Hogwarts Card System.

Chapter 455 Joy Turns to Sorrow

"Voldemort?! Could it be... could it be that he's the one in my forehead...?" Neville looked incredulous.

He had always assumed that the Voldemort in his mind was a powerful and evil being. He never imagined he would be so ugly and weak, like a deformed infant.

After all, Voldemort didn't actively split this soul; rather, he was attacked by the rebounding Big Melon and was forced to drop it passively. "Malnutrition" is understandable.

Dumbledore looked at the fragment of Voldemort's soul, who was about to die, and felt a strange sensation.

It feels like a long journey that's finally coming to an end; like a rambling novel that's finally coming to a close; like a series of increasingly poorly performing films that's finally announcing their final installment.

I felt a mix of relief and melancholy.

He asked, "Who did it... I mean, who did it to you..." Dumbledore shrugged, it was a little difficult to say who killed you.

At this moment, Neville was exceptionally quick-witted and applied his knowledge to other situations.

"It's Bellatrix! Ted said we can't just pick anyone to do this; not just anyone can do it. In the end, we chose Bella."

"Bella?" Dumbledore asked, somewhat puzzled. "I thought it would be Tom who did it himself. Only his intervention would have this effect." He pointed to the deformed, prone cub that had begun to curl up and twitch.

"Ted said that Bella's silver hand was made by Voldemort himself. That silver hand can... I'm not quite sure what that means."

Neville didn't understand Ted's meaning, but Dumbledore clearly did.

With a look of sudden realization, she said, "Ah! I see. It seems Tom still trusts her..."

At this moment, the deformed, prostrate creature under the seat suddenly seemed to let out a long sigh, exhaled its last breath, relaxed its body, and became still.

Then it gradually turned into dust and slowly dissipated.

Just then, a sound came from the distance along the railway tracks, and an old-fashioned steam locomotive with a red flame pattern painted on it slowly appeared and drove into the platform.

"Wow!" Dumbledore exclaimed, looking at the train with some surprise. "It seems our friends have been a great help to us, making things much easier for us..."

……

At this point, the battle at Hogwarts had been going on forty or fifty minutes, almost an hour.

The Death Eaters used every trick in the book, sending out everything from siege ogres and giant monsters on the ground to agile, mantis-like insect monsters.

However, the enemy's front line of stone and mud golems was truly resilient, and they failed to break through it several times. In addition, the various attacks of the magic array were really sharp, with a large-scale magic attack every one or two minutes.

Even the siege ogres, over six meters tall and clad in cast-iron armor, were frozen into giant ice sculptures, blocking the entrance to the corridor bridge. The giants also fell one after another.

The insect monsters were all smashed to pieces, leaving a trail of sticky green liquid.

Those goblins, murlocs, gnolls, and the like that, who were just there to fill in, were all wiped out by a single area-of-effect attack.

Death Eaters also include air force members, and several other types.

First, there are the old friends, the Dementors; then there are many strange birds over three meters long that smell like vultures; and there are monsters with wings like bats and that look like monkeys.

However, these air force units were shot down by the randomly scattered rockets, ice arrows, and lightning spells as they approached the hemispherical shield.

There were also some vampires shrouded in black robes, about forty or fifty of them, who tried to sneak in from other places, but they were all turned to ashes by the flashbang.

Even the vampires inside the protective shield felt a chill run down their spines when they saw this move.

The school was incredibly lively at that moment!

They have already seen the possibility of defeating the enemy!

The Death Eaters, who had destroyed the magical communities of many countries, had no way to deal with Hogwarts' protective array.

Many young wizards would cheer and jump for joy every time the magic circle attacked and killed those monsters, or dark wizards and Death Eaters who got too close.

The repression and fear of the previous few months vanished at this moment, turning into boundless joy.

We're about to turn the tide!

What we are witnessing is a new miracle in the magical world, a new magic that far surpasses the outdated system! It is a victory for the new era!

"We won! We won!"

"Not yet!"

"We're about to win!"

"That's right!"

"Merry Christmas!" some of the young wizards shouted.

