Chapter 696: Chapter 696: Voldemort: I've Drawn the Enemy Here, Why Am I Not in an Ambush? (Edited)
After taking Ron to a safe location, Dumbledore watched Voldemort and Harry with great interest. In that moment, Dumbledore resembled a curious child eager for knowledge.
The situation of Voldemort and Harry was extremely rare in the history of magic, probably the first of its kind – how could Dumbledore not be intrigued?
So, he observed closely.
A moment later, Voldemort suddenly opened his eyes, like someone waking from a nightmare.
"Master... Are you alright?" Bellatrix looked at Voldemort with a worried expression, her words sounding as if she were whispering to a lover.
When Voldemort regained consciousness, Harry's fingers trembled slightly.
"No problem," Voldemort breathed deeply, trying to calm himself.
However, even a wizard who hadn't finished his education could tell that something was amiss – he had failed to cast the Killing Curse! The last time he attempted the curse, it had been reflected back at him and turned him into dust.
The concern in Bellatrix's eyes became almost tangible. As for her feelings toward Voldemort, Bellatrix might be considered the most sincere follower. Though it seemed absurd, it was actually a twisted form of love.
However, Voldemort was not aware of this. To him, Bellatrix was nothing more than a useful and loyal slave.
Love? Voldemort didn't understand it and had no interest in comprehending such useless emotion.
He could use Bellatrix to satisfy his desires, but that wasn't love; it was rather a sense of possession. He derived a special pleasure from conquering this descendant of a pure-blood family, and his sense of ownership intensified after Bellatrix became another man's wife.
At this moment, Voldemort clearly had no head for such matters and found Bellatrix's concerns irritating.
"Are you alright? Of course not! The great Lord Voldemort had failed to crush an insignificant insect. Internally, Voldemort felt wobbly and confused. However, when asked, he would naturally say that everything was fine.
He was the great Dark Lord; he wouldn't fall due to a stumble like this.
Bellatrix didn't believe Voldemort's words at all. At this moment, she was completely disoriented. She didn't know what would happen if Voldemort were defeated again by that boy. Would she go back to Azkaban?
"Master, I..." She wanted to help Voldemort to his feet, but he gave her a fierce look that made her withdraw her hand.
Voldemort struggled to stand up and looked at Harry lying on the ground.
"Is he dead?" Voldemort was a bit uncertain. He assumed Harry Potter should be dead, after all, he had been hit by the Killing Curse. This time, he didn't have a mother sacrificing herself for him!
"He isn't," Dumbledore stepped forward and answered for Harry, who was currently pretending to be dead on the ground.
Dumbledore had arrived!
Harry almost wanted to jump up from the ground and cheer in excitement.
After Voldemort's Killing Curse had hit him, he had a strange dream. He was in a place resembling King's Cross Station, with no one around, searching and only finding a repugnant creature.
After getting rid of the disgusting thing and tossing it into a trash bin, Harry woke up and heard Dumbledore's voice.
Harry felt moved – Dumbledore hadn't let him down; he had truly come.
"Dumbledore," Voldemort roared loudly, his voice filled with relief, as if saying, 'Ah, that makes sense! That strange situation was a trick by Dumbledore; that makes a lot of sense.'
Voldemort immediately believed this excuse and attributed all the strangeness to Dumbledore. He gazed at the elderly wizard standing before him with crimson fire sparks in his eyes.
"You've finally appeared! I knew you would come!"
"Yes, Riddle. After hearing Mr. Potter's 'dream,' I decided to come. We have unfinished business," Dumbledore replied calmly.
Upon hearing the surname "Riddle," Voldemort frowned, but now was not the time to worry about surnames – there were more important matters at stake.
"Come forth, my allies!" Voldemort shouted with satisfaction. "Albus Dumbledore, today this place will be your eternal resting place! The Japanese Ministry wizards and the American Trackers have been waiting here for a long time."
This was Voldemort's plan. He used a fake dream to lure Harry Potter to the Ministry of Magic and then use him as bait to draw Dumbledore and his Ministry helpers here to be exterminated once and for all.
For this purpose, Voldemort had placed an Anti-Apparition Charm on the area, so he could annihilate Dumbledore and his followers in the midst of his allies' encirclement.
