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Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 91: Sacrifice
Tonks and Moody flew on their brooms until they reached the place where Harry was.
They found him floating in the air with his eyes closed while black wisps of energy formed around his body.
"What is happening to him?" Tonks asked, not wanting to get any closer.
"He is t—" Before Moody could answer, he was pushed back by a burst of power originating from Harry. "That's an Obscurial! We have to kill the boy before it goes out of control."
"But we came here to save him…" Tonks muttered.
"There won't be any need for that," Dumbledore said as he moved closer to Harry. "Leave him to me. I know what to do in order to stop this." He pointed ahead. "Keep that one busy for a minute."
Moody gave him a dubious glare.
"Go. And be careful… he will be more dangerous now. Keep your distance," Dumbledore added.
Once they left, the Headmaster turned his attention to Harry. "It's okay, Harry. I won't let you die."
His mind went back to what had happened a month ago, when Harry came to tell him about the invasion attempt on the Weasley house.
A.N – Chapter 71 –
Right as Harry was about to leave, Dumbledore felt a sudden intrusion in his mind. At first, he thought it was Harry, but was then shocked to find out it was actually V who was doing it.
'Old man… listen carefully and don't forget what I'm about to tell you. Because everyone's future may depend on it.' The words of the hat had resounded in his mind, along with the message it left behind.
The hat had predicted this exact outcome from their first encounter with the Dark Lord and began to think of ways to prepare for it.
The first thing he did was inform Dumbledore about a certain spell he had come up with. One that should be capable of stopping Harry from transforming if he were to lose control of his magic.
Over this past month, the Headmaster had been spending a good amount of time practicing this spell to make sure it would work when it came time to use it.
His wand began to flicker as he chanted something in Latin under his breath.
Ropes made of light began to form around Dumbledore and expand in size.
In ten more seconds, he concluded the chant and pointed his wand at Harry. "Involucrum Aeternum!" (Eternal Wrappings)
The ropes made of pure white light quickly flew at Harry and began to wrap around his body while continuing to expand.
The dark wisps of energy formed by the Obscurial were pushed away by the pure light and forced back into Harry's body.
His entire figure was now covered from head to toe by these magical constructs, leaving only his face still visible. It made him look almost like a mummy.
Dumbledore felt the heavy toll that the spell had put on his body and groaned in pain, but he had no time to rest. He had to immediately command his flying broom to follow Harry so he could catch him before he fell to his death.
Only once he had the boy secured in his arms did he allow himself to shift his attention to what was happening elsewhere.
Moody and Tonks were entangled in an exchange of spells with Voldemort, but things weren't going well for them.
Only around a minute had passed in total since they began to fight. Tonks was clutching a bloody arm, and Moody had lost his magical eye; a deep, bloody gash was left in its place.
"Avada Kedavra!" Moody shouted with rage, sending a Killing Curse directly at Voldemort.
"Eat!" Voldemort commanded, and the hat obeyed.
V opened its mouth, creating a potent vacuum that absorbed the curse into its gaping maw. The magic from the spell was then transferred back to Voldemort, making him feel reinvigorated, no matter how long he fought.
"What the fuck is that hat?!" Tonks cursed with exasperation. "It just ate an Unforgivable Curse!" No matter what they threw at the Dark Lord, the hat would swallow it, and sometimes it would send their spells back at them.
Tonks had almost lost an arm due to her own cutting jinx.
"Moody, Tonks!" Dumbledore called to them.
They both glanced at the Headmaster and saw he was holding something large, wrapped in what looked like bandages. It took them a second to realize that this was Harry Potter.
"You got the boy?" Moody asked.
"We are leaving," Dumbledore declared. He knew better than anyone else how pointless it would be to fight Voldemort right now. They were completely out of their league.
However… leaving was not going to be easy either.
Tonks didn't need to be told twice. She flew as fast as she could toward the Headmaster.
But so did Voldemort. The air cracked with the force of his pursuit. He moved as fast as an arrow, the tattered hem of his robes whipping behind him. His expression was one of cold, furious triumph. The distance between them vanished in an instant.
"Leaving so soon, Albus?" His voice was filled with confidence. "You have taken something of mine, and I insist you return it." His snake-like eyes were locked onto the bundle in Dumbledore's arms.
With a flick of his fingers, he conjured a sickly orange severing charm that was not aimed at Dumbledore, but at the cocooned boy he was holding.
From this distance, it would be impossible for Dumbledore to avoid the curse without sacrificing the boy.
However, the Dark Lord never got the chance to hit his target.
"Protego Horribilis!" Alastor Moody roared as he threw himself into the spell's path. The Dark Lord's curse struck a dense, layered magical barrier he'd conjured directly in front of himself.
The shield shattered with a sound akin to breaking bones, and the deflected force caught Moody square on his chest. His leather armor smoked as he was hurled backward through the air, his broom spinning away into the void below.
"Alastor!" Tonks screamed.
But Moody didn't fall. With a grunt of agony that carried across the sky, he stopped his momentum. He righted himself in the air, holding onto nothing but his own stubborn magic. His wand arm was steady, despite the numerous injuries he had sustained.
Moody positioned himself between Voldemort and the retreating forms of Dumbledore and Tonks. "Go!" he screamed with ferocity without looking back. "Get the boy out, NOW."
Dumbledore gritted his teeth. He could feel the resolve in Moody's voice.
"Fawkes!" he called, his voice carrying a note of sorrow.
There was a silent pop, and the air became filled with warmth. The crimson and gold phoenix appeared before the Headmaster and let out a single clear cry.
Dumbledore had to physically grab Tonks and pull her closer to him. She was in shock.
"Take us out of here. Quick!"
"No, wait!" Tonks finally reacted. "We can't le—"
"Do your damn job, Auror Tonks!" Moody's voice reached them still. "Get the asset to safety. That's the mission."
Voldemort narrowed his eyes. "I will find you."
"Confringo!" Moody attacked him relentlessly. "Reducto!" He bombarded the Dark Lord with every curse, jinx, and charm he could think of.
Even the magical hat became overwhelmed while trying to absorb so many spells at the same time.
This short distraction was all that Fawkes needed. A flash of fire enveloped the Headmaster and the two people he was holding onto, breaking through Voldemort's protections and sending them away.
Mad-Eye Moody stood there, still facing the Dark Lord, looking completely spent.
Voldemort's eyes now reflected his fury. "This will change nothing. I will get them in time. No one can stop me now."
Moody smiled. "We'll see about that."
Voldemort's eyes glowed. "You won't…" He performed a waving motion with his hand and produced a flash of green light that washed over the now defenseless and exhausted Moody, killing him in an instant.
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