The others suddenly realized that today was Christmas Day! Because of the tense atmosphere surrounding the impending battle, everyone subconsciously ignored it.

"Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!" Everyone wished each other a happy Christmas.

"Merry Christmas, Hermione! This is the best Christmas present I've ever received!" Hermione's roommate, Clara the dwarf, called out in a high-pitched voice.

Hermione simply nodded; she wasn't so optimistic.

She knew that the protective magic circle Ted had set up wasn't meant to protect against Voldemort. Therefore…

In contrast to the Hogwarts students, Voldemort's side was shrouded in gloom.

A group of Death Eaters followed Voldemort from the hilltop, watching as his thousand or so monsters were almost completely wiped out.

That seemingly invincible, enormous protective shield annihilated all invading enemies, leaving them with a gruesome death.

Even some inept dark wizards and low-level Death Eaters were caught in the blast and died instantly from the area-of-effect magic because they were too close. They were like worthless ants.

The Dark Lord, however, watched all of this without moving or uttering a word.

Some Death Eaters began to have second thoughts—the Dark Lord, could he not be up to the task?

As much joy as Hogwarts, so much melancholy exists here.

But there's a saying: extreme joy begets sorrow, and things always turn around when they reach their extreme.

If someone were to look closely at Voldemort, they would notice that this hairless, white-skinned Dark Lord, who looked as if he had been dead for three days, now had one eye with a pupil that had turned into a red dot!

This is the result of Voldemort's research on the way of death.

Mastering death, transcending death, has always been Voldemort's pursuit.

Of course, this distant goal cannot be achieved in a short time, or even in a few years or decades.

But how could Voldemort, as the individual with the greatest talent for dark magic in this world, have not researched anything despite acquiring so much knowledge from other worlds?

It's like in the old days, Voldemort's most skilled magic was eating melons.

No one could survive his gluttonous eating, not even himself—except Neville.

He was extremely skilled at killing.

The same is true now; he has grasped a tiny bit of the rules of death.

Everything must die, and Voldemort's red eye was used to observe the rules of death.

Having expended a great deal of manpower, and watching the protective array wreak havoc and display various defensive mechanisms, is Voldemort truly helpless?

He was observing!

Now, through countless cycles of magic circle operation and magic power circulation, he has seen part of the principle of the magic circle and finally found a way to "kill" this protective magic circle!

"Avada Kedavra~ Let's eat a melon!"

Voldemort, who had been silent until now, suddenly made his move, as if the earth had been struck by lightning. The sound of his incantation seemed to reverberate throughout the heavens and earth, deafeningly loud!

A thin, faint green light pierced into the magic circle at an unusual angle and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Then, Hogwarts' hemispherical shield suddenly began to flicker, and before anyone could react, it burst with a "pop" like a soap bubble.

Looking at Hogwarts Castle now in view, Voldemort smiled.

"Hahaha! Hahahaha..." Voldemort spread his arms, arched his back, squinted his eyes, grinned widely, and laughed loudly.

This feels amazing!

For Voldemort, the feeling of killing a "powerful opponent" brought an incredibly intense pleasure. It also gave him a deeper understanding of the rules of death.

The death of thousands of monsters and twenty or thirty wizards is not a big deal; they died in the right place and with value.

At this moment, the entire battlefield seemed to fall silent, utterly still. Only Voldemort's gleeful laughter echoed, sending chills down everyone's spine.

Even Voldemort's Death Eaters found it a bit too exciting, with unexpected twists and turns.

Many people, watching Voldemort laugh uncontrollably, suddenly noticed that the Dark Lord's teeth were exceptionally white.

Voldemort flicked his robes, and his entire body transformed into a wisp of black smoke, soaring into the sky.

The other Death Eaters quickly followed, landing at the end of the covered bridge.

Voldemort pointed his serpent staff, and the hundreds of stone statues began to turn mottled and yellow, cracks began to spread, and soon they shattered into pieces on the ground.

Meanwhile, those tall clay figures began to bubble and gurgle, decay and stench began to appear, and they quickly turned into puddles of mud.

