Chapter 262: Voldemort is Captured!
"Maybe we should do something!"
Next to the hillside, where a huge hole had been blasted by the green smoke-serpent from the Dark Mark, the Sack-Cloak fluttered, covering a corner of the ground. Inside, Cedric was on edge. The three of them were not the Golden Trio; if it had been Harry or Hermione, they would have rushed out long ago to find a way to get a shot in at the Dark Lord, a lone wolf wanting to find a stage to show off their abilities.
"The professor told us to stay here!" Crabbe's expression was firm, and he looked threateningly at Cedric. "You can't get in the way of the professors!"
Cedric listened to the surrounding mist, which seemed to be boiling with screams and strange beastly roars. He was full of unease. "What is this mist?"
"War Fog," Crabbe explained. Seeing their curious looks, he scratched his head in his usual slow way. "My family has a painting. Tùtú told me about it. One of my ancestors was very good at this Dark magic. It's 'spicy.'"
"Spicy?" Cedric was baffled. What kind of description was that?
"The mist will make your throat spicy, so you can't cast spells. It makes your eyes spicy, so you can't see anything. If you get too much of the mist on you, all of your bones will start to ache." Crabbe repeated Tùtú's original words.
Cedric and Luna both gasped. Fortunately, they had practiced the Bubble-Head Charm a lot in Dueling Club, and with the red cloak covering them, they were safe. Otherwise, they would have been affected long ago.
Crabbe looked anxiously at the hazy mist outside his Bubble-Head Charm, worried about the professors. He sensed the surroundings for a moment, and his brow furrowed. "I think I can feel..." Crabbe raised his wand and waved it lightly. A flash of light shimmered from deep within the mist—the Soul Bonfire spell he had cast with the help of the river of time. "So many souls crying out and despairing."
"It's the Muggles and Dark wizards!" Cedric's expression grew serious. "We have to save them, or they'll all be caught in the crossfire and killed when the professors and the Dark Lord start fighting!"
"Are you crazy?" Crabbe looked at Cedric in disbelief, his face blurry through the mist and the charm. "They just tried to kill us!"
"Yes, they did. But they're also people. Muggles are people, and Dark wizards are people. They just took the wrong path and followed the wrong person." Cedric's voice was sincere. "They have to pay for the mistakes they made, but we have a chance to let them live..."
"I can't just stand here and watch them die," Cedric said, his attitude firm.
"You're a maniac!" Crabbe couldn't understand at all. "Risking your life for your enemies?"
"Not for them," Cedric said as he waved his wand to cast a Shield Charm on himself, then began checking some of the magical items he got from the Weasley twins. "Just for the sake of the belief in justice I hold in my heart."
"Is there a difference?" Crabbe grumbled.
But to his surprise, Luna also agreed. "I see a lot of Ghost Moths flying around. They are announcing the arrival of death, and they want my help."
Besides, a pink butterfly was hovering in the air. As she firmed her resolve, the butterfly floated down to her head, gently fluttering its wings and scattering glowing specks that were invisible to normal people.
So the three of them made their decision.
Cedric bravely walked into the mist first. Luna caught up to him, saying the Ghost Moths could guide her and that she could show them the way. Crabbe hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he followed. One of his companions was a fool who wanted to save his enemies; the other was a lunatic who believed in bugs. What could he do? His mind was empty and couldn't make any judgments, so he could only follow the crowd.
Heaven help him. Crabbe and his kind of dense wizards always followed the guidance of the wise. Old Crabbe listened to Malfoy, and after losing his parents, he listened to Lockhart. Now, he was listening to the advice of a fool and a maniac. He didn't know if it was a good or bad choice. But he followed them anyway.
He and Cedric were like blind men, carefully following behind Luna. Luna, meanwhile, followed the path guided by the Ghost Moths, which looked like fireflies in the mist. They stumbled along until they reached the base of a stone statue.
"There's someone here!" Luna almost tripped and gasped, causing Cedric and Crabbe to rush forward.
"Petrificus Totalus!" Cedric quickly cast a Full Body-Bind Curse on the blurry figure in the mist. He was willing to save people, but he wasn't a fool. There was a strict set of procedures for dealing with captives that their Dueling Club had worked out.
"Levicorpus!" Luna also reacted, waving her wand.
"Expelliarmus!" Crabbe synchronized with them to complete the pre-planned routine.
