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Chapter 930: Dumbledore's Treachery!
Chapter 930: Dumbledore's Treachery!
"It was you..." Voldemort glared at Kyle with intense hatred and roared, "What have you done!"
He was enraged, his body slightly trembling, but not because of the Death Eaters who had been killed.
They were just cannon fodder, incapable of flying magic, and could only charge towards Hogwarts. What value could they possibly hold in the Dark Lord's eyes?
Voldemort's anger stemmed from the fact that these Death Eaters had failed to eliminate Kyle, the threat.
"You can't just make baseless accusations!" Kyle glared at Voldemort sternly, "Everyone saw it, your curse killed them. You're guilty enough as it is, don't try to frame me!"
Voldemort felt his vision go dark, almost falling from the sky.
Would Voldemort, the Dark Lord himself, care about how many people he had killed?
If he wished, not only could he kill hundreds of wizards, but even thousands, without consequence, for no one could arrest him.
But the fiery explosion from earlier had absolutely nothing to do with him... not a thing!
Voldemort would swear upon all his dark magic achievements from the past years.
While Fiendfyre was extremely unstable, it wouldn't go out of control due to the Killing Curse. The Killing Curse was an extremely unique existence, driven more by malice than magic, so it wouldn't affect any other spells...
No one understood the Killing Curse better than Voldemort.
In a sense, the Killing Curse could be used like a Disarming Charm. When its power was strong enough, its effect was even comparable to the Unforgivable Curses.
How could a Disarming Charm possibly make Fiendfyre go out of control...
It had to be Kyle!
Voldemort instantly realized that when Kyle initially surrounded the Death Eaters with Fiendfyre, he must have done something, perhaps hiding a second spell within the Fiendfyre or altering its form.
In any case, the Fiendfyre that exploded just now was undoubtedly controlled by him... with the purpose of eliminating the threat those Death Eaters posed to himself.
What a brilliant move! Not only did he resolve his own crisis, but he also managed to shift the blame onto Voldemort, avoiding any potential future troubles.
How wonderful...
Voldemort's crimson pupils fixed on Kyle... He felt that his earlier assessment of Kyle had been premature.
He and Dumbledore were not alike in the slightest, not even a single similarity, they were two people with completely different personalities.
"Avada Kedavra!"
Without any warning or further words, Voldemort used the Killing Curse on Kyle once again.
However, Kyle had anticipated this, and as Voldemort raised his wand, he pulled over a barely alive Death Eater to block the curse.
"Oh, brother, you... I'll avenge you!" Kyle's voice trembled as he spoke, and the instant the effect of the Killing Curse dissipated, he sent a burst of Fiendfyre towards Voldemort.
Voldemort was caught off guard, and the lower half of his dark mist was ignited.
The raging Fiendfyre surged upwards with the wind, seemingly about to engulf Voldemort completely in the next second.
"Despicable!" Voldemort roared, using a spell to remove a portion of the dark mist and quickly Disarming himself to land on the ground.
Even so, one of his legs was charred black, and his entire body became even more listless.
Voldemort was injured, which should have been a cause for celebration, but everyone who heard his roar showed a peculiar expression.
Did they hear wrong? Was Voldemort just calling someone else despicable? They must have misheard.
Everyone shook their heads, not dwelling on the matter, and focused on dealing with the Death Eaters before them.
It wasn't just Voldemort who wanted the Death Eaters to besiege Kyle; they also wanted to gang up on Voldemort. Aside from helping Kyle, this was their best chance to win the war.
Everyone could see that Voldemort was in a poor state, and if they all attacked together, they might truly be able to keep him here forever.
The Death Eaters could see this as well, and they certainly didn't want to witness this outcome... It could be said that if Voldemort failed, they would be finished too.
They only wanted Voldemort to quickly deal with the bothersome Kyle, so he could help them kill the annoying professors and Aurors, and then they could conquer Hogwarts in one fell swoop.
However, due to certain special circumstances, the Death Eaters had lost their numerical advantage. Coupled with Voldemort's previous erroneous command, they were struggling to hold off Professor McGonagall and the others, making it impossible for them to assist Voldemort.
Bartemius Crouch Jr. suddenly felt a bit dazed...
Why would he think of helping the Dark Lord? The Dark Lord was invincible, and he had never needed the help of his servants.
In this moment of daze, a spell struck Bartemius Crouch Jr., sending him flying and almost into the nearby Black Lake.
Bartemius Crouch Sr., the Minister of Magic, approached without expression and raised his wand once more.
Compared to his previous self, he looked as if he had aged over a decade. His hair was disheveled and streaked with grey, and his beard was unkempt, as if he had never trimmed it.
Yet, when he was at the International Confederation of Wizards, he had been the most image-conscious, trimming his beard twice a day, with strict requirements for both the number of hairs and their length.
"Ah, Father!" Bartemius Crouch Jr. hissed like a snake, "Do you want to kill me? Kill me, the one who stands in your way to becoming the Minister of Magic."
