Dementors drifted around, the sky hung low, thunder rumbled in the clouds, and lightning pierced the heavens, connecting sky and earth. Black wizards on broomsticks swiftly pursued the direction of the Pegasus, waving their wands, sending streaks of light, some invisible, some dazzling with various colors, through the clouds.
Above, a massive, swirling vortex twisted and turned, resplendent with myriad hues, as if thousands of oil paintings had been churned into chaos. Various scenes flickered within, but no one could discern what they depicted. The colossal Pegasus moved its immense wings, weaving and darting, steadily approaching the vortex.
"Gilderoy Lockhart!"
A sharp roar instantly shot from far to near, its speed so immense that the sound stretched and overlapped, causing discomfort to the listener. Master wizards, at their peak, were almost entirely different beings from ordinary wizards.
Lockhart's profound exploration in the realm of the Memory Charm, using memory as an axis and discarding the concepts of time and space, grounded his magic in adventure, resulting in such wondrous effects in Apparition and the Patronus Charm. And Voldemort's deep exploration in the realm of life, anchoring himself in the soul and abandoning concepts like body and matter, allowed him to cast a flying spell that far exceeded anyone's understanding of 'speed.' The vastness of heaven and earth was traversed in an instant.
His speed was so incredible that he appeared before Lockhart, who was atop the giant Pegasus, in an instant, leaving a dark, inky trail of movement in everyone's eyes.
"Avada Kedavra!"
Voldemort was ruthless; he didn't even think or hesitate, immediately casting the most vicious Killing Curse. A flash of emerald green magic tore through the sky, extending towards Lockhart. Amidst the gasps of the young wizards and the malevolent glare from beneath Voldemort's hood, Lockhart merely curved his lips into a slight smile.
The curse light struck Lockhart in an instant. A dreadful wave of magic permeated the surroundings, painting a bleak picture of life withering and chilling desolation.
However!
Lockhart was completely unharmed. He smiled at Voldemort, even raising an eyebrow flirtatiously. "Tom, didn't you have your dinner? What could a weak blow like that kill?"
"Impossible!" Voldemort waved his wand again. Emerald green magical light erupted from his wand tip like plasma, coiling and whipping through the air as he wielded his wand, finally striking Lockhart. The terrifying emerald plasma coiled around Lockhart like ropes, ensuring he had no possibility of escaping the attack.
But it was still useless!
It was simply absurd!
There was no magic in this world that could defend against the Killing Curse; this was a cruel fact proven by the lives of countless master and powerful wizards over a thousand years. Yet Lockhart seemed perfectly fine.
"How can this be!" Voldemort couldn't help but exclaim again.
"I've already told you the answer," Lockhart said gently. "A blow with no power cannot kill anyone, Tom."
He wasn't lying. The Killing Curse wasn't an instant kill. If the caster had no malice in their heart, or if their desire to attack wasn't strong enough, it would, at most, only cause a stomach ache. This was something many Dark Arts Defense professors would mention when discussing the three Unforgivable Curses. This was the truth: Tom subconsciously didn't want to kill Lockhart at all. Subconsciously, let alone malice, even his hatred wasn't pure enough.
Because...
This was love. Lockhart had stolen the love hidden within Voldemort's curse on Hogwarts, occupying that vacant place of love. And it was the love of family, the love for a mother. So, Tom, you do love me.
Tom...
Please call me – the **Life Thief**!
"This is as far as you need to take me," Lockhart said, smiling at Voldemort.
"???" Voldemort looked at him with surprise and uncertainty, then realized with a start that they had, without knowing it, entered the furiously spinning vortex.
*CRACK!*
A spatial explosion of Apparition. His vision seemed to stretch as he saw the Pegasus leap out, arriving above the Hogwarts castle grounds. Then, all these images shattered, dissolving into a vast, white landscape lashed by cold winds. This was...
