Bab 695: Chapter 695: Voldemort and the Boy Who Lived (Edited)
Dumbledore: ...
That Tom could present three strategies was something he didn't expect.
Had Tom reached such an exceptional level? Thinking of three courses of action! Dumbledore was surprised. He was curious to know Tom's strategies.
"The superior plan, Professor, is to immediately summon the members of the Order of the Phoenix and the Ministry of Magic's aurors to attack the Department of Mysteries directly, trying to capture Voldemort and his followers. The middle plan is for you to reinforce the defenses of Hogwarts and then go to the Ministry of Magic to meet with Minister Bones and, together with the Ministry's armed forces, investigate the Department of Mysteries carefully. And the inferior plan is to monitor Harry, make him stay at Hogwarts without issues. After all, Voldemort is trying to deceive us, so let him waste his time there."
Usually, advisors liked to offer three strategies at once: the superior strategy was too idealistic, the inferior one was too inactive, and the middle one was the most reasonable and suitable choice. This way, advisors could include their preferred proposals, allowing the leader to make the decision but without having to choose themselves.
Tom did it in the same way.
He considered the problem could be easily solved. Voldemort's main goal was to lure Dumbledore to the Ministry of Magic, so what if Dumbledore simply didn't go? Let's have Voldemort face the situation on his own! Of course, Dumbledore could also counter Voldemort's plan and attack him when Voldemort attempted to set a trap. Thus, the enemy would face a double strategy, with a pincer tactic, thereby eliminating the greatest threat to the wizarding world.
The only concern was whether Voldemort would use the diversion tactic, making all of this just a distraction to lure Dumbledore away while his true goal was to take control of Hogwarts Castle. That's why Tom suggested Dumbledore reinforce the defenses of Hogwarts.
Indeed, Dumbledore chose Tom's middle plan.
"The superior plan is too rushed, the inferior plan is too slow. We will use your middle plan," Dumbledore decided to go to the Ministry of Magic and meet his student again.
"Professor, look outside the window!" Hermione suddenly exclaimed, anxious.
Tom and Dumbledore turned at the same time to look out the window and saw two figures disappearing on the horizon as they flew on broomsticks.
"Harry and Ron are flying to the Ministry of Magic on broomsticks! Professor, you must stop them!" Hermione was very distressed; she had discovered from the previous conversation that Voldemort had prepared a trap, and now Harry was falling into it.
But she quickly calmed down because she noticed that both Dumbledore and Tom were calm.
"My goodness, how clever Harry is to think of going to the Ministry of Magic this way!" Tom laughed as he reprimanded.
Indeed, the way Harry had chosen to go to the Ministry of Magic was very original! Hogwarts Castle was extremely far from London; one was in the north of the island, while the other was in the south. Even if they flew on broomsticks at top speed, it would take them several hours to reach London, and it would be dark by then.
But Hogwarts' defenses were also extremely unusual; they seemed like a semipermeable membrane—getting in was extremely difficult, but getting out was easy, a one-way defense.
Dumbledore also smiled without saying anything.
"He wants to lure me as bait, forcing me to go to the Ministry of Magic," Tom told Dumbledore.
"I applaud his bravery, but he clearly took too much risk," Dumbledore wasn't angry about Harry's actions; he simply thought it had been reckless.
Both were calm because they knew Harry wouldn't die, and his presence at the Ministry of Magic was exactly what he needed to do.
Harry and Voldemort had a very special relationship: as long as Voldemort was alive, Harry couldn't die. This relationship was a combination of chance and manipulation. The chance was that Harry became Voldemort's unwitting Horcrux, while manipulation was the work of Tom and Dumbledore. Under their plan, Voldemort used Harry's blood to resurrect, thus establishing this unique connection.
"However, Ron's safety is still a concern; he's not like Harry." Tom believed that Voldemort probably wouldn't cause problems for Ron since he needed someone to describe his power, and Ron was the most suitable choice. Nevertheless, it was still very risky. What if Voldemort killed him on a whim? Or if Ron angered Voldemort and was murdered? That wasn't entirely impossible!
Dumbledore nodded and rose from his chair, taking a few slow steps forward.
"I will first raise the level of protection at Hogwarts to the maximum. Tom and Miss Granger, stay here," Dumbledore said with unwavering tone.
Hermione's expression was instantly filled with disappointment. A moment ago, she had hoped to go to the Ministry of Magic and witness the great battle, but now Dumbledore had left her at Hogwarts directly.
She wanted to protest, but both Tom and Dumbledore looked at her at the same time, and under those intense gazes, Hermione finally relented.
One was the person she respected the most, and the other was the person she loved the most; both didn't support her departure, what more could she say?
However, if she couldn't go, then Tom shouldn't go either!
I had thought that Tom would argue with Dumbledore and persuade him to take him along. I even prepared the words to persuade him, but I never expected that Tom would simply accept without objections, he just asked Dumbledore a question.
"Are you sure you can kill Voldemort?" Dumbledore didn't respond, he just stroked the bump on the handle of his Elder Wand.
"Some accounts must be settled," he looked out the window with a profound gaze.
The accounts of several years between him and Tom Riddle should be settled.
Tom understood what Dumbledore meant, so he felt relieved.
"Remember to use the Anti-Apparition Charm, so he can't escape," Tom suggested patiently.
Dumbledore didn't respond. Of course, he knew that trick. At that moment, he was searching his mind for other spells to ensure Voldemort couldn't escape.
A long while passed, and Tom and Hermione left Dumbledore's office.
The office door closed slowly, and once the corridor behind them was completely covered by the gargoyle statue, Hermione voiced her concern, "Is it really okay for Professor Dumbledore to go alone? What if...?"
