https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-1128-When-the-Aurors-Use-Dark-Magic/12527988/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-1130-That-s-Right-It-s-Blackmail/12527990/
Chapter 1129: We Are Unlike You
Chapter 1129: We Are Unlike You
"Tom, crashing someone else's wedding is not a pleasant thing to do."
Dumbledore drew his wand and looked at Voldemort, who was standing fifty feet away, with a faint smile on his face, as if he were greeting an old friend instead of a mortal enemy.
From Voldemort's reaction, Dumbledore could confirm that his presence here was most likely to intercept him. Interestingly, he was also here for the same reason—to stop Voldemort from disrupting Albert's wedding. Their intentions were surprisingly aligned.
The reason behind this was not difficult to guess.
Whether it was the Ministry of Magic, the Death Eaters, Dumbledore himself, or Voldemort standing before him, they were all acting according to someone else's plan.
When Voldemort and the Death Eaters planned to crash Albert's wedding, it was expected that they wouldn't leave without causing some trouble.
So, Albert, with the help of the Ministry of Magic, intended to teach the Death Eaters a lesson. Naturally, the Death Eaters anticipated the possibility of a trap and decided to turn the tables, also coming prepared.
Dumbledore wasn't angry.
Neither he nor the Ministry had lost anything from this situation.
Albert had managed to create a win-win situation.
Before coming here, Scrimgeour had informed him that the Ministry of Magic would be ambushing the Death Eaters during Anderson's wedding, hoping that Dumbledore would be able to detain the mysterious person who might appear at a critical moment.
As long as the plan succeeded, the Ministry would gain significant prestige, and the relationship between Dumbledore and the Ministry would improve. More importantly, Voldemort's forces would suffer a devastating blow, and the magical world could look forward to a period of peace and stability.
"Spare me your pretenses; it's truly nauseating."
Voldemort spat disdainfully and fired a deadly curse at Dumbledore, a sinister green light illuminating the surroundings as if to engulf him entirely.
Dumbledore effortlessly dodged Voldemort's lethal attack and retaliated with a casual flick of his wand, sending a deadly spell back at Voldemort.
It wasn't just Killing Curses and Dark Magic that could take a life.
Just as the golden spell was about to hit Voldemort, he summoned a silver shield from thin air, deflecting the spine-chilling, deadly curse.
This was not the first time the two had dueled.
Long ago, they had both attempted to eliminate each other, but neither had succeeded.
Even though Dumbledore usually held the upper hand, Voldemort was not one to be underestimated. A moment of carelessness or complacency during their duels could cost either of them their lives.
If given the choice, Voldemort would not hesitate to trade his life for Dumbledore's. Even if they both perished, it would ultimately be Dumbledore's loss.
As long as Voldemort possessed Horcruxes, he could continue to resurrect himself. Undoubtedly, his Death Eaters would be more than willing to help him regain a physical form in a world without Dumbledore.
Voldemort's increasing ferocity in his attacks caused Dumbledore to heighten his vigilance.
As the stones in front of him were pierced by curses, Dumbledore took the opportunity to transfigure the surrounding ground into a swamp, creating a terrain advantageous to him.
Voldemort immediately disapparated, avoiding being trapped by Dumbledore's magic.
This move was exactly what Dumbledore had anticipated.
Due to the swampy environment, when Voldemort reappeared, he stepped directly into the marsh, stumbling momentarily. The mud that clung to his ankles pulled him deeper into the swamp, interrupting his spellcasting momentarily as he was forced to bring up his silver shield to block Dumbledore's incoming curses.
Dumbledore seized the opportunity and pointed his wand at the swampy ground, sending a powerful electric current surging into the marsh. In an instant, the current traveled through the muddy, wet swamp, reaching Voldemort and causing his body to go numb momentarily, with thick smoke rising from his black robe.
A large amount of mud surged from beneath the swamp, responding to Dumbledore's wand movements. In the blink of an eye, it climbed and enveloped Voldemort, seeking to imprison him.
