Chapter 753: Victory in War
Chapter 753: Victory in War
“Liam, are you okay?” Just as Liam was looking down at Voldemort’s head, a familiar Grapple Hook caught the top of the wall, and Hermione flipped over from outside, her voice filled with concern.
“I’m fine, I won.” Liam turned to Hermione, who had jumped over the Astronomy Tower’s wall, and pointed to Voldemort’s headless body. “Voldemort is over there now.”
“This—Voldemort is finally dead, and the war can finally end.” Hermione paused, her eyes widening at Voldemort’s headless corpse, but she quickly composed herself, a smile gradually spreading across her face.
“Almost.” Liam bent down, intending to lift Voldemort’s head to show everyone, as he had seen in movies. However, he realized Voldemort had neither hair nor a nose, and there was nothing to grip on that smooth, round head.
“Let me handle it!” Hermione stepped forward, pulling out her wand and tapping Voldemort’s dark red blood on the ground. As she chanted a spell, the blood seemed to come alive, extending numerous red-black tentacles. Soon, these tentacles found the two severed ends of Voldemort’s body and reattached the head.
“Who would have thought you’d choose the most un-Wizardly way to kill Voldemort?” Hermione teased as she watched the head and body rejoin. “If he were still alive, he’d definitely put you at the top of his hit list.”
“Actually, I planned to shoot him.” Liam shrugged. “But regardless, he’s a Dark Lord who has wreaked havoc on the British and European Wizarding Worlds for decades. I thought his death should have some ceremony.”
“You’re right, just like you’d choose the best tea set for top-tier black tea.” Hermione nodded, then glanced at the ground. “The body is reassembled.”
Liam looked down and saw Voldemort’s head reattached to his body, the red-black scar on his neck a clear indication of what had just happened.
“This magic is quite useful.” Liam praised Hermione, then deactivated the Anti-Magic Field on the Aerial Fortress and spread his wings to fly. Below him, Voldemort’s corpse hung by one leg, secured by magic.
Seeing this, the Death Eaters still advancing toward the castle immediately broke down. Many of them had already died, but Voldemort’s presence had kept them pressing forward. With his body revealed, they tried to flee but were quickly surrounded and disarmed by the Obsidian Puppets and Steam Robots that had turned against them.
Voldemort had always been a man who trusted no one, so these obsidian puppets were controlled by a brass lantern burning with soul fire. This gave Liam an advantage; he found the thumb-sized lantern on Voldemort’s body and easily figured out how to use it, then commanded the Obsidian Puppets to turn on the Death Eaters.
Thus, the Death Eaters besieging Hogwarts were completely defeated, especially when they realized the Dark Mark on their arms had vanished, confirming Voldemort’s permanent demise.
Meanwhile, the Death Eaters attacking Hogsmeade, led by Bellatrix, launched a desperate assault. However, they were quickly crushed by Liam’s Alchemical Automatons and Obsidian Puppets. At least sixty percent of the Death Eaters died in this final assault, and the only damage they inflicted was when Bellatrix, caught by an Obsidian Puppet, detonated the silver legs Voldemort had given her, destroying the puppet in the process.
“Did we—win?” Professor Mcgonagall asked, almost disbelieving, as the disarmed Death Eaters were tied up and gathered under the watchful eyes of the robots and puppets.
“Yes, Professor Mcgonagall, and everyone else.” Liam heard her words and amplified his voice to shout, “We really won. Voldemort will never return.”
A bone-chilling silence enveloped the entire Hogwarts Castle, as people were stunned into disbelief. Then, a deafening uproar erupted from within the castle, with shouts, cheers, and roars shaking the very foundations. The midday sunlight illuminated everything, dispelling the shadows lurking in the corners of the castle.
Soon, everyone burst out of the castle, their mouths spewing incomprehensible shouts, releasing their joy and excitement. They knew Voldemort was dead, and the decades-long nightmare had finally come to an end.
At that moment, a group of people suddenly appeared in a clearing by the lake, led by Dumbledore, who had a silver-white beard. After regaining their footing, they rushed toward the castle.
However, as they climbed the gentle slope by the lake, they slowed down, their faces filled with shock. They saw a group of Death Eaters sitting in the clearing in front of the school gates, surrounded by various puppets. The crowd was cheering, and Liam, with Voldemort's corpse hanging below him, was flying in the sky on pink wings.
Soon, the wizards who had completed the task of taking over the British Ministry of Magic also joined the celebration. House-elves emerged from the underground kitchen, following Professor Dumbledore's instructions to prepare a celebration on the lawn in front of the castle.
Seeing the house-elves bring out the fireplace, everyone crowded together in a chaotic mess. Teachers and students, ghosts and Guards, all mingled, having indeed grown hungry after the intense battle that morning. Liam noticed Professor Slughorn laughing heartily, and next to him, Professor Mcgonagall, rarely seen in such a jovial mood, was raising a cup of Honey Mead in a toast with Professor Trelawney.
Liam then descended to join Hermione, and together they carried Voldemort's corpse into the cottage next to the Great Hall. Fortunately, thanks to the effectiveness of the Protective Suit that guarded against the Killing Curse, no Guards had been sacrificed. Only a few were severely injured and might need to rest for a few days to a couple of weeks.
As he was about to leave after placing Voldemort's corpse, he saw Dumbledore leading Harry up the stairs, holding a long-necked bottle filled with memories.
"This is—?" Liam looked at the bottle in Professor Dumbledore's hand, a premonition of misfortune suddenly washing over him.
"Snape—sacrificed himself", Dumbledore said in a low voice. Liam's eyes widened in shock. He hadn't expected that, even after changing so many things, Snape would still fall on the eve of victory, just like in the original story.
"Sorry—" Liam didn't know what else to say, but Dumbledore waved his hand.
"You are the last person who needs to apologize. Today, your actions at Hogwarts and Hogsmeade were flawless. You killed the evil Voldemort and protected so many people in the war, which is a great achievement." Dumbledore paused, then continued, "And Snape's sacrifice—was likely his own choice."
He shook the crystal vial. "When I found him, his body had already been destroyed by Voldemort. But he left these memories behind. I believe we can find some crucial information from them. Would you like to come along?"
"Of course, Professor Dumbledore", Liam said, and he and Hermione followed the Headmaster up the stairs and into the Headmaster's Office. The Stone Pensieve, with its runic symbols etched around the rim, was still in its usual place in the cabinet. Dumbledore moved the stone basin to the table and poured Snape's memories into it.
"Isn't it inappropriate to view a professor's private memories?" Hermione asked, looking at the swirling contents in the basin.
"Don't worry. Professor Snape left these memories because he wanted us to see them. Otherwise, he wouldn't have let them be shared", Dumbledore explained. "Let's go and take a look."
(End of Chapter)
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