Half the Death Eaters fell in an instant.
John raised his right hand and grasped at the air—the Silver Wick Sword appeared.
His gaze swept over the Death Eaters clustered near Voldemort, and he said lightly, "Deal with them."
"Avada Kedavra!"
"Avada Kedavra!"
From within the Death Eaters came two voices.
Voldemort's heart lurched as two jets of green light shot toward the two Dark Lords.
Almost instantly, a blazing blue wall of fire erupted.
Voldemort soared upward to dodge the curse, while behind Grindelwald a witch's statue had been pulled to shield him.
But the ones who had cast the spells left Voldemort stunned.
"You?" He seemed unable to believe it was those two who had attacked.
Lucius Malfoy.
And…
Rodolphus Lestrange.
Rodolphus's face was utterly blank, but deep within his soul an implanted command drove him straight into the wall of fire, his wand spewing Killing Curses nonstop.
Voldemort flew into a rage. Dodging the green light, he sent out an even denser flash of green that struck Rodolphus.
For a moment, it seemed to bring Rodolphus back to his senses.
But it was already too late.
The Killing Curse snatched his life away in an instant.
Lucius raised his wand and struck down the Death Eaters around him.
The tide had turned. In this situation, they had no chance of holding the Ministry any longer.
Voldemort seethed in fury, while Grindelwald gave a meaningful smile.
"Portus~"
His wand pointed at the shattered fragments of the statue on the ground, transforming them into a Portkey.
The azure flames blocked all spellfire, and Grindelwald said to John with quiet significance, "Heh~ We'll meet again, Mr. Wick."
Touching the Portkey, he vanished.
He was no fool.
His partnership with Voldemort ended here.
But Voldemort had once again been ensnared.
And it was still the people he trusted most.
Drogon—or rather, Lippy.
And Barty Crouch Jr.
His most loyal follower.
They had also drawn their wands against him.
Voldemort forced Lucius and the others back, his unwilling gaze twisting into hatred as he fired a powerful Blasting Curse upward, shattering through the Ministry's ceiling.
He rose into the air, and once he was beyond the range of the Sovereign's Authority, he Disapparated and escaped.
Both Dark Lords had fled, and the Death Eaters were in complete disarray.
The flames that remained were eventually subdued by the Ministry.
Barty Crouch Sr. approached John, his tone laced with danger.
"You lied to me, Silverhand."
He fixed John with a hard stare, displeasure written across his face. He wanted an explanation.
Why was someone who was supposed to be dying still standing here, very much alive?
John looked to the other side, where Barty Jr. had been captured by Aurors—along with Lucius and Drogon.
The frustration of having come within a step of killing Voldemort was forced down, and John said calmly, "I promised you—I'll help repair the Ministry."
"Hmph." Barty Sr. gave a cold snort.
Looking at the state of the Ministry now, if he had to pay for it out of his own pocket, the Ministry's finances would collapse again.
"And as a friend, I'll give you a gift."
John turned, sheathing the Silverwick Sword, and patted Barty Sr.'s shoulder with his right hand.
"A legitimate son."
Barty Sr. froze. He turned to look.
His captured son offered no resistance.
The Ministry's fireplaces flared to life.
Rita arrived with her team of reporters.
Lippy suddenly stood up and shouted, "My real name is Lippy Cobell, a registered Auror of the Ministry, sent with my colleagues to infiltrate the Death Eaters under orders."
Lippy broke free from the grip of a familiar Auror, hurried to Barty Jr.'s side, and supported him up, pointing at him as Lippy declared loudly, "My colleague, Barty Crouch Jr., has been undercover for even longer!"
Rita's eyes lit up, and even her team of reporters were stunned by the scene.
At a glance, nearly thirty Death Eaters—every one of them a prominent figure.
The Aurors and Hit Wizards swiftly subdued the captives and snapped handcuffs onto them.
The moment Barty Jr.'s name was spoken, the reporters collectively burst into excitement.
Barty Crouch Jr.
The son of the newly appointed Minister for Magic—a man declared dead more than ten years ago.
He hadn't died. He had been planted among the Death Eaters as a secret weapon, for the sole purpose of striking at the Dark Lord.
He was a hero!
Barty Sr. no longer cared whether John had deceived him; he simply stood there, stunned.
His son—a hero?
Minister Crouch, planning fifteen years in advance, laying out every step.
All for the day the Dark Lord returned, so he could be dealt a devastating blow?
Barty Jr., a pawn in a bitter scheme, enduring disgrace in silence, making himself a symbol, making a monumental sacrifice for wizarding society.
The great Crouch family—making enormous contributions to the wizarding world!
No one would dwell on what had happened between father and son in the past; the public preferred a story of heroes.
