Chapter 931: Victory
Chapter 931: Victory
When a typical wizard casts a spell, the beam's thickness is usually fixed, roughly the size of the wand's tip.
Of course, some individuals might have a more pronounced beam.
For instance, Voldemort's Killing Curse is noticeably thicker than a standard Killing Curse, indicating a more powerful spell.
But a beam as thick as an arm... Honestly, Kyle had never heard of such a thing, let alone seen it.
This was beyond the scope of normal magic.
Naturally, the effect it produced was equally astounding.
Just a simple Repelling Charm, a spell that any third-year student could master with ease, rendered the Dark Lord utterly helpless.
Voldemort had been forcefully pushed through the wall of the Hogwarts Great Hall, creating a massive hole.
But it didn't end there. Voldemort continued to be propelled forward, leaving a fifty-foot-long trench in the ground outside before finally coming to a halt.
His appearance had also transformed drastically; his limbs were twisted, his body sunken, and even his face had flattened, resembling a Squib who had been repeatedly smashed by a Bludger for five minutes.
The entire battlefield came to a standstill, taken aback by this unexpected turn of events.
Everyone's gaze, including Kyle's, fell upon Michael at the entrance to the Great Hall.
Kyle stiffly turned his head to look at Michael, who had collapsed on the ground due to exhaustion. He subconsciously licked his dry lips.
He had almost forgotten about Michael's unique situation.
Michael couldn't control his magic power, especially during his first year at Hogwarts. With just a simple Lumos Charm, he had managed to drain himself to the point of becoming a Squib.
For a while after that, he had to rely on Anti-Magic Potions to ensure he didn't run out of magic during classes, and he also spent his free time learning magic control from Professor Sprout.
Michael had to work hard to master what came naturally to other wizards, which directly affected his performance in other areas, such as the practical spellcasting exam.
Michael's practical spellcasting grades were among the lowest even in Hufflepuff.
Fortunately, Hogwarts didn't have a grade retention system, or he might still be stuck in the third year.
However, it was also because of his uncontrollable magic that Michael acquired a skill that other wizards couldn't match.
He could concentrate all his magic power into a single spell, dramatically enhancing its power...
Just like the Repelling Charm he had just cast.
Kyle had no doubt that even a peak-condition Voldemort or Dumbledore would have been forced to plow ten feet into the ground.
"By Merlin, it's a good thing Michael only used the Repelling Charm," Kyle thought, feeling a sense of relief.
If the Repelling Charm had been that powerful, he shuddered to think what would have happened if it had been the Explosion Charm... Kyle trembled and decided not to pursue that line of thought any further.
Whether he would have been affected or not didn't matter; if it had been the Explosion Charm, Hogwarts might have needed to be rebuilt from scratch.
"Damn it, kill that guy!" The nearby Death Eater's furious voice snapped Kyle back to reality.
"Cutting Flame!"
Ignoring Voldemort, who had been pushed outside, Kyle turned and aimed his wand at the direction of the Great Hall's entrance.
The two Death Eaters attempting to ambush Michael fell to the ground, blood gushing from the massive wounds on their chests.
"Michael, are you okay?" Kyle asked as he approached.
The Repelling Charm had also dispersed the Fiery Flame at the entrance, and Michael lay on the ground, barely conscious.
This was inevitable; magic exhaustion was like running ten kilometers in a second, and it was only due to his experience that he hadn't fainted on the spot.
Seeing Kyle approach, Michael slowly gave him a thumbs-up.
"That was incredible," Kyle said with a smile. "The school should award you a full score for your spellcasting exam. What you just did, even Dumbledore couldn't have pulled off."
Michael didn't respond; he had already passed out. Professor McGonagall had stunned a Death Eater and was making her way over from a short distance away.
"Leave him to me!"
Professor McGonagall waved her wand, and a table rushed over to carry Michael out of the battlefield.
