Voldemort was excited. His nonexistent little heart was pounding wildly.
The Invisibility Cloak went without saying. That was one of his targets. And Harry Potter was the one prophecy claimed would kill him.
He no longer feared prophecy now, but that boy was undoubtedly the perfect hostage.
With him, he could definitely trade Dumbledore for the Elder Wand.
"Heh. Perhaps he'll refuse. In that case, I'll kill Harry Potter right in front of him. I'm sure that will break him."
Voldemort sneered as he slowly approached Harry Potter, who was busy watching the show. Then, while no one was paying attention, he grabbed him and dragged him into the eerily quiet castle.
At the moment, the castle was completely empty. Everyone had gone outside to watch Grindelwald and Cappadocia fighting, and the professors were all stationed around the forest in case danger spread.
So Hogwarts' defenses were exceptionally thin right now.
"Perfect..."
Voldemort smirked. He had just been about to say a few threatening words to the Harry Potter in his grasp to scare him, only to look down and realize Harry had already fainted.
"Hmph. Useless."
Voldemort was rather dissatisfied.
This coward was supposed to be his lifelong enemy?
Who was this supposed to insult?
Annoyed, Voldemort grabbed Harry Potter by the collar and headed for the Headmaster's office. If he did not still need Harry Potter as a hostage to exchange for the Elder Wand, he would have crushed him to death already.
Inside the Headmaster's office, Dumbledore paced back and forth anxiously. From time to time, he stopped and looked toward the huge magical upheaval in the distant forest, his mouth dry.
The enemy was terrifying.
Dumbledore gripped the Elder Wand, feeling a long-forgotten tension.
So this was the power of an Eternal Wizard?
Dumbledore's emotions were complicated.
Just then, the stone gargoyle at the entrance to the Headmaster's office made a sound, and Dumbledore frowned in puzzlement.
At a time like this, neither students nor professors should be coming here.
Who could it be?
Then he saw Voldemort, carrying Harry Potter like a chick in one hand.
Though Voldemort's appearance had changed drastically, his whole figure seeming like some phantom shrouded in heavy mist, Dumbledore still recognized him at a glance.
"Tom...!" Dumbledore's eyes instantly sharpened. "Let Harry go."
Fawkes let out a cry and landed on Dumbledore as well, glaring at Voldemort with equal hostility.
Unfortunately, the combined glare of one man and one phoenix meant nothing to Voldemort.
Voldemort chuckled darkly, clamped a hand around Harry Potter's neck, and began tightening his grip without another word.
"Stop!" Dumbledore shouted instinctively, and the moment the words left his mouth, he realized this was bad.
He had fallen into a situation much like his earlier standoff with Peter Pettigrew, only now the positions were reversed, and he was the one at a disadvantage.
As expected, though Voldemort loosened his hand, amusement rose on his face.
"So you don't want him to die? Are you still thinking about that prophecy? Do you really think a child could kill me?" Voldemort mocked.
"Whether he can kill you or not, he is still only a child. Put him down, Tom," Dumbledore said.
"Heh..." Voldemort sneered. "You really are the model of a teacher. Fine, I admire your character. Since you want to save him so badly, show some sincerity. Throw me the Elder Wand."
"So you really do covet Death's power," Dumbledore said, staring at Voldemort. "But power is not everything, Tom."
A violent explosion suddenly sounded outside the window, along with an enormous roar.
Cappadocia was almost out of time. He was powerful, but against an Eternal Wizard, he could not last much longer.
"Enough nonsense. Hand over the wand now!" Voldemort shouted.
He had to take the Elder Wand before that Eternal Wizard returned. Otherwise, he was finished today.
Dumbledore hesitated.
"It seems your character isn't quite as noble as you pretend. Say goodbye to your precious student!"
Voldemort had no intention of giving Dumbledore time to think. Without another word, he grabbed Harry Potter's throat again and started to squeeze, intent on killing him outright.
"Stop. I'll give you the wand, but you have to put Harry down first." Dumbledore reversed his grip on the wand. "Put Harry down, and I'll give it to you."
"Heh, do you take me for a fool? If I hand Harry Potter over to you, what leverage do I have left? Now. Throw the wand over at once!"
Voldemort shouted, tightening his hand slightly and leaving finger marks on Harry's neck.
Pain flashed across Harry's face, and his complexion quickly turned bluish.
Voldemort truly meant to kill him. If Dumbledore handed over the Elder Wand, Voldemort would still kill Harry Potter.
Completely forced onto the back foot, Dumbledore gritted his teeth and shouted, "Stop. I'll give you the Elder Wand right now."
With that, he threw the Elder Wand straight at Voldemort.
The Elder Wand spun through the air toward him. Voldemort's face lit with delight. He instinctively released Harry and reached out to catch it.
At that moment, Fawkes, who had been perched on Dumbledore, moved. Wrapped in flames, he instantly appeared above the Elder Wand, snatched it in his beak, vanished again, and reappeared beside Harry.
He grabbed Harry and was just about to spirit him away when an irresistible chill struck him.
The flames around Fawkes were extinguished in an instant. A freezing gale swept him back toward Dumbledore.
Dumbledore stepped forward, magic gathering in his hand as he prepared to act, only for Fawkes, blown back by the icy wind, to slam into him head-on. His entire body was immediately coated in an ashen gray-white color.
The Elder Wand fell into Voldemort's hand. Feeling the magic that made the soul power inside him boil, Voldemort smiled.
He looked at Dumbledore sprawled on the floor, the corners of his mouth lifting. Just as he was about to finish off this great threat once and for all, he suddenly heard a desperate roar from outside the window.
At the same time, Voldemort felt Cappadocia reaching the brink of destruction.
Grindelwald had sensed Dumbledore was in danger and had begun attacking without regard for the cost.
The violent magical fluctuations spreading outward made Voldemort's heart seize with fear. He felt certain that the instant he harmed Dumbledore, he would be crushed to death.
"Damn it, couldn't he have held on a little longer?"
Cursing under his breath, Voldemort no longer dared bother with a finishing blow. Wrapping Harry Potter up with him, he fled the Headmaster's office.
Very soon, the battle outside the castle subsided. Grindelwald reappeared in the Headmaster's office. Seeing Dumbledore sprawled on the ground as though he had aged years in an instant, anger flashed through his eyes, and he hurried forward to heal him.
The gray-white pallor of death faded under Grindelwald's magic. Dumbledore regained consciousness and immediately grabbed Grindelwald's arm.
"Quick... quick, save that child."
With that, he fainted again.