Voldemort had appeared in the center of the hall.
He looked tall and gaunt, a black mask covering half his face. His pale, withered features were serpentine, his crimson pupils sweeping across the room.
Kingsley Shacklebolt moved protectively in front of Harry, watching Voldemort with full alertness. At the same time, the other members of the Order of the Phoenix gathered around Harry, forming a protective circle.
"Master!" Bellatrix rushed forward and collapsed at his feet, sobbing. "Master, I'm so sorry… We failed to complete your task…"
"Quiet, Bellatrix," Voldemort said with stern authority. "I'll deal with you later. Did you truly think I came to the Ministry just to listen to your sniveling apologies?"
Bellatrix shrank back several steps, trembling.
"You intend to stand in my way?" Voldemort asked coldly, fixing his gaze on Kingsley at the front.
Kingsley didn't answer. He simply spread his arms wide, ready to shield Harry even at the cost of his life.
Voldemort slowly raised his wand—
"Wait, Tom!" A commanding voice rang out from behind him. "Your opponent is me!"
Standing at the doorway that led to the entrance hall was Albus Dumbledore, wand raised high above his head, fury etched into his pale face.
Harry felt a surge of energy run through him, his whole body filling with renewed strength.
"We're leaving!" Kingsley grabbed Harry's hand, urging him to move.
Harry suddenly realized his palm was drenched in sweat.
"We need to find your friends and capture the remaining Death Eaters!" Kingsley said, pointing toward the chamber filled with crystal balls, where the battle between Death Eaters and Aurors was still raging.
"But Voldemort—"
"Dumbledore will handle him!"
…
"What—" Voldemort roared, his expression tightening. "Dumbledore!"
He raised his wand, sending a streak of green light hurtling toward Dumbledore, who spun aside in a gust-like movement.
"Coming here tonight was a terrible decision, Tom!" Dumbledore said calmly. Five golden statues suddenly stirred to life beside him.
A wizard, a witch, a goblin, a house-elf, and a centaur—five statues moved in from different directions, surrounding Voldemort.
"I think this will be your burial place, Dumbledore!" Voldemort's face twisted into a vicious grin, full of confidence.
"It seems you've made preparations, Tom?" Dumbledore remarked casually.
Bellatrix, still crouched at Voldemort's feet, giggled. "Of course the Dark Lord knew you'd come, Dumbledore!"
"Silence, Bellatrix!" Voldemort said coldly. "You seem quite sure of yourself, Dumbledore… You don't believe I hid from you for a year out of fear, do you?"
"Certainly not." Dumbledore shook his head gently. "But today, I have help."
"You know what to do?" he said, turning away from his two opponents to the phoenix hovering at his side.
Fawkes looked at her master with worry but nodded.
A flash of golden flame—and she vanished.
…
"Fawkes…" Jon smiled when the phoenix appeared beside him. "You finally made it."
Fawkes beat her wings anxiously, fixing Jon with an urgent gaze.
"I know…" Jon nodded. "You can go back now. Fight alongside Dumbledore… Leave this to me."
Fawkes didn't respond. The moment Jon finished speaking, she burst once more into golden fire and disappeared completely. It seemed she had returned to the Ministry's Department of Mysteries.
Now that the moment had finally come, Jon was ready to act.
He looked toward the room before him: Dolores Umbridge's office. Half an hour ago, he had retrieved two items from the Room of Requirement and brought them here.
One was Tom Riddle's old diary; the other, Ravenclaw's Diadem.
Both were Horcruxes of Voldemort. Now they lay undisturbed on Umbridge's desk, resting atop a stack of Ministry files.
Jon had known the locations of these Horcruxes since the end of his first year, but back then he lacked the strength to deal with them. He'd been waiting for this day.
He stepped back, raised his wand, and took out Grindelwald's silver-white regular octahedron—the "Misericore."
…
There were few ways to destroy a Horcrux, and one of them was Fiendfyre. In the original story, the Fiendfyre summoned by Crabbe had inadvertently helped Harry Potter and the others destroy Ravenclaw's Diadem.
Fiendfyre was a terrifying form of dark magic—a continually intensifying magical blaze capable of taking monstrous forms and relentlessly pursuing anything it could burn.
At the same time, Fiendfyre was extremely dangerous and totally uncontrollable. Its most defining trait was that it spared nothing. Harfang-Munter and Nerida Vulchanova had given it its fearsome name as a warning: those who play with such fire inevitably burn themselves. Because of its danger, few dark wizards throughout history had dared to wield it on a large scale—even Voldemort.
Jon had studied the Fiendfyre summoning method thoroughly from Secrets of the Darkest Art, but even with his dark magic proficiency, he wouldn't dare use it recklessly.
There was, however, another method: using Grindelwald's "Misericore." Aside from memories, Fiendfyre was another key capable of unlocking the small box.
Gellert Grindelwald had been one of the few dark wizards in history who could use Fiendfyre with ease.
His method was simple—using the Misericore to amplify a weak Fiendfyre. Once amplified, the flame possessed the destructive power of true Fiendfyre while remaining far easier to control.
It was by this method that he once created the inferno in Paris that nearly destroyed the entire city.
After acquiring Grindelwald's box, Jon had experimented with it many times over the past six months—
And now, it was time to put it to use.
…
Jon drew his wand and whispered the incantation. Soon, a tiny spark appeared before him, as thin as a strand of hair. Small as it was, the spark radiated violent and terrifying energy.
Jon forced himself to control it, guiding it forward… After considerable effort, he pushed it into the Misericore.
At once, he felt the silver-white box in his hand grow scorching hot…
Not daring to hesitate, Jon hurled it forward. The instant it hit the ground, the box sprang open.
Terrifying flames surged outward in all directions… rising into the air and twisting into monstrous shapes: a giant burning viper, a silver serpent, and a dragon made of fire.
They began consuming everything around them. The little cat plates on the surrounding walls let out piercing screams before being swallowed by the flames…
Tom Riddle's diary was engulfed in the fire; Ravenclaw's golden crown was no exception.
The cursed flame-creatures tossed them high again and again, as if in celebration… A tar-like, blood-red substance began oozing from the two Horcruxes, and Jon could hear Voldemort screaming in agony with two distinct voices.
He knew his plan had succeeded. With a flick of his wand, the silver box flew back into his hand.
Just as he was about to close the door, Jon noticed a short, plump woman still inside the office.
Dolores Umbridge, who had been unconscious on the floor, was slowly waking from the intense heat. The fire-creatures seemed to have spotted her and were closing in.
Jon frowned slightly and said calmly, "Umbridge, Accio."
The half-awake toad flew out of the room, slamming against the wall behind Jon… and the office door shut firmly.
Jon put away his wand and strode upstairs without a backward glance.
He ignored the screams echoing from the office behind him.