Chapter 927: Confrontation, Voldemort's Scream
Chapter 927: Confrontation, Voldemort's Scream
Harry, Ron, and Hermione had never imagined they could run this fast; Harry even felt like he could catch the Golden Snitch with his own two legs.
Driven by fear, they pushed their limits, rolling and crawling through twists and turns in the shortest time possible, and the exit was now within sight.
But at that moment, Harry suddenly thought of another problem.
Voldemort was currently chasing them, and if they left now, wouldn't they be leading Voldemort straight to Hogwarts?
Damn it!
Harry's face turned pale at this realization, but he couldn't stop running. In the blink of an eye, the trio reached the entrance below.
A scorching wind blew in from outside, snapping Harry back to his senses.
"Listen to me..." He stopped Ron and said anxiously, "We can't leave; we'll be leading Voldemort straight to Hogwarts!"
In an instant, Ron's face also turned pale.
Guiding Voldemort?
Just this thought alone was enough for Mrs. Weasley to kill Ron ten times over.
"Now isn't the time for that!" Hermione, slightly calmer than the others, grabbed Ron and pushed him upwards while saying quickly, "The moment Voldemort discovered us, this secret passage to Hogwarts was exposed... And even without this passage, wouldn't Voldemort still go to Hogwarts?"
"Hurry, he's almost here!"
At Hermione's urging, Ron gritted his teeth and crawled out of the cave entrance, with Hermione closely following.
As someone intruded upon its territory, a thick willow branch suddenly lashed out. Harry, who had just crawled out of the entrance, couldn't dodge in time and was whipped away by the branch.
Fortunately, as a Seeker, Harry's reflexes were quick enough, and he managed to grab the branch, preventing himself from being thrown away.
"Harry!"
Ron shouted anxiously, about to press his scar, which was next to him and the key to controlling the Whomping Willow. One touch, and it would stop.
However, his hand was stopped.
"Hermione, you..."
"Wait, Harry's not in danger right now. Just a little longer!" Hermione breathed heavily, her eyes fixed intently on the direction of the cave entrance.
Ron didn't ask any further but stepped forward to try and free Harry from the branch.
But the branch was too strong, and after several attempts, they still couldn't succeed. Finally, Harry seized the opportunity and let go of the branch when it was close to the ground.
Harry flew out and collided with Ron, and they both tumbled onto the empty ground next to them.
"Hermione!" Harry shouted as he got up, "Come quickly, he's coming out!"
Ron also yelled from the side, "Hurry up, Hermione, what are you still doing there!"
But despite their urging, Hermione seemed not to hear them, giving no response and not even turning her head.
She bit her lip tightly, her eyes fixed on the passage without blinking.
"Thump, thump..."
Footsteps seemed to echo from the passage, growing closer and closer.
Hermione held her breath, her entire body tense to the extreme, like a tightly drawn bowstring.
The footsteps grew nearer.
She could now see the two long, thin, scarlet irises in the pitch-black passage.
Hermione quickly extended her wand.
"Reductor Curse!"
It seemed a bit late, as by the time Hermione finished the spell, Voldemort had already stepped out of the passage, and the blasting curse was completely ineffective at this point.
The curse hit the tree trunk, creating a large crater.
This action thoroughly enraged the Whomping Willow.
Almost all the branches started moving, including the thicker main branches, like dozens or even hundreds of raging beasts, wanting to smash the wizard who had harmed it into pieces.
Prepared, Hermione followed Harry's example and hugged one of the branches, dodging the first wave of attacks.
But Voldemort and Snape weren't so lucky.
Having just emerged from the secret passage, they hadn't even had time to catch their breath when they saw the branches and trunk of the willow wildly swinging towards them.
Snape was immediately knocked away.
A branch as thick as a water bucket slammed into his body, and Snape felt as if a giant had punched him with all his might. He flew uncontrollably and then slammed hard into the ground.