"There won't be any problems," Tom said confidently about Dumbledore. "He's not fighting alone; Voldemort will regret it. It's truly arrogant to have chosen the Department of Mysteries as the place for the final duel. You can't say enough about him."
Perhaps Voldemort thought there would be no Ministry wizards involved in the battle with Dumbledore, but he didn't know that the Ministry of Magic was completely different under Bones' leadership than when Fudge was in charge. Maybe their ability was still mediocre, but under Bones' leadership, they at least had some courage to stand up to Voldemort and not hinder Dumbledore.
This little bit of courage led to monumental changes. No matter what was said, they could still provide the stage for Dumbledore and Voldemort to fight one-on-one.
Tom's words quickly dispelled Hermione's worries. However, even without worries, neither of them had the appetite for dinner. They sat in silence in the astronomy tower, waiting for the final outcome.
While Tom and Hermione watched the sunset sinking below the horizon, Harry also arrived on the outskirts of the Ministry of Magic under Ron's guidance.
It was already late, and the Ministry of Magic had closed for some time. In England, even wizards didn't work overtime, so the enormous Ministry of Magic was completely deserted.
Harry's heart suddenly sank to its deepest depths. His plan was about to fail; he could no longer get the help of the Ministry of Magic employees. But what worried him the most wasn't that...
"What do we do? Should we go on?" Ron felt a little apprehensive when he saw the emptiness of the Ministry of Magic's lobby.
"Of course," Harry said firmly, "Voldemort could obtain that object at any moment. We must stop him."
"Could you stop saying his name?" Hearing the word "Voldemort," Ron shivered and felt a chill. "I told you his name has power! Once that word is spoken, he knows it, and besides, we're so close to him here."
As he spoke, Ron's legs trembled. They were about to face Voldemort face to face! It was something he hadn't even dared to imagine a few hours ago.
Even though he had set out bravely, once he realized he was less than five kilometers in a straight line from Voldemort, fear flooded his mind once again.
He really wanted to turn around and get as far away from there as possible.
Seeing how nervous Ron was, Harry didn't want to pressure him any further and just urged him to lead him to the Department of Mysteries.
"Besides, we deliberately flew past Professor Dumbledore's office before we left. He probably already knows, and he'll probably come soon." Harry mentioned Dumbledore to encourage Ron.
With the help of his words, Ron regained his courage.
Perhaps due to the adrenaline coursing through his body, Ron was no longer nervous; in fact, he felt excited. He wondered if, after thwarting Voldemort's plot, he could return alive and recount the experience – it would be a great conversation piece!
Lost in his thoughts, Harry and Ron reached the ninth level, where the Department of Mysteries was located.
Although he had never been there before, the surroundings became familiar, further confirming the authenticity of his dreams. Moreover, the subtle pain in his forehead scar indicated the location of the mission's target.
Harry felt mentally prepared.
Though Harry was prepared, when he turned around and saw Voldemort's snake-like face, he still felt like his scalp was about to explode.
Of course, at the same time, his scar also throbbed as if it were splitting open.
"Harry Potter..." Voldemort murmured his name softly, his voice sounding like crackling flames, "The boy who lived, it seems you've finally come."
Bellatrix's figure silently appeared behind Harry. However, only she appeared; the grand Hall of Prophecies in the Department of Mysteries seemed to be empty, with only Voldemort, Harry, Ron, and the hastily arriving Bellatrix.
Standing next to Harry, Ron clenched his fists, his heart almost leaping out of his chest. Instinctively, he opened his mouth to speak, but before he could utter a single sound, Voldemort waved his hand, and several cords sprang forth from behind Ron, tying him to a bookshelf. One cord rose and sealed his mouth, preventing him from speaking.
"Stay calm and observe," Voldemort didn't even bother to pay attention to Ron; instead, he was scrutinizing Harry with great interest.
"Bella," he asked his only follower, "do you see anything special about this young wizard in front of us?"
Bellatrix shook her head; she didn't see anything particularly special about Harry.
"Yes, I don't understand either. Why can an apparently ordinary boy make the greatest of dark wizards lose all his power?" Voldemort reminisced about that night fifteen years ago.
"Potter, don't you find it a bit pitiful that in the final act of your life, there are so few spectators? My loyal servants are not what they used to be, and besides, some spells are keeping them away for now." Voldemort seemed to lament that there weren't many people present to witness his final victory.
"I would like to talk to you a bit more, but unfortunately, time is running out... I hope that before you die, the ace up your sleeve, that old nuisance, arrives in time." Voldemort drew his wand.
At that moment, Harry was completely calm, observing everything like a spectator.
Voldemort raised his wand, without any hesitation, with his head slightly tilted, like a curious child wanting to know what would happen next. His mouth moved, and a green flash enveloped him, and everything disappeared.
Ron witnessed it all.
When he saw the killing curse hit Harry, he wanted to scream desperately, but his mouth was covered, and he could only make a muffled sound.
But in the next moment, a miracle occurred.
Both Voldemort and Harry were lifted into the air at the same time and then fell to the ground like old dolls.
Terror filled Ron's eyes, mirrored in Bellatrix's.
She rushed to Voldemort and knelt by his side, shaking him with all her might, but he showed no response, as if he were dead.
The cords binding Ron began to loosen, but the scene before him was too shocking, and he didn't realize he had been released.
Until an aged hand landed on his shoulder.
Ron jumped in surprise, and as he turned his head, he discovered it was Professor Dumbledore.
This time, before he could make a sound, Dumbledore covered his mouth.
"Go over there," Dumbledore indicated a direction, urging him to move away while he remained in place, watching the spectacle unfolding before his eyes.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone