My School Life At Hogwarts Chapter 1097: A Cruel Truth - Novel Cool

Chapter 1097: A Cruel Truth

Chapter 1097: A Cruel Truth

Harry's words enraged Bella, the unhinged Death Eater, who clearly wouldn't tolerate any insults towards Voldemort. She furiously cast deadly spells towards the spot where Harry, Ron, and Hermione were hiding.

The trio quickly exchanged glances and, in unison, waved their wands to topple the surrounding shelves towards Bella, creating obstacles to buy them some time.

Their role in this battle was not to engage directly but to distract a couple of Death Eaters, providing support and creating opportunities for the other members of the Order of the Phoenix to gain the upper hand.

Perhaps it was due to the Felix Felicis they had taken beforehand, but things were going even more smoothly than anticipated. The ambush by the Order was a success, taking down several Death Eaters and quickly evening the odds. They now held a significant advantage and had successfully suppressed the Death Eaters, gaining control of the situation.

Of course, much of this was due to the luck-enhancing potion, as the legendary luck-bringing potion didn't bring them true luck but a substantial boost in combat prowess.

"We must get the prophecy orb! They must not be allowed to escape!"

Lucius Malfoy was on the verge of despair, unable to bear the consequences of failure. Only by obtaining the prophecy orb could he hope to avoid the Dark Lord's punishment.

"How dare he..." Bella screeched incoherently, "I'll slaughter that filthy muggle-loving freak..."

In the next moment, a force sent the crazed woman flying, crashing into the shelves behind her.

"She's truly insane."

"I reckon the long stay in Azkaban has addled her brains."

"Accio wand!"

Hermione ignored Harry and Ron as she attempted to summon Bella's wand.

A wizard without their wand was far less dangerous, and there was no doubt that the Stunning Spells the trio had cast on Bella would prevent her from stopping the Summoning Charm from taking her wand.

"Damn it!"

Lucius Malfoy had not expected such underhanded tactics from Potter, and by the time he reacted to stop Hermione from taking Bella's wand, it was too late. Harry and Ron also cast spells to hinder Lucius, ensuring he wouldn't succeed.

After securing the wand, Hermione immediately snapped it, and Harry, picking up the broken pieces, threw them away while continuing to taunt Lucius.

"You're finished. I'm sure He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named won't mind giving you special treatment with the Cruciatus Curse."

"I think that's unlikely. He'll probably be sent to Azkaban, and who knows, he might even escape the Dark Lord's wrath that way."

"Perhaps Malfoy should be thanking us for sending him to Azkaban."

As they goaded Lucius, they also cast spells at him, made easier by the influence of the Felix Felicis, allowing them to cast spells with fluidity.

"Give me the prophecy orb, Potter!" Lucius Malfoy's roar echoed in Harry's ears, just as Harry had predicted—he couldn't bear the thought of failure.

Failure was not an option! "I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. I've already smashed the prophecy orb."

As Harry spoke, he casually picked up the fragments of the orb from the ground and threw them in Lucius' direction, continuing to taunt him. "I reckon your dear old pal, You-Know-Who, won't be too pleased to hear that his precious prophecy orb is in pieces!"

"No... That's impossible... Accio prophecy orb! Accio!"

Malfoy frantically tried to summon the orb but to no avail. Fear and anger threatened to consume him.

"Nothing is impossible. When I learned that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named sought the prophecy orb, did you truly think I'd let him have it so easily?"

Harry glanced at the writhing prophecy orb in his hand, raised his wand, and gently tapped it, destroying it completely. His intuition told him it was best Voldemort didn't get his hands on this particular orb.

"Harry!"

Both Ron and Hermione were surprised, unable to understand why Harry would destroy the prophecy orb they had risked so much to obtain.

"Keeping it from falling into his hands is more important, and he's adept at Legilimency, so it's best I don't know its contents either."

After the orb was destroyed, a pearlescent figure slowly rose into the air. Harry immediately cast a spell to disperse it, determined to ensure neither the Death Eaters nor Voldemort learned the orb's secrets.

As for the prophecy within, his intuition told him that Dumbledore surely knew its contents, and perhaps that enigmatic Albert as well.

There was no need to take unnecessary risks.

"I was just messing with you. This is the real one."

Harry, with a mischievous smile, threw the fragments of the orb to Malfoy, then used the Reducto Curse to turn those fragments into powder.

"From the moment you started plotting against me, you should've expected this day. Maybe you should be thanking me for personally delivering you to Azkaban." Harry continued to goad Malfoy, sensing he was on the verge of losing his sanity.

A madman, though dangerous, was easier to deal with.

"How dare you..."

Malfoy glared at the shelter in front of him. Just as he was about to rush forward, kill one of them, and force Harry to hand over the prophecy orb, Harry, Hermione, and Ron suddenly emerged from their cover, taking turns attacking Malfoy.

Malfoy easily blocked Ron's Disarming Charm but was too late to dodge Hermione's Stunning Spell, causing him to stumble, and Harry's Stunning Spell finished the job, knocking him to the ground.

