days at Hogwarts

Chapter 602: Shocking Change!!
"Voldemort!"

A middle-aged man in a standard Auror robe walked out of the crowd. He seemed not to be afraid of the Dark Lord's reputation at all. His voice was firm and powerful, as if he was scolding an ordinary dark wizard criminal.

He looked like an old lion, with gray streaks in his brown hair and thick eyebrows, which made him look sharp and tough. Behind his gold-rimmed glasses were sharp eyes, and his left leg was a little lame, but he walked with a bold and unrestrained demeanor.

The Ministry of Magic staff and Aurors moved quietly around, completely blocking all the roads in the Hall of Prophecy. Some wizards' wands trembled slightly, both in fear and excitement. Fudge's long-standing slander had played a role. At least the Aurors didn't expect that Headmaster Dumbledore's warning was actually true...

The aisle next to display shelf No. 97 was quite spacious. Voldemort stood alone in the middle of the aisle, while Loren and the others took small steps back facing him.

Inside the gray crystal ball, a dim blue light was faintly visible.

"Rufus Scrimgeour, I know your name."

Voldemort turned to look at the Auror Office Director. He knew that Lucius could not do anything right and had missed the most troublesome person. However, he did not care much and looked to the right at the blonde witch next to him:

"I don't remember any female officials in the Ministry of Magic. Are you?"

"Bertha Jorkins, Assistant Minister."

“Did you discover Cornelius Fudge’s abnormality?” Voldemort narrowed his eyes. Upon hearing her position as the Minister’s Assistant, he quickly deduced the current situation based on various signs. He licked his lips and said in a hoarse voice, “No wonder my servant disappeared after entering the Ministry of Magic. You must have set a trap on purpose…”

Bertha Jorkins nodded. "After returning from the party at Malfoy Manor, Minister Fudge became passionate about work. He was concerned about the Aurors' rotation and asked when the staff on vacation would return to work. This was really weird... But even though Minister Fudge was under the Imperius Curse, he was willing to trust me, or to open his heart to me. He was never on guard when assigning tasks..."

At this point, she blinked. "So I reported the situation to Director Scrimgeour immediately. You may not know that after Director Scrimgeour started working, most of his energy was devoted to dealing with dark wizards, so he would not underestimate you... the power of the Dark Lord. In addition, he is a man of great efficiency and decisiveness. He quickly recalled all the Aurors to prepare. After the Death Eaters entered the Ministry of Magic, you entered the Hall of Prophecy alone, and the other Death Eaters were dispersed and defeated. Except for a few stubborn elements who resisted desperately, most of the dark wizards have been detained."

"Rufus Scrimgeour..." The red light in Voldemort's eyes became more obvious, and his voice was erratic in the Prophecy Hall. "When did you know this?"

"I never doubted Dumbledore." Scrimgeour's face was grim. So many things happened last summer, the werewolf riot in New York, the reappearance of the Dark Mark in the World Cup, and Crouch's death in the Goblet of Fire. He never believed in coincidences.

"Dumbledore, Dumbledore again..."

Voldemort pulled a hideous smile from his lips, his wand flashing a miserable green light, "Where are the Dumbledore's? Are the remaining Aurors of yours still in Knockturn Alley? Can you wait until he gets back?"

"I think it's okay."

With the cry of a phoenix, a brilliant flame ignited out of nowhere, and Dumbledore, wearing a gray robe and with silver hair and beard, walked out of the flames with a smile on his face. This action completely cut off Voldemort's minions and paved the way for the following actions:
"Long time no see, Tom."

Voldemort's face was terribly gloomy, and he gritted his teeth: "Dumbledore..."

"Headmaster Dumbledore!"

Ginny lowered her voice, unable to hide the surprise.

Dumbledore smiled softly and looked around: "I think we can ask them to evacuate the Hall of Prophecy first, what do you think?"

He waved his hand, signaling Scrimgeour to take the Aurors and staff away from the battlefield quickly. Loren and others on the other side were a little stunned, wondering why they didn't besiege Voldemort when they had such a good opportunity, but they still followed the headmaster's instructions, mixed in with the Auror group, and retreated around display shelf No. 97.

Voldemort held the yew wand at an angle, watching the tightly surrounded Aurors gradually withdraw from the Hall of Prophecy, with a sneer on his gloomy face:

"You are still the same, Dumbledore, always showing your foolish compassion and kindness in front of others. Your hypocrisy is disgusting!"