Only then did Kyle turn his attention back to the hole in the Great Hall wall and the figure of Voldemort outside.
Voldemort looked dazed, still reeling from the unexpected turn of events.
Perhaps he had never imagined, even in his wildest dreams, that Hogwarts harbored another powerful wizard besides Kyle.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say that he had felt the threat of death from that single spell.
Voldemort couldn't believe it; a mere Repelling Charm had almost killed him. The last time he had felt this way was on the Hebrides Islands, facing the Fiery Flame that spanned the entire island.
The Fiery Flame and the Repelling Charm... It was like comparing the Gryffindor Sword to a Butterbeer Scraper; they were on completely different levels.
Voldemort was scared... truly scared.
He feared the caster might strike again, and this time, it was the Repelling Charm. What if the next time, it was the Killing Curse?
Moreover, in his current state, he wasn't sure he could handle another Repelling Charm, let alone the Killing Curse.
No, this was a conspiracy! Dumbledore must have done something or left a secret weapon specifically targeting him before his death!
"Damn it!"
Voldemort clenched his teeth, thinking furiously. He glanced at the old Elder Wand in his hand, now riddled with holes. At this moment, he wanted to flee.
There was another reason for his failure this time; the wand had restricted his spells. If they fully controlled the Elder Wand, even all of Hogwarts combined wouldn't stand a chance against him.
Yes, he must first gain control of the Elder Wand.
Voldemort transformed into a cloud of dark smoke and flew towards the school's exterior.
But at that moment, Kyle burst out of the castle.
A fiery dragon formed from Fiendfyre stood before Voldemort, forcing him to halt.
Voldemort glared at Kyle with anger.
Kyle stared back, unafraid.
After fighting for so long, there was no way Voldemort could escape. Kyle had already discovered that the black smoke, though troublesome, could be ignited by the fiery flame.
With the additional restriction of no Apparition allowed at Hogwarts, there was no way Voldemort could flee.
"Do you think you've won?" Voldemort's scarlet eyes stared coldly at Kyle.
Kyle didn't respond.
More and more people were arriving—Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, Chris...
Kyle knew he couldn't defeat Voldemort alone, but with so many of them together, they could surely kill the Dark Lord.
Voldemort's face darkened, his hand gripping the wand tightly, veins popping out.
"I have not lost!" His voice was no longer clear and loud, but hoarse, emitting a hissing sound like a snake.
Indeed, he hadn't lost yet.
Outside Hogwarts, a group of Death Eaters awaited. He had summoned them earlier, and with their support, he could buy time to escape.
Voldemort thought to himself, cursing the group for their slow response.
His Dark Mark had appeared five minutes ago, and they still hadn't arrived... Even a group of Muggles could have made it by now!
Voldemort struggled to block the increasing number of spells, his movements becoming slower and slower...
Finally, after an unknown amount of time, he heard footsteps.
"Attack, kill them all!" Voldemort excitedly gave the command.
But no one responded, and the silence behind him was eerie.
Voldemort couldn't help but turn around, only to find that there was no army of Death Eaters; there had only been one person all along.
A witch.
"You're... Diana Saffire!"
"Oh, Mom?!"
Voldemort and Kyle spoke simultaneously.
"It's me," Diana smiled and then looked at Voldemort, "If you were waiting for them... I'm sorry, they might not be coming."
"You killed them..." Voldemort's face contorted with rage.
"No, there was no one outside when I arrived," Diana's expression remained unchanged, "I think they might have gotten tired or realized you were about to escape, so they fled."
"Impossible!" Voldemort exclaimed.
He could even smell the faint scent of blood on Diana; it was impossible that she hadn't encountered anyone.
"Don't believe me? Go and see for yourself. There's no one outside," Diana raised her wand and flicked it upwards.
The Black Lake beside them churned, and a thirty-foot-high wave suddenly appeared, crashing towards Voldemort.