With the help of the Felix Felicis, the trio worked together seamlessly, easily taking down the infamous Lucius Malfoy.

Hermione immediately waved her wand, conjuring ropes to tightly bind Lucius Malfoy.

"I can't wait to see the look on Draco Malfoy's face when he finds out we sent his father to Azkaban."

Ron summoned Lucius Malfoy's wand with a cheerful expression, thoroughly eliminating any possibility of resistance from him.

"Well done, all of you!"

Sirius Black removed the Disillusionment Charm on himself and patted Harry on the shoulder, full of praise.

Relying on the tremendous boost provided by the Felix Felicis, the members of the Order of the Phoenix managed to incapacitate all the Death Eaters without sustaining any significant injuries in a short span of time.

However, the Hall of Prophecies had also been largely destroyed due to the intense battle.

"Now what?"

Tonks frowned as she looked at the stunned and tightly bound Death Eaters. "Should we hand them over to the Ministry?"

"I have a feeling Fudge can't be trusted, and he might just have the Aurors come after us instead, thinking we're the enemy. He's capable of something like that," said Ron.

"Anyway, I don't trust the Ministry. Why don't we just kill a few of them? They're all fugitives, so it wouldn't be unusual if a few of them turned up dead," Sirius suggested coldly. "Azkaban prison is unreliable, and those Dementors may betray the Ministry and switch sides to follow Voldemort at any time."

Harry also felt that Sirius made sense. The Ministry was unreliable, and even if they locked up the Death Eaters, they might still escape, especially with Voldemort's involvement. It was highly possible.

If they let these Death Eaters escape now, it would cost them even more to capture them again in the future.

"Do you think the Ministry will offer a reward if we capture these fugitives?" Ron asked coldly.

The three of them had joined forces to defeat Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange. Although there was no reward for Lucius, the bounty on Bellatrix Lestrange was not a small sum. If the Ministry offered a reward, it would undoubtedly be a substantial amount.

"I don't know. The Ministry might not be able to afford such a large reward." Kingsley glanced at the subdued Death Eaters, most of whom were on the wanted list.

"Oh, the Ministry's rewards are indeed a joke."

"Ron," Arthur said, frowning at his son.

"There is a precedent for this," Ron mumbled, no longer discussing the matter.

"I think Dumbledore will be here soon. Let's leave the decision on how to deal with these guys to him," Lupin suggested.

He actually agreed with Sirius' proposal, but he still felt that these scumbags should face a proper trial under the law.

Just as everyone was about to leave the hall and wait for Dumbledore outside, they ran into someone they least wanted to meet.

"Voldemort!" Harry exclaimed.

"A bunch of useless fools."

Voldemort scanned the captured Death Eaters and grew even angrier.

There was nothing he could do about it. His lair had just been blown up, and now he saw his servants captured. It made his already foul mood even worse.

"Avada Kedavra."

Voldemort raised his wand and, to everyone's surprise, unleashed a deadly Killing Curse at them.

He wanted to kill them all right now.

Harry Potter and the members of the Order of the Phoenix were all here, so he could take them out in one fell swoop.

The deadly green light filled everyone's eyes, and just as it was about to engulf them, Harry stepped forward and cast the spell he was most proficient in.

Expelliarmus! "Harry!"

Sirius was stunned by Harry's action, but what happened next shocked everyone even more.

The red and green spells collided in mid-air, causing the two wands to be connected by a dazzling beam of golden light.

"What...?"

Voldemort stared at the scene before him, his eyes widening as unpleasant memories from last summer flooded his mind.

Indeed, Potter had done the same thing back then, and that brat had taken the opportunity to escape.

Damn it! Having experienced this before, Voldemort forcibly broke the connection between the wands and glared at Harry Potter.

"I heard you wanted my prophecy orb."

Harry pulled out the fake prophecy orb from his pocket and pointed his wand at it, the threat implicit in his actions.

"You broke my prophecy orb?"

Voldemort fixed his scarlet, cold eyes on Harry, seeing through his lie and realizing that Harry had just destroyed the real prophecy orb to prevent him from obtaining it. The one in Harry's hand was clearly a fake.

"I hate Legilimency."

Harry muttered and threw the fake prophecy orb at Voldemort.

"Months of effort... Harry Potter, you've thwarted me again." Voldemort's cold voice dripped with murderous intent.

"Yes, I destroyed it," Harry admitted bluntly.

"But it serves you right. Why didn't you get it yourself? You had to resort to this ridiculous scheme, thinking everyone is a fool?"

"A pointless trick. Do you really think stalling for time will make Dumbledore rush here to save you?"

"I think it's a good idea. Good evening, Tom," Dumbledore said, stepping forward and raising his wand, his tone as calm as if he were greeting an old friend.

"Dumbledore!"

Voldemort sneered and spat on the ground before directing a deadly curse at Dumbledore.

"The Aurors are on their way. I think they'll be quite disappointed to have let you slip away tonight," Dumbledore said, gently waving his wand. The golden statue of a wizard atop the fountain leaped forward, intercepting the deadly attack.

