Marvel's Hogwarts Professor

The nuclear bomb.

One of the most destructive weapons humanity has ever developed.

From the beginning, Lockhart had considered the few threats capable of challenging him—S.H.I.E.L.D., Hydra, and the military. Yet nuclear bombs stood alone among them as a weapon of absolute lethality.

Yes, Lockhart could use magic to escape a nuclear blast. But no one on either side of this conflict was foolish.

If Lockhart wanted to eliminate key adversaries, he'd plan with precision, ensuring a swift and total eradication, with contingencies to counter any possible counterattacks, defenses, or escapes.

He knew his enemies would apply the same rigorous strategies when attempting to kill him.

As Lockhart had just detected, the space around him was filled with turbulent energy, likely to block any spatial escape. The bomb now descending on him was high-yield, with an enormous blast radius. Every inch of space around him was locked tight.

In his past, he might have been in serious trouble.

But now…

Lockhart's gaze sharpened, darting between the high-altitude bomb and the restrained Hydra soldiers, including Baron Strucker's robot double, nearby.

With his eyes fixed on the bomb as it inched closer, Lockhart raised his wand and traced an elegant curve in the air. His mind focused, energy pulsing through him at a rapid, high frequency as he wove his magic into a new state.

The wind stilled, the grass around him paused mid-sway, and even the dust particles seemed suspended in the air as if time had slowed to a standstill.

The bomb, still a black speck against the sky, advanced.

Lockhart's brown eyes turned to luminous gold, their pulse echoing the rhythm of a heartbeat.

As he looked around, the world dissolved into hazy colors—sand and wild grass becoming dark yellows, greens, and blues. The Hydra agents, however, emanated complex auras, hues of purple, red, yellow, and black mingling in barely human shapes.

Gradually, as his golden gaze pulsed faster, his magic and mental energy drained. The colors faded, transforming into intricate webs of colored lines crisscrossing his field of vision.

He was surrounded by an endless array of threads, each strand embodying fundamental elements: space, time, energy, movement.

An uncontrollable flood of understanding poured into Lockhart's mind. Though he felt his soul straining, he held himself steady, his focus narrowing as he sought one target—the nuclear bomb.

Lines vanished until a single light gray thread remained before him.

Lockhart honed in on the thread. As he poured his focus into it, additional lines began to unfurl—red, yellow, gray…

He recognized these threads as the components of the bomb.

Carefully, he reached for the yellow thread symbolizing matter, subtly vibrating it until it began to shift and fuse, altering to red—symbolizing energy.

And with that, he snapped out of his trance, pulling himself back to the present.

The threads dissolved into mist, and then reality took shape once more.

The breeze resumed its whispering dance, the Hydra soldiers fidgeted against their bonds, and Strucker's mechanical double seemed to be mouthing something.

The nuclear bomb was gone, vanished without sound—as though snuffed out of existence.

Lockhart's gaze lifted, piercing the atmosphere as he looked beyond to the satellites in orbit, those unseen eyes monitoring him.

He muttered something under his breath, and a faint magical tremor spread from him.

Pierce's Residence, New York, USA

"Warning. Signal lost. Attempting to reestablish…"

"..."

"Tactical nuclear device D621 has gone offline. No spatial anomalies detected, no magical energy trace. Null detection."

Pierce's eyes widened at the flashing red alert on his monitor.

He'd accounted for the possibility of Lockhart neutralizing the bomb. All known capabilities had been factored in, and the weapon had been modified specifically with his powers in mind. Space disruptions, magical dampeners—everything had been calculated, even scenarios where Lockhart might preemptively detonate it.

In such cases, the bomb would recalibrate and release mini-tactical charges instead.

In Dr. Zola's projections, the nuke didn't even need to reach Lockhart; a close detonation would suffice. Afterward, Hydra's soldiers would sweep in, seizing Lockhart's belongings, his bookstore, and his home.

But now…

The bomb's disappearance had shattered that plan. Until they could determine what happened, they couldn't risk further resources.

Pierce's gaze turned back to the surveillance feed. There, Lockhart stood in sharp clarity, his intense stare seeming to bore straight through the screen, as if he sensed Pierce watching.

A moment later, Pierce dismissed the thought as paranoid.

Then Lockhart's mouth moved, as though he were speaking. A moment later, the artificial intelligence converted his words through lip reading:

"Next, it's your turn."

The screen crackled with static before shattering entirely. With a final burst, black smoke rose from the monitor, and the room fell silent.

Pierce's face contorted in shock, a sense of foreboding settling over him.

Just then, his phone began to buzz with urgent notifications. Each line of red text compounded his growing horror.

"Pierce, we've received reports from all bases. Surveillance feeds monitoring Professor Lockhart have simultaneously malfunctioned in explosive events. Analysis shows a high probability of exposure for all locations. Immediate evacuation recommended."

Pierce's grip tightened as he listened to Dr. Zola's mechanical voice relaying the information.

Impossible. No matter how extraordinary magic was, it should still adhere to basic laws of energy.

"We're moving to Safe House No. 649!" he barked. "Initiate evacuation protocols for all primary bases."

He hesitated before adding in a colder tone, "Level A personnel and above are cleared for evacuation. Everyone else stays."

Sokovia, Hydra Base Ruins

Lockhart stood among the fallen Hydra forces, a wry smile touching his lips as he watched Baron Strucker's robotic double. The bot's expression bore a proud sneer, its mouth moving as if it were issuing a taunt.

Curiosity flaring, Lockhart waved his hand, lifting the silence spell.

"Wizard Professor Gilderoy Lockhart, I may have lost this battle, but mark my words, I will haunt you. Your abilities, your knowledge, even your very life will one day belong to me."

The empty threat lingered in the air. Lockhart's eyes flickered with pale golden light as he leaned forward, speaking in a low, chilling tone.

"In that case, why don't we meet in person and discuss it."

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