No one knew how much time had passed.
At last, the orange-red sun rose above the mountains at the edge of the horizon.
Because the surrounding clouds had all been blown away by the aftermath of Link and Voldemort's battle, the first rays of dawn were especially sharp and blinding today. Almost instantly, they drove away the darkness covering the world and erased the stars from the sky.
Only then did the gates of Hogwarts Castle open.
Countless students poured out, running like mad across the still-burning, half-crystallized ground toward where Link stood.
They desperately wanted to know the final outcome of the battle.
Some of the more impatient ones had already started cheering as they ran.
But all of that joy came to an abrupt stop the moment they got close to Link.
Everyone, including the professors, stopped where they were, staring blankly at Snape and Harry leaning against each other.
The nearly solid golden sunlight shone on them, making the faint smiles on their faces look especially peaceful.
It was as if they were only asleep.
Professor McGonagall instinctively wanted to go over and check on them, but although she lifted her foot, she could never bring herself to take that step.
The Link standing before them felt far too dangerous.
Although he had his back to everyone, an overwhelming mix of grief, pain, and anger filled the air around him. Strengthened by the magic overflowing from his body, those emotions had become something almost real, like crushing pressure or overwhelming presence.
Under that pressure, no one wanted to step inside.
It was the fear born from instinct, the respect engraved into human DNA toward a higher life form.
And so, a strange scene appeared.
Countless people had rushed over in panic, yet every one of them stopped over five meters away from Link, staring helplessly at the "bodies" of Snape and Harry.
Most of them didn't even dare breathe too loudly.
It wasn't until Ron, Hermione, and Dumbledore arrived that the strange silence was finally broken.
With Dumbledore's help, Madam Pomfrey, Ron, and the others were the first to enter Link's field of pressure.
They hurried to Harry and Snape, trying to separate them, only to find that their hands were tightly locked together. No matter how hard Madam Pomfrey tried, she couldn't pull them apart.
Left with no choice, she could only examine them in that awkward position.
"W-What's wrong, Madam Pomfrey?"
Ron asked anxiously the moment she started.
Madam Pomfrey was never known for her patience. Under normal circumstances, interrupting her like this would have earned a harsh scolding.
But this time, she remained silent.
She looked up with slightly reddened eyes, glanced at Link standing quietly by himself not far away, then sighed and said with a choked voice,
"Severus... he's dead. Harry is also... badly hurt. His body is almost melting away, but that's not the biggest problem. Physical injuries can still be healed with healing magic and potions."
"The real problem is his soul. Harry's soul seems to have... suffered fundamental damage. It's as if part of it is missing. Even if I heal his body, that missing part of his soul will keep him from waking up."
"I'm afraid Harry will have to remain asleep for a very long time. And even if he does wake up someday, his mind will likely be affected."
As soon as Madam Pomfrey finished speaking, Ron and Hermione completely broke down.
The two rushed toward Harry, crying loudly, but they didn't dare touch his broken body for fear of making his injuries worse. They could only stand beside him and sob, while Ron clenched his fists tightly.
"Sigh..."
Dumbledore let out a long sigh and looked at Link, who had remained silent from beginning to end, his face showing no emotion at all.
No one present knew better than Dumbledore how important Severus and Harry were to Link.
The two of them held an irreplaceable place in his heart.
Especially Snape.
Link had even been planning for Snape to get married, have children, and build a family.
Yet all of those beautiful hopes had burst like bubbles under the needle-like sunlight of the rising sun.
"Link, the fragment of Voldemort's soul inside Harry has been completely destroyed. Both of us can tell that. And what happened this time was only because those shadow people awakened the fragment inside Harry, which affected him. It had nothing to do with Harry himself or even Severus. So please..."
"Now you're stepping out to play the good guy?"
Link's cold voice cut Dumbledore off.
The atmosphere instantly changed.
The amount of information in Dumbledore's words was enormous.
There weren't many fools among the students. They might not understand what a fragment of Voldemort's soul meant, but they could still tell that the tragedy at Hogwarts had something to do with Harry.
Some people who already disliked Harry Potter and Gryffindor had even begun labeling him as the traitor who had led the enemy in.
For a moment, the way everyone looked at Harry changed.
Realizing this, Dumbledore sighed again.
He knew exactly what Link meant.
Link was blaming him for wanting to use Harry and Snape before, only to step forward now and pretend to be the good man.
He also understood the serious consequences of what he had just revealed.
But he had to say it, and he had to say it immediately.
Because if he delayed any longer, the anger inside Link, barely held back by Occlumency, would only continue to grow.
If that happened, Harry might lose his only chance to survive.
Gritting his teeth, he continued,
"This happened while I was in charge of Hogwarts. The responsibility is entirely mine. I am willing to step down as Chairman of the Hogwarts Faculty Representative Committee."
"As for Harry Potter, let him recover at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. In his current condition, he is no longer fit to continue studying at Hogwarts."
The professors immediately erupted in protest.
Led by Professor McGonagall, several senior professors tried to persuade Dumbledore.
But Dumbledore kept his eyes fixed on Link, his gaze filled with sincerity and a faint trace of pleading.
That made many Hufflepuffs and Slytherins present, including John, frown.
It was obvious Dumbledore wanted Link to forgive Harry.
But the problem was that Link had never even said he intended to punish Harry.
Under those circumstances, Dumbledore stepping in as the good guy was no different from taking away the kindness that should have belonged to Link and painting Link as the villain first.
Normally, John would have started cursing by now.
He trusted Link without question. Other than Link, the influence professors and even Dumbledore had over him had fallen to almost nothing.
Greeting them politely and showing respect in daily life was one thing, but if it involved Link, he would not hesitate to turn against Dumbledore.