Voldemort strolled leisurely onto the covered bridge, surrounded by a group of Death Eaters who surveyed their surroundings with interest, like lions patrolling their territory.

This bridge has remained unchanged for a thousand years, and it's still just as deep below. When I was in school, I even wondered if there were any strange monsters down there.

The Black Lake remained as calm as ever, but it was utterly absurd that old man Dumbledore would allow fish-men to settle there.

Oh, when did this artificial rockery appear by the lake? And there's a tower on top of it? It makes no sense!

This Quidditch pitch was renovated later, and now it's filled with tents, making it look like a refugee camp.

And this castle, it hasn't changed at all.

Returning to the same place, Voldemort couldn't help but let his imagination run wild.

He was over seventy years old; even for a wizard, the best years had passed.

Fortunately, I still have an endless amount of time!

At this moment, Professor McGonagall and Minister Burns were already waiting in front of the castle with everyone.

But facing Voldemort, who was walking barefoot and leisurely, and the dark mass of Death Eaters behind him, everyone felt an overwhelming heaviness in their hearts.

The magical shield that once brought them a sense of security and jubilation has now brought them ten times more despair and silence.

This is an invincible and terrifying enemy, an agent of death on earth.

Looking at the crowd from afar, who seemed to be facing a formidable enemy, Voldemort smiled.

He likes this feeling! Only the fear of others makes him feel safe and happy.

However, among this crowd, some had bull horns, some had cat ears, there were dwarfs in iron armor and dwarfs who looked like children, and even centaurs, werewolves, oh? and house-elves!

When did Hogwarts fall to this level?!

This must be handled properly!

However, there are more important things to do.

"Where...where is that Epiphany?" Voldemort asked with a laugh, his voice low and hoarse, giving one the unpleasant feeling of a cold snake crawling into their ear.

There was some commotion at the back of the crowd, but no one spoke.

Voldemort's smile faded—perhaps I've smiled at them too much, making them think I'm easy to talk to?

"I said that as long as Epifani and a group of others are handed over, I will let bygones be bygones. That statement still holds true today."

He looked at everyone and suddenly said, "By the way, Merry Christmas!"

Today is Christmas!

Voldemort grinned, revealing his "sense of humor." His gleaming white teeth made him look like a man-eating beast.

"So, did someone go and tell him to come out quickly? Could he have deserted at the last minute?" Voldemort's expression darkened at the thought.

If that boy gets away, he'll inevitably become a major concern in the future.

"Ted won't run away!" Ron suddenly shouted.

"Oh, do you know where he is?" Voldemort asked.

"I know I won't tell, so give up on that idea!" Ron was unusually defiant at this moment.

Ted was gone, Neville was gone… Now it was time for him to inherit Gryffindor's courage. He pushed aside the adult wizards in front of him and stood at the front of the crowd.

The Weasleys immediately became agitated, with the parents, brother, sister, and younger sister all standing behind Ron.

At this critical moment, when faced with life and death, the family chose to face it together.

"Crushing Heart!" Voldemort didn't tolerate children, and he unleashed a Crucifixion spell at Ron.

The Weasleys, who had been secretly preparing, cast the Ironclad Charm together, but the double Ironclad Charm was torn apart like two thin sheets of paper. However, the Crucifixion Charm was blocked by a layer of blue magic shield that resembled a honeycomb-shaped glass!

That was Ron's magical protective module; in just two seconds, the arm armor-like thing on his arm exploded. However, the spell was also neutralized and dispelled.

"Oh, an interesting little gadget." Voldemort's tone carried a hint of admiration, but more of a teasing tone.

Even with Ron's strongest protective gear, plus his parents' Ironclad Charm, he could only withstand a very casual attack from Voldemort.

What would you do if I did it again?

Just as Voldemort was about to strike again, Hermione suddenly spoke up: "I know where Ted went!"

"Hermione!" Someone in the crowd immediately shouted at her to stop talking.

Voldemort looked at Hermione: "You tell me about that girl."

Hermione gripped her wand: "He left last night to do something that can defeat you."

"Hmph! Wishful thinking!" Voldemort was a little angry.