Accompanied by a teeth-grinding cracking sound, Snape's legs twisted to the sides in an unnatural position, clearly broken.
The excruciating pain made Snape's face turn deathly pale.
He couldn't understand how he had suddenly been knocked away while walking.
"Did it work?"
Seeing Snape's miserable state, a hint of joy flashed in Hermione's eyes.
Everything was as she had expected. Even a professor would be injured when facing the Whomping Willow's sudden attack.
Snape was already injured, and Voldemort probably wouldn't fare any better...
With excitement, Hermione looked towards the secret passage entrance, but her mood immediately plummeted.
Voldemort still stood there, unharmed. The swinging branches seemed to ignore him, hitting everything else.
Voldemort strolled leisurely to the open space in front, looking at Hermione with an appreciative gaze. With a slight movement of the Elder Wand in his hand, Hermione was pulled uncontrollably towards him.
"Quite a clever plan, taking me by surprise, and you're also very brave."
He glanced up and down at Hermione and said coldly, "It's a pity you're a Mudblood. As a reward, I'll kill you with my own hands... You should feel honored to die at the hands of the great Dark Lord!"
Now that she was closer, Hermione noticed a layer of magical traces around Voldemort, and it was this magic that prevented the Whomping Willow from detecting him.
As for the specifics of this magic, Hermione didn't know.
She saw Voldemort raise his wand and tried to struggle against the binding, but it was useless. She was now like a person frozen by the Petrification Curse, unable to move even a finger.
But just as she prepared to meet her end, Voldemort paused.
His eyes struggled, as if remembering another Mudblood witch.
...Lily Evans.
As an extremist pure-blood wizard, Voldemort despised Mudbloods the most. He even considered their dirty wizard blood unworthy of dying under his magic.
But over a decade ago, he had been defeated by a Mudblood, Lily Evans, who had deflected the Killing Curse with an unknown protective spell. As a result, he had wandered like the most pathetic ghost in the sewers for over a decade.
Now, he encountered another Mudblood witch, one who was also troublesome and connected to Harry Potter.
Was it a coincidence?
Voldemort was well aware that not all Mudblood witches were like Lily Evans; she was an exception.
But subconsciously, he thought of the other witch, and the Killing Curse from the Elder Wand was delayed.
This gave others an opportunity!
"Expelliarmus!"
"Stupefy!"
Two furious shouts echoed, one after the other.
"Let go of Hermione!" Harry clenched his wand, glaring at Voldemort, while Ron's face turned crimson.
Voldemort effortlessly deflected the incoming spells with his wand, but he lost control over Hermione.
Seizing the chance, Hermione broke free from the claws of the spell and ran to Harry and Ron's side.
Voldemort was unbothered... or perhaps this was his intention all along.
There were countless ways to kill Hermione, but as a mere Mudblood, she didn't deserve to be killed by the Elder Wand. His precious wand hadn't even had dinner yet.
Voldemort waved his wand lightly, and a massive Dark Mark appeared above his head.
The commotion on this side also caught the attention of others, and in a short time, some Death Eaters gathered.
But...
Voldemort's face turned ashen as he looked at the group of less than a hundred people.
Although he had already learned of the Death Eaters' failure from Snape, he hadn't expected such a thorough defeat.
How long had it been? Yet, only a tenth of them remained... Even if they had released hundreds of pigs, they wouldn't have been slaughtered so quickly.
"Are you joking?"
"Master!" Barty Crouch Jr. stood at the forefront, his voice trembling. He, of course, knew why Voldemort was angry, but they hadn't anticipated this outcome either.
"More of our people were trapped by the traps..." he said, gritting his teeth. "As long as we can free them, we can definitely break through Hogwarts!"
Following Barty Crouch Jr.'s finger, Voldemort saw a massive pillar of Fiendfyre.
It was truly enormous, almost the size of the Quidditch pitch, and the towering flames were more eye-catching than Hogwarts Castle itself. He could even sense the Dark Mark within.