Dumbledore had considered directly using a curse to kill Voldemort, but the likelihood of that silver shield blocking the attack was high.
Capturing Voldemort alive, on the other hand, presented an intriguing alternative. They could attempt to eliminate him through the stone archway in the Department of Mysteries' Death Chamber.
Although it was Albert's suggestion, Dumbledore had contemplated this method of disposing of Voldemort long ago.
Once someone passed through that stone archway, they would be transported to the realm of the dead.
Even with his Horcruxes, it didn't mean that Voldemort's main soul, though difficult to destroy, couldn't be killed.
The only problem was how to bind Voldemort and throw him through the archway, which seemed like an impossible task, even for Dumbledore.
He understood that Albert had brought up this idea mainly to give Scrimgeour hope and prevent him from despairing. Hope was crucial.
With a loud bang, the chains binding Voldemort shattered, and as he freed himself from the restraints, he quickly summoned the silver shield again to block Dumbledore's incoming curses.
His wand didn't forget to slide across the ground, and the mud that had been about to entangle his ankles once more transformed into a snake, slithering away from Voldemort's feet and into the swamp. The instant it sank into the marsh, it expanded into an enormous serpent and lunged at Dumbledore, buying Voldemort precious time.
When the giant serpent was effortlessly torn apart by Dumbledore's spell, Voldemort transfigured the surrounding grass into snakes, which rushed at Dumbledore amid hisses, driven by Voldemort's will.
At the same time, Voldemort raised his wand almost simultaneously, preparing to deliver a decisive blow.
Whether Dumbledore chose to clear the venomous snakes around him, endure their attacks, or disapparate to dodge them, evading Voldemort's subsequent attack wouldn't be easy.
In the end, Dumbledore chose to disapparate, avoiding Voldemort's imminent assault. When he reappeared, he was grasping Fawkes' claws, floating in mid-air.
Voldemort hadn't anticipated Dumbledore's appearance in the sky, and his reaction was half a beat too slow. By the time his wand traced an arc and pointed towards the figure in the sky, the optimal moment had passed.
A loud bang, like an explosion, accompanied a terrifying red light that shot straight at Dumbledore in the sky.
Fawkes, as if expecting this, nimbly dodged Voldemort's deadly strike and carried Dumbledore downward.
Dumbledore waved his wand, spewing flames that transformed the ground into a blazing inferno, incinerating all the venomous snakes without a trace.
As Voldemort turned his wand towards his target once more, Dumbledore and the phoenix vanished, becoming a whirlwind of gold and red.
As the deadly green light missed its mark once more, Voldemort instinctively redirected his wand.
When Dumbledore reappeared, he found himself facing an incoming spell. He effortlessly deflected it with a wave of his wand, and the two wizards once again engaged in a contest of magical strength.
With a casual flick of his free hand, Dumbledore sent the raging flames surging towards Voldemort.
In the next moment, Voldemort opened his mouth and spat out a jet of dark magic, corrupting the surrounding flames. They transformed into countless monsters, surging and devouring the fire, turning it into a more terrifying inferno.
Voldemort laughed triumphantly as he directed the hellish flames towards Dumbledore. Just as the black fire was about to engulf him, Dumbledore's free arm swung out, causing some of the flames to recoil and engulf Voldemort instead.
"Damn it!"
The laughter died on Voldemort's lips as he frantically extinguished the hellish fire on his body. Otherwise, even he might have been burned to death by the devilish flames.
Taking advantage of Voldemort's distraction, Dumbledore waved his hand, dispelling the infernal flames that threatened him.
"It looks like you're finished!" Voldemort exclaimed, waving his wand to direct the hellish flames back towards Dumbledore.
"It's getting out of control!" Dumbledore suddenly said.
"Do you think I care about that?" Voldemort countered, launching another attack. "Or are you afraid?"
Once again, they clashed in a contest of magical strength, but Voldemort found his power being suppressed by Dumbledore's. He couldn't understand how the centenarian wizard still possessed such formidable magic.
