Chapter 16: You Are Seeking Your Own Death!

The tranquil Heihu reflected the twilight sky...

The setting sun cast its last lingering glow upon the towers of Hogwarts, beneath which the grassy lawn was faintly yellowed...

Above the Forbidden Forest, a few birds returning to their nests flew while chirping...

The atmosphere on the lawn was heavy and dull; people seemed as if struck by a Petrification Spell, motionless, staring blankly into the distance...

Harry's mind was a blank void; he collapsed weakly to the ground. His earlier excitement had vanished without a trace, and the sudden shock had robbed his mind of the ability to think.

No one knew who let out the first cry, but the young wizards on the lawn burst into tears together; no one could remain indifferent to the passing of a life.

The crying woke Harry, and only then did he realize his face was drenched in tears. He could not remember when he had last cried; he felt as though a large stone sat in his stomach, heavy and sinking. Grief gripped his throat like a giant hand, making it difficult for him to breathe.

His heart was filled with self-reproach: If he had not been so stubborn as to fly up and confront them, Allen would not have rushed into the sky to save him, and none of this would have happened!

Thinking this, Harry's self-blame grew even stronger, his thoughts becoming increasingly extreme: If he had not come to Hogwarts to study, this would not have happened! He should have stayed in the Muggle world forever; that way, he would not have dragged others into trouble!

Ron also fell heavily from the sky, tumbling onto the grass. His eyes were red, and he mumbled something unknown, pounding the ground with his fists as if venting his inner frustration.

Draco Malfoy and his two companions also landed on the ground. Malfoy was also filled with disbelief and shock at all this; he had only intended to teach Allen and the other two a lesson, at most breaking an arm or a leg like Longbottom, never expecting things to escalate to this point.

He looked reproachfully at Crabbe, who lowered his head like a young girl, one hand tightly clutching the hem of his robe, while the other still gripped several branches from a broomstick. He ran to Goyle's side, trying to use Goyle's obese body to shield himself so others would not see him.

The first to come to his senses was Malfoy, who secretly tugged at the sleeve of Crabbe's hand holding the broomstick branch. Only then did Crabbe realize he was still holding something and quickly threw it far away.

But none of this escaped the eyes of the young wizards; they were all the first witnesses.

Crying, Hermione rushed before Crabbe like an enraged lioness, pointing at his nose and asking, "Why did you do this? We are all classmates; was it necessary to be so ruthless? It was already over; why did you ambush Allen?"

"Ambush?!!" Harry suddenly awoke from his self-blame, regret, and sorrow.

"What ambush?!! What just happened?" he asked loudly.

"Allen was diving down to catch that glass orb just like you, and happened to fly past Crabbe. Crabbe flew up and grabbed the tail of Allen's broom, and then... then Allen's broom went out of control and flew straight toward the sun!" Parvati Patil told Harry with red eyes.

Harry looked at Ron with an inquiring gaze. Ron dared not meet his eyes and said to Harry in a mournful voice, "Yes, I hadn't reacted in time when you two charged down. Allen's broom went out of control, and I wanted to help him, but his broom was flying far too fast; I simply couldn't catch up!" Having finished speaking, he covered his face and began to cry.

Harry then looked at the young wizards of Slytherin; they all averted their gaze from Harry, while some girls were sobbing softly.

In an instant, Harry confirmed the truth of the matter.

He walked angrily toward Malfoy and his two companions. Malfoy, knowing he was in the wrong, involuntarily shifted his steps aside.

Crabbe buried his head tightly behind Goyle like a quail, gripping him tightly to prevent him from escaping.

Goyle struggled with all his might.

Harry advanced step by step toward Crabbe. The fury in his eyes seemed ready to burn Crabbe to death; even though the two were vastly different in size, he remained resolute.

"Look over there!" a young wizard in the crowd pointed toward the direction where Allen had just fallen.

Harry suddenly turned his head to look there. He saw a wingtip suddenly emerge on the horizon where the Forbidden Forest was burned red by the sunset, but it vanished almost immediately. He instantly thought his eyes were playing tricks on him, rubbed his eyes hard with his hands, and stared intently in that direction.

Sure enough, Harry saw that wingtip again, and the frequency of its appearance grew higher and higher.

The heavy atmosphere on the lawn was instantly broken as everyone turned to look at the place where the wings appeared.

In a short while, Allen glided out from above the Forbidden Forest, seemingly carrying something in his hand. He landed lightly on a large rock, folded his wings, and crouched sideways on the stone, as if preparing to rest for a moment. His massive wings obscured his body and most of his face.

Harry could only see his thin chin, not his expression. The feathers on his wings were very messy, making it clear he had suffered greatly.

The young wizards rushed excitedly toward Allen, all cheering and rejoicing at such a miracle!

At this moment, Allen moved. He slowly stood up and turned his head slowly. Behind him, the distant sun had already released its last golden glow, becoming a red fireball. The red sunlight made the curves of his face appear even colder and harder, illuminating his tightly pressed lips and shrouding his eyes, yet it could not hide the angry and awe-inspiring light in them!

The excited young wizards were so frightened that their voices grew quieter and quieter until there was absolute silence.

And Allen looked past them toward Malfoy and his two companions, who were trying to sneak away unnoticed. He suddenly threw down the object in his right hand. Harry focused his gaze and saw it was a broken piece of a broom handle...

Then Allen spread his massive wings. The messy feathers and scars upon them made him appear even more majestic. He fiercely flapped his wings, shooting into the high sky like an arrow. He spread his wings wide, each hand still gripping a green object that stood out vividly against the red light.

From the perspective of the young wizards, Allen merged with the distant sunset, which looked like a giant fireball. The red sunlight shone upon his wings, turning them completely red and making the atmosphere even more grim and deadly.

The wind at high altitude blew across Allen's massive wings. His wings constantly billowed as they caught the full force of the wind, allowing him to hover in the high sky. He stared tightly at Malfoy and his two companions who were fleeing and shouted angrily:

"You are seeking your own death!"