Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to JK Rowling. I own nothing but the original characters I make.
Chapter 120: Friend Reaction
---Voldemort Afraid---
The reason Voldemort escaped was not because of Dumbledore, not this time. It was because of Dudley Dursley. He hate to admit it but the more he fought Dudley in today battle is because he was very strong.
Dudley, the muggleborn, had shattered his expectations. He moved with a speed so unnatural that, for a moment, Voldemort mistook it for apparition. But it wasn't. There was no telltale snap of displaced air. No magic signature of apparition. This was something different, something faster, sharper and he could see the white line everytime he moved.
Even with his all experienced Voldemort wasn't sure if he could create the same spell, even now he didn't know what spell or how the spell works.
Despite the anti-apparition wards trapping all of them within the battlefield, Dudley had turned his own body into a weapon, using his speed like a blade. Wherever he darted, Death Eaters fell.
Severus had told him everything about him. "Dudley is the most dangerous one," Snape had said. "Unlike Potter, he has mastered things we have never seen."
Lucius had mentioned the same in passing, that Dudley always topped first in every exam, that he was exceptional, beat him in occlumency, but Voldemort had dismissed it. He had thought Dudley was merely clever. Nothing more.
But tonight… tonight had proved them right.
Voldemort had watched Dudley deflect even his strongest curses, spells that would have obliterated aurors in seconds. His shields came up instantly, his counters faster still.
And then there was the potion. He had never seen a wizard do what Dudley did next. In the middle of the battle, while spells flew from every direction like arrows, Dudley uncorked a vial and drink it. Voldemort had paused, curious, waiting to see the consequence of such recklessness.
Then it happened. Dudley vanished in a blur and reappeared right in the center of his followers. A thunderous blast tore through the field.
When the smoke cleared, eleven of his Death Eaters lay dead, charred because of lightning, the power of lightning was strong enough to shatter the protego spell.
Some of them like bellatrix wo had been teach by him with a new protego spell that he created manage to hold off for a few second before conjured another protego.
But most of them, Dead in seconds.
Voldemort felt a chill crawl down his spine. He rarely failed in attack, never. Even in the past, when he had faced Aurors and the Order of the phoenix, there had always been a way out, always a way to maintain superiority. He had stayed ahead through fear, through magic, and through power.
But tonight had shown him something new, a child, a muggleborn child, not only with the power to destroy his followers, but with a killer instinct far beyond any Hogwarts student he had faced.
If he had brought more followers to this raid… if they had stayed even a moment longer…
Would any of them have survived?
Dumbledore arriving with reinforcements was the only saving grace. In front of his remaining followers, it gave Voldemort a shred of dignity, a justification for retreat. But he wasn't fooled. He had lost tonight. Not to Dumbledore. Not to the prophecy.
To Dudley. Dudley Dursley.
"How many have died?" Voldemort asked, his voice cutting through the silence.
Rodolphus Lestrange swallowed. "Only three of us are left, my Lord."
The only survivors were him, his wife Bellatrix, and his brother Rabastan. All others, wiped out in under a minute.
Voldemort turned to them, red eyes narrowed. "Do any of you know what spell he used to move like that? As if he were apparating during battle, without using apparition?"
The three remaining followers exchanged uneasy glances. None of them spoke. None dared. They simply shook their heads, today battle opened their eyes of the power of Dudley.
They too had heard about him through Snape and Lucius.
Even Bellatrix, who always wild and loud, said nothing.
This was the first time any of them had seen someone move like that. The first time they had witnessed true defeat and not at the hands of Dumbledore, but at the hands of a teenager they had underestimated.
And for the first time in many years, Voldemort felt something he hadn't felt since his encounter with