Voldemort vigilantly surveyed his surroundings, rapidly waving his wand to cast various detection and protection spells. It took a full ten minutes for him to confirm that no one was lying in ambush for him here. He had been 'exiled' by Lockhart to the Antarctic glaciers!
"How dare you!" he roared in fury, suddenly realizing a terrifying fact. The followers he had painstakingly gathered were still at the location where they had attacked the Hogwarts Express!
The wind howled. His speed was so immense that glaciers, oceans, and islands blurred past in his vision like phantoms. His flying spell was terrifying!
However, as he flew, he suddenly stopped, his eyes glinting. He suddenly remembered Lockhart's earlier words, 'Dumbledore and the others will arrive soon.' If he rushed back now, he would likely find himself in an extremely passive predicament. If he had revived his complete body, it would be fine, but now, possessing the body of the werewolf Fenrir Greyback, using it to this extent was already his limit. He simply couldn't contend with Dumbledore, who possessed the Elder Wand, a Deathly Hallow.
His selfish nature quickly led him to a decision. Those people were beyond saving. Faced with the Ministry of Magic's Dementor encirclement, with the Order of the Phoenix and Dumbledore nearby, and likely Aurors joining in, the situation was already clear. He let out a furious roar of resentment, then turned and flew in another direction, decisively abandoning the forces he had led. If they could no longer be of benefit to him, why bother rescuing them?
Voldemort's guess was evidently correct. Dumbledore was once again disappointed to find that the Tom he had been waiting for had fled! He had simply abandoned his subordinates and run away with his tail between his legs!
"Lockhart let him go," Gellert speculated, not without malice.
Dumbledore pursed his lips and said nothing.
"He's not very loyal to you, I can see he deliberately wants to avoid a more intense war situation, hoping to deal with Voldemort in a gentler way," Gellert continued to babble. "I guess he might not even be too happy to see Voldemort die, at least not now."
"Of course, we can even have such a bold guess: he doesn't want Voldemort to die now, perhaps because you are still alive?"
Dumbledore turned around, his gaze profound as he looked at Gellert, merely stating blandly, "No one can truly see through another person."
Gellert suddenly felt choked. He reacted with a stunned expression for a moment, then gasped, "Why do I feel like you're implying something?"
Dumbledore rolled his eyes, too lazy to bother with this master of manipulation anymore. He turned to seek out the school professors and members of the Auror Office. He didn't allow the Order of the Phoenix members to appear in their official capacity; the Weasleys and others weren't called. Only school professors were summoned. Remus Lupin, who would become the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor this coming year, was entrusted with the crucial task of finding Sirius, quietly hidden among the ranks of the professors.
A battle was quickly quelled. As news of Dumbledore's arrival spread, and uniformed Aurors, aided by the Dementor guards, surrounded everyone and collectively cast spells to restrict Apparition in the area, those whom Voldemort had brought were forced to give up their resistance. They would be sent to the Wizengamot for trial, and then to Azkaban. Attacking a train full of students would not be tolerated on any societal level; they would likely be imprisoned for life.
"Dumbledore." Lupin walked over quickly, glanced at Grindelwald, and shook his head at Dumbledore. "He's not here."
Dumbledore's expression was grim. "He will certainly go looking for Harry. I need you to keep a close eye on things for me."
Lupin nodded. "Don't worry, I... I also want to find him, Dumbledore. I don't believe he would truly betray Potter; there must be some hidden truth we don't know."
"Don't think too highly of people!" Grindelwald, standing nearby, chuckled maliciously. "No one can truly see through another person!"
"!!!" Dumbledore suddenly turned back, his gaze sharp as he looked at him.
"Can't help it. Living to our age, we've simply witnessed too many betrayals..." Grindelwald spread his hands, his eyes distant. "Even from the closest people!"
Lupin blinked nearby, unsure if he should continue to stand there. He pretended to vigilantly look around, then suddenly shouted a warning and hurried over, even though it was just a seemingly clumsy pink-haired young Auror witch who had stumbled to the ground.