Chapter 756: Save Him!!
The flames were closing in.
The entire Room of Requirement was collapsing—walls bursting apart, piles of hidden objects exploding under the pressure of Fiendfyre.
Darren didn't waste time thinking.
A cup. A small shield. A necklace.
His hand moved fast—he grabbed the small shield first.
Useful.
Then his eyes locked onto it—
the crown.
He snatched it and immediately took off.
Behind him, something exploded with a deafening crack.
The exit.
Blocked.
For a split second, Darren clicked his tongue.
If I didn't have the system, I'd be dead already… just another extra in someone else's story.
But he did have it.
And that changed everything.
Another explosion ripped through the room—
Crabbe was thrown into the air by the blast, spinning helplessly in the firestorm.
Darren moved.
He caught him midair.
Not out of kindness.
Not even close.
Shield.
He grabbed Crabbe and charged straight toward the blocked exit.
With one brutal motion—
he slammed Crabbe's body into the pile of debris sealing the door.
The impact broke through just enough.
Darren lifted him higher, using his body to block the flames, and forced his way out.
The moment they cleared the doorway—
he shifted instantly.
Adjusted his grip.
Now it looked like he was carrying him.
"Harry! Quick—someone help him! Save him!"
[Ding, Father +100]
[Ding, Father +100]
[Ding, Father +100]
He staggered forward like he was panicking.
Malfoy was the first to reach him.
"He's dead."
Flat. Certain.
Darren handed Crabbe over anyway.
Malfoy looked down once—
and didn't argue.
He already knew.
Darren stood there for a second, then covered his face.
"I… should've been faster…"
[Ding, Father +100]
[Ding, Father +100]
[Ding, Father +100]
Hermione stepped in and grabbed his shoulder.
"It's not your fault. He brought it on himself."
Darren let out a breath, then straightened.
"I know… I just—"
He cut himself off.
Then forced a small, strained smile.
"Let's go. We don't have time."
He turned—
and his eyes landed on Malfoy.
Malfoy instinctively stepped back, tense.
Waiting.
But nothing came.
Darren only said quietly,
"Leave. Don't stay here. You'll die."
Malfoy froze.
Then shook his head weakly.
"I… can't leave yet. I still have things to do."
Ron snorted.
"Suit yourself."
He grabbed Darren's arm and pulled him along.
"Stop wasting time on him."
Darren sighed once, then followed.
---
As they moved, he pulled out the crown.
It was already damaged—black liquid leaking from it, hissing faintly.
He gave a small, crooked smile.
"Looks like we got lucky."
"The fire did the job for us."
Harry nodded, but didn't say anything.
They had one left.
Only one.
---
They barely made it down a corridor before they ran into chaos.
Percy came rushing toward them, breathless.
The moment he saw them, he stopped—
like something inside him finally broke.
"I— I was an idiot. A complete idiot. I'm back. I'm not leaving again."
Fred stared at him for half a second—
then his expression twisted into something between anger and laughter.
"You still are an idiot."
George grinned.
"But you're our idiot."
They pulled him into a hug.
Mrs. Weasley followed, then Mr. Weasley—
and for a moment, in the middle of a war, it looked like a family again.
Percy's voice cracked.
"I thought I could help… from the Ministry… I thought I was doing the right thing…"
Another explosion cut him off.
Darren raised his wand instantly—
a barrier snapped into place, blocking debris from crashing into them.
A shriek—
Hermione.
A massive spider lunged from the side, legs scraping against stone.
Not an Acromantula—
but big enough.
Darren didn't hesitate.
A sharp blast—
the creature collapsed instantly.
Across the hall—
Lupin was knocked back by a Death Eater.
Darren flicked his wand.
"Stupefy!"
The attacker dropped.
Sirius pulled Lupin back to his feet just in time.
Another spell from Darren—
this one explosive—
sent a second Death Eater flying.
Tonks stepped in right after and finished the fight.
Darren lowered his wand.
"Move. We push forward."
He stepped ahead—
but Hermione grabbed him.
"No."
Her grip was firm.
"The last Horcrux."
Her voice steadied.
"That's what matters."
Darren blinked once—
then nodded, like he'd snapped back into focus.
He turned to Harry.
"Brother. Now."
"Find him."
"Find Nagini."
Harry didn't hesitate.
He closed his eyes.
And the connection came immediately.
---
Darkness.
Dust.
A ruined room.
Then he recognized it.
The Shrieking Shack.
Voldemort stood there, calm—but something underneath was wrong.
Unsettled.
Lucius knelt nearby, pale, voice shaking.
"My Lord… Draco—he's still inside—"
"Enough."
Cold. Sharp.
"I told him to withdraw. If he didn't, that's his failure."
Lucius swallowed hard.
"He wouldn't betray you. He's probably protecting Darren Potter, as you ordered—"
A flicker of amusement crossed Voldemort's face.
"Protecting him?"
A quiet, dangerous laugh.
"That boy doesn't need your son's protection."
A pause.
"Your son should worry about not becoming a burden."
Lucius tried again, desperate.
"What if Potter is killed by someone else—"
That was it.
Voldemort snapped.
"If he dies, then he dies."
His voice dropped lower.
"And if not… he'll come to me eventually."
He turned slightly.
"Leave. Send Snape in."
Lucius didn't dare argue.
He disappeared.
Voldemort looked down at his wand.
Something wasn't right.
He could feel it.
"This wand…"
His grip tightened.
"It still doesn't fully obey me."
Then—
he turned.
Nagini coiled nearby, watching.
A faint smile.
"You're all I have left."
---
Harry snapped back.
Breathing hard.
Eyes wide.
"He's at the Shrieking Shack."
"And Nagini's with him."
Silence fell around them for half a second.
Then Darren spoke.
Quiet.
Clear.
"Then that's where this ends."