Voldemort dodged, but the wave slammed into the ground, quickly freezing into ice. Countless sharp ice spikes exploded, piercing Voldemort and resembling a frozen thorny flower.
At the same time, a massive Fiendfyre dragon appeared above Voldemort's head.
With nowhere to hide, Voldemort's shoulder and thigh were pierced, and blood left a glaring trail on the ice spikes, only to be quickly melted away by the fiery flame.
"Finish him!" Kyle waved his wand again, and the fiery dragon dove towards Voldemort.
"Stone Statues Resurrection!" Professor McGonagall shouted.
Seven or eight previously destroyed stone statues stood up again, wielding their weapons and slashing at Voldemort.
Then Professor Flitwick and Professor Sprout joined in...
"Windblade Thrust!"
"Periculum Explosio!"
"Avada Kedavra!"
...
"None of you will kill me!" Voldemort roared in madness, "Avada..."
The Elder Wand suddenly burst into a ball of green light, and a Killing Curse, larger in scope than before, pushed everything away, along with all the spells aimed at Voldemort.
But the Elder Wand also emitted a crisp sound, leaving only a wand core connecting the broken wand.
"I'll see how many times you can block it!" Kyle panted heavily, raising his wand again. Professor McGonagall also struggled to stand up.
However, at that moment, a dark shadow suddenly flew past from the side and collided with Voldemort.
Kyle saw it but couldn't stop it.
The Fiendfyre had already disappeared, and with his exhaustion, it was difficult for him to even stand, let alone control such a massive fiery flame.
Without the fiery flame's obstruction and with the help of the sudden intruder, Voldemort found an opportunity and, together with the other person, transformed into a cloud of black smoke and escaped the encirclement.
"Come back, you coward! Come back!" Professor McGonagall roared at Voldemort's retreating figure.
She couldn't accept that Voldemort had escaped when they were so close to victory...
"Forget it, Minerva." Diana walked over and consoled her, "Voldemort was prepared to fight to the death. If we had continued, we might not have been able to kill him completely, but half of the people here would have died."
"I don't care!" Professor McGonagall shouted, "I wish I could die with him!"
Professor Flitwick and Professor Sprout, standing nearby, echoed her sentiments. It was clear that they were sincere; if they could take Voldemort down with them, they wouldn't hesitate.
However, Kyle noticed Diana's words... "might not be able to kill him completely."
Completely... That's right, Horcruxes!
Kyle slapped his forehead.
He had been caught up in the fight and forgotten about Voldemort's Horcruxes. With this protection, even if Voldemort was burned to ashes by the fiery flame, he would escape as a wandering spirit, just like he did over a decade ago.
Perhaps in another decade, he would possess another professor and come to Hogwarts to secretly drink unicorn blood.
But... Kyle still wanted to kill Voldemort.
Kyle rubbed his numb head.
He wasn't worried or afraid of Voldemort's potential return.
First, his loyal Death Eaters were almost completely wiped out. Without any help, it would be extremely difficult for Voldemort to resurrect himself, and it was basically impossible.
First, the flesh of the servant... oh, and the bone of his father, he wouldn't be able to find it either.
Moreover, even if Voldemort somehow survived and found a way to return after a decade or so, Kyle was confident he could beat him up...
After all, he couldn't possibly remain stagnant during that time, right? Dealing with Voldemort then would be a piece of cake. He would hang him from the highest tower of the castle.
So, Voldemort's resurrection would only result in a couple of beatings, not much else.
But letting him escape this time made Kyle feel frustrated, and he couldn't help but mentally curse Snape.
He saw the person who took Voldemort away—Severus Snape. Kyle really wanted to ask if he truly considered him a Death Eater.
"So, do you also want to watch as Professor McGonagall and the others are killed?"
"Of course not," Kyle raised his head and looked at Diana in front of him, speaking softly, "I just feel resentful."
"There's nothing we can do about it," Diana said.
