Chapter 28 The Eve Before Dawn
The towering glass curtain wall of the Ministry of Magic reflected dazzling light in the sunlight, like countless sharp blades hanging in the air, making it hard to breathe.
Inside the hall, the Death Eaters' black robes fluttered in the wind. Their faces beneath their hoods were gloomy and tense, and their fingers unconsciously stroked their wands, ready to run away at any time in case of an emergency.
The members of the Order of the Phoenix were on high alert, their eyes fixed on the confrontation ahead of them. The air was filled with a strong smell of gunpowder.
Draco stood among the Death Eaters, his fingers unconsciously digging into his palms, his nails almost digging into his flesh.
"Crucio!" Voldemort's scream tore through the air, and the dark green curse pounced on Harry like a poisonous snake.
The black-haired boy spun around and rolled, and a deep pit instantly appeared on the ground. The gravel scraped across his cheek, leaving blood marks.
The aftermath of the magic overturned an entire stone wall, and the scorched earth of the ruined battlefield was shaking. Draco's pupils suddenly shrank, and he grabbed the wand at his side.
The word "be careful" that came out of his mouth mixed with the taste of blood in his mouth.
The roar of the red and green spells colliding made the glass in the hall buzz.
The blue light bursting from Harry's wand suddenly surged, forcing back Voldemort's magic beam and detonating it.
The Ministry of Magic's newly-installed uniform, before it had even stood the test of time, had followed in the footsteps of its predecessors and was once again shattered into pieces.
"Voldemort, I'll wait for you at Hogwarts!"
Amidst the rubble, Harry protected his head, ignored Voldemort's spell, dived into the fireplace, and left in the rain of rubble.
Even before leaving, he did not forget to leave a declaration of war to Voldemort and lure him forward. He was extremely arrogant.
Looking at Harry like this, Draco's Adam's apple rolled unconsciously.
The wound on his chest, which had been covered by Harry's warm palm, now burned all over his body.
"ha?"
Voldemort's voice, mixed with the screams in the hall, made Draco feel like being hit by rain in the hot summer, and it made him wake up instantly.
He looked at the corner of Voldemort's lips raised, and the hair on the back of his neck stood up. That familiar contemptuous smile was exactly the same as when he assigned him to assassinate Dumbledore.
He was completely enraged by Harry's disdain.
Gray-black mist hung from the dome of the Ministry of Magic, and the broken golden badge glowed faintly on the ground.
A ball of scarlet flame hovered at the tip of Voldemort's snake-shaped wand, distorting and terrifying the masks of dozens of Death Eaters below the stage.
Draco hid behind Lucius and Narcissa's flowing robes, loosened his wand from his palm, and rubbed it secretly a few times.
If I had known this earlier, I wouldn't have used so much force. I would have been crushed to pieces.
At this moment, he couldn't help but glance at the gaps in the crowd, imagining whether Harry was also wearing an invisibility cloak, watching all this from somewhere. Maybe he was jumping up and down while listening, but if the You-Know-Who found out, he would be the one jumping up and down.
Thinking of this, Draco couldn't help but chuckle.
"Here, my friends, is that boy who dared to challenge the great Lord Voldemort?
"Think about it, my friends. There's no need for tomorrow. Soon, those people in the wizarding world who have been fooled by Dumbledore will be instigated by him and intend to overthrow our rule!
"And your homeland, your land, will fall because of that boy. From now on, there will be no more purebloods.
"There are only endless streams of Muggles crowding into the wizarding world, and you are the black gloves in their hands!
"Power, status, and identity, like the wealth accumulated by our ancestors, will be taken away by Muggles who do not belong to the magical world.
"But don't worry, my friend, you still have me. I'll put a stop to him before it happens!"
Voldemort's tone became more passionate. "Now let us send these filthy, corrupt, and ugly creatures to Merlin!"
"Kill...Kill them!"
"Kill them..."
"Kill these bastards!"
“…”
There was a commotion among the Death Eaters in the audience, followed by a deafening roar. They waved their wands and rushed towards the pillared fireplace.
The dome of Hogwarts Castle trembled under the dark clouds, and the halo of the floating candles was dyed a cold white by the white spelllight.
Pansy leaned against the stone pillar and watched coldly, her black hair fluttering in the breeze, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the Dark Mark on her sleeve - Voldemort's orders were still ringing in her ears, and at this moment, the sound of fleeing footsteps in the castle was like her accelerated heartbeat.
"Underclassmen, follow me!" Professor Slughorn waved his wand and gathered the three frightened Hufflepuffs in front of him.
His velvet robe was stained with dust, and his usually round face was now tightened into a serious arc.
Pansy scoffed and was about to taunt, but was interrupted by a clear roar.
"Everyone, listen!" Professor McGonagall walked over the broken tiles, the blue light from the tip of her wand sweeping over everyone. "Underclassmen, follow Professor Horace to the dungeons! Seniors, stay and fight!"
Her blue eyes swept across the crowd, lingering on Pansy and the others for half a second before moving to Professor Slughorn. "Come back soon."
The parchment in the Hogwarts library rustled in the magical candlelight, and the dust floating between the bookshelves was condensed into substance by the tense atmosphere.
Harry slammed his wand down on the oak table, causing the inkwell to vibrate. "We have to find a way to buy Draco enough time."
He looked up, his lightning scar gleaming faintly in the shadows.
Anxiety welled up in his emerald eyes, and he unconsciously rubbed the side of his neck, where a pale pink scratch mark glowed in the dark.
"Are you crazy? That's Malfoy!" Ron slammed the table and stood up, shaking the ink bottle so hard that it spun on the wooden table.
Hermione bit her lower lip as she flipped through the pages of Advanced Defense, the tip of her wand unconsciously emitting a blue light between the pages. "Harry is right. He is in greater danger than we are now, having stolen the Horcrux from Voldemort's base."
Harry stood up suddenly, and the hem of his robe swept away the pile of parchments. He stared at the rolling dark clouds outside the window, his emerald eyes burning with a stubborn light.
"The Death Eater group is coming, and we are the only ones to draw the fire—"
Before he finished speaking, the bookshelf suddenly shook violently and a suppressed sob came from the restricted area.
Ron suddenly kicked open the old box at his feet, and more than twenty crystal bottles rolled out, with potions boiling strangely in the bottles.
The red-haired boy frantically wiped the spilled potion, his nose stained with black stains. "Let's take care of these first! If the Death Eaters attack tonight, these confusing agents and stunning spells will come in handy immediately."
The red-haired boy held his wand in his mouth and skillfully used the Levitation Charm to sort the potions. "By then, the Stunning Charm, the Flaming Charm, the Anti-Toxin—these will be enough to give those Death Eaters a hard time!"
He suddenly looked up, his eyes sweeping over the marks on Harry's neck. "But Potter, are you sure that Malfoy..."
"No time to explain!" Harry stood up suddenly, shaking the bookshelf violently.
"Distribute the potions to the senior students. Min and you will go find Professor McGonagall while I distract Voldemort."
As he turned around, the hem of his cloak swept down the ink that Hermione had just found. The fine, shiny water particles formed half a heart shape on the ground, which was quickly crushed by the hurried footsteps.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