The problem was that Dumbledore had also offered to give up his position as Chairman of the Hogwarts Faculty Representative Committee.
Hogwarts was the place he had devoted his entire life to.
It was his home.
And now he was giving it up just like that?
If that was the price of playing the good guy, then it was far too heavy.
John clenched his fists, then relaxed them, then clenched them again.
After repeating it several times, still torn inside, he finally looked toward Link.
Only Link could make the decision now.
But in the next moment, under everyone's astonished gaze, Link silently walked toward Snape and Harry.
Ron nervously stood in front of Harry. His lips trembled as if he wanted to beg for mercy, but no words came out.
Fortunately, Link showed no sign of hostility.
He raised his wand slightly and separated Harry's hand from Snape's.
Then he personally lifted Snape's body onto his back and walked toward Hogwarts Castle.
The Hufflepuffs silently made a path through the crowd for him.
Only after Link had slowly passed with steady steps did they follow behind him.
Next came the Durmstrang reinforcements led by Krum.
After that, the Slytherins and Ravenclaws cast contemptuous, angry looks at the Gryffindors before following as well.
In the end, only the professors and the Gryffindors remained surrounding Harry.
At that point, many people finally let out sighs of relief.
Although Link had said nothing, leaving was the clearest answer.
At least they no longer had to worry about anyone harming Harry.
But Dumbledore's frown only deepened.
Link had absorbed all of Gerald's King's Blood.
Dumbledore had witnessed it with his own eyes.
And King's Blood had side effects.
That was why Dumbledore had rushed out to plead for Harry.
Now Harry was safe.
But because Link had no way to vent his emotions, his condition was becoming more and more dangerous.
Taking a deep breath, Dumbledore finally shouted through gritted teeth,
"Link! What are you going to do next?"
His voice echoed across the empty battlefield.
Hearing him, not only the Gryffindors nearby but even the Hufflepuffs and others who had already followed Link some distance away all turned back.
Link never slowed his steps.
As he walked, he said expressionlessly,
"Blood for blood. Tooth for tooth."
His voice wasn't loud.
Yet those words exploded beside everyone's ears like bombs.
The crowd behind Link stared blankly at the figure walking at the front.
Slowly, flames began to rise in their eyes.
As their expressions grew fiercer, the fire burned brighter and brighter.
Finally, it turned into a unified roar.
"Blood for blood! Tooth for tooth!"
———
The next day.
Inside the Leaky Cauldron at the entrance to Diagon Alley.
Although it was only morning, every seat was already taken.
The owner, Tom, wasn't surprised at all.
The Leaky Cauldron being packed was completely normal.
Besides being a wizarding pub, it was also a safe refuge and shelter for members of magical society.
That privilege had been granted by the first Minister for Magic, Ulick Gamp, after the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy officially came into effect.
Ever since then, the Leaky Cauldron had been packed almost all year round.
Even during the time when Voldemort ruled the wizarding world.
After all, Death Eaters were still people. They also needed places to relax.
After hundreds of years, nearly everyone in Britain's magical world had developed the same habit, whether they had business or not, they would visit the Leaky Cauldron.
That habit was so deeply rooted that even after the Ministry of Magic was reformed and countless business policies and subsidies led to many new taverns with better food and decoration opening throughout Diagon Alley, the Leaky Cauldron's business was hardly affected.
Except for younger customers who weren't attached to the Leaky Cauldron or had special preferences.
Most customers would only visit the newer pubs when the Leaky Cauldron was completely full.
So overall, Tom was still very confident about the Leaky Cauldron's current situation.
Of course, he was also planning renovations and upgrades.
That was the only way for the Leaky Cauldron to stay competitive in the future. Right now, its facilities were simply too old.
Especially the tables and chairs.
Many of them were even older than the customers sitting on them.
Tom thought about replacing them almost every day, but because he worried about certain strange customers who loved old furniture, he had no choice but to keep delaying the plan, leaving him constantly conflicted.
Fortunately, today he no longer had to worry about it.
Not because the tables and chairs had all been chewed apart by some customer's three-headed hellhound, as he had once imagined.
But because although the Leaky Cauldron was packed today, the usual cheers and shouting were nowhere to be heard.
The large pub was completely silent.
Only quiet sobbing and the occasional sound of people swallowing their drinks echoed through the room.
Not only that.
Almost everyone's face was covered with an unshakable gloom.
The spacious room was filled with a heavy atmosphere mixed with the smell of gunpowder, blending together with the smoke, alcohol, and food that already filled the tavern, making it feel almost suffocating.
Behind the bar, Tom nervously wiped an empty glass in his hand.
After polishing it until it was spotless, he placed it in front of a guest wearing a neat suit with a carefully styled haircut, looking every bit like a successful businessman.
The man had been sitting there all morning without ordering anything.
Seeing how lost he looked, Tom felt he needed a drink.
The stronger, the better.
The guest didn't refuse.
Instead, he pushed over a gold Galleon.
Tom shook his head.
"This one's on me."
The guest froze for a moment, seeming hesitant, but in the end he nodded. He raised the glass toward Tom in thanks before draining it in one gulp.
Watching the painful look on the man's face, Tom quietly shook his head.
It was obvious he wasn't someone who drank often.
In fact, someone like him would normally never come to the Leaky Cauldron. The place was simply too rough for people like him.
But today was different.
Today was a special day.
Bang!
The empty glass landed on the bar once more.
Along with it came a whole pouch filled with gold Galleons.
"Another one," the guest said, his eyes bloodshot. "And one for everyone here. My treat!"
Tom didn't reach for the bag of Galleons.
Instead, his eyes fell on a copy of the Daily Prophet lying in front of the guest.
The bold headline read clearly....
"Hogwarts Attacked! Death and Injury Toll Exceeds One Hundred!"