Chapter 1548: The Cruel Truth
Chapter 1548: The Cruel Truth
As the verdant light faded from his eyes, people finally realized in horror that Harry Potter, who had just been engulfed by the green light, had silently fallen to the ground.
He...was dead! The confident Harry Potter was gone just like that!
"No!"
A heart-wrenching scream suddenly pierced the night as Sirius Black struggled to accept what had just transpired. He rushed forward and cradled his godson, who now lay motionless on the ground.
He couldn't comprehend how things had turned out this way.
Why had Harry chosen to duel Voldemort and face certain death?
Sirius' scream acted like a bomb dropped into a lake, jolting everyone out of their stupor caused by the sudden turn of events.
"No, Harry!"
"No!"
"Harry!"
Ron, Hermione, and Hagrid's cries were even more anguished. Even Hermione, who had known the outcome, couldn't bear the cruel reality of Harry dying before her eyes.
"Let's fight them! Let's avenge Harry!"
Despite Harry's death, the other survivors weren't cowed. Instead, they were inflamed with fury and prepared to fight Voldemort and his followers to the death.
It wasn't that they had lost their rationality due to Harry's death, but they had noticed that after Voldemort had used the Killing Curse on Harry, he seemed to be severely affected as well. He appeared unsteady and on the verge of collapse.
To all the rebels, this was undoubtedly the best opportunity to kill Voldemort.
They couldn't let Harry's sacrifice and the chance he had created go to waste.
"Master!"
Axe quickly signaled the other Death Eaters to engage, preventing the enraged group from taking advantage of the situation to ambush Voldemort. Axe himself hurried to support Voldemort but was waved away as Voldemort would not allow any display of weakness.
"Silence!" Voldemort shouted.
A loud bang echoed, followed by a flash of bright light, and the agitated crowd fell silent under Voldemort's intimidation.
"You all saw it. Harry Potter is dead, crushed like an insect before your very eyes."
Voldemort forcibly suppressed the strange feeling within him and the doubts in his mind. He strode back and forth in front of the Death Eaters, proclaiming his victory and Harry Potter's demise.
"Now do you understand?" Voldemort swept his eyes contemptuously over Harry Potter's body and sneered, "Harry Potter was nothing but a boy who relied on others to sacrifice themselves for him. The so-called savior, the boy who lived, was a joke from start to finish, and you are all just pathetic fools blinded by Dumbledore."
"Oh, is that so?"
A voice suddenly interrupted Voldemort, causing everyone to turn in surprise and look at the person who had stepped out from the crowd.
"Albert!"
The words that people were about to say were swallowed as Albert gestured for them to remain silent. They watched as Albert walked through the crowd to the front and calmly faced Voldemort.
Albert didn't glance at Harry Potter's body but looked at Voldemort with the calm gaze one would give to a dead person. He repeated softly, "Is that really so?"
There seemed to be an indescribable power in those words, which forcefully suppressed Voldemort's aura.
"Harry Potter is dead," Voldemort said arrogantly.
"I know," Albert acknowledged.
"Now it's your turn to die."
Voldemort tightened his grip on the Elder Wand, his pale face contorting with malevolence.
Undeniably, Voldemort wasn't in the best state at the moment, but he was confident that he could kill the Mudblood before him with the power of the Elder Wand.
Instead of responding to Voldemort, Albert asked, "Why do you think it was you who killed Harry Potter?"
"There's no point in arguing. Harry Potter is dead, right before your eyes, and everyone saw it. It was Voldemort who mercifully granted him death." Voldemort raised his chin and looked at Albert with disdain.
Usually, Voldemort wouldn't bother engaging in such a conversation with Albert, but today he didn't mind prolonging the exchange to give himself time to recover from his weakened state.
"That's just your assumption," Albert shook his head, "but you're wrong."
"Oh, do you think Harry Potter isn't dead?" Voldemort narrowed his eyes dangerously, considering whether to turn Harry Potter into ashes.
"Harry Potter chose to embrace death, just like Dumbledore did," Albert waved his hand, signaling for Sirius to retreat with Harry's body.
"What do you mean?"
Voldemort had a bad feeling about this. He knew that Albert Anderson hadn't acted directly but was talking to him for a reason, and he was certain there was an ulterior motive or a secret agenda.
"Harry wanted to give me the chance to kill you and turn you back into an ordinary mortal, so he chose to embrace death willingly, allowing you to kill him and sever the strong connection between the two of you." Albert revealed, leaving Voldemort utterly astonished.
This explanation was meant for everyone present, and though Albert wasn't sure if Harry could be resurrected, he didn't want people to think that Harry had been killed because he had overestimated his abilities and challenged Voldemort.
"He... Harry Potter is your last Horcrux." Albert said with a pleasant smile, "And without any Horcruxes, you are now just a mortal who can be killed."
"Harry Potter is my last Horcrux?" Voldemort mumbled to himself.
He didn't want to believe it, but the terrible premonition exploded in his head.
"The Ravenclaw Diadem hidden in the Room of Requirement was destroyed a long time ago. It should have been the first Horcrux destroyed by Dumbledore, and by the way, it was me who found the Diadem and gave it to Dumbledore." Albert looked at Voldemort with pity, "So, it was me who caused the collapse of the pile of trash, intending to make you waste time in the rubble and give me the opportunity to eliminate your helpers."
"Enough! Avada Kedavra!"
Voldemort had had enough of this impudent man and raised his wand, sending a deadly curse toward Albert.
"What makes you think you are my opponent?"
Albert raised his wand and fired a lethal curse of his own, directly hitting Voldemort's Killing Curse. The two spells collided and began to push against each other.
However, to everyone's surprise, Voldemort was completely overwhelmed in the contest of magical power, and he could only watch as the golden curse slowly pushed the green curse back toward him.
"This is impossible!"
(End of Chapter)
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