Chapter 76: Harry’s Gambit
Disclaimer:
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 76: Harry's Gambit
"What's that?!"
For the first time, Harry saw genuine shock in Dumbledore's face. The mask, the grandfatherly smile, the cold calculation...all of it vanished, replaced by naked surprise.
The man who had always been one step ahead of him, who had orchestrated every move of Harry's life, who had manipulated and controlled and stolen...he was finally taken by surprise.
Because this was not part of his plans.
This one was Harry's plan.
Despite wanting to believe the best in people, Harry was not foolish enough to completely dismiss Daphne's warning about Ginny.
And neither did her forget Dibble's words about having no safe place inside Hogwarts, which had echoed in his mind every day since their meeting.
"No place in this castle is truly safe," the house-elf had said. "Remember that."
Harry had remembered.
Because of that, Harry had taken extra precautions. A few days ago, he had sent his owl with a very important message. A message addressed to someone he had never met in person, but someone he had helped escape from Dumbledore's prison. Someone who had promised they would meet again.
Tom Riddle.
Harry had told him everything...his plan to explore the Sanctum, the betrayal he suspected, the location of the chamber, and the secret entrance behind the false wall near Dumbledore's office.
He had given Tom all the details on how to access Hogwarts safely, avoid the patrols, and breach the castle's defences.
And now, Tom had come to get his revenge.
"Intruders!" Dumbledore shouted, his wand raised, his eyes darting towards the two figures who flew into the chamber. They were surrounded by a thick fog, their features hard to discern. One of them flew directly towards Harry, while the other went straight for Dumbledore.
The first shadow reached Harry. The fog parted, revealing a woman with long, dark hair and kind, gentle eyes. She was beautiful, with a soft smile that seemed to radiate warmth. Her robes were simple and elegant, and her voice was like honey when she spoke.
"Harry, dear," she said gently. "I'm Bellatrix Lestrange. I'm here to help you. Everything is going to be fine now."
Harry stared at her, momentarily speechless. Bellatrix Lestrange. In the original story, she had been a monster...a sadistic, cruel Death Eater who had tortured Neville's parents and killed Sirius.
But he could immediately tell that this woman was nothing like that Bellatrix...
"Your message reached us in time, thank Merlin," she continued, waving her wand over Harry's frozen body. "Tom received it and prepared everything. We've been waiting for the right moment to strike. I'm sorry if we were a bit late...oh, you poor thing. What a nasty petrifying curse he used on you."
She gently removed the curse, her touch soft and reassuring. Harry felt the paralysis lift, his body flooding with warmth and relief.
"The Knights of Walpurgis are here," she said. "And we're going to get you out."
The second shadow reached Dumbledore, and the fog dissipated to reveal the new form of Tom Riddle.
He was different now...younger, healthier, his body whole and strong.
His dark hair was neatly combed, his robes were immaculate, and his face bore a calm, confident smile. He looked like a man who had been reborn, who had shed the chains of his imprisonment and emerged stronger than ever.
"Hello, old man," Tom said, his voice carrying across the chamber. "It's been a long time."
Dumbledore's face contorted with rage. "Riddle. You should have stayed hidden for the rest of your days. Coming to my castle was a mistake."
"I've been hiding long enough," Tom replied. "It's time for you to get some payback."
The two wizards faced each other with their wands raised.
The air between them crackled with magical tension.
Bellatrix placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. "We need to go. Now."
Harry looked at her, then at Tom, then back at Dumbledore. "But-"
"Tom can handle him," Bellatrix said firmly. "Our priority is getting you to safety. Let's go."
Harry hesitated for only a moment. Then he nodded.
"Wait!" Dumbledore shouted, raising his wand towards Harry. "You're not going anywhere!. The boy is mine!"
But Tom was already moving. He stepped between Dumbledore and Harry, his wand tracing a tight, complex figure-eight that ended with a sharp stab toward the oncoming spell.
"Praecantatio Dissolutio!"
The spell Dumbledore had fired, a searing beam of crimson light, dissolved into harmless golden sparks mid-flight. The weave of the magic was severed, its foundational threads torn apart by Tom's precise counter.
Harry stared in amazement. He had never seen anything like it. Tom Riddle had dismantled Dumbledore's spell mid-flight in just an instant.
"Go!" Tom shouted, his voice commanding. "I'll hold him off!"
Bellatrix grabbed Harry's arm and pulled him towards the stairs. "Come on, dear. We don't have much time."
Harry ran, his legs still unsteady. Behind him, he heard the clash of magical combat...the crackle of spells, the roar of flames, the sound of Dumbledore's furious shouts.
And then, Tom's voice, calm and measured: "Umbra Temporis."
A shimmering bubble of silver-grey light shot from Tom's wand, heading straight for Dumbledore's wand arm. The old wizard was mid-incantation, about to unleash a torrent of fire, but the bubble struck his arm, and his movements slowed to a crawl.
The flames erupted in slow motion, giving Tom a clear window to sidestep and counter.
Harry watched for just a moment longer, then turned and continued running.
Behind him, the duel raged on.
Dumbledore, freed from the temporal stutter, snarled with fury. "You think you can defeat me, Riddle? You are nothing compared to me!"
Tom smiled, calm and unruffled. "I'm not here to defeat you, Albus. I'm here to distract you."
