As the captain of Hogwarts, he had a responsibility to protect his teammates. He couldn't betray Dumbledore's trust.
But Coates shook his head, clearly unimpressed.
"The most valuable piece is the one worth holding," he said coldly.
"You're not enough."
With a flick of his wand, he blasted Charlie away.
Sean's magic was already drained. He had almost no ability to resist.
And judging by Coates' current state, even at full strength, Sean doubted he could win.
Coates walked up to him.
A Binding Spell locked Sean's body in place.
He snatched Sean's wand and tossed it aside like trash.
"A hostage doesn't need a wand," Coates said.
Sean's mentality finally cracked.
Even when he was tricked into the Forbidden Forest last year, he hadn't felt this desperate.
Now—
he was completely disarmed.
A real hostage.
Outside the forest, the students were still enjoying their cheerful camping trip.
But in the professors' resting garden, something felt wrong.
"Where is Professor Coates?" McGonagall asked, scanning the area.
"I didn't see him after Professor Morrisay left," Sprout replied.
"So many rescue signals at once… something must have happened," said Kailyn from Ilvermorny.
"I'm going in."
More than a dozen red signals had appeared almost simultaneously.
And Morrisay hadn't returned.
Dumbledore knew immediately—
something had gone very wrong.
He exchanged a few quiet words with Barty Crouch, then nodded to Kailyn.
"Permission granted."
"The competition is suspended. Professors will retrieve the students."
At that moment—
a massive flying silhouette approached from the direction of the castle.
It was a flying motorcycle.
"Professor!" Hagrid shouted as he jumped off.
"There's trouble in the Forbidden Forest!"
The four Heads of House immediately turned toward him.
"A magical barrier has appeared over the forest," Hagrid said, his voice tense.
"It's covering almost the entire area. I'm worried…"
He didn't finish the sentence.
There were still other schools' professors present.
Dumbledore understood instantly.
The Golden Scepter, guarded by the centaurs, had been targeted.
And whoever planned this—
had created chaos in the Hidden Valley Forest to distract him.
"Professor McGonagall, Professor Sprout, Professor Flitwick, and Madam Hooch—please go to the Hidden Valley Forest and bring the students out," Dumbledore ordered.
Joining them were Kailyn from Ilvermorny and Hopper from Castelobruxo.
"Professor Snape and Hagrid, come with me to the Forbidden Forest."
"The rest of you, escort the students back to the castle."
"Crouch, I'll leave things here to you."
"Dumbledore, what's going on?" Crouch asked.
"I'm not sure," Dumbledore replied calmly.
"That's why I'm going to find out."
He grabbed Hagrid—
and vanished with a crack.
Snape followed immediately, disappearing as well.
Outside the forest, Apparition worked normally.
As for Hagrid—
though he knew how to Apparate, he had never taken the Ministry test.
And with his past record, he wouldn't dare use magic in front of Crouch.
Meanwhile—
Coates carried Sean and flew effortlessly out of the barrier.
But he made one mistake.
He had only bound Sean.
He thought that was enough.
Sean used his Magic vision to memorize the spell Coates used to exit the barrier.
But the counterspell was just as complex.
"Thirty frameworks…" Sean thought bitterly.
"Even if I escape, I won't be able to help them."
Even for him, learning something like that would take months.
The moment they left the Hidden Valley Forest—
Coates Apparated.
A wave of nausea hit Sean.
When his vision cleared—
he froze.
"This… isn't the Forbidden Forest?" he blurted.
The familiar trees.
And nearby—
Hagrid's hut.
Coates smiled at his reaction.
"You seem excited."
Sean's eyes widened.
Another massive barrier covered the forest—
even larger than the one before.
"How many people would it take to cast something like this…?"
"This is about the Golden Scepter," Sean realized.
"The Hidden Valley was just a distraction."
"The great master, Herpo, is about to reclaim his power," Coates said reverently.
"You are fortunate to witness this moment."
"You should thank me."
"Herpo?" Sean's voice shook.
"You mean the ancient Greek dark wizard—Herpo the Foul?"
Coates' smile widened.
"So you know his name."
"Good. That saves me the trouble of explaining."
"You're the youngest and most talented among them."
"Serve Lord Herpo."
"You'll gain far more than Hogwarts could ever give you."
"Two thousand years," Sean said flatly.
"And you expect me to believe he's still alive?"
"I don't believe it."
"No one can live that long."
He said it deliberately.
But deep down—
he already believed it.
If he himself could cross worlds—
then a dark wizard surviving for millennia wasn't impossible.
Coates burst into laughter.
"I don't blame your ignorance."
"Everyone thinks the same—until they see it for themselves."
"Soon, you'll understand how great our master truly is."
"He will reclaim his power."
"He will gather his followers."
"And from here—"
"he will conquer the world."
"Another madman…" Sean thought grimly.
"Is he after the Wizard's Heart too?"
"If that's the case… I'm dead."
Right now—
Sean would rather face Voldemort or Grindelwald.
Anything—
but an ancient dark wizard reborn.
Coates carried Sean into the barrier over the Forbidden Forest.
This time—
he didn't even cast a spell.
He simply flew straight in.
"Can enter, but not exit?" Sean guessed.
Just as they entered—
Dumbledore, Snape, and Hagrid Apparated beside Hagrid's hut.
At the same time—
Fawkes the phoenix flew out from the castle, as if sensing Dumbledore.
Meanwhile, in the Hidden Valley Forest—
McGonagall had already discovered the truth.
The barrier allowed entry—
but not exit.
It was a trap.
To lure the professors in.
But she had no choice.
Morrisay alone was struggling to hold back the Runespoor.
They had to go in.
Even if it meant walking straight into the trap.
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