"Look—the Dark Mark!"
"It's over the Astronomy Tower. The Death Eaters are there!"
"Has someone been killed?"
Professor Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts, was leading a group of wizards toward the Astronomy Tower at a run. With her were several Aurors, a number of professors, and members of the Order of the Phoenix.
Following Albus Dumbledore's warning, they had begun patrolling the school as soon as night fell.
At first, everything seemed calm. Hogwarts seemed completely secure. All secret passages leading off the grounds had been sealed. Every entrance to the castle was protected by powerful enchantments. It was nearly impossible for anyone to fly in from above.
And yet, they still had no idea how so many Death Eaters had managed to break into Hogwarts.
On their way to the Astronomy Tower, they encountered scattered ambushes.
The Death Eaters had clearly prepared in advance, hiding behind statues, in shrubbery, and at intersections. They avoided direct confrontation, instead casting wide-ranging destructive spells to delay Professor McGonagall's group as much as possible.
By the time the defenders finally fought their way to the base of the tower, four or five Death Eaters were waiting for them. They cast spells wildly in all directions, almost frenzied, blasting apart sections of the castle so violently that the defenders were forced to fall back to avoid the onslaught.
Then, suddenly, hysterical cheers rang out from above the tower.
Their hoarse voices seemed to be shouting, "Dumbledore is dead!"
Professor McGonagall froze. In that split second of distraction, she nearly took a green beam head-on.
"Dumbledore is dead?" she murmured in disbelief. Moments earlier, she had glimpsed the Headmaster's figure hurrying up the tower from the opposite side. His appearance had lifted the defenders' morale considerably.
"What's going on?" The Aurors, the professors, and the members of the Order alike refused to believe the Death Eaters' cries.
At that moment, a tall, skeletal figure descended from the Astronomy Tower. He was floating in midair—flying without any visible support.
With a strange spell, he blasted apart the entire western wall of the tower in an instant. Chunks of stone tore free and hurtled toward the defenders.
"It's Voldemort!" Lupin shouted. "Everyone, get down!"
As he yelled, he shoved Professor McGonagall to the ground.
Chaos erupted.
By the time they crawled out from the rubble, Voldemort and the Death Eaters were already several hundred yards away, fleeing toward the Forbidden Forest.
Just then, Sirius—transformed into his large black dog—and Arthur Weasley arrived with reinforcements. They had initially assumed the Death Eaters' target was the castle itself and had been delayed searching inside. By the time they realized the truth, they were already too late.
Several older students came with them—Ron, Neville, Hermione, and a few members of the D.A.
They had also tried to defend the castle. But after spotting Draco Malfoy, Malfoy had thrown several Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder bombs at them. The choking black smoke had trapped them for far too long.
"What happened, Remus?" Arthur asked, breathless.
"I don't know…" Remus brushed dust and grit from his robes. "The Death Eaters were shouting that 'Dumbledore is dead,' and then they started retreating toward the Forbidden Forest. Voldemort seemed to be with them!"
"That's impossible!" Arthur Weasley shook his head firmly. "Professor Dumbledore couldn't have fallen to them. It's just a lie to shake our morale. Pull yourself together, Remus. Hagrid will intercept them at the edge of the forest. We can still catch up!"
Dozens of uninjured wizards immediately set off in pursuit, racing toward the Forbidden Forest.
"Let's go too," Ron said under his breath, tightening his grip on his wand.
Neville, Ginny, Luna, and the others hurried after him.
Only Hermione Granger remained where she stood, her face pale and blank. She muttered to herself, her voice trembling.
"Dumbledore… Dumbledore is dead… Could it be…"
...
"Ah—"
Voldemort suddenly felt a searing pain erupt from the depths of his soul.
It was as if his body had been torn violently in two—like some vital part of him had been hacked away without mercy. Had Antonin Dolohov and another Death Eater not supported him from either side, he would have collapsed.
The final Horcrux—Hufflepuff's Cup—had been destroyed.
There were no Horcruxes left.
All Voldemort felt now was weakness—and fury.
More importantly, the "Albus Dumbledore" he had just killed… though he carried a faint trace of Dumbledore's familiar presence, his aura had been fundamentally different. And when struck by Avada Kedavra, his body had turned directly into ash—something no normal wizard would do.
Which meant—
He had been outplayed.
At the edge of the Forbidden Forest ahead, several massive Acromantulas burst out and charged at the Death Eaters. Flashes of green light followed, and Dolohov quickly led the others in slaughtering the creatures.
Sitting on the ground to recover, Voldemort's gaze gradually grew unfocused once more.
...
The Horcrux was destroyed.
Everyone in the Lestrange family burial grounds let out a collective breath.
"We need to get to Hogwarts!" Mad-Eye said urgently. "Kingsley, if we go now, we might still make it in time. Dumbledore might still be all right."
Kingsley nodded solemnly, then turned to Jon. "Take Harry and leave immediately. The Death Eaters will likely come here soon."
"I understand."
"Then we'll be off, Lord Patrick," Vance said slowly after exchanging a glance with Rosier. "Malfoy and the others are still waiting for us."
"I'll join you shortly," Jon replied with a nod.
Wormtail had disappeared long ago, ever since they first arrived at the cemetery.
One by one, they Disapparated.
Before long, only Jon and Potter remained in the Lestrange family burial grounds.
Jon made no move to leave. He watched as Harry lay on the ground, his expression growing more twisted with pain.
Smiling faintly, Jon said, "Good evening, Tom."
"I'm Jon Hart… also known as Christopher Patrick."