Chapter 765: Keeps Going!!
Darren's original plan had been to keep Voldemort alive.
But things had already reached a point where that was no longer possible. With everything Dumbledore had set in motion, there was no way Voldemort would be allowed to survive.
So Darren adjusted his plan.
If Voldemort had to die… then he would make sure something of him remained.
He decided to go to Voldemort himself, and at the moment Voldemort destroyed the soul inside Harry, he would intercept a fragment of Voldemort's main soul. Not much—just enough to preserve it.
After that, it wouldn't matter whether Harry or Dumbledore killed Voldemort.
Although, thinking about it, Darren doubted Harry would even get the chance.
All the way here, he had felt it—someone watching him.
Calm. distant.
It was probably Dumbledore.
Which meant, in the end, Dumbledore would likely be the one to finish Voldemort.
Darren didn't mind.
As long as he got that fragment of the main soul, everything else was secondary. The Horcruxes would be gone, Voldemort would never return, but he wouldn't completely disappear either.
And for some reason… Darren couldn't bring himself to let Voldemort vanish entirely.
Voldemort had done many things wrong.
But when it came to him, there had always been something… different.
So he would keep a part of him.
Send it far away.
Reform it.
The thought almost made him smile.
A reformed Voldemort… that would be something worth seeing.
Still, none of that mattered right now.
On the surface, he still had to go through with this.
He took out a vial of Polyjuice Potion, dropped in a strand of Harry's hair, and drank it.
His appearance shifted instantly.
Now he looked exactly like Harry.
After putting on the Invisibility Cloak, he gave one last glance to the still-empty portrait in Dumbledore's office before turning and leaving.
---
On his way out, his foot brushed against something.
A body.
Colin Creevey.
Darren paused for a fraction of a second, then stepped aside.
Neville was already there, kneeling beside Colin, lifting him with trembling hands, tears streaming down his face.
Darren saw it.
He understood it.
But he didn't stop.
He kept walking.
There were many people he could save—but not now.
He checked the time and headed straight out of the castle.
---
Hagrid's hut stood in the darkness ahead.
It was nearly four in the morning, the sky still completely black.
Darren passed it without slowing.
Then he reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
Dementors surrounded the area, their presence cold and suffocating.
For a moment, he considered summoning something to drive them away.
But in the end, he didn't.
He simply walked forward.
Step by step, he entered their midst.
They didn't stop him.
Didn't touch him.
He passed through them as if they weren't there at all.
---
"Who's there?!"
A voice rang out.
Darren knew he had reached the center of the Death Eaters' perimeter.
He removed the Invisibility Cloak and continued forward.
No one stopped him.
They parted for him.
---
At the center of the clearing, a bonfire burned.
Death Eaters stood in a wide circle, their expressions varied—some careless, some tense, some distracted.
But all of them were watching one person.
Lord Voldemort
Nearby stood Narcissa Malfoy and Lucius Malfoy, their faces pale and uneasy.
Voldemort himself stood at the edge of the firelight, eyes closed, as if none of this concerned him.
In his hand, he held the Elder Wand.
Behind him floated a glowing cage.
Inside it—Nagini.
The cage shimmered with a faint blue light, ready to open at a moment's notice.
---
"You're here."
Voldemort opened his eyes.
They fell on Darren—on Harry.
He scanned the surroundings briefly, then frowned.
"Where is Darren? Why didn't he come with you? I thought he wouldn't allow you to come alone."
Darren lowered his gaze slightly, forcing tension into his voice.
"He wanted to come… but I stunned him."
"I didn't want him to die with me."
"Die?"
Voldemort laughed softly, clearly amused.
"Harry Potter… going to his death."
---
"Harry! No—go back!"
The shout broke through the clearing.
Darren turned.
It was Rubeus Hagrid.
He was tied to a massive tree behind Voldemort, guarded by giants.
Compared to them, he looked almost small.
"Silence!"
Antonin Dolohov snapped, flicking his wand.
Hagrid's voice was cut off immediately.
Darren looked away and focused back on Voldemort.
---
Voldemort seemed mildly irritated now.
"This has dragged on long enough."
"I have no interest in wasting words on you."
He raised his wand.
Green light gathered at its tip.
"Avada Kedavra—!"
---
At that exact moment—
Harry jolted upright.
His breathing was uneven, his mind still catching up.
Then it hit him.
Darren.
Darren had gone instead of him.
His cloak—gone.
His wand—gone.
Even his glasses—gone.
Darren had taken everything.
A cold panic gripped his chest.
He looked at the time.
Fifteen minutes.
More than enough.
"No…"
He staggered to his feet.
He couldn't stay here.
He couldn't let Darren die.
---
"Oh, kid… I think you should talk to me before you go."
A voice stopped him.
Harry turned sharply.
A man sat behind Dumbledore's desk, calm, composed, with a faint smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
Gellert Grindelwald
"I believe you've heard of me," he said lightly. "Nice to meet you."
He extended a hand.
Harry ignored it completely.
"I don't have time."
He turned to leave.
---
"Darren already found him."
Harry froze.
Grindelwald's voice remained calm.
"He used a sacrificial protection spell."
"…He's already dead."
---
Harry turned back slowly.
His legs gave way, and he fell to the ground.
For a moment, everything felt empty.
He should have been the one.
He should have died.
Like his parents.
Not Darren.
---
"I don't think you should be this upset," Grindelwald continued casually. "After all… Voldemort's bloodline mattered to you, didn't it?"
Harry looked up sharply.
"I don't care!"
"I never cared!"
"If I did, I could've killed him a hundred times already!"
"I don't care about his bloodline!"
His voice cracked as he shouted.
Grindelwald watched him quietly.
"…No," he said after a moment. "You did care."
"Otherwise… why were you cold to him?"
Harry's face went pale.
Hermione's words echoed in his mind.
If something happens to Darren tonight… you'll regret it for the rest of your life.
A hollow laugh escaped him.
"…Yeah."
"It's called retribution."
---
He stood up slowly, gripping his wand.
"Where are you going?" Grindelwald asked.
Harry's voice steadied.
"To do what he asked."
"To finish this."
He turned toward the door.
Grindelwald watched him, amused.
"I never said that was your role."
Harry glanced back, eyes cold.
"Don't stop me."
"Or I'll tell Voldemort you're still alive."
Grindelwald sighed lightly.
"…Unpleasant child."
---
But Harry was already gone.
He ran.
Faster and faster.
He didn't stop.
He couldn't.
---
And at that moment—
Voldemort's voice echoed across Hogwarts.