Chapter 91 The Death of Lord Voldemort
Whoosh!
The black wand sliced across Lord Voldemort's neck.
A silver glint flashed and vanished, immediately followed by a dark red line of blood.
Lord Voldemort left a meaningful smile, his body dissolving like sand, leaving behind only a tattered robe.
"Phew!" Aaron took a deep breath. "It's finally over."
"Is he dead?" Harry asked, emboldened.
"Probably!" Aaron wiped the sweat from his forehead with a slightly trembling hand and collapsed onto the floor, exhausted.
After all, it was his first time killing someone. Although the victim was an unpardonable villain who had plotted against him, he clearly wasn't mentally prepared enough.
It felt good in the moment, after plotting for so long, to finally succeed.
But after the act, a wave of fear and nausea washed over him. Lord Voldemort's end was too tragic; to describe it as utterly annihilated wouldn't be an exaggeration, and it left a bit of a psychological shadow on him.
"This is too cruel." Hermione looked at the pile of shattered remains on the ground, frowning involuntarily.
"You need to face reality. If I hadn't acted just now, we would be the ones dead," Aaron said slowly, his voice low but his attitude firm.
"You're right."
A hoarse voice emerged from the shattered remains. Wisps of black energy coalesced, forming a terrifying, ethereal black shadow floating in mid-air.
"Holy crap!
He's still not dead after all that!"
Aaron immediately shivered, retreating towards the corner with Harry and the other two.
"No, you've already killed me once.
I'm very weak, even worse than a ghost, but I don't die that easily." The black shadow looked at Aaron with glowing red eyes. "How does it feel to kill for the first time?
Isn't it particularly wonderful? Does it make you unable to extricate yourself?"
"Gollum!" Aaron swallowed. "No, I just don't want to try it a second time."
"That's not necessarily true."
"Dumbledore will be back soon." Harry said, his face anxious, threatening, "If I were you, I'd get out of here quickly."
"You're right, my current state can't last too long, but I can give you a gift before I leave." Lord Voldemort said meaningfully, then quickly rushed towards the four.
His body made of black mist, his glowing red eyes, and his featureless face, vaguely visible in the firelight, combined to cast a shadow over their hearts.
"Incendio!"
Aaron made a swift decision, brandishing his wand and unleashing a ball of fire.
But the black shadow passed through the flames without hindrance, bypassing Abey, who was blocking in front to protect his master, and piercing through his chest.
Aaron's vision went black, he felt the world spin, and gradually closed his eyes.
As he fell, he vaguely saw three Gryffindors, their faces filled with terror but still standing, and he couldn't help but feel a bit stifled. Why am I the only one injured?
...One day later, Aaron blinked, seeing a somewhat familiar ceiling and French windows.
Sunlight streamed through the window onto the empty space in front of his bed, and a neatly dressed adorable creature was napping by his right hand.
"Still alive, looks like I'm lucky."
"Of course you're lucky." Professor Snape's voice came from the right. "You were just a bit frightened, but it led to a sweet dream."
"Professor, why are you here too?" Aaron turned his head, but quickly fell into a state of confusion.
Professor Snape wasn't there to visit him; he was also lying in a hospital bed, but his condition wasn't as good. One of his arms was heavily bandaged, which made his face even more stern.
"You, are you injured?"
"What do you think?" Professor Snape retorted. "Lord Voldemort is a powerful wizard on Dumbledore's level. Under normal circumstances, we are no match for him.
He used Quirrell's body to unleash some of his power, even squeezing his life force, fighting us face-to-face with an attitude of'succeed or die'. It's already good that we won a tragic victory."
Aaron's mouth twitched, somewhat speechless.
Tragic victory? Was that a tragic victory?
When we were cornered by Lord Voldemort, you and Professor McGonagall didn't make a move; you were probably unconscious.
If it was a tragic victory, it was Lord Voldemort's tragic victory.
He, dragging his half-dead body, managed to defeat two Deans, although he then entered a death countdown and was absolutely beyond recovery, otherwise he would never have missed the opportunity to seize the Philosopher's Stone.
"Your expression seems a bit off!
Are you questioning what I said?"
"No, absolutely not.
It's just... Professor, are you sure it was a tragic victory, not a narrow defeat?"
"Of course it was a tragic victory.
