Merlin City is truly astonishing! Those magical bombs filling the sky—five hundred powerful alchemical explosives—should have obliterated all of London, yet the city's defensive magic array remained perfectly steady, without the slightest tremor.
On the Hogwarts Express, Draco Malfoy excitedly recounted what he'd witnessed atop the towering platform of Merlin City to Crabbe and Goyle—although the pair were currently out shopping in the city with their parents and had no idea anything extraordinary occurred. Naively, they believed the terrifying display was merely a spectacular fireworks show!
From another perspective, this monumental display testified to the overwhelming strength of Merlin City's protective wards—its residents felt not even a ripple.
Draco beamed with pride:
"You didn't know? I was the first to discover the alchemical bombs—I saw them from the high tower platform…"
Pansy Parkinson offered perfect support:
"Draco is amazing!"
Draco nodded as though Merlin City's defenses were his personal achievement—after all, he believed Count Dark Dantes, owner of Merlin City, to be his uncle.
"I bet today's front page of The Daily Prophet will celebrate Merlin City's grand inauguration! The Count's opening ceremony was spectacular!"
However, Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle luckily didn't place any bets—otherwise, Draco's confidence would've cost him dearly.
To everyone's surprise, the top headline of The Daily Prophet read:
"The Fire Serpent Party, Silent for Years, Reappears! The Entire Julius Family Missing!"
Merlin City's grand opening had been pushed to the back pages—indeed, the British Wizarding World remains more intrigued by horror and scandal than by innovation.
Campus life resumed its dull routine after Christmas break. Nothing much of note happened throughout the school year.
Dana dominated every match in the Quidditch league—and it seemed he was already being groomed as the Seeker for England's national team in the Quidditch World Cup in two years' time.
The little diary that had once held intrigue now lay abandoned on the Principal's desk—small, neglected, now powerless to stir curiosity.
The Basilisk, once the school's tremendous threat, had met its end last year—Dana beheaded it, ending its reign of terror.
Gilderoy Lockhart, once a bright spark of entertainment, was back in Azkaban. His replacement, Severus Snape, seemed to relish the role—but the Gryffindors were less enthusiastic.
All conversation among the young wizards inevitably circled Merlin City—this truly international metropolis of magic had become the talk of every corridor and common room.
A month passed in this uneventful manner.
Then, one day, in the depths of Azkaban, Count Dark Dantes appeared at the entrance to Donna Avery's cell.
Donna's gaze was empty. She watched, stunned, as an arch of living vines appeared, and Dantes strode through the door. She saw him make a strange "ho—" sound, which caused the Dementors to retreat. The cold dissipated, and even John Flint's Inferi, who had been clinging to her, slowly withdrew.
Dantes said nothing. He simply studied Donna. Her clothes—Lockhart's purple robes—were torn and filthy, stripped by her desperate struggle. His eyes took in her gaunt face, marked with frostbite and exhaustion. Despite her shell-shocked state, she fiercely protected her abdomen.
Time passed, though Donna had no sense of how long. Perhaps freed from the Dementors, her mind began to clear. Finally, her eyes focused.
Hope surged through her.
"Count? Is that you? Count?" she whispered, trying to scramble to her feet—but her body failed her. She collapsed to the stone floor.
She demanded:
"Count, are you here to take me away? Can we go home?"
She still believed she and Gilderoy Lockhart would live together in a lovely countryside home with their child—finally free of this living hell.
The Count raised a hand, using telekinesis to steady Donna.
"Miss Avery," he said with cold restraint, pushing her away—his tone held a hint of disdain—"I'm here to tell you something."
At hearing him address her as "Miss Avery," a jolt of anxiety tore through Donna's heart.
"Please—call me Lockhart, Count," she pleaded.
He shook his head, removing a two-way mirror from his arms.
"You are no longer Lockhart," the Count continued. "Mr. Gilderoy Lockhart has asked me to inform you that your marriage is over."
Donna shrieked:
"Impossible! We are in love! He would never leave me—you're lying!"
The Count nodded. He opened the mirror.
"See for yourself what he's doing now."
Donna stared into the mirror—and gasped. She collapsed as a bone-chilling wave engulfed her.
Inside, Gilderoy Lockhart reclined in an opulent room, arms wrapped around two women—a blonde Slavic beauty and a sensual Latin American enchantress.
Lockhart spoke:
"Sir, you're so handsome and talented—your wife must be beautiful, yes?"
A voice responded:
"Wife? I don't have a wife."
"I don't believe it!"
"If I did, she was vile—once putting a love potion in my coffee."
Donna screamed and lunged at the mirror, but the Count sidestepped and closed it.
Meanwhile, in that lavish room, Lockhart stiffened, as if sensing his wife's anguished presence. His gaze shifted to a small ornate mirror displayed on a shelf.
The Latin American woman said:
"That's our makeup mirror, sir."
Lockhart stared, lost.
The Slavic woman whipped out her wand:
"Obliviate!"
Lockhart crumpled to the floor.
The Slavic woman smiled:
"Mission accomplished! Now we strip him and toss him into the suburbs."
The other woman laughed softly:
"This task was too easy—the real challenge would be facing that pompous Lockhart!"
Back in Azkaban, Donna demanded:
"Count, please! Let me speak to him—just let me talk to him!"
Her legs buckled again, and she sank. She curled inward protectively.
The Count stepped back.
"Miss Avery," he said, voice cold, "your business with Lockhart is concluded. Now, let's discuss what comes next—for you."
Suddenly, Donna froze. The imposing figure of Count Dark Dantes, silvery-haired and imposing, began shrinking—rapidly reverting to the frame of a twelve- or thirteen-year-old boy with silver hair and vivid emerald eyes.
Silence fell.
Donna whispered:
"Dana Emrys?"
End of Chapter 91
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