Most wizards, in their old age, would experience a significant decline in their magical abilities, even if they didn't completely fade away. They certainly shouldn't be stronger than him, yet here he was, losing the battle of wills.
None of that mattered, though, because Dumbledore was about to meet his end.
"It's surprising that you'd want to drag me down with you," Dumbledore remarked, eyeing Voldemort up and down.
"Only you will die here!" Voldemort sneered.
"No, I won't," Dumbledore countered with a smile. "You forget, I have an ally. This has never been a fair contest."
"An ally..."
Suddenly, the hellish flames extinguished, and Voldemort had a bad feeling. He could almost smell death in the air.
With a thunderous boom, the silver shield vibrated as if struck by a heavy hammer, emitting a deep, resonating hum.
Voldemort hastily waved his wand, causing the shield to block Dumbledore's spell before disappearing once more.
When Voldemort reappeared, he was near Albert, and he immediately fired off an Avada Kedavra curse.
The Killing Curse blasted a magically-conjured iron shield to pieces, but Albert was already gone. He appeared at Voldemort's side, brandishing his wand like a knight, and the ground split open, spreading towards Voldemort like a swinging sword, poised to cleave him in two.
Voldemort easily dodged, but he was immediately covered by a wide-area explosion spell, the blasts echoing all around him.
"You..." Voldemort began, but he had to duck and weave as another Avada Kedavra came his way.
Albert waved his wand, sending more Killing Curses at Voldemort, who had probably never imagined anyone using the Unforgivable Curse so liberally. He was forced to rely on his silver shield to block the onslaught, and the force of the explosions blew him away.
Voldemort disappeared again, not bothering to counter the blast. As he reappeared, another Avada Kedavra came flying at him, and he had to use Disapparate again to avoid being hit.
Before Voldemort could even lift his wand, Dumbledore's spell was already on its way, forcing him to vanish once more.
If he hadn't been so skilled, an ordinary person might have been killed before they could Disapparate.
Albert waved his wand, and in mid-air, the spell detonated, scattering countless glowing orbs over a wide area. This was an alternative use of the Impediment Jinx, capable of slowing down anyone within its range.
Most ordinary magic, when creatively applied, could be used in a variety of ways.
When Voldemort reappeared, he sensed something amiss with the glowing orbs and had to Disapparate again. But Dumbledore's spell was right on target, leaving Voldemort no choice but to collide the spells. While it was possible to deflect ordinary spells, it was much harder to do so with dangerous hexes.
The two wands connected once more through the magic, and Albert showed no intention of letting Voldemort catch his breath. Another Avada Kedavra flew towards him.
Voldemort was forced to Disapparate again, and this time, it was Albert's turn to engage him in a contest of magical strength.
To his anger, he found himself being suppressed by the Muggle-born wizard, whose power exceeded his own.
"To be honest, I'm angry," Albert warned in a cold tone. "If you dare to disrupt my wedding again, I'll go after your servants. Don't think you can always protect them. I'm not Dumbledore; I have no qualms about collecting Death Eater bounties. Don't test me."
"We are alike," Voldemort interjected.
"I have my loved one, but you don't. I have a fortune in galleons, but you don't. I have many friends, while you have only a bunch of servants. I am handsome and well-liked, and you've turned yourself into a noseless, hated monster," Albert mocked. "How dare you say we're alike?"
Voldemort's face twisted with rage as Albert's scathing words hit home, and his scarlet eyes fixed on Albert, as if trying to kill him with his gaze.
"Albert is right," Dumbledore chimed in. "You could have had a brighter future, but you took the wrong path and ended up like this."
Dumbledore didn't take the opportunity to attack; instead, he paused to speak with Voldemort because he knew it was futile to try and capture him.
"Albert Anderson, don't assume Dumbledore will always be there to save you. You will be alone sometimes, and you will never be a match for Voldemort," Voldemort said as he Disapparated. He knew he couldn't kill the Muggle-born, and the pressure from Albert and Dumbledore was getting to him.
(End of Chapter)
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