And no one would question why the Ministry had concealed the Dark Lord's return.
All of it had been part of a plan—a plan that had already borne fruit.
Tommy was smooth-tongued, and before the gathered reporters he recounted everything he had experienced and the details of the plan.
It thrust him into the spotlight, and with Barty Jr. cleared of guilt, his own future in politics was destined to be smooth sailing.
Lucius, too, was washed clean of the Death Eater brand. From this moment on, the Malfoy family now had a figure of great importance to wizarding society.
The Dark Lord's return, it seemed, would not shake wizarding society after all.
Because their Minister Crouch had, the moment of his return, cut down nearly all the Death Eaters in one stroke.
...
John left the Ministry.
The following day, articles sprouted like mushrooms after the rain.
The wizarding world finally learned just how much had happened that one night.
The Dark Lord had returned, attempted to lead the Death Eaters in an invasion of the Ministry—and his plan had been crushed, with nearly all the Death Eaters captured.
Voldemort had fled the Ministry, vanishing without a trace.
The Department of Mysteries had suffered massive losses, and the Ministry sent word to Dumbledore.
For this entire incident had been set in motion by a group of students.
And the headlines flew everywhere;
"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named Returns!"
"Ministry of Magic Invaded"
"Barty Crouch: A Plan Set in Motion Since Last Summer"
"All Ministry Time-Turners Destroyed, Leaving a Great Void in the Study of Time Magic"
"Albus Dumbledore Held Accountable! But Spared Azkaban for His Service Against Voldemort"
"Former Slytherin Head Horace Slughorn Appointed as Headmaster"
"Beware the Reopening of the Dark Arts Museum: The Rise and Fall of the Malfoy Family"
"The Hero's Son Is a Hero Too—Bearing Humiliation, the True Hero the World Scorned"
"Barty Crouch's Approval Ratings Soar—Highest in 50 Years"
"The Mysterious Silver Mask"
The wizarding world was in an uproar, not even sure which headline to read first.
Some people even wondered if they had traveled through time—how could so much have happened in a single night?
But more than anything, people were talking about Voldemort and Johnny Silverhand.
This time, everywhere you looked, Johnny Silverhand's name appeared.
Some reports even stated outright: Johnny Silverhand had defeated Voldemort.
Forced him to flee in disgrace.
This was Voldemort—the very same who had once plunged the wizarding world into misery.
It made everyone realize the true strength of the Second King.
And his reputation carried not a trace of negativity; this time, he had even helped the Ministry fight Voldemort.
Not to mention, Johnny Silverhand's image had always been painted in a positive light— even as the so-called King of Knockturn Alley, he had transformed it.
The Wizengamot was already moving quickly, preparing to award him the First Class Order of Merlin.
And yet, John paid no attention to any of it.
Together with his friends, he surrounded the Holy Grail.
They ignored the liquid inside that could turn back age, focusing instead on what lay within.
Unable to contain his excitement, John opened the locket hanging around his neck.
The Resurrection Stone lay quietly inside.
John picked it up and held it in his palm.
Slowly, he moved his hand over the Grail, and a tree-like pattern of circles and lines appeared on its surface.
The Gate of Objects/Everything/Truth.
Through it, they could see the items bound by the contract—
their friend.
Heinrich Edgar.
"He's asleep," John said quietly.
A collective sigh of relief could be heard.
Malfoy, completely lacking in tact, muttered discontentedly, "Then wake him up."
No sooner had he spoken than Daphne smacked the back of his head with her palm. He winced, rubbing the spot with bared teeth.
He was about to complain when he caught the furious glares of the Constellation Society.
Malfoy gave a sheepish smile and muttered, "Fine, let him sleep a little longer."
Daphne felt deeply guilty for not having taken part in the great battle.
"Because of you, I was able to survive," John told her. "Thank you, Daphne."
Her earlobes flushed pink, and at last she forgave herself.
It was just that John's resurrection had caused quite a stir—on that night, the entire school had been busy putting out fires.
When John returned to the school, their eyes all went wide.
...
The Holy Grail was placed within the Constellation, wrapped in starlight until it slowly vanished from sight.
All in all, recovering part of Heinrich's soul was a good thing.
The term had ended, and none of them attended the feast.
But who cared?
The Constellation Society would one day shine across the wizarding world.
And John had already set foot on a path completely opposite to Dumbledore's.
He put on the locket, held the golden hourglass in his hand, and took out a vial of blood bought at a high price.
A Time-Turner.
There were other matters he had to finish.
Like now.
Basil flew off, hesitated for a moment, then turned back and landed on John's arm.
Standing atop the Astronomy Tower, John handed the black envelope in his hand to Basil.
With a faint smile, he said, "Take it to the covered bridge. You know who it's for, Basil."
________
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