Harry chased Bellatrix all the way out of the Death Chamber, through the Brain Room, and into the Hall of Doors.
"Bahahaha~~ Little Potter~ Come and catch me~~"
Bellatrix let out a shrieking, manic laugh that echoed through the circular chamber.
The round doors began to spin again, and Harry couldn't tell which one led out.
"Where's the way out?" he shouted in desperation.
One of the doors suddenly burst open behind him, revealing the corridor that led to the lifts.
Not caring which way it was, he bolted toward it.
Just before he reached the lifts, he saw Bellatrix stepping into one of them, turning to give him a mocking little wave.
Harry sprinted to another lift and slammed his fists frantically on the button to summon it.
The gate slid open.
He threw himself inside and jabbed the button for "Atrium" again and again.
When the lift rattled to a stop, he shoved through the grilles before they had even fully opened.
Bellatrix, seeing him burst out after her, laughed even more wildly.
She spun, flicked her wand, and sent a curse flying at him.
Harry dove behind the Fountain of Magical Brethren; the spell streaked past him and slammed into the great golden doors on the far side of the hall.
He noticed the footsteps had stopped—Bellatrix wasn't running anymore.
Harry crouched low behind the statue, straining to listen.
"Come out, come out, little Potter!" the madwoman called in a babyish voice. "Bahaha~~ Why did you chase me out here? Was it to play hide-and-seek?"
The thought of his godfather nearly being killed by Bellatrix made rage boil up inside Harry.
That fury drove him to spring from behind cover, wand leveled at her, catching her off guard.
"Cruci—" Two voices overlapped.
Bellatrix shrieked as the curse sent her sprawling to the floor.
But at the same time, Harry collapsed as well.
A drawling voice, full of disdain, spoke: "You need true malice behind it, Potter."
It was Lucius.
Harry had forgotten—he'd run out too.
Agony surged through Harry's body, his limbs jerking uncontrollably.
Meanwhile, Bellatrix quickly scrambled back to her feet.
"Pfft~ Look at little Potter Jr. Gonna cry~? Ba—Ha—ha—ha—ha!" Her piercing laugh made Harry wish nothing more than to kill her.
Bellatrix shouted triumphantly at Harry, "You're far too naïve! Ignorance will cost you your life for nothing."
Her exposed, twisted skin looked like tree bark as she shrieked, "Hand over the prophecy—now, at once, immediately!"
Hearing this, Harry's eyes gleamed with a flicker of vindictive satisfaction as he roared, "Then you'll have to kill me, because the prophecy's gone!"
Lucius's expression faltered with a moment of panic. He slapped Harry hard across the face and bellowed, "Shut up!"
Blood streaked Harry's mouth as he sneered, "He knows. Your dear master, Voldemort, knows it's gone! He'll be displeased with you all, won't he?"
"What? What do you mean?" Bellatrix, wild-eyed, shoved Lucius aside and seized Harry by the throat with her long, clawlike nails.
"He saw it too," Harry said hoarsely, glaring at Lucius. "He saw who broke the prophecy."
Bellatrix immediately snapped her head toward Lucius, dangerous light flashing in her eyes.
Lucius's heart lurched. He hastily blurted, "He's lying—he's the boy who lies!"
Harry tried to retort, but the choking grip and the searing agony of his scar left him speechless, tears stinging his eyes.
"Lies!" Bellatrix screeched. Her face twisted as she snarled, "Give me the prophecy!"
Her grip tightened around his neck, his eyes rolling back.
Harry's hand scrabbled desperately along the floor—until it found his wand.
He thrust it upward, jabbing it viciously toward Bellatrix.
"Arrrg! Damn it, damn it, damn it!" Bellatrix shrieked. She released Harry's throat, blood trickling down her face.
Air rushed back into Harry's lungs—he coughed violently several times before his vision finally cleared.
Lucius immediately lunged forward to restrain him, but a streak of red light shot from behind, sending him crashing to the ground.
It was the madwoman.
She looked like a demon crawling out of hell, blood streaking her twisted face as she roared, "He's mine—this is the task my master entrusted to me!"
"You lunatic!" Lucius spat furiously.
Harry seized the chance to scramble backward.
Bellatrix, still half-deranged, shouted wildly into the air, "Master, I tried—I did my best, don't punish me!"
"Stop wasting your breath," Harry shouted, his scar burning so fiercely he could barely open his eyes. "He can't hear you here."
"Is that so, Potter?" A cold, high voice cut through the air.
Chill surged from the soles of Harry's feet all the way to his head.
He forced his eyes open—before him stood a tall, skeletal figure draped in a black hood.
That terrifying, serpent-like face—pale, gaunt, with slit red eyes glowing with menace.
Voldemort.
He was here.
Right here.
That wand was pointed straight at Harry.
"Haah.. haa.. haah.."
Harry stared, frozen, unable to move.
Lucius, trembling all over, scrambled and crawled to Voldemort's feet.
"Master, it was him—it was he who destroyed the prophecy sphere."
He lowered himself as far as he could, nearly kissing Voldemort's feet.
Voldemort shifted his gaze to Harry. "So, you shattered my prophecy?"
Those cold, scarlet eyes, slit like a serpent's, bore into Harry.
In an instant, Voldemort pried into that unguarded mind and saw much.
He looked down at Lucius, then kicked him aside.
"Urg.."
Lucius trembled harder, dread overwhelming him. He knew now—he knew it had been Draco who smashed the prophecy sphere.
No—my son.
Agony twisted Lucius's heart.