Voldemort's voice echoed among the shelves of the Hall of Prophecies, but even after the echo faded, his allies were nowhere to be seen.
There was no sign of the Japanese wizards and Trackers who should theoretically have come when called.
Voldemort: ???
He was perplexed, then realized he had been betrayed by his two allies. They only wanted a dupe to lure Dumbledore out of Hogwarts. Now, the allies could be outside the gates of Hogwarts.
This fact infuriated Voldemort. It was an outright betrayal! He had always been the one using others; how could they use him?
These years of arrogance and hubris had caused Voldemort to lose some basic judgment. Things like relationships between people and factions were not straightforward; there was manipulation, cooperation, and betrayal.
Did the Japanese Ministry of Magic have a rule against betraying Voldemort? No, they had no qualms about defying even written laws, let alone some vague gentleman's agreement.
The Death Eaters wouldn't dare to betray Voldemort, but the Japanese wizards did. To them, what was Voldemort? Was his cause more important than theirs? So, they simply sold out Voldemort and, along with the Trackers, headed straight to Hogwarts.
For the Trackers, attacking a wizarding school was much more valuable than attacking the Ministry of Magic. Attacking the Ministry would only destroy the present, but taking Hogwarts meant destroying the future of the magical world.
So, these two forces were already outside Hogwarts, with only Voldemort remaining in the Ministry of Magic, awaiting Dumbledore's arrival.
"Tom, it seems your new friends aren't as reliable as your old ones," said Dumbledore as he took a step forward. At this moment, he also became aware of the movements of the other two factions, but Dumbledore chose to trust the younger generations.
Tonight, every generation had its mission.
Dumbledore's mission was to personally deal with the Second Dark Lord here.
Unlike Grindelwald, Tom Riddle was someone Dumbledore personally introduced to the magical world, and Dumbledore always felt that Voldemort's rise was related to him.
Since that was the case, his mission was clear.
From outside the Hall of Prophecies, hurried footsteps could be heard as Minister of Magic Bones appeared with a group of Aurors. Dumbledore had informed Bones before arriving at the Ministry of Magic, and upon receiving the news, Bones didn't dare to waste any time and immediately gathered the Ministry's elite forces to assist.
When they saw Voldemort, they were all shocked and their hearts skipped a beat. But upon seeing Dumbledore's white beard and hair, their heartbeats returned to normal. And when they saw that only Bellatrix was with Voldemort, they ceased to fear.
"Tom, let these uninvolved people leave; it's time for a serious conversation," in an environment where Dumbledore had a significant advantage, he suggested facing Voldemort in a duel.
Of course, the Ministry personnel were not willing. What if Voldemort won? But Dumbledore had already made his decision.
"Albus..." Bones wanted to persuade him once more, but Dumbledore only gave her a glance and left her in charge of leading the people to help at Hogwarts.
As for Bellatrix, no one paid attention, not even Voldemort. To him, if he won the duel, Bellatrix would be safe; if he lost, what did it matter what happened to Bellatrix?
So, he accepted Dumbledore's proposal and watched as the Ministry of Magic personnel took Bellatrix out of the Hall of Prophecies.
Bellatrix herself didn't resist either; she quietly allowed the Aurors to take her wand and bind her hands, which was surprising cooperation.
But after exiting the Hall of Prophecies, she stood still in the corridor.
"Let her stay here and watch as her supposed master is defeated," Bones decided in the end and left Bellatrix outside the Hall of Prophecies before taking the Aurors and a bewildered Harry to Hogwarts.
Now, in the vast Hall of Prophecies, only Dumbledore and Voldemort remained.
As if they had communicated telepathically, both waved their wands and sent the shelves filled with prophecy orbs crashing against the walls, creating a wide space for their duel.
The prophecy orbs fell to the ground, creating countless blurry images of wizards whispering, filling the Hall of Prophecies with a deafening noise.
In the next moment, flames rose behind Dumbledore and Voldemort, sliding along the floor, quickly encircling the Hall of Prophecies and drawing the tumultuous illusions within them.
The golden and dark green flames intertwined, forming an imposing wall of fire that gave off both a divine and malevolent aura. Anyone who saw it would believe that these flames were capable of devouring everything.