He raised his wand, hissing a sibilant incantation that Harry could barely hear: "Ss-shayk-ka-thu."
His wand moved in a sinuous, undulating wave, like a cobra rising to strike. No flash of light emitted from the tip, but Harry knew something had been unleashed.
Dumbledore raised a shield, expecting a visible attack.
But nothing came. He frowned, lowering his guard for just a fraction of a second-
And then his wand was violently ripped from his grasp.
Dumbledore's eyes widened as his wand flew across the chamber, clattering against the far wall. He stared at his empty hand, then at Tom, his expression shifting from fury to show a hint of concern.
"What... what was that?"
"A family secret," Tom replied, his voice smooth. "You wouldn't understand. Now, where were we?"
He raised his wand again, and a vortex of white-gold flames erupted from its tip...silent, controlled, and blindingly bright.
"Ignis Animae Condo."
The flames did not burn the stone or the air. They burned dark enchantments. They burned tainted magic. And as they spread across the chamber, encircling Dumbledore, they began to sear the ancient, corrupted magic that always surrounded the Headmaster.
Dumbledore screamed.
The flames licked at his robes, at his skin, at the dark artifacts hidden beneath his cloak; all of them began to burn, to weaken, and to break apart.
"NO!" Dumbledore shrieked, desperately trying to extinguish the flames. "Stop this! STOP IT!"
But Tom did not stop. He walked forward, his expression calm, his wand steady. The white-gold flames parted around him like loyal servants, leaving him untouched.
"You see, Albus," Tom said, his voice almost gentle, "a clear conscience and a brilliant mind will always defeat corrupted, guilt-ridden power.
You have spent decades justifying your actions, convincing yourself that the ends justify the means. But the ends have never justified anything. They have only made you weaker."
The flames began to die down, their work done. Dumbledore collapsed to his knees, his robes scorched, his body trembling. He looked older now, more fragile.
"You...bastard. I should have killed you back then..."
"Yes, you should have." Tom raised his wand one final time.
Dumbledore gritted his teeth. "It's not ove-"
"Avada Kedavra."
The dreadful green light filled the chamber.
It struck Dumbledore square in the chest, and the old wizard's body went rigid. For a moment, his eyes met Tom's...and there was something in them, a hint of amusement.
Then he crumbled to dust.
Harry, who had paused at the top of the stairs to watch, stared in shock.
"Is he?...is he really?..."
Dumbledore was dead. The most powerful wizard in the world, the tyrant who had ruled Magical Britain for decades, was gone.
But Tom did not celebrate. He stared at the pile of ash, his expression unreadable. For a long moment, he did not move. Then he turned and walked towards the stairs, his face grim.
"Tom..." Harry started, his voice barely a whisper. "Is he...?"
"Dead?" Tom said, his voice flat. "That one is." He simply responded.
Harry stared at the pile of ash, his mind reeling. But Tom offered no more explanation.
Was the monster who ruined his life truly dead, or was there something else?.
And why did he feel so much regret at the thought of the old monster being dead?. Was it because he wanted to kill him with his own hands?.
Harry didn't know. He didn't truly understand what he felt right now.
And there was no time for this. They still needed to escape the castle.
"Come," Bellatrix said, pulling Harry forward. "We don't have much time before the Ministry forces arrive. The battle is still raging outside."
Harry nodded, his legs moving mechanically. He followed Bellatrix through the hidden entrance, out into the chaos of the courtyard.
They emerged from the hidden entrance into chaos.
The courtyard was a battlefield. The Knights of Walpurgis, dressed in dark cloaks that hid their faces, fought against Dumbledore's forces.
Spells flew through the air like streaks of coloured lightning. The stone walls were scorched and cracked.
Harry spotted McGonagall near the entrance of the castle, her wand ready, her face twisted with fury. She was duelling two Knights at once; her movements were deadly and precise.
Professor Flitwick was nearby, his small form darting between spells.
Sprout was hurling enchanted plants at the invaders.
And there, near the edge of the courtyard, were the Weasley twins.
They were fighting alongside the Junior Inquisitors.
"Harry!" a voice called.
Harry turned. Draco and Crabbe were waiting near the edge of the courtyard. They ran towards him as soon as they saw him.
"You made it!" Draco shouted.
"I told you I would," Harry said, a tired smile crossing his face. "Is everyone ready?"
Crabbe nodded. "The brooms are ready. We just need to-"
A flash of green light shot past them, narrowly missing Harry's head. He spun around to see a hooded Knight deflecting a curse from McGonagall.
"We need to leave!" Bellatrix shouted. "Now!"
She grabbed Harry's arm and pulled him towards the waiting brooms.
Draco and Crabbe followed close behind.
As they mounted the brooms, Harry looked back one last time. The courtyard was still in chaos, the battle raging on. Tom was nowhere to be seen.
"Tom!" Harry called out. "Where is he?"
Bellatrix placed a hand on his shoulder. "He will be fine, Harry. He has survived worse. He was once known as the Boy of the Prophecy. He knows how to escape."
Harry stared at her, confused. "The Boy of the Prophecy?"
Bellatrix smiled, a sad, knowing smile. "Another story, for another time. Now hold on."
The brooms lifted off the ground, rising into the night sky. Harry watched Hogwarts shrink beneath him, the castle lit by the glow of magical combat.
He had escaped. He was free.
But he had the feeling that this was just the beginning of his journey.
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