Dumbledore said calmly, "You were more foolish to come here today than I was to ask them to leave, weren't you, Tom?"

"But you gave up this opportunity, and this will be the most regrettable thing in your life!" Voldemort couldn't help but let out a hideous laugh. He quickly swung his wand and fired the killing curse that he had been accumulating for a long time.

"【Avada Kedavra】"

boom--

Dumbledore was calm and composed. He held the wand made of simple material horizontally in front of him. Two powerful magical powers collided with each other. The dazzling red light beam and the Killing Curse stirred up liquid-like splashing magic, which illuminated the prophecy hall like daylight. The strong impact made the candlelight in the prophecy hall shake violently.

Immediately afterwards, more spells were shot out and the floor of this floor shook violently. A strong shock wave burst out from the place where the spells intersected, and the display shelves were shaken violently. The crystal balls fell from the shelves and broke into hundreds of pieces.

Loren and others who left the Prophecy Hall heard dull bombardments coming from inside, followed by the crisp sounds of crystals breaking.

"The battlefield could be moved here at any time. Continue to retreat. All non-combatants must leave the Department of Mysteries! Leave five Auror teams on standby!"

"Yes, Director!"

"Don't be stupid and take the elevator. Don't fall behind. Don't be scattered. Take the stairs!"

Exiting the Time Hall and arriving at the circular room, Rufus Scrimgeour was directing in an orderly manner, with Bertha Jorkins following closely beside him. Some staff members in the civil service department were still confused, their movements were slow and their steps were chaotic. Fortunately, the Aurors around them were well-trained and led them to retreat to the corridor and out.

boom--

The floor shook slightly, and the shift in center of gravity brought a slight feeling of weightlessness. The Aurors slowed down their pace, paying attention to the civilian staff around them to ensure that the entire team remained stable.

"Director Scrimgeour, are my father and Percy okay?"

Ron couldn't help but ask.

Jorkins put one arm around Ginny and patted his shoulder with the other. "Percy was slightly injured in the first battle with the Death Eaters. Mr. Weasley is taking care of him upstairs."

"What happened in the first battle?" Harry couldn't help but wonder. The sudden appearance of Voldemort, the sudden appearance of the Aurors, and the sudden appearance of Dumbledore, there were too many surprises and shocks today, and he couldn't bear it. Jorkins glanced at Loren and Hermione beside him, and explained in a low voice: "After the Death Eaters in Knockturn Alley appeared, Minister Fudge and Director Thicknesse originally planned to send all the Aurors on duty to let the Death Eaters attack the Ministry of Magic, which was almost defenseless. However, we didn't leave at all. We have been hiding in the Ministry, waiting for them to relax their vigilance, and then disperse and defeat the intruding Death Eaters."

"What about the Death Eaters in Knockturn Alley?" asked Hermione.

"Your professor went to deal with them." Jorkins blinked.

Loren looked down along the stairs. The figures of Dumbledore and Voldemort had become blurred. Only the splashing magical light and two dazzling sources of magic were left.

They returned to the main hall on the eighth floor underground. The Department of Mysteries was on the ninth floor underground. Even on the eighth floor, they could still feel faint vibrations transmitting along the ground.

Jorkins checked the fireplace and said quickly, "The fireplace is still usable. The battle below could spread here at any time. Non-combatants line up to evacuate using the fireplace. It is forbidden to reveal any information about Voldemort and the Death Eaters. Do you understand?"

"understand……"

Looking at the few young wizards who had not yet graduated, Jorkins thought for a moment and said, "Go upstairs. You know the office that prohibits the misuse of Muggle items. Mr. Weasley and Percy are in the office."

Just as they were about to go upstairs, the fireplace on the corridor outside the main hall flashed green light, and a hooded figure appeared in front of everyone.

……

The sharp fragments of the crystal ball, the scattered wood pieces of the display stand, the candlesticks broken at the roots, under the control of Dumbledore's Transfiguration, cut off Voldemort's ferocious and terrifying Killing Curse, and transformed into sharp points to stab forward.

"You know you can't kill me!"

Sharp blades whistled through the air from all directions, and Voldemort could feel the dull pain on the surface of his skin: "Do you want to cut my body into pieces? You should let those Aurors see your cruel methods now!"

