Emma Potter; Going to War

53: That One Fear. . .[Pt.2]

 I opened my eyes.

 Tall, thin, and black-hooded, his terrible snakelike face white andgaunt, his scarlet, slit-pupiled eyes staring . . . Lord Voldemort hadappeared in the middle of the hall, his wand pointing at Harry and me, whostood frozen, quite unable to move.

 "So you smashed my prophecy?" said Voldemort softly, staring atHarry and me with those pitiless red eyes. "No, Bella, they are not lying. . . . I seethe truth looking at me from within their worthless minds. . . . Monthsof preparation, months of effort . . . and my Death Eaters have letHarry and Emma Potter thwart me again. . . ."

 "Master, I am sorry, I knew not, I was fighting the AnimagusBlack!" sobbed Bellatrix, flinging herself down at Voldemort's feet ashe paced slowly nearer. "Master, you should know —"

 "Be quiet, Bella," said Voldemort dangerously. "I shall deal withyou in a moment. Do you think I have entered the Ministry of Magicto hear your sniveling apologies?" 

"But Master — he is here — he is below —" 

Voldemort paid no attention. 

"I have nothing more to say to you, Potters," he said quietly. "You both have irked me too often, for too long. AVADA KEDAVRA!" 

Harry and I had not even opened our mouths to resist. My mind wasblank, my wand pointing uselessly at the floor. 

But the headless golden statue of the wizard in the fountain hadsprung alive, leaping from its plinth, and landed on the floor with acrash between Harry, me and Voldemort. The spell merely glanced off itschest as the statue flung out its arms, protecting us.

 "What — ?" said Voldemort, staring around. And then hebreathed, "Dumbledore!" 

Harry and I looked behind us, my heart pounding. Dumbledore wasstanding in front of the golden gates.Voldemort raised his wand and sent another jet of green light atDumbledore, who turned and was gone in a whirling of his cloak;next second he had reappeared behind Voldemort and waved hiswand toward the remnants of the fountain; the other statues sprang tolife too.

 The statue of the witch ran at Bellatrix, who screamed andsent spells streaming uselessly off its chest, before it dived at her, pinning her to the floor. Meanwhile, the goblin and the house-elf scuttledtoward the fireplaces set along the wall, and the one-armed centaurgalloped at Voldemort, who vanished and reappeared beside the pool. 

The headless statue thrust Harry and me backward, away from the fight, asDumbledore advanced on Voldemort and the golden centaur cantered around them both. 

"It was foolish to come here tonight, Tom," said Dumbledorecalmly. "The Aurors are on their way —"

 "By which time I shall be gone, and you dead!" spat Voldemort.

 Hesent another Killing Curse at Dumbledore but missed, instead hittingthe security guards desk, which burst into flame.Dumbledore flicked his own wand. The force of the spell that emanated from it was such that Harry and I, though shielded by our stone guard, felt our hair stand on end as it passed, and this time Voldemortwas forced to conjure a shining silver shield out of thin air to deflectit.

 The spell, whatever it was, caused no visible damage to the shield,though a deep, gonglike note reverberated from it, an oddly chillingsound. . . .

 "You do not seek to kill me, Dumbledore?" called Voldemort, hisscarlet eyes narrowed over the top of the shield. "Above such brutality,are you?"

 "We both know that there are other ways of destroying a man,Tom," Dumbledore said calmly, continuing to walk toward Voldemort as though he had not a fear in the world, as though nothing hadhappened to interrupt his stroll up the hall. "Merely taking your lifewould not satisfy me, I admit —"