To be honest, no one had expected Barty Crouch Jr. to meet such an end.
Not long ago, he had still been the commander leading the Death Eater army, yet in the next moment, he had become a lump of charred remains whose face could no longer be recognized.
It was an outcome no one could easily process.
Even now, when Snape and the others looked at the flames, their eyes were still filled with doubt and disbelief.
Was that really Barty Crouch Jr.?
Not some unlucky fool who had accidentally touched Fiendfyre?
Even Snape and Lucius, who had confidence in Draco, had not thought Barty Crouch Jr. would lose so miserably.
At the very least, he should not have lost so quickly.
"Was that really... Barty Crouch Jr.?"
"....."
Snape twitched the corner of his mouth.
He answered Lucius's question with silence.
Although it was hard to believe, apart from Barty Crouch Jr., he really could not think of anyone else who matched the identity of that corpse.
After all, not long ago, Draco had been fighting fiercely with him.
...
In any case, faced with Draco's arrival and the death of his subordinate, Voldemort's reaction did not seem as strong as one might have imagined.
At the very least, when it came to Barty Crouch Jr.'s death, not a trace of anger could be seen on his face.
Let alone grief, that sort of "weak" emotion would never appear on Voldemort in the first place.
His scarlet eyes fixed on the dragon silhouette slowly descending from the sky. "Draco Malfoy."
Facing Draco and Norberta, the one-man, one-dragon pair that had just defeated Barty Crouch Jr., Voldemort made no move.
Perhaps it was due to his long-standing arrogance, but Voldemort did not seem to take Draco's arrival too seriously.
Even if Draco had indeed defeated Barty Crouch Jr.
"Voldemort."
As for Draco, he was not treating his opponent so lightly.
His nerves were taut.
His wand was gripped tightly.
Although Draco's face did not reveal much emotion, his vigilance had already been raised to the highest level.
The moment Voldemort made a move, he would vanish from where he stood.
...
Eyes met.
Silence fell.
Strictly speaking, this was not Draco's first time facing Voldemort directly.
Come to think of it, although it had only been the soul form inside a Horcrux, Draco had indeed fought Voldemort in his student days.
But compared with that battle in the Chamber of Secrets, what Draco had to face this time was Voldemort after his resurrection, restored once more to his full strength.
In any case, under everyone's gaze, Draco stood on the dragon's back, placed his left hand over his chest, raised his wand in his right hand, and gave Voldemort an ancient wizard's bow.
"It is a pleasure to meet you... Dark Lord."
This was clearly not the venue of the Wizarding Duels, yet Draco still made such a gesture.
Perhaps this was the elegance of the aristocracy.
Even if the other party was an enemy, Draco still gave him a certain measure of respect.
That said, setting aside Voldemort's actions and his madness, when it came to magic alone, he was indeed worthy of admiration.
Perhaps that was why, before making his move, Draco still performed this unexpected gesture.