In an instant, the wizard was left hanging upside down and rigid in the air, his wand dropping to the ground. In the shadows, the little golden retriever, who was secretly watching the young wizards, picked it up. After doing this, it rummaged around on its body, pulled out a book, glanced left and right, and ran toward Crabbe, climbing onto his shoulder.
"Where is it safe to take him?" Luna asked after they had dealt with the wizard, suddenly unsure of what to do next.
Just then, the little paw of the golden retriever handed a magical book to Crabbe.
"It's the professor's adventure book!" Crabbe's eyes lit up. He quickly opened the book and motioned for them to help him put the wizard inside.
After saving this person, their confidence grew, and they hurried on. But they soon stopped.
A gigantic figure, like some massive creature, was twisting in the mist ahead. It was a Basilisk of an incredibly exaggerated size. The Basilisk looked like it was in great pain. Its eyes were covered with a thick layer of condensed water. No matter how much it shook, the water clung to them, and the painful stinging made it slam its head into the ground, its serpent body thrashing. In the hazy mist, it looked like an unspeakable monster, occasionally revealing flashes of its scales and terrifyingly thick body.
(Kill them!) The Basilisk seemed to have sensed their presence and hissed.
Luckily, the Dueling Club had started studying Parseltongue a long time ago. All three young wizards had learned it, and although they weren't very good, they could barely understand the Basilisk's words.
Well, there was nothing to say but to fight!
But before they could cast a spell, a bolt of lightning as thick as a bowl struck the Basilisk, causing it to writhe and convulse in agony.
"Was that Professor Lockhart's spell?" Cedric exclaimed. He knew the professor's most famous spell.
"I don't think so," Crabbe said, not entirely sure. This bolt of lightning had a "domineering" aura that didn't quite match the characteristics of Professor Lockhart's magic.
BOOM!
Another huge bang interrupted the three young wizards' discussion. They all looked toward the source of the sound. A massive sea of fire descended from the sky like the sun itself had fallen, bringing with it scorching heat and light that pierced through and dispelled the thick mist around them. The blistering air felt like it would incinerate anyone who came close.
Fortunately, the sea of fire was blocked.
Countless vapors rose from the earth, and the droplets of water gathered and "fell" upwards in a way that defied gravity, into a lake that hung upside down in the air. Yes, a whole ocean had stopped the fire.
The collision of fire and ocean was so sudden, so fierce, and so violent that it produced a deafening roar, as if the world itself was shaking. In the ocean, lightning bolts surged, constantly falling to the earth and attacking the Basilisks and Muggles. Then, another series of weaker but larger-scale bolts of lightning turned into an electrical net that pierced the sea of fire and surged upward.
"March of the Edge!" A sharp roar came from the sky above. The stone statues once again came to life, surrounding a certain area in the mist step by step.
"Oh no!" Crabbe exclaimed. "My Soul Bonfire spell doesn't seem to be able to suppress these statues anymore!"
"Get on your broomsticks!" Cedric immediately made a decision. On such a dangerous battlefield, maintaining high mobility was the top priority, especially when facing these gargoyle-like monsters that seemed incredibly strong but were slow to move. He looked at Luna. "Can you really see the bugs you're talking about?"
Luna looked at him in disbelief. "I thought you both believed me now."
"If you can see them, we'll follow on your sides. You lead us to find the others." Cedric's expression was serious. "I have to confirm this with you again!"
"I can see them!" Luna insisted.
"Alright, let's go!" Cedric told them to hurry up and act, cautioning them to "stay low, but don't stick to the ground, and watch out for obstacles!"
Navigating a battlefield where four magical masters were fighting was undoubtedly a dangerous undertaking, but the three young wizards seemed to have the favor of a goddess of luck. Their movements were not greatly affected. When they did suffer minor injuries, Crabbe would use a more proactive healing spell, "Warmth and Healing," in conjunction with the Soul Bonfire he had just set up.
They found one Muggle and Dark wizard after another, disarmed them, and put them inside Professor Lockhart's magical book. Young wizards are always full of kindness and hope for the world. Perhaps from an adult's perspective, some of their actions weren't appropriate, but this kind of adventure would lay a deep and unforgettable foundation for their future magical paths.