Dumbledore and Voldemort joined forces to seal off the Hall of Prophecies. Combined with the previously prepared Anti-Apparition Charm, this place became an inescapable battleground; only one of them would come out alive.
"Dumbledore, this will be your final resting place!"
"Everything must end, Tom."
Boom!
The battle began.
Meanwhile, Tom was stargazing.
The moon was bright tonight. Hermione was by his side, with a subtle expression of concealed anxiety on her face.
"Professor Dumbledore is probably facing Voldemort by now," Hermione suggested with some uncertainty.
Tom nodded.
"Shouldn't we do something?" Hermione was restless because Dumbledore might be in the midst of a bloody battle while she remained at Hogwarts, doing nothing, which made her nervous.
"Each generation has its mission. Professor Dumbledore is fulfilling his, and we must fulfill ours."
"Our mission?" Hermione was puzzled.
Tom, who would normally explain it seriously, remained silent this time and simply looked at the moon. Finally, he told Hermione, "Put on the clothes I gave you; tonight, Hogwarts will be very lively."
With that, he left the Astronomy Tower and summoned his alchemical armor, also bringing Buckbeak by his side.
Tom felt that things wouldn't be so simple, so he needed to make final preparations. If the Japanese wizards and the Trackers arrived at Hogwarts, he had to teach them a lesson.
Outside the gates of Hogwarts, unexpected starry lights lit up. Eyes were fixed on the tall iron gates and the dark courtyard, gazing at the illuminated castle, their eyes filled with a cruel and resolute determination before they began a slaughter.
The Trackers and the Japanese wizards had arrived.
Leading the way was a woman in armor, whom Hogwarts students would have recognized if they had looked closely as the "elder sister" who had acted at the school two years ago and then disappeared.
The "elder sister," returning to her homeland, evidently had no intention of fraternizing. She only wanted to conquer this place and reclaim what was rightfully hers.
She had been separated from the other half of her soul for far too long. It was time to reunite them.
"Shogun, everything is ready," an executioner officer at her side said, informing her that everything was in place.
"Then let's begin."
With the order given, both groups moved in coordination.
The Trackers formed a line, dressed in robes that looked more like priests than wizards, holding crosses and murmuring unintelligible words.
Fire spread beneath their feet and turned into a fiery serpent.
In the next moment, a fiery serpent rose into the air, accompanied by a variety of Japanese spells, all crashing forcefully against Hogwarts' defensive barrier. In an instant, the fire illuminated the sky, and a thunder-like roar echoed throughout the castle, awakening all of Hogwarts.
The castle's barrier trembled for a moment but ultimately held its shape. The invaders showed no surprise on their faces; they simply gathered energy, preparing for the next attack.
By that time, Tom was fully equipped with his armor. After hearing the commotion, he said calmly, "It seems my prediction was correct, Hermione. I hope you can make it back to the Ravenclaw common room."
Hermione shook her head and looked up at Tom, mounted on Buckbeak. With a proud tone, she said, "In terms of magical abilities, you're no match for me. If you're fighting on the front lines, then so am I. You need me to protect you."
Tom smiled.
"Practice is the only criterion for verifying truth. Let this battle determine our difference in abilities."
Chapter 697: Chapter 697: Before the War (Edited)
Boom!
A lightning bolt struck Hogwarts' protective barrier, which had already been weakened by previous bombardments. Finally, amid everyone's anticipation, the barrier shattered into small fragments and dissipated into the air.
While its existence had been significant, it could only buy valuable time for Hogwarts' professors and students.
When Hogwarts was invaded, Professor McGonagall was awakened by the commotion. She quickly got out of bed in the dormitory and dressed in haste, then went to the window.
Her face displayed serious concern as she watched the flames at the castle's entrance.
Before leaving, Professor Dumbledore had activated Hogwarts' defenses and implemented other defensive measures around the castle. However, these measures could only delay the invaders and couldn't hold for long. Now was the time to make a decision.
Professor McGonagall headed for the dormitory door and raised her wand. Instantly, three silver cats with glasses-shaped markings around their eyes emerged from the tip of her wand. These were her Patronuses. The three Patronuses agilely raced away, leaving behind a trail of silver light in the corridor.
McGonagall needed to contact the other three Heads of Houses to discuss a plan.