Although we lost consciousness, our final magic also caused his spirit to separate, rendering him harmless. Otherwise, do you think you would still be alive?"
Aaron read the pleasure of avenging a great enemy from Professor Snape's stern expression. It was clear that he was very pleased, so he reluctantly accepted the answer,
"What about Professor McGonagall? Is she safe and sound?"
"I'm here."
The voice came from Aaron's left. He instinctively turned his head and saw Professor McGonagall, whose right arm was bandaged just like Professor Snape's.
"Professor McGonagall, it looks like you're also seriously injured!"
"It's just a slight injury to the hand I hold my wand with, but Madam Pomfrey clearly doesn't see it that way. She thinks we need two days of rest.
Professor Snape should be almost recovered too."
"Then what are you still doing lying here?
Taking up beds?"
"In the infirmary, you have to listen to the doctor.
And being hospitalized isn't without its benefits. The affairs of Gryffindor and Slytherin have been temporarily handed over to the Principal, it's a rare chance to relax!" Professor McGonagall said as she sat up, took a newspaper from the table, and began to read it with relish.
Only then did Aaron notice that the tables next to the two Deans were piled high with gifts—chocolates, fine wines, and flowers, everything imaginable.
His table, however, only had a few bouquets of flowers, nothing else.
"That's heartbreaking!
It's too heartbreaking. Even if I'm not as popular as you, the difference shouldn't be this great!"
"What did you say?" Professor Snape sneered. "Actually, you're more popular than us. Students, teachers, and staff from all four Houses have come to see you. The two of us are actually more like an afterthought.
But who told you to raise a pet with such a huge appetite? Not even dragons are that greedy."
Aaron heard this and looked thoughtfully at the napping Abey.
Then he pressed the dragon's head hard, waking Abey from his sleep.
The Holy Dragon, whose sweet dream had been interrupted, had a bit of a temper. It flapped its claws, batting Aaron's hand away.
Just as it bared its teeth, preparing to roar, it saw its master's displeased face.
Abey's expression instantly changed. It put on a clumsy and adorable act, pouncing directly into Aaron's arms and rubbing its dragon face against his chest.
"Even the magical creatures Hagrid raises aren't this exaggerated." Professor Snape sighed.
"Stop it, get down." Aaron grabbed Abey and placed him in front of him, then pointed at the table with only flowers left. "Don't tell me everything edible was devoured by you.
I'm not upset about the gifts; I'm just purely annoyed that you didn't leave any for me, your master."
Abey paused, then stretched out a claw and began to pull things out of its pocket.
Chocolates, fruits, candies, all sorts of snacks were placed on the table, quickly piling up into a small mountain, more than what both Professors combined had.
"This..." Aaron was stunned for a moment, then chuckled and patted its head. "That's more like it! Sensible."
"Undetectable Extension Charm." Professor McGonagall's mouth dropped open in surprise. "You actually used that spell on a pet's clothes."
"It's not an ordinary pet." Aaron said with a smile, stroking the dragon. "It's my family. It's been with me since it hatched from its egg.
My parents both love it very much and prepared a lot of things for it, even a special diet."
"Aaron, what exactly is it?" Professor McGonagall asked with a serious expression.
"This... can I not say?"
"No.
You might not know that Hagrid was expelled from Hogwarts precisely because he raised a magical creature." Professor McGonagall said earnestly, "I don't mean anything else, I just hope you understand the seriousness of the situation."
"But Abey is different." Aaron argued, "If it hadn't ambushed Lord Voldemort at a critical moment, you and Professor Snape would probably have more than just an injured arm.
In other words, it indirectly helped you, and even saved you."
Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, looking at the white pet in Aaron's arms, unable to refute.
This magical creature, seemingly a dragon, had delivered a message to them and helped them immensely in battle. To put it broadly, it was even one of the main contributors to preventing Lord Voldemort's resurrection.
If they were to cling to its identity now that the crisis was over, Professor McGonagall herself would feel a bit embarrassed.
"Actually, we don't want to make things difficult for you, and we could pretend we don't know anything." Professor Snapelooked deeply at Aaron. "But Dumbledore already knows.
He is the Principal of Hogwarts and has a responsibility to clarify the identity and... dangerousness of this magical creature, so you must give him an explanation."]}