He raised his wand, but Professor McGonagall immediately stepped in front of Hermione, and Flitwick and the other professors also protected Hermione.

Professor McGonagall roared, "Voldemort, you will not harm my student!"

Voldemort looked at Professor McGonagall, who was glaring at him, and was somewhat surprised by her courage.

In a way, Professor McGonagall was his senior. When he returned to the university to apply for the Defense Against the Dark Arts professorship, Professor McGonagall was working as Dumbledore's teaching assistant.

"You're quite the professor. Too bad you've chosen the wrong side. I'm too tired to play riddles with you anymore. Tell me where Epiphany is, or someone's going to die!" Voldemort's words were like a chilling wind, making everyone feel cold.

But Professor McGonagall remained unmoved. "Are you so concerned about Ted because you're afraid? Like you're afraid of Dumbledore!"

Mentioning Dumbledore immediately enraged Voldemort: "Damn it! Voldemort fears no one! Neither that immortal Dumbledore nor that boy!"

Just as he was about to make his move, Bella suddenly whispered in his ear, "Master, we have a spy among them!"

Voldemort's expression immediately brightened; he loved seeing this kind of scene—someone setting aside their pride and submitting to him, while others looked sad and incredulous.

Yes, yes, yes! We even have an undercover agent! It's time to have some fun.

"That's right, among you are some of my men... Malfoy, and Lothar!"

Everyone paused for a moment, then looked at Draco and Andre Lothar in the crowd.

They were both Slytherin students, and two of the best among them.

Draco has been very close to the Six for the past two years, and many people know that he is dating Harley!

Could it be... impossible?!

Unconsciously, everyone spread out in a large circle around the two of them, exposing them to the elements.

Draco glanced curiously at Lothar, who was a year ahead of him and the most outstanding Slytherin of the previous year.

A descendant of an ancient family, he's a low-key but well-liked individual. He returned early to join the battle; could he actually be Voldemort's spy?!

Bella wore a sarcastic smile and a neurotic expression. "Draco..." she called out affectionately, because she was Draco's aunt.

"Lothar..."

"I haven't introduced you yet, so you don't know each other's identities, right? But you've both done a good job!"

At that moment, seven or eight more people ran out from the crowd, knelt down before Voldemort, and called him "Master." These were Voldemort's spies in the British wizarding world.

"You've all done well. Get up. We'll reward you later," Voldemort said calmly.

Voldemort didn't really value these adult wizards who were lurking in the Ministry of Magic or among the common people, considering them quite mediocre.

On the contrary, he thought young and outstanding wizards like Draco and Lothar were quite good.

However, the undercover agent he had placed so much hope in said: "Dark Lord, you've done so many evil deeds, you won't have a good end!"

Draco's words stunned everyone: Wasn't he supposed to be an undercover agent?

Harley stood beside Draco, gripping his hand tightly. At that moment, she chose to believe her lover.

Draco's words startled Lothar, who asked, "Were you also arranged by Ted?"

"You too?!" Draco exclaimed in surprise.

Lothar nodded. "How could I possibly follow Voldemort and tarnish the glory of my ancestors!"

Just then, an unassuming man stepped out from the crowd. He walked up to Draco, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Son, well done."

At this moment, his disguise had disappeared.

Voldemort's eyes widened in shock, while Bella behind him screamed, "Lucius?! You're not dead?!"

Lucius Malfoy finished his act of faking his death and stood before Voldemort: "How can I die before I've seen the Dark Lord fall?!"

In that instant, Voldemort was like a balloon, about to burst with rage. His pale face flushed red!

He felt like a ridiculous clown, putting on a farce in front of everyone.

In that instant, all he wanted was to kill everyone present!

"Avada~" With just a simple syllable, a green beam as thick as an arm shot out, branching into five or six lightning bolts that meandered towards the crowd.

These ungrateful bastards deserve a good beating!

However, a blue barrier suddenly appeared, stopping the green light.

Voldemort's Avada Kedavra chain has vanished!

Voldemort immediately looked up at the sky; Ted was slowly descending…

Ted: I heard you've been looking for me?

Almost there, guys. It's almost over!

(End of this chapter)