After the three Patronuses had disappeared in the distance, McGonagall remembered that the other two wizarding schools might also be involved. So, she sent a Patronus to Beauxbatons and another to Durmstrang.
Having completed these tasks, McGonagall patiently waited in place, expecting the arrival of the other Heads of Houses and Heads of Schools, while mentally calculating what cards she still had left to play.
After weighing the pros and cons, McGonagall had an idea in mind as the other Heads arrived.
Soft footsteps echoed in the corridor, and McGonagall walked toward the sound and saw Snape.
"Someone has invaded Hogwarts; we need to do something," McGonagall said.
"Of course," Snape replied calmly and then fell silent, waiting for the other two Heads.
Soon, Professor Flitwick and Professor Sprout also arrived at Professor McGonagall's office.
"Minerva... Severus... what's going on?" Professor Flitwick was breathless from his haste.
"Hogwarts has been invaded."
Both of them were taken aback by the news.
"Where is Professor Dumbledore?" Flitwick exclaimed, "If Albus—"
"He's at the Ministry of Magic," Snape replied, providing the answer, "He's executing his own plan."
Flitwick's forehead immediately creased in worry. His colleague beside him, Professor Sprout, said seriously, "Then we must wait until Albus returns..."
"Yes, Pomona," McGonagall looked at her friend, "I believe we should lock down the common areas of the four houses. If there are students willing to join the fight, only allow upper-year students to participate."
"Of course," McGonagall's proposal was supported by all the Heads.
"Hagrid, I need you to mobilize the tribes of magical creatures in the Forbidden Forest," after organizing everything for the students, McGonagall turned her gaze to Hagrid, who had hurriedly arrived.
Hagrid stood still for a moment and then turned around to head back to the Forbidden Forest.
He didn't like using his friends who lived in the forest for his own purposes, but when it came to defending Hogwarts, he was willing to do it.
As for the Heads Madame Maxime and Karkaroff, Professor McGonagall also had a plan for them: in case the protective barrier was breached, the students from both schools could withdraw immediately. The invaders were targeting Hogwarts' castle and wouldn't initially come after them, giving them the best chance to retreat.
"Alright, but I will stay here and fight alongside you," Madame Maxime said without hesitation, making the decision after a brief moment of thought. She wanted to stay at Hogwarts with some of the older students to help defend the school.
The reason? The more, the better; that was her only consideration.
Madame Maxime's statement left Karkaroff green with envy. Olympe, you have good manners! But what about me?
Karkaroff felt that Madame Maxime's head must have been struck by one of those Abraxans. Wouldn't it be better to return home as soon as possible? He, Karkaroff, was a man who couldn't even protect Durmstrang. How could he stay and fight to the death for the people of Hogwarts? Do you know anything about being courteous?
Wait, courteous?
Karkaroff understood.
This was Albus Dumbledore's school; why should he worry if Dumbledore was there?
"And Professor Dumbledore?" However, as a precaution, he inquired about Dumbledore's whereabouts.
"He's not here."
"Isn't he here? This is his school!" Karkaroff grew anxious. The greatest power of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore, was absent?! This situation was untenable! This place wasn't conducive to staying for long.
Professor McGonagall glanced at Karkaroff's arm, which was well-covered by his robe. Her look seemed to heat up Karkaroff, making him uncomfortable.
"He's fighting against that person," Professor McGonagall said coldly.
Karkaroff startled. He suddenly realized he couldn't worry about matters of pride now. The enemy was Voldemort and the Death Eaters. What more needed to be said? He had to run.
Karkaroff had only one thought: escape by boat.
So, he didn't even bother with courteous words to Professor McGonagall and sprinted in the direction of Durmstrang's ship.
Madame Maxime cast a disdainful look at Karkaroff's back and then turned to Professor McGonagall to inform her that she would return shortly.
"Thank you very much," Professor McGonagall said sincerely. Her feet didn't stop moving as she headed straight for the Gryffindor Tower. As the Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts, she had too many things to do.
Meanwhile, in the common rooms of Hogwarts' four houses, it was chaos.
The Japanese wizards and the Death Eaters outside were causing a lot of noise, awakening many young wizards from their slumber. It didn't take long for everyone to learn of this startling news.
