"The vampires took this opportunity to collect a large amount of blood and created many such magic circles. However, Grindelwald later destroyed those magic circles," Dumbledore said grimly.
Moody turned to him. "So, this one was built recently?"
Dumbledore nodded, his expression darkening. He knew all too well how much human blood was required to activate such a circle—he had personally destroyed many of them during his time with Grindelwald.
"The magic circle has been activated, but we didn't find Black. So… he escaped using it?" Arthur asked.
"Most likely," Dumbledore confirmed. "Unfortunately, the destination of the teleportation cannot be traced."
Snape's expression twisted in frustration. "Then everything we've done here… was pointless?"
Dumbledore shook his head. "Not at all. We've learned that Mr. Black is resisting. He's trying to escape. That alone gives us direction—if we increase pressure on the vampires, they won't have the resources or time to recapture him."
The strategy to suppress vampires had only just been agreed upon by the wizarding community. Though vampires were considered dark creatures, they'd long been underestimated—particularly by the pure-blood families. No one had imagined their numbers had grown so vast.
By wizarding law, vampires were forbidden from transforming wizards, and they struggled to find employment within magical society. Pure-bloods never took them seriously.
But while they couldn't convert wizards, they could convert Muggles. And if they couldn't find jobs, they built their own underground economy.
As a result, vampires had silently amassed power and influence in areas the wizarding world had overlooked. Had internal conflicts among the vampires not exposed this growth, their secret dominance might have gone unchecked. They posed a real threat—not just to wizards, but to the Muggle world as well.
It wasn't an exaggeration. While only a few vampires could cast spells, their numbers made up for it. With enough of them, even powerful wizards could be overwhelmed.
Earlier, while the ritual was being activated…
Phineas and his group of freed prisoners—Muggles and wizards alike—climbed the stairs, armed with wands they had taken from fallen vampires.
Their plan had been simple: reach the upper floors, regroup, and escape. But reality proved harsher.
Even before reaching the main floor, they encountered fierce vampire resistance.
Phineas couldn't understand it. Why were the vampires so determined to stop a ragged group of prisoners?
"Split up!" Phineas shouted, casting a spell. He turned to the female Auror beside him—Mary, the one who had taught him the Unforgivable Curses. "We can't keep fighting like this. We need to reach the first floor and get out!"
Mary nodded grimly. She too sensed that something was wrong. The vampires kept coming, one wave after another, as if reinforcements were constantly arriving.
It didn't make sense. This was a prisoner escape—why such a disproportionate response?
"Phineas, Mary! Take everyone and go up! We'll cover you!" an older wizard shouted. He had shared their cell and now stood at the rear, clearing the way to the stairs with powerful spells.
Phineas grabbed Mary's arm and sprinted upstairs, the group behind them surging forward.
To their surprise, the first floor was empty.
The entrance hall stood quiet and open, its great doors unguarded. Freedom seemed just a few steps away.
Muggles broke formation and rushed toward the doors.
Phineas felt a glimmer of hope. This chaos might be the perfect cover for him to slip away unnoticed.
But before he could act, the Muggles suddenly turned back, panic written all over their faces.
"Run! Another monster is coming!"
Phineas's heart sank. More vampires?
The door burst open. This time, high-level vampires entered—taller, stronger, and more intelligent-looking than the ones they had fought before. Each held a wand, casting jets of green light.
The Killing Curse.
Phineas didn't hesitate. He yanked a nearby Muggle in front of him just as the curse was released.
The Avada Kedavra curse was unblockable—except by physical barriers.
The Muggle collapsed in front of him, lifeless. But Phineas remained unharmed.
Other wizards followed suit, dragging corpses or stunned Muggles into their paths. Some Muggles caught on and did the same, shielding themselves however they could.
Under a hail of curses, the crowd retreated, forced back into the dungeons.
The old wizard from earlier met them at the stairwell. His face tightened when he saw their numbers had thinned.
"Why did you come back?"
Another wizard in the group answered before Phineas could. "There are more vampires above—ones that can use magic."
"What?" The old man paled.
He knew exactly what that meant. High-level vampires were a completely different threat.
Phineas nodded. "There are many of them. We stood no chance."
Mary spoke next, voice tense. "So what now?"
Phineas gestured to the darkest part of the corridor. "Since arriving here, that direction has always had the heaviest guard. Whatever the vampires are protecting—it's there."
The old wizard's eyes lit with grim understanding.
"You mean to barter? Use that secret against them?"
Phineas nodded. "Yes. And besides… I want to know. What are they guarding that demands so much blood?"