He pointed the wand at his left hand, and a scarlet flame suddenly rose from his palm. He held the flame in front of his mouth and spread the flame around his body like a python exhaling. All the crystals, wood blocks and copper candlesticks were burned to ashes, which fell to the ground in wisps.

Voldemort flipped his wand again, and the ashes gathered together, transforming into a python with a black background and white spots, which rushed towards Dumbledore, carrying most of the debris in the room, with a thick, pale green beam following closely behind the snake's body.

"Who could be more cruel than you?"

Dumbledore disappeared in a flash, and when he reappeared, he was already behind Voldemort. He dodged the giant python's bite and made the killing curse fail. He lit the python on fire, and the blazing flames illuminated the old man's face. He said calmly, "You have already failed, Tom. This was destined a long time ago!"

The flames flew wantonly, compressing Voldemort’s space. He waved his wand without panic, and his figure floated lightly, weightless like a ghost. “It was those stupid and incompetent slaves who failed. This proves nothing… Soon all wizards in the magic world will know that the great Dark Lord has made a comeback. More servants will join the Dark Mark. Death and fear will help them make the right choice!”

Waves of black mist were spread along the way, extinguishing the burning flames.

Dumbledore's voice turned cold: "If you spread fear with blood and death, you will never understand the power of love, and you will never have a true ally. You are doomed to fail forever!"

After saying this, Dumbledore took a step and floated in the air. The flames behind him gathered together. His wand trembled, and the flames seemed to turn into wings. Dumbledore was a phoenix spreading its wings. The two large flaming wings flapped violently and came together, enveloping Voldemort.

Voldemort's robes fluttered, and he roared: "The Dark Lord needs no allies! Dumbledore, do you really think you can defeat me?"

A shining silver light gushed out from the tip of the yew wood staff, surrounding Voldemort and spreading like liquid to form a sphere. The moment the flame collided with the silver ball, a low tremor was heard. Voldemort seized the opportunity and his figure instantly disappeared from the spot.

However, the silver shield and Apparition failed to help him escape from the wings of fire. As soon as the pale-skinned figure appeared from the corner of the prophecy hall, two wide, blazing flames enveloped him again.

Voldemort let out an angry roar, swung his wand, smashed the wall behind him, and his figure floated back quickly.

Rubble flew everywhere, and all kinds of clocks in the Time Hall were smashed to the ground with a clanging sound. Voldemort did not hesitate, and quickly swept past the clock fragments, across the room, and rushed out of the Time Hall, leaving only black mist spreading everywhere.

Dumbledore glanced at the glittering bell-shaped crystal jar. His silver hair and beard were illuminated by the flames. The old man, who had been enjoying life in school for a long time, now had a stern, majestic and solemn expression on his face.

On the other side, Voldemort, in a panic, ran straight into five Auror teams who were waiting to ambush at the exit of the circular room.

Rufus Scrimgeour had experienced that dark age and had worked with Crouch and Moody. He knew the nature of Voldemort and the Death Eaters very well and had always agreed with Crouch's iron-blooded methods, so he gave the order without hesitation: "Prepare the Killing Curse... [Avada Kedavra]"

The dense, pale green light enveloped the entire room. Even Voldemort, who was not afraid of death because of his Horcruxes, did not dare to charge directly. He never wanted to return to his previous ghost state.

Voldemort looked back at the Flamewing that was chasing him relentlessly, and the scarlet light in his pupils gradually faded: "The god of death has raised his scythe, but it's heading for you, Dumbledore!"

Dumbledore remained calm and controlled the overwhelming flames to come down.

Voldemort completely ignored the dense killing curses behind him, took a step towards the flames, and turned into thick black mist and rushed forward.

The two blazing wings came into contact with the mist, making a hissing sound as they evaporated and burned. The black mist that filled the Hall of Time and the Hall of Prophecy gathered towards Voldemort like a stream flowing into a river, and both sides trembled and swayed.

Patches of green light from the Death Curse splashed onto the wall, making a dull bombarding sound.

After a few seconds of stalemate, the black mist suddenly broke through the flames and rushed straight towards Dumbledore.

Voldemort's vague face floated in the mist, and two cruel red lights revealed human cruelty and hideousness, as if they would wrap Dumbledore in the black mist and turn him into molten flesh and blood in the next moment.

No one noticed that on the wooden door behind Dumbledore, there was a quietly burning flame mark "X". Looking at the black gas approaching, he whispered: "Tom, this is... the magic of love."

The wooden door suddenly opened!

(End of this chapter)