There was a brief moment of panic, but the Heads of Houses quickly calmed everyone down.
"Hogwarts Castle was built for war," Professor Sprout said as she looked at the gathered Hufflepuff students, soothing them patiently, "The castle's structure is extremely complex, and the entrances to the common rooms are protected by very powerful magic. The invaders cannot get in."
When the four founders built the castle, they considered the possibility of an invasion of Hogwarts, so they designed its structure incredibly complicated. It was so complicated that even new students could take a week to learn how to get to the common rooms. Staircases moved everywhere, and every portrait could hide a secret door. Even students who had been here for seven years wouldn't dare claim they knew most of the secret passages.
All of this was a protective measure prepared for war.
As for the entrances to the common rooms, they are perfectly concealed. For a thousand years, only Hufflepuff students know that the entrance to the Hufflepuff Common Room is hidden among a bunch of beer barrels. The entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room, at first glance, is just a simple mural. The entrances to the Ravenclaw and Slytherin Common Rooms are a bit more noticeable but still don't go so far as to have signs or indicators. All these entrances are hidden in some corner of the castle.
For some reason, the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room, even if it's opened, requires students to crouch down and crawl to get inside. During this process, if one were to receive a Petrificus Totalus... So, in reality, the common rooms of each house are easily defensible but difficult to attack. If young wizards remain calm, they can weather the catastrophe in the common rooms without problems.
After Professor Sprout spoke, there was a brief silence in the common room. After a while, Cedric stepped forward and broke the silence. He asked, "Professor, we can't just stand by and let the invaders roam Hogwarts with impunity, can we?"
These words stirred an emotional reaction in the crowd. Hufflepuff students, as if they had found a leader, began to express their emotions vigorously.
The students were quite dissatisfied with the intrusion of intruders.
Professor Sprout had to make a great effort to calm the students.
"Seventh-year students can accompany me outside; those who aren't in their seventh year should stay in their dormitories and rest. Everything will return to normal tomorrow morning."
Some younger Hufflepuff students showed reluctant expressions.
The scenes in the other three houses were not much different from what had happened in the Hufflepuff common room. It was basically about how many people were willing to defend Hogwarts.
The Slytherin students obediently returned to their dormitories to rest. On the other hand, some older Ravenclaw students volunteered to join the professors in defending Hogwarts. As for Gryffindor...
"Everyone must return!" Professor McGonagall looked at the crowd in front of her, and her pupils narrowed.
More than half of the Gryffindor students wanted to join and confront the invaders. If you included third-year students or higher, the ratio would be even more astonishing. Professor McGonagall had to forcibly remove those students who infiltrated the group but were not old enough.
"Colin Creevey, get out of here. And you, Longbottom... Fred-"
"Professor, I'm in my sixth year!" Fred exclaimed angrily, "I didn't qualify for the Triwizard Tournament, and now I don't qualify for this either?"
"If you were more mature, I wouldn't have thought you two were still little children," Professor McGonagall told Fred as she returned him to the fighting group.
This made the twins smile with excitement. While they had missed the chance to participate in the Triwizard Tournament, they certainly wouldn't miss defending Hogwarts!
The older students formed a long line and, to the admiring and envious looks of their younger peers, exited the common room. They would gather in the Great Hall and await further instructions from the professors.
On the Durmstrang ship and the Beauxbatons carriage, chaos also erupted. Madame Maxime loudly announced her plan and quickly determined the list of people willing to stay. Including Fleur Delacour, a total of five Beauxbatons students were willing to stay and fight, which surprised Madame Maxime.
"Isn't it our duty to help each other? Besides, they took care of us for nearly a year," Fleur said casually, as if she were discussing something trivial.
"Excellent," Madame Maxime said, very pleased. She had been worried that none of her students would volunteer. Fortunately, her children didn't disappoint her.
"Very well." Madame Maxime was very pleased; she had been quite worried that none of her students would step forward. Fortunately, her students didn't let her down.
Compared to the excitement in the other houses and Beauxbatons, the atmosphere on the Durmstrang ship was very somber.
"Professor Karkaroff, why did you wake us up in the middle of the night and set the ship in motion?" Krum asked with confusion. With his eagle eyes, he stared at his headmaster, expecting an answer.