Obviously, his Death Eaters were inside.
"Hahaha... Kyle... Very good..." Upon seeing such a vast Fiendfyre, Voldemort instantly identified the culprit.
There was no need to think; only Kyle could control so much Fiendfyre within Hogwarts.
It wasn't that Voldemort underestimated the professors and the Aurors from the Ministry of Magic; they simply couldn't do it.
Controlling Fiendfyre was ten times more difficult than releasing it, and it was almost impossible to keep the formed Fiendfyre from spreading in the same place.
However, he had seen Kyle use a similar spell on Hirsediri Island.
Voldemort subconsciously touched his half-burnt face, where the pain from the Fiendfyre's scorching seemed to return.
"Do you think you can trap my Death Eaters like this? Dream on!" Voldemort extended his wand.
"You won't!"
A row of desks, chairs, and benches suddenly descended from the sky, crashing heavily towards Voldemort.
Voldemort could only turn his wand, shattering all the desks holding swords and chain hammers.
A tabby cat fell from mid-air and transformed into Professor McGonagall, standing in front of the trio and shielding them.
"Boom, boom, boom..."
The ground trembled as a giant and a slightly shorter half-giant ran from a distance, resembling two enraged elephants.
It was Hagrid and his brother Grawp.
Scrimgeour had also arrived, with one leg broken and temporarily supported by a wooden stump, but his wand was steady.
The Weasley couple, Lupin, Tonks, and Kingsley followed closely behind.
Creevey quickly scanned the trio, his expression turning disappointed, but he didn't say anything and instead positioned himself across from Voldemort as fast as he could.
"Kyle should be fine..." Creevey thought to himself.
If even Voldemort could guess that the Fiendfyre trapping the Death Eaters was Kyle's doing, Creevey could naturally figure it out as well.
Since the Fiendfyre hadn't collapsed, it meant Kyle's magic was still active, so he had nothing to worry about.
"Everyone's here," Voldemort said leisurely, showing no surprise.
This was his intention all along.
Killing Harry was simple; if he truly wanted to, he could have easily done so in the secret passage, and Harry wouldn't have had a chance to escape.
But Voldemort didn't do that because he wanted to kill Harry in front of everyone.
He wanted to shatter everyone's savior fantasy, telling them it was just an unrealistic dream... He, the Dark Lord, was invincible!
Now, the audience was in place, but they seemed unwilling to watch his performance quietly.
This wasn't a problem; he just needed to make some necessary preparations.
Voldemort waved his wand.
The ground split open, and countless black hands reached out from the cracks, grabbing at the nearest person.
Scrimgeour, who was closest to the crack, had his temporary wooden leg grabbed by a hand, and within seconds, it was corroded into a pile of mud.
"Be careful, don't let those things touch you!" he shouted as he retreated.
Voldemort waved his wand again, and the black arms began to stretch, like agile venomous snakes...
"Crack!"
A faint sound came from the Elder Wand, so soft that only Voldemort heard it.
As Voldemort witnessed another crack forming on the Elder Wand, deep enough to reveal the pitch-black core within, his fury grew. Yet, he restrained himself from exerting more power.
The black arms retreated back into the fissure, but the danger hadn't subsided.
"Charge!" Voldemort commanded. "Kill them, and don't fail me again."
The Death Eaters around him fearlessly rushed forward, with Bartemius Crouch Jr. leading the way, aiming his wand at the Minister of Magic, his own father, amidst the crowd.
"Avada Kedavra!"
The battle reignited, and everyone focused on combating the Death Eaters while pushing Harry back.
They all knew they were no match for Voldemort, and their only option seemed to be protecting Harry Potter... at least, ensuring he didn't die here.
Harry was pushed to the back, growing farther from Voldemort, until he bumped into someone.
"Potter!"
A voice, all too familiar, called out from behind him. Harry's body stiffened as he recognized it—it was Snape's voice.