They were experiencing war and feeling it at the same time. They were witnessing the spellcasting of magical masters that was beyond their comprehension. The spells they normally practiced in Dueling Club, which were already beyond the scope of a standard duel, seemed like child's play in this battle. They were completely awestruck.
It turned out that the "Flying Cauldron" spell could turn all the leaves on a mountain into sharp blades, which then gathered into a torrential downpour. It turned out that Transfiguration could make the earth crawl out a gigantic troll that used two Basilisks as weapons. It turned out that a weather charm could enhance the power of curses. It turned out that a seemingly simple "Sonorus" could also be a magical attack, creating a high-frequency, terrifying noise that made it impossible for people to concentrate.
The three young wizards felt as if they were experiencing the destruction of the world firsthand. In this place, hidden by magic, almost every piece of land was churned up by magical power, and everything was destroyed.
Howling tornadoes picked up the sand and dirt, turning them into high-powered "sandpapering machines" that tore through the world like meat grinders. Slowly, the Dark Lord's terrifying roar began to sound a bit exasperated. And then, little by little, it became hysterical.
"Dumbledore! Dumbledore!" Voldemort roared, turning into a fast-moving black shadow that streaked across the sky. "You can't catch me, you can't catch me!"
Yes, Dumbledore had to admit, it was very difficult. But high difficulty didn't mean it was impossible.
Right now, this entire space was completely sealed. He, Gellert, and Gilderoy were hunting one Voldemort. This was the best possible situation with the most elite lineup. If they still couldn't succeed and he managed to escape, then they could forget about ever dealing with Dark Lords again and just hope Harry Potter could create a miracle.
But just as they thought they had him, Voldemort was about to escape. His method was unbelievably simple.
Voldemort hovered mockingly in the high-altitude air in front of the three of them, turning his wand on himself. Then he laughed menacingly, "Avada Kedavra!" A jet of green light erupted from the tip of his wand, striking him right in the forehead.
In that instant, his life force dissipated. Voldemort's body fell from the sky like a ragdoll.
Yes, he had died. Voldemort had escaped all harm through death itself. To him, death was a form of permanence.
"Damn it!" Grindelwald couldn't help but curse, looking worriedly at Dumbledore, who was clenching his lips and trembling slightly.
But just then, a voice seemed to pierce through the river of time, coming from a great distance, yet sounding as if it was right beside them.
"Time... Rollback!"
They turned to see Lockhart raising his wand and shouting. The spell looked incredibly strenuous, costing him his usual composure and grace. You could even see blood and tears streaking from the corners of Lockhart's eyes, making him look particularly ferocious.
The spell was undoubtedly terrifying. Black clouds instantly filled the sky, and an ominous and mysterious atmosphere of oppression enveloped the world. As Lockhart's magic surged, the world in front of him suddenly became sluggish. Yes, the sky was still the sky, the breeze was still blowing, and Voldemort was still falling, but that part of the world just felt incredibly slow. It was as if a giant had grabbed that piece of existence and twisted it forcefully, rolling time back to a previous point.
Voldemort's body began to float upward. The green light of the Killing Curse lit up his wand once more, and then it rolled back to an earlier moment.
BOOM!
The entire world vibrated with a very strange tremor.
Then Grindelwald and Dumbledore felt with astonishment that Voldemort's life force had reappeared. It was a scene like casting a Reparo charm on a dead object...
Dumbledore was shocked. Grindelwald was shocked. Voldemort... was also shocked.
Old Voldy looked at the wand in his hand in disbelief. He instinctively touched himself again, and his expression suddenly changed. "Blast it!" he cursed.
A flash of fire passed. A phoenix, who had appeared out of nowhere, cried out as it flew past him, its sharp claws tearing the wand from his hand. His robes quickly Transfigured into what looked like bandages, wrapping around his entire body. His mouth disappeared in an instant. Not only his lips, but his tongue, his upper and lower teeth, and his jawbone all melded and fused together.
He began to fall. One spell after another flashed on his body, an uncountable number of sealing spells.
Finally, he fell just above the ground, coming to a sudden, silent stop as all momentum was drained away, then he hit the ground with a soft thud.
"Mmmph Mmmph Mmmph~"
Voldemort struggled, trying to say something.
But a figure slowly came to fill his vision.
Dumbledore looked down at the completely captured Voldemort, a unique emotion welling up in his heart. He gazed at him with a complex expression. "Tom..."