"I will... personally rectify my mistake." Bartemius Crouch Sr. seemed to have not spoken in a long time, his voice hoarse and raspy, like the sound of an old cauldron being scrubbed with dragon skin.
But his face remained expressionless.
On the other side, Professor McGonagall was directing the shattered pieces of wood, repeatedly striking Rodolphus Lestrange on the head.
They appeared to be wooden statues, but upon closer inspection, they were actually wooden suits of armor wielding various weapons, resembling the decorative pieces found in Hogwarts Castle.
This was Professor McGonagall's specialty, a simplified version of the Stone Statue Revival spell...
Despite being a simplified version, its power was not to be underestimated. The wooden bodies could quickly reassemble themselves even after being shattered, making it difficult to eliminate them in a short time unless faced with Fiery Magic.
Moreover, the magically enhanced weapons were harder than steel, causing Rodolphus to howl in pain with each stab, his face growing paler by the second.
On top of that, he had to deal with the spells Professor McGonagall fired at him in between her attacks. Soon, he was struggling to keep up.
"Professor McGonagall... Don't you remember? I was your student..."
Rodolphus tried to appeal to her emotions, but this only made Professor McGonagall's expression turn even darker, and her wand movements grew faster.
The entire scene was chaotic, and after the Fiery Magic explosion, the Death Eaters quickly fell into disarray, scattering in retreat, even Voldemort himself began to fall back.
He continued to shout commands to his followers, wanting them to prioritize dealing with Kyle, but not a single Death Eater responded this time. Instead, Professor McGonagall took the opportunity to Stun him.
Then, Professor Flitwick followed up with a Binding Charm.
Voldemort realized he was now surrounded, so he began to retreat, pushed back into the castle by the crowd.
When the numbers were no longer in his favor, he used the castle's terrain to his advantage, maneuvering around his enemies... This strategy applied to the Death Eaters as well.
Moreover, if he remembered correctly, there should still be a group of Death Eaters inside Hogwarts, right? Not those who had stayed outside to prevent students from escaping, but the ones who, at the start of the war, had gone around to the other side of the wooden bridge.
By now, they should have already entered the castle.
Oh, and there were also those outside, originally meant to prevent students from escaping, but now they seemed unnecessary.
Voldemort raised his wand high, sending a prominent Dark Mark into the sky.
"Why are there still Death Eaters!" Professor McGonagall panted, looking up at the sky.
"There's no choice, they're too good at manipulating people's minds." Professor Flitwick shook his head and turned towards the direction of the school gate, "I'll stay outside to hold them off, you all return to the castle."
"Harry, Kyle..."
At the same time, Hagrid's voice could be heard from the direction of the Forbidden Forest. He led a large group of new reinforcements, charging out in a mighty force.
They were Thestrals and Griffins, and it's worth mentioning that almost everyone could now see Thestrals.
"I'm here, Hagrid..." Harry waved his arms and shouted.
"Thank goodness." Hagrid quickened his pace and came over, looking around anxiously, "How are you? Where did those escaped Death Eaters go..."
When Voldemort flew into the sky earlier, attempting to release the trapped and killed Death Eaters, Professor McGonagall had immediately sent Hagrid to the Forbidden Forest for reinforcements.
Both Thestrals and Griffins were capable of flight, and perhaps Kyle could make use of them.
But now, it seemed unnecessary.
Of course, Hagrid was unaware of this, as his memory was still at the moment when Kyle was about to be surrounded by Death Eaters.
"Where are the Death Eaters? Where did they go?"
"It's okay, Hagrid." Harry quickly explained, "Those Death Eaters were killed by Voldemort."
"Huh?"
Hagrid's entire body suddenly froze upon hearing Harry's words. Did he just hear that the Death Eaters were killed by Voldemort?
Was there something wrong here?
"That's right, Hagrid." Hermione added from the side, "Voldemort initially wanted to kill Kyle, but the direction of his spell was off, and it ignited the still-smoldering Fiery Magic."
"If you ask me, they got what they deserved." Ron seemed unusually excited as he spoke, "And Voldemort killing his own people, he must be fuming."
"Yes, you're right." Hermione couldn't help but smile as well.
The previous scene was incredibly satisfying, even Professor McGonagall was excitedly shouting and cheering, having witnessed it all.
"Is that so?" Hagrid scratched his head.
Although he still felt the situation was a bit too bizarre, neither scientific nor magical, if all three of them said so, it must be true.
"How are you? Are you injured?" Hagrid asked, grabbing Harry's arm.
"No." Harry shook his head, his face slightly flushed.
Mainly, he felt embarrassed to tell Hagrid that he had been watching from the sidelines the entire time without engaging in combat with the Death Eaters.
It wasn't that he didn't want to fight; he longed to battle the Death Eaters. But he couldn't get near them.
The trio stood there, staring at each other.
"Well, what do we do now?" Ron muttered, "I never expected Kyle to almost defeat Voldemort. Is he really just a few years older than us?"
The previous large-scale Killing Curse had made his legs go weak just by watching from a distance, and he had no idea how Kyle managed to deal with it.
"Yes!" This statement also left Hermione and Ron silent.
