Chapter 606: A Successful Plan
Chapter 606: A Successful Plan
A loud crash echoed, and Liam felt the ground beneath his feet tremble. The Stone Golem's massive fists slammed into the farm's plowed earth, creating a pit as deep as Liam's waist.
However, Voldemort wasn't hit by this attack. As a cloud of black smoke dissipated, Voldemort reappeared atop the Giant, forcefully swinging his wand downward. The Stone Golem collapsed like a pile of soft mud, and a massive black serpent emerged from its remains.
The serpent instantly rose, hissing, and slithered toward Liam. At the same time, Voldemort, standing beside the serpent, fired a Killing Curse at Liam. Liam waved his wand, causing the earth to rise like a tidal wave, blocking the Killing Curse. The Earth Wave then crashed down on the serpent and Voldemort.
The Earth Wave slammed down like a giant stone slab, turning the serpent into a cloud of smoke. Voldemort reappeared on the ground, looking somewhat disheveled. Liam saw him raise his wand to attack again and quickly conjured a Pink Translucent Shield in front of him.
But Voldemort didn't attack. Instead, he frowned, turned his head quickly, and vanished with a snap. Voldemort's sudden disappearance left Liam, who was preparing for the next round of combat, very surprised. He wondered why Voldemort, who had been shouting about killing him, suddenly vanished. However, this didn't make him drop his guard; he held his wand tightly, scanning the area, wary of Voldemort's sudden reappearance.
The tension was unbearable, but soon he was certain that Voldemort had truly left. Professor Dumbledore, wearing a purple robe, emerged from the other side of the hedge, walking briskly.
"You're late, Headmaster", Liam said, lowering his guard once he confirmed it was indeed the Headmaster. He then took out a crystal test tube covered in golden runes and collected the black blood from Voldemort that had stuck to his sword. If not for the blood, he would have ignited the Flame of Eternity on the Blade of the Enemy to deal a severe blow to Voldemort.
"I couldn't help it; this place is too far from where we were supposed to meet. I only arrived after I saw the commotion here", Professor Dumbledore said, looking a bit embarrassed. "But your performance was truly impressive. It reminded me of the first time I met Nicolas Flamel when I was young."
"Thank you for the compliment. By the way, how are the others?" Liam asked, putting away the test tube containing Voldemort's blood. "I only saw Bill and Fleur being chased by two Death Eaters."
"Harry and the others have successfully reached The Burrow", Dumbledore said with certainty. "I received a notification from Sirius Black, but I'm not sure about the others. However, I believe you drew at least half of the Death Eaters and Voldemort himself, so the Death Eaters chasing the others should be few. I think they will be safe."
With that, Dumbledore drew his wand and began to repair the ground, which had been devastated by the battle. Liam quickly followed suit, and together they restored the land to its original state.
Once the last section of the wooden fence returned to its place, Dumbledore pulled a teacup from his pocket, placed it on a flat horizontal bar of the fence, and raised his wand, saying, "Portus." The teacup trembled, emitting a strange blue light, then gradually settled back to its original form.
"It's a bit late now, so the Portkey we prepared for you has likely already left, but I can create one with this magic", Dumbledore said, picking up the teacup and placing it in front of Liam. "Place your hand on it, Liam."
Liam extended a finger and placed it on the cup, which immediately emitted a brilliant blue light. Next, Liam felt as if an invisible hook had hooked him from behind his navel and yanked him forward. He and Dumbledore were suddenly pulled away from the farmland and into the void. Liam couldn't control his spinning, his finger firmly stuck to the Portkey. A few seconds later, his feet slammed onto solid ground. Thankfully, he managed to keep his balance, bending his knees slightly to absorb the impact before standing up straight again.
After regaining his footing, Liam looked around and realized he was in the yard of The Burrow. The sound of his arrival drew the attention of Hermione, who rushed out of the house and hugged him tightly. "Everyone else is here, but you were the last to return. I thought— I thought—"
"I'm fine", Liam patted her back and leaned in to reassure her. "I just had to take out a dozen Death Eaters and then faced the Dark Lord head-on. But Professor Dumbledore arrived, and the Dark Lord fled."
"That's amazing!" Hermione wrapped her arm around Liam's neck and looked up at him. In her eyes, he could see her relief and a deep admiration for his power.
"It wasn't as dangerous as you might think. As I mentioned before, after creating the Rose Madonna, I've reached the same level of magical power as the Dark Lord. Even if my experience isn't on par with his, I can still fight him head-on and escape unscathed", Liam comforted her. "Besides, you should have been able to sense that I was fine through our soul connection."
"I was just too worried about you to think of that", Hermione said, her expression suddenly clear. She then let go of Liam, blushing slightly, and gave him a light tap on the chest.
"Right, you mentioned everyone else has returned. Are they all okay?" Liam quickly changed the subject when he saw Hermione's embarrassment. Hermione immediately became serious and replied, "Most people are fine, thanks to your successful disguise. Many of the Death Eaters who were chasing others gave up and followed the Dark Lord's orders to surround you."
"When the Dark Lord realized you weren't Harry, he ordered them to resume chasing the others, but the delay gave everyone a chance to escape to safety", Hermione explained the events that had transpired.
"The only one who was injured is Fleur. A Death Eater cast the Cruciatus Curse at Bill just as they were about to reach the safety of the magical barrier. Bill was focused on guiding the Thestral through the barrier and couldn't defend himself. Fleur, after deflecting another curse, saw that she couldn't cast another defensive spell in time, so she stepped in and took the curse for Bill."
"She's incredibly brave", Liam sighed. In the chaos of the night, it's difficult to quickly identify the nature of an incoming curse, so Fleur's actions demonstrated both her bravery and her deep love for Bill. "And she must love Bill very much."
"Yes!" Hermione nodded. "I used to think Fleur was too flamboyant and vain, and that she didn't fit in with the British atmosphere. But now I realize I shouldn't judge someone based on appearances alone."
"How is she doing now?" Liam and Hermione walked toward The Burrow, shoulder to shoulder, as Mr. Weasley called them. While they were talking, Headmaster Dumbledore had already left after giving Mr. Weasley a few instructions. As the greatest White Wizard, he had other matters to attend to that night.
"She's much better. The Elixirs you left for the Order of the Phoenix have been very effective in treating the after-effects of the Cruciatus Curse. Also, the house will be quite lively soon because everyone is safe, and they want to celebrate."
(End of Chapter)
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