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Chapter 449: Fierce Battle
Chapter 449: Fierce Battle
Harry regained consciousness to find himself in an office at the Ministry of Magic. The upper half of the door seemed to have been shattered by magic, leaving only the lower half hanging by its brass hinges, swaying from the wind generated by spells and the debris flying off the walls.
Clearly, Harry had been unconscious for only a short time. The Death Eaters and members of the Order of the Phoenix were still engaged in a fierce battle outside. Harry cautiously peered out and saw that the Order of the Phoenix members were protecting him. They had blocked the only exit in the corridor, preventing the frenzied Death Eaters from rushing in.
Just as the Order of the Phoenix's defenses were beginning to crumble, a cheer erupted from the Death Eaters. At the same time, Harry felt a searing pain in his forehead.
"It's Voldemort, he's here", Mad-Eye Moody said, bursting through the door and dragging Harry into the elevator, which was already waiting with the gate open. Mad-Eye punched the button marked "Main Hall" and shouted at Harry, "We can't hold him off for much longer. You need to get out of here now."
With that, Mad-Eye Moody turned and rushed back into the battle. The elevator doors closed, and Harry began to ascend, watching the chaotic corridor below. He tightened his grip on the Orb of Prophecy, knowing that only by taking this object out could he honor the efforts of everyone fighting.
"Do you really think you can escape?" Before the elevator gate had even fully opened, Harry squeezed out, but as he ran toward the Fountain of Magical Brethren, a hissing, snake-like voice spoke.
Following the sound, Harry saw a gaunt, masked face, pale and gaunt, with slit-like, blood-red eyes staring at him—Voldemort stood in the center of the hall, his wand pointed at Harry. Harry froze, unable to move, as waves of intense pain pulsed from his scar.
"Hand over the Orb of Prophecy, and I will grant you a painless death", Voldemort said softly, his crimson, cold eyes fixed on Harry. "Hurry, your resistance is futile."
"You'll never get it." As the pain in his scar reached its peak, Harry felt control return to his body. He struggled to lift his heavy, leaden right arm and slammed the Orb of Prophecy to the ground.
Voldemort's overconfidence had led him to react too late. The Orb of Prophecy shattered on the smooth marble floor, and a translucent figure with large, pearl-like eyes rose into the air. Harry could see its mouth moving, but neither he nor Voldemort could hear the faint sounds from within the Orb, which were drowned out by the fountain's flowing water.
"I have nothing more to say to you, Potter", Voldemort said, his demeanor suddenly calm. "For a long time, you have been a thorn in my side—Avada Kedavra!"
Harry tried to dodge, but his heavy body refused to respond. As the green light rushed toward him, his mind went blank.
Just as he thought he was about to die, the golden wizard statue from the fountain came to life, leaping from its base and landing between Harry and Voldemort. It spread its arms to protect Harry, and the spell grazed its chest.
"Dumbledore, it's you?" Voldemort gasped, as the elevator gate opened again and Bellatrix climbed out. "Master, Master, Dumbledore is here, and many of our people have been captured—" She fell silent when she saw Dumbledore standing before the golden gates.
Voldemort immediately raised his wand, and a green light shot toward Dumbledore. Dumbledore turned with a surprising agility for his age, sidestepping the spell with a single step and appearing behind Voldemort. He then waved his wand, bringing the statues from the fountain to life.
A statue of a Wizard successfully pinned the legless Bellatrix to the floor, rendering her repeated attacks completely ineffective. Another centaur statue pushed Harry to the back and used its body to shield him. Meanwhile, the other statues rushed en masse toward Voldemort, who was standing there.
"You've grown old, Dumbledore. You are no longer my match", Voldemort said, teleporting to the other side of the hall just as Dumbledore had done. He then cast a lethal spell at Dumbledore, but missed, instead setting a decorative banner hanging from the ceiling ablaze.
"But you should know that the Aurors have been mobilized, along with the Hit Wizards. They are on their way", Dumbledore said calmly. "Coming here today was not a wise choice."
"What can a few more people do to me?" Voldemort conjured a silver shield to block several powerful spells from Dumbledore, then transformed the ropes of fire that Dumbledore had conjured into vipers, which he sent back to attack Dumbledore.
Dumbledore waved his wand with a fluid, sweeping motion, and the snake was flung high into the air, dissipating into a wisp of smoke. At the same moment, Fawkes appeared and blocked Voldemort's surprise Killing Curse, which had been aimed at Dumbledore from behind the fountain. Fawkes burst into flames, fell to the floor, and then a chick emerged from the ashes.
All the water in the fountain rose up, encasing Voldemort as if he were trapped in amber. The water sphere hovered in the air as Voldemort struggled, and Dumbledore, with a serious expression, extended his arms as if to embrace it, maintaining the water sphere with his magic.
Inside the swirling water sphere, Voldemort's dark, rippling, indistinct form glowed faintly, showing his desperate efforts to break free from the suffocating prison.
Finally, the water splashed back into the fountain, flooding the smooth floor. Voldemort broke free and was preparing to flee.
"Master!" Bellatrix screamed.
Watching Dumbledore's back, Harry felt his scar explode with pain, a sensation unlike anything he had ever experienced before. It engulfed his entire mind.
He felt a monster take over his body, using his mouth to hiss in a snake-like voice, "Kill me now, Dumbledore—"
As Harry's consciousness faded, the pain suddenly vanished, and many voices echoed through the hall. He picked up his glasses from the floor and put them on, only to find the hall filled with people.
Fireplaces along the wall burst into flames, and a large number of Wizards emerged. Several pointed at the broken pieces of the Wizard statue that had pinned Bellatrix. "We saw it, Mr. Fudge, I swear it was the Dark Lord, and he Apparated away with a woman!"
Fudge pushed his way through the crowd, panting heavily, his robe revealing his pajamas underneath. "Good heavens—here—here—in the Ministry of Magic!—for the love of God—unbelievable—how can this be—?"
"But the facts are clear, Fudge. You've been on the wrong path for the past twelve months. I have much to discuss with you, but first, I need to take Harry back."
With that, Dumbledore walked to a fireplace and lit the fire. He then said to Harry, "This fireplace is now connected to my office. Just say 'Hogwarts,' and we'll meet in half an hour."
Harry stepped into the fireplace and shouted, "Hogwarts." The world spun around him as he left the Ministry of Magic.
(End of Chapter)
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