Chapter 574: This Serpent is Quite Something, Bring it to Me!
Chapter 574: This Serpent is Quite Something, Bring it to Me!
The sudden appearance of a thick fog caused Voldemort and his Death Eaters to lose sight of their target.
Facing the mist that enveloped almost the entire mountaintop, Voldemort was momentarily stunned. He couldn't locate Kyle, and casting spells indiscriminately might endanger his followers.
Of course, Voldemort wasn't concerned about their welfare, but as he had just resurrected, he had many things to do. He couldn't afford to waste time on trivial matters.
So, for now, the Death Eaters were still of use to him. Dying here would be a waste, for their inaction over the past few years already warranted their deaths tenfold.
Voldemort raised his wand, attempting to dispel the fog, but to little avail.
While the howling gale thinned the mist, it would take more time for it to dissipate entirely.
During this interval, Voldemort felt he ought to do something to prevent this opportunity from slipping away.
"Nagini!" he said coldly.
A serpent, at least twelve feet long, appeared at Voldemort's feet, moving swiftly as if unaffected by the fog.
"Go and find that boy," Voldemort said, his scarlet eyes flashing in the mist. "You can scent him. Hurry, don't let him escape!"
The serpent immediately slithered away in one direction.
Voldemort continued casting his spell.
The wind on the mountaintop grew more violent, howling through the trees. The Death Eaters stumbled and clung to whatever they could to avoid being blown away.
Gradually, the mist began to clear.
Voldemort turned his head immediately to look in the direction Nagini had gone.
He saw Kyle, but contrary to his expectations, the boy didn't display any signs of fear. Instead, he was smiling as he helped Harry up from the ground.
A Sniffle was trying to tuck Harry's glasses into the pocket on his belly.
And Nagini, the massive serpent, lay motionless on the ground.
All of this was due to a person who shouldn't have been there, someone Voldemort could never forget—Albus Dumbledore.
He stood there, his eyes calm and unperturbed.
Voldemort raised his wand, and a jet of green light shot toward Dumbledore.
With Kyle and Harry right behind him, Dumbledore didn't dodge. Instead, he sent a streak of orange light back.
The two spells collided in midair, erupting with a violent boom.
Dumbledore waved his wand, and the surrounding trees sprang to life. They uprooted themselves and brandished their thick branches like weapons, aiming at the surrounding Death Eaters.
The Death Eaters screamed and cast spells, but these curses, capable of shattering stone and ground, merely grazed the tree trunks, having no effect.
Instead, one of the Death Eaters, slow to escape, had his leg impaled by a branch, causing him to howl in pain.
Suddenly, the ground beneath Kyle transformed into a steep slope, and he and Harry slid away from the battlefield as if on a slide.
A second before sliding out of view, Kyle, quick as lightning, grabbed Nagini's tail, dragging the serpent down with them.
"No, stop!"
Kyle clearly heard Voldemort's sharp roar, but he didn't care. He held on tightly to the serpent's tail.
With Dumbledore there, even if he took the serpent right in front of Voldemort, what could he do?
As expected, Voldemort, who had been about to give chase, was forced to retreat by a barrage of powerful spells.
"Get out of my way, Dumbledore!"
"You know that's impossible, Tom," Dumbledore said calmly. "Your resurrection ends here!"
"So, you want my life?
There were too many rocks along the way, and Harry ached all over, not knowing where to place his hands to ease the pain. He could only lie on the ground and groan.
Kyle, on the other hand, had climbed onto Nagini earlier and had a thick "cushion" to soften his fall, so he was unscathed.
He got up, opened the box, and grabbed the serpent's tail, attempting to stuff it inside.
Just as he was halfway through, a hand suddenly touched his arm.
Caught off guard, Kyle turned his head and saw that it was Harry.
"What are you doing?" Harry asked.
"Is that you, Kyle? Sorry..." Harry reached out, fumbling. "I can't see very well. Did you happen to find my glasses nearby?"
Kyle glanced at Sniffle on his shoulder, and the little creature immediately covered its pocket.
"No," Kyle shook his head calmly. "I think they must have fallen along the way."
If not for Sniffle, Kyle wouldn't have been able to locate Harry in the mist, and Dumbledore wouldn't have been able to save both of them at once.
So, in a way, Sniffle had saved Harry's life, and it was only fair to take his glasses as a reward.
Moreover, there were some things that weren't suitable for Harry to see, and his current state of blindness was quite convenient.
Kyle quickened his pace in stuffing the serpent into the box.
Harry squinted, able to make out only a vague figure holding what appeared to be a piece of wood; everything else was a blur.
"What are you doing?"
"Oh, nothing, just moving some stuff," Kyle replied casually.
After successfully cramming Nagini into the box, he closed it and stood up.
They were now near the village at the foot of the mountain and couldn't see what was happening above. They could only catch glimpses of lights of various colors flashing in the sky.
"I think I heard Professor Dumbledore's voice just now," Harry said as he struggled to his feet, finally regaining his senses.
"Kyle, you must tell Professor Dumbledore quickly. Voldemort... He has resurrected. Someone used a hand, a bone... and my blood, put them in a pot to boil, and Voldemort was in there too... We must inform Professor Dumbledore at once."
Harry spoke with urgency, his worry evident.
Kyle blinked. The process Harry described sounded vaguely familiar... Oh right, that's how Hagrid cooked his stew—throwing various claws and meat bones into the pot, and finally adding the main dish.
Could it be that Voldemort learned this method from Hagrid? Kyle shook his head, trying to dispel the absurd thought and the mental image it evoked.
"I'm not joking," Harry continued, his voice tight with worry as he noticed Kyle's silence. "Voldemort has truly resurrected. We must inform Professor Dumbledore immediately..."
"Relax, Harry, of course, I believe you," Kyle said. "Remember? I saw him too, and Professor Dumbledore already knows.
"In fact, he's up there fighting Voldemort right now, and he's the one who sent us down here."
"So that really was Professor Dumbledore?" Harry asked, his voice laced with relief.
"Of course," Kyle replied. "Otherwise, how could we be chatting here?"
"That's good... that's good..." Harry breathed a sigh of relief, his legs giving out, and he sat back down on the ground.
(End of Chapter)
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