"You... No, it's not you."

Voldemort narrowed his eyes, studying the figure before him. He was certain it wasn't Dumbledore.

"Undoubtedly, I've bested you once again."

Dumbledore gestured for the others to step back, giving them ample space. In a battle of this magnitude, the involvement of others would only distract him.

"You... No, it's not you, it's that damn Muggle-born."

Voldemort had already guessed who was scheming against him. Even though he had no evidence, he didn't need any, as there were very few people in the wizarding world capable of such a feat.

Dumbledore was one, and the other was that Muggle-born, Albert Anderson.

Ever since their last duel, where he failed to kill his opponent, Voldemort realized that Anderson would become a thorn in his side.

"Oh, I'm surprised to see you worried."

"Worried? Do you think I need to be worried?" Voldemort narrowed his eyes and smirked, "It should be you who's worried."

Harry clutched his scar, as unimaginable pain consumed him.

Instinctively, Harry tried to shut down his mind, and soon the pain began to subside, thanks to the enhanced Occlumency skills provided by the Felix Felicis.

Struggling to his feet, Harry faced Voldemort and said, "I know you're trying to control me, but it won't work."

Just now, Harry had indeed felt the crisis, but the effects of the Felix Felicis boosted his mental defenses, allowing him to quickly shut out Voldemort's influence.

"Your schemes are always unreliable." Dumbledore seemed quite satisfied with the outcome.

"Don't think you've won, Dumbledore."

Voldemort waved his wand, launching an attack towards Sirius and the others, attempting to rescue the captured Death Eaters.

"I dare say your servants would be touched to tears if they knew how hard you were trying to save them." Harry stood in front of Voldemort, casting a Stunning Spell towards him, trying to restrict him by the resonance of their wands. If the situation from before were to occur again, Dumbledore would surely seize the opportunity to kill him.

"Potter, your tricks won't always work." Voldemort created a fiery serpent with his Dark magic and sent it towards Harry.

"I've never been as lonely as you."

The members of the Order of the Phoenix joined forces to dispel the fiery serpent.

"If you dare to use the Killing Curse, I'll use them as human shields. Don't call me despicable, because they all deserve to die anyway." Harry levitated a Death Eater in front of him as a shield and said coldly, "Go ahead, give it a try."

"How come we're the villains here?" Ron muttered.

Hermione felt the same, but she understood why Harry was doing this. It was better to let the Death Eaters die in place of the Order members; after all, they were all despicable criminals.

Voldemort sized up Harry Potter, as if seeing his arch-nemesis in a whole new light.

"This time, you win, but you can't keep winning forever." Voldemort suddenly raised his wand, and a flash of green light shot out, blowing up the remaining half of the golden wizard statue.

A gust of wind blew by, and Voldemort vanished without a trace.

"Oh my God, you saved me, you saved me."

The Auror, who had just faced death, sat paralyzed on the ground, but no one would mock him for it.

"Dumbledore!"

Scrimgeour looked at the captured Death Eaters with a complicated expression, his eyes eventually landing on the elderly man before him.

What Dumbledore and his group had achieved was something the Ministry had failed to do.

"Oh my, what happened here?"

Cornelius Fudge pushed past the Aurors, taking in the wrecked Ministry, his eyes finally resting on Dumbledore, who stood at the front. He waved his hands at the Aurors on both sides and shouted, "Arrest him!"

However, what greeted him was an extended silence.

"Voldemort has returned." Dumbledore said calmly, "I've told you this more than once over the past year. It's time you started using your brain."

"What is going on here?" Fudge's mind was in chaos. He hadn't seen Voldemort, but judging from the reaction of the Aurors, it was undoubtedly true.

"Your good friend, Mr. Malfoy, and his group of Death Eaters tried to break into the Ministry to cause trouble." Harry stepped forward, looking straight at the flustered Fudge, a brilliant smile on his face. "Oh, and by the way, your dear deputy minister used the Cruciatus Curse on me during the interrogation. As far as I know, using any Unforgivable Curse on a human warrants a life sentence in Azkaban."

"Also, if you're unsure whether your old friend is a Death Eater, feel free to come to me for an accurate Death Eater list. Although a year has passed, I'm confident my memory is just fine."

Fudge's eyes had never been wider, his mouth agape, and his entire face flushed red.

"Let's go, Harry, I'll send you back to school."

Dumbledore picked up the arm of the statue and transfigured it into a door key.

"I thought I'd be getting an interview." Harry arched an eyebrow, but still took the key.

"If you wish, but I think you have more pressing questions that need answering." Without waiting for Fudge's reaction, Harry and Dumbledore disappeared, leaving the crowd in silence.

"I'll leave them to you." Sirius shrugged, "I'll send them back to school."

"Minister, will we get the bounty for capturing these wanted criminals?" Ron hesitated and turned to ask before leaving.

However, he was greeted with silence.

"Kingsley, you..."

Fudge was having a hard time accepting that his trusted aide was one of Dumbledore's people.

"I'm an Auror." Kingsley stated.

(End of Chapter)

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