"Viktor, my dear Viktor, they're attacking Hogwarts, and it's no longer safe here. I'm going to take you back to Durmstrang so you'll be safe. It's my duty as headmaster," Karkaroff said, having prepared his explanation on the way back to the ship and now presenting it with great pomp.
"Are we just going to leave it like this? What about the professors and students at Hogwarts?" Krum furrowed his brow.
"That's Dumbledore's business. Set sail at once!" Karkaroff patiently reassured Krum, then hurried the other students to get the ship underway.
Once the ship was set in motion, it could take the students back to Durmstrang. From then on, he would have to pay close attention to what happened here...
However, escape failed last time; could it succeed this time? Suddenly, Karkaroff felt that his future was bleak. He could only pray that Dumbledore would achieve victory.
Under the director's orders, some students moved, but Krum still stood in place.
"Do you have anything else to say?" with people bustling around him, Karkaroff improved his mood and now even cared about Krum's emotional state.
"Professor, I want to stay here," Krum pondered for a moment and made a decision, "Here are my friends, here is justice."
Karkaroff: ???
"Viktor, you're crazy, you'll die here!" He lowered his voice, almost growling at Krum.
"I know."
"But you still want to stay?" Karkaroff looked at Krum as if it were the first time he met this student.
Krum responded with silence.
"Get going, hurry up!" Karkaroff waved his hand and almost hit Krum's chin, "Don't delay the ship's departure."
Krum left. Some of his good friends also disembarked from the ship.
When they arrived at the Black Lake, they saw their school's ship slowly sinking.
A small wizard shrugged, looked at Krum, and asked, "How will we return after this battle? We don't know where the school is."
"We just have to survive first," Krum didn't want to think about that problem.
Krum led his friends to the Great Hall at Hogwarts. When they entered, there were already many people there.
Professor Sprout, Professor Flitwick, and Professor McGonagall led their respective students in the hall. Madame Maxime and her students also occupied a small corner, and Snape was alone and lonely in a corner.
"Professor Snape, where are your students?" seeing Snape alone, Madame Maxime felt a bit puzzled, "If they have other plans, it would be better if they informed us in advance, so—"
Madame Maxime instinctively thought that the Slytherin students had some special task, which was why they didn't appear in the Great Hall.
However, upon hearing what Madame Maxime said, Snape's face turned extremely ugly.
He came alone not because he had some grand plan, simply because no Slytherin student was willing to come out to defend Hogwarts.
Snape: ...
Enough, say no more.
Under normal circumstances, Professor McGonagall would surely have made some sarcastic comment to her "arch-nemesis," but now was not the time for arguments. She gave a brief explanation of how tasks would be assigned and then allowed everyone to begin preparations for battle.
Professor McGonagall's strategy was simple: the professors would lead their students to occupy key positions and stop the enemy. The advantageous positions for the battle would be the Ravenclaw Tower, the Astronomy Tower, and the Gryffindor Tower, where the view was wide, and spells could be cast from an elevated position.
More precise strategies couldn't be offered mainly because no one had experience in large-scale battles.
"Mandrake, Devil's Snare..." Professor Sprout muttered as she walked away, looking for magical plants she could use in battle. She would fight alongside her students in the Gryffindor Tower.
Professor Flitwick also departed; he wanted to personally protect the Ravenclaw Tower. He hurried off because he remembered some clever spells he could set up in advance in the school courtyard to hinder the invaders.
Professor McGonagall was not idle either; she drew her wand and shouted loudly, "Piertotum locomotor!"
The entire castle seemed to come to life, and a rumbling echoed throughout Hogwarts.
The suits of armor that had previously only adorned the hallways leaped from their pedestals and headed for the Great Hall.
"Hogwarts is threatened, it's time for you to do your duty!" McGonagall shouted, "Defend Hogwarts and exterminate the invaders!"
A large number of suits of armor and statues clustered around her and filed past, appearing to be almost the size of two people, holding all sorts of weapons. And the animal statues were even more diverse, in all shapes and sizes.
One of the statues, a knight with a hippogriff, caught McGonagall's attention because she had never seen it before.
As that thing approached, Professor McGonagall finally recognized it.
"Yodel, what are you doing here?"
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