"You..."
Just as he was about to turn around, a hand grabbed him forcefully, yanking him downward.
"Let go of Harry!"
Ron and Hermione simultaneously raised their wands, but Snape seemed oblivious, maintaining his tight grip on Harry's collar.
He didn't appear to intend harm, but instead, he took out a bottle.
"Take this... go... to the headmaster's office!"
Harry had never seen Snape like this—determined, resolute... But why did he want Harry to go to the headmaster's office, and what was he supposed to take?
Soon enough, Harry understood.
A silver-blue substance, neither liquid nor gas, more like solidified wind, flowed from Snape's ears.
Harry recognized it; he had seen it before—it was an embodied memory, meant to be used with a Pensieve.
But why was Snape giving him this memory?
"Go to the headmaster's office... do what you must..." Snape gave Harry a deep look, gritting his teeth as he rose from the ground and headed in another direction.
"Harry..." Hermione and Ron rushed over.
"It's strange that he didn't capture you to boast to his master," Ron whispered.
"That's what I'm wondering too," Harry said, frowning slightly.
At that moment, no one noticed Snape, who could have easily taken them by surprise and killed or captured them.
But Snape didn't do that; instead, he gave Harry a bottle of memories, and Harry was momentarily confused by this turn of events.
"Should I go to the headmaster's office?" he asked, looking at the bottle in his hand.
But how could he leave now when everyone was fighting Voldemort?
Harry was torn. On one hand, he desperately wanted to understand what Snape meant, and that phrase he said... to do what he must.
On the other hand, Harry didn't want to be a deserter; he wanted to fight alongside everyone else.
"Harry, the Death Eaters are catching up!"
Hermione's shout made his decision.
No, he wouldn't believe Snape, an enemy, just because of a few words.
What he should do... at least for now, was to fight alongside the others and kill the Erumpent, which served as a Horcrux.
Where was that snake, anyway?
Harry looked around but couldn't find any trace of the Erumpent.
It seemed that ever since they had returned to Hogwarts through the secret passage, the Erumpent had disappeared.
However, Harry assumed that Voldemort had hidden it again, and if they could defeat Voldemort together, they would have enough time to find and kill the snake.
He quickly stuffed the bottle into his pocket, drew his wand, and pointed it at an approaching Death Eater.
"Expelliarmus!"
A wand spun and fell to the ground, getting trampled and broken in the chaos.
"Oh, Harry, I think in this situation, Stupefy is more useful than Disarming!" Hermione shouted to him during a brief lull.
Harry scratched his head. "Sorry, it's a habit... Stupefy!"
Everyone was entangled in the chaos, and Voldemort raised his wand again, already aware of the Elder Wand's limits and ready to end this farce.
It would be so simple, as long as he didn't use a spell that was too powerful.
"Avada..."
No one knew what happened, but Voldemort's incantation suddenly turned into a shrill scream.
His entire face contorted, as if he was enduring immense pain...
This sudden turn of events caused everyone to stop and look at Voldemort in unison, their expressions a mix of bewilderment and shock.
What was wrong with Voldemort? This was a question they all shared.
From a distance, Harry watched Voldemort writhing on the ground, and he couldn't help but think of Lucius and Draco Malfoy, whom Voldemort had just tortured with the Cruciatus Curse.
But this was Voldemort; who could use the Cruciatus Curse on him?
Before Harry could ponder further, the ground cracked open again, but this time, instead of black arms, it was magical lava that flowed out.
The lava spread rapidly, not discriminating between friend and foe.
Everyone, including the Death Eaters, began to retreat swiftly.
Amidst the lava, Voldemort stood unsteadily, his face contorted with hatred, and the enmity in his eyes seemed to have materialized... The agony of having his soul crushed made him immediately realize that one of his Horcruxes had been destroyed.
And it was the Horcrux closest to him.
"Damn it!"
"I'll kill you, I swear I will!"
...
(End of Chapter)
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