Kyle sighed, "But Mom, why are you here?"
"Yeah," Chris also ran over, "The Silent Ones shouldn't be involved in a war that could change the wizarding world, right? Or did you change the rules?"
"No, I just resigned," Diana said calmly.
She seemed reluctant to discuss this topic and exchanged a few more words with Kyle before heading off to find Professor McGonagall.
Kyle also returned to Hogwarts Castle.
While they were confronting Voldemort outside, the others had already dealt with the Death Eaters inside the castle, and everyone was cleaning up the battlefield.
Some had been killed, not just Death Eaters, but also students, professors, and Aurors.
Kyle saw a small, frail body lying on the cold floor.
He remembered the boy's name was Dennis Creevey, a fifth-year student.
At his age, he definitely couldn't have stayed at school; he must have sneaked back without anyone knowing.
The Head of the Auror Office, Scrimgour, was also dead, and only half of his body was found.
Several young wizards who had just come of age looked numb, showing no signs of the excitement they had before the war, even though they had won.
But this was the War of the Hunter.
Everyone thought war was about bravery and courage... until they witnessed the loss of life.
Then they would quickly understand the true nature of war.
The pervasive fear would crush, scatter, and grind down all their willpower, leading to a complete loss of morale and a total breakdown.
They were fortunate; most of the Death Eaters were restrained outside the castle, allowing the professors to focus on dealing with the enemies inside. Otherwise, the situation would have been even more dire, and they might have collapsed before the war ended.
Kyle also saw Lupin; he was severely injured, his entire body seemed withered, and he was skin and bones, wrinkled like a scorched and dried lavender.
Judging by the situation, it seemed to be the result of some kind of Dark Magic. Fortunately, it was a full moon today, and the werewolf's body granted him a more vigorous life force and a recovery ability far beyond that of a normal wizard, so he was still alive.
Tonks was taking care of him.
On her other side were Dedalus and Hestia, both former members of the Order of the Phoenix, but their luck wasn't as good as Lupin's; they lay quietly.
Kyle walked around with a heavy heart, feeling a bit selfish for thinking this way, but he was truly relieved that he hadn't seen any familiar faces or close friends.
Cedric was still alive, and Ryan and Michael had also escaped unharmed.
Fred had lost an ear, but he didn't seem to consider it a cause for sadness; instead, he thought they should celebrate.
Now everyone could finally tell him apart from George.
"I've got a great idea," George leaned against the wall, not even wanting to move his fingers, but his mouth kept going, "We can design a fake unicorn ear. Trust me, if you wear glasses, it definitely won't fall off."
"I think a three-headed dog's ear would be good too," Fred enthusiastically discussed with him.
"Or an elephant's ear," Kyle couldn't help but join in, "you can even use it as a weapon in critical moments."
"That's a good idea," Fred smiled, "I hope you can make it look good. It'd be best if it also has an extendable ear function; otherwise, it'd be a waste being so big."
"I'll try my best," Kyle smiled, "but what about your original one? Madam Pomfrey should be able to reattach it."
"Hmm... let's forget about it this time," Fred shrugged, speaking nonchalantly, "I've always wanted to get a new one."
"Oh, Harry, I'm so glad you're still alive," Neville's voice came from around the corner. "Where are you all going?"
"To do something, something that must be done," Harry said, "Only then can we defeat Voldemort."
"But..."
"Listen to me, Neville, I hope you can help me with something."
"But Voldemort has already..."
"If you see a three-headed snake, you must kill it."
"Harry, I want to say..."
As they spoke, they had already turned the corner.
Looking at the busy crowd in the castle, Harry suddenly froze.
What was going on? Why was everyone cleaning up the battlefield and treating the wounded?
Where were the Death Eaters?
Where were the ubiquitous curses?
"That's what I wanted to say," Neville finally found an opportunity, "Voldemort has been driven away, we've won."
...
(End of Chapter)
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