"Protego Diabolica!"

He shielded her, not himself. If it were only him, the world would have shattered before the curse reached his skin. Blue fire roared around them, searing the stone, twisting the air with heat and smoke. She screamed, her side split open, blood spraying across the floor like ink in water.

"No! Keep your focus!" Her voice tore through the chaos. "There are too many!"

The aurors pressed in, a tide of shining wands and shouted commands, but the flames rose faster, curling like living serpents, consuming everything in their path. Those foolish enough to step into the inferno evaporated instantly. Sparks bounced off the walls, igniting curtains, papers, and shards of stone. The stench of burning magic and iron choked the atrium.

He knelt beside her, clutching her torn robes, his hands slick with blood. "We need to move!" he bellowed, though his voice trembled. The gash was deep, the blood pouring like a river, already forming crimson puddles on the cold floor. He pressed his hands to her wound, muttering charms he knew would do little, she needed a healer. He shook her gently, forcing her to stay conscious.

"Not yet!" she gasped, teeth clenched, eyes wild. "He’s still inside..."

"He can handle himself!" he shouted. "I’m taking you out of here!"

Curses collided in the air around them. A jet of green light slammed into the stone wall, shattering it into jagged fragments. He ripped her to her feet, their combined magic erupting in a storm of fire and shadow. Sparks of crimson and blue lit the air as he sent curses ricocheting, blocking every path, every angle.

Flames licked their ankles, curling higher with each heartbeat. The walls shook as hexes slammed against them, some melting, some shattering. Her hand was slick in his, but she clung like part of him, guiding him through the inferno.

"Maximus Eruptio!" He roared, sending a wave of molten rock, broken glass and debris hurtling toward the aurors. The ground trembled, and the aurors slammed against the walls, their bodies crushed under the weight of his magic, like rotten fruit.

Screams echoed as the remaining aurors fell back under his onslaught, but more kept coming. Amidst the chaos, he caught sight of a pair of cold, unblinking eyes, lips murmuring. Rage flooded him. With a guttural cry, he unleashed "Ignis Gehennalis!" Crimson fire erupted from his wand, carving a path of death through the air, hunting for one-just one-if only this could end him.

"That's it!" He twisted a shard of broken stone into a portkey and slammed it into her hand. "Go! Now!"

"I'm not leaving you!" She cried

"I will push you through!" He pressed his lips to hers, heart breaking. "Go!"

With all the power he had gathered over the years, he cut through the chaos, the wards, and the flesh, sending her tumbling through the portal, away from the inferno, away from him, and away from the hell he was about to unleash.

He closed his eyes, shutting out the screams, the stench of blood, the sight of mingled bodies on the floor. "There is only pain, and those who learn to inflict it," he whispered, raising his wand for one last spell. "Duleo!"