Everyone was around the same age, yet when facing Voldemort, they couldn't even muster a resistance, while Kyle could defeat him.
The vast disparity between Kyle and Voldemort left the trio in a state of disbelief, unable to comprehend the reality of the situation.
This was the first time they truly understood Kyle's capabilities. It felt surreal, like a dream.
But they had witnessed it firsthand; Voldemort was being driven back, even retreating into the castle.
"Let's head back to the castle too," Hermione broke the silence, taking the initiative. "Since we're staying at Hogwarts, we can't just stand by and do nothing."
"I remember there are Death Eaters in the Astronomy Tower," Ron added after a moment's thought.
"Good, let's go there," Hermione agreed, nodding.
She had already decided not to join the commotion around Voldemort.
Aside from the danger, there wasn't much else they could do; they might as well help elsewhere.
"Harry, come on..." Hermione urged, turning to him.
"You go ahead," Harry said, standing still with his head bowed.
"Harry, you..." Ron hesitated, "Don't worry about it. Fred said it before, Kyle isn't a normal wizard. We don't need to compete with him."
"Yeah," Hermione chimed in, "As long as we can kill Voldemort, anyone will do. The Savior's prophecy... I mean, the one made by Trelawney. You know her best."
"Hey, what are you guys talking about?" Harry asked, looking at them with a mix of amusement and exasperation. "You don't think I'm struggling with my role as the Savior, do you?"
"No, are you?" Ron asked cautiously.
"Of course not," Harry assured them, "I was thinking about this."
He took a bottle from his pocket, "Remember this? Snape gave it to me, and he asked me to go to the Headmaster's Office. I think now might be the right time."
"Anyway, I can't be of much help, what if there's something important going on there?"
"Makes sense, let's not waste time!" Hermione felt relieved, grabbing Harry's hand and running towards the castle with Ron, "Hurry, Ron and I can keep an eye out for you."
The trio rushed into the entrance hall, heading towards the stairs.
As they passed the Great Hall, Harry noticed the intense battle taking place inside.
Similar to the situation outside, Kyle and Voldemort dominated the battlefield, with Kyle's presence barely holding back Voldemort.
More people joined the fight, including Charlie, Professor Slughorn, and the Hogsmeade shopkeepers, who had also arrived.
However, the entrance to the Great Hall was blocked by a raging Fiendfyre, preventing anyone from entering.
Although there were only two people inside, the destruction they caused was no less severe than what was happening outside.
Within a few minutes, the magically enchanted ceiling shattered, and the long tables representing the four houses were broken into several pieces.
The floor of the Great Hall was covered in deep swamps and corrosive liquids, also the work of Kyle and Voldemort.
As time passed, Kyle began to lose ground against Voldemort.
It wasn't that Kyle's abilities were lacking, but his experience was no match for Voldemort's... But there was nothing they could do about it; Voldemort had more experience.
Kyle grew increasingly agitated, observing the anxious faces outside the Great Hall.
He was looking for Dumbledore...
They had agreed beforehand that Dumbledore would use a counter-strategy, allowing Malfoy to successfully retreat to a hidden location, and then Dumbledore would appear and join Kyle in a surprise attack on Voldemort.
With this plan, Voldemort would have no chance of escape.
... But where was Dumbledore now?!
Kyle felt like he was about to defeat Voldemort, but where was Dumbledore?!
Was he asleep?! Kyle's agitation grew, and he failed to notice Voldemort's subtle move, as his left hand was struck by a hidden Petrificus Totalus, rendering him immobile.
Voldemort seized the opportunity,
"Avada Kedavra!"
"Explosion Charm!"
The two spells collided, but this time, Kyle couldn't sneak attack like before with his left hand immobilized.
Voldemort revealed a cruel smile, slowly curling his finger.
A sharp Spike rose from the ground, heading straight for Kyle.
"Doesn't this feel familiar?" Voldemort's eyes gleamed with satisfaction, deliberately slowing down the Spike to increase Kyle's despair.
"Damn!" Kyle's face paled, mentally cursing Dumbledore.
If Dumbledore didn't show up soon, he would meet his end here!
"Stop it, you bastard!"
"Shield Charm!"
A roar of anger echoed from outside, a familiar voice.
Unfortunately, it wasn't of much use.
The Fiendfyre at the entrance, likely another Dark Magic of Voldemort's, even spells couldn't get through, let alone students, and even professors' spells might not be effective...
"Bang!"
Something seemed to fly past Kyle's eyes, and then Voldemort was knocked aside by a running Giant, instantly falling to the ground.
The spell connection was broken, scattering sparks of magic that exploded, shattering the remaining Hufflepuff Hourglass into pieces, scattering the golden gems on the floor.
"Where's Voldemort?" Kyle stood there, still in disbelief... "What just flew by? It looked like a beam of light, was it a spell?"
"Should be... I don't think so." He tried to recall the situation, shaking his head in denial.
Kyle vaguely remembered that the beam of light was already as thick as an arm, which was unlikely to be a spell, even Dumbledore wouldn't be so exaggerated...
...
(End of Chapter)
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