But Voldemort had endless patience for Bellatrix. He spoke softly: "Bella, he wasn't lying. I saw the truth in his mind."
"Master, forgive me, I didn't know, I—I just…" the madwoman sobbed.
"Enough, Bella." Voldemort turned his gaze back to Harry.
"But Master, he's here—right below us."
Voldemort knew exactly who she meant.
He ignored her, raising his wand at Harry instead.
"On this day worth celebrating, I have no desire to waste words with you, Potter."
That man was dead—the one who had driven the Death Eaters into hiding was finally gone.
Voldemort lifted his wand without hesitation and uttered the curse.
"Avada Kedavra~"
Green light blazed before Harry, reaching to claim his life.
The golden statue of the wizard at the fountain suddenly sprang to life, leaping from its base. It landed between Harry and Voldemort, arms spread wide in protection.
Boom!
The green light struck the wizard's chest, deflected, and stopped.
That advanced Transfiguration triggered a thought in Voldemort. He scanned the hall, shouting: "Dumbledore!"
Harry's heart was pounding wildly when he saw Dumbledore appear at the great golden doors.
The moment Voldemort saw him, he suddenly burst into mad laughter for no reason.
Harry thought maybe he had been frightened.
Hermione and Ron came rushing out, and when they saw Harry in danger, they cried out in alarm: "Harry!"
"Hermione, Ron!" Relief surged in Harry at the sight of his friends.
But with Dumbledore here as well, he finally felt safe enough to breathe.
He hurried over to join them.
Ginny and Luna came running out too.
All of them gazed at Dumbledore with awe.
The greatest wizard alive.
Voldemort, however, didn't seem to care about the others. He stared fixedly at Dumbledore, and in a strange tone asked, "How does it feel?"
Dumbledore remained silent, but Voldemort had no intention of letting the moment slip away.
He chuckled darkly, then suddenly demanded in a loud voice: "I'm asking you, Dumbledore—how does it feel?"
"What does he mean?" Harry and the others were completely at a loss.
Voldemort's lips curled into a smile that was both venomous and cruel.
"That man is dead. The one who time and again ruined my plans. That Hogwarts student…"
He watched Dumbledore's expression shift, then hissed softly, "John Wick."
Those who had been expecting Dumbledore to defeat Voldemort were stunned.
"He's lying, right? Professor Dumbledore?" Hermione turned to him, thinking this was just a cheap trick.
But after a brief silence, Dumbledore looked at Voldemort and said, "Tom… it was you who killed him."
"Me? Bahaha!" Voldemort burst out laughing, then suddenly leveled his wand at Dumbledore and roared, "No—it was you, Dumbledore!"
"It was your mistrust that killed him!"
The icy, piercing voice carried a chill that sank into their bones.
Hermione staggered back two steps and screamed, "That's not true!"
"It is, little girl." Voldemort relished the sight of their helpless grief, his scarlet tongue sliding across his lips. "I used the darkest, most excruciating poison to kill that arrogant fool."
"Even I must admit his brilliance. His death brought me boundless joy."
Feigning thoughtfulness, he sneered, "Let me guess—he must have been on his knees, begging someone to end his life? The sunset echoing with his screams?"
Each word cut into Hermione's heart like a knife.
Hermione couldn't breathe. She clutched her chest.
Her friend... John… dead?
The most evil, most agonizing poison.
Her mind filled with the image of John collapsing, black blood spilling from his mouth. Tears were already streaming down her face.
Harry felt a heavy pang. John… actually dead?
Then he noticed Luna, calm as if nothing had happened. Startled, he asked, "Why aren't you sad?"
Luna blinked once, then said with quiet certainty, "John told me he'd be fine."
Her words carried the kind of conviction that made it sound as if—even in death—John could still come back.
"Hahaha~ A true genius, died like a pathetic Squib, failed by you all."
Dumbledore looked guilty, and Hermione was on the verge of collapse.
"If he had joined me in his first year, his future could have—Avada Kedavra!"
Voldemort struck in that instant of suffocating grief.
Everything he had said before was only to pave the way for this moment.
Dumbledore turned, his robes swirling as he vanished in a blur, dodging the flash of green light.
When Dumbledore reappeared, he was already behind Voldemort.
At the same time, he flicked his wand, and every statue in the fountain sprang to life. The witch statue charged straight at Bellatrix and Lucius.
Just then, Lupin came running out and collided with Drogon—the two immediately clashed in a fierce fight.
The centaur statue galloped at Voldemort, but he vanished in an instant, reappearing beside the pool.
He fired a Killing Curse at Dumbledore, only for the elf statue to leap in front and block it.
The golden wizard statue shielded Harry and the others, but there were too many of them to protect.
Voldemort feinted with his wand, hurling a spell at Dumbledore, then with his free hand made a sharp, forceful motion.
The wizard statue was struck as if by a massive blow, flung sideways through the air.
Ancient magic.
With Harry and the others exposed, Voldemort unleashed a violent torrent of green lightning.
By the time Harry and his friends reacted, it was already too late.
Even Lupin couldn't reach them in time.
A beam of white light burst forth from behind the golden doors, colliding with the torrent of green lightning.
Boom!
At the point of impact, a terrifying explosion erupted, shockwaves rippling outward.
Everyone was blasted off their feet.
Arcs of crackling electricity leapt and sizzled through the air.
Harry and the others, covered in dust and debris, lifted their heads to see who had stepped out.
Above the flowing, ornate robes was a silver mask.
The moment Voldemort saw the figure, he screamed as if he'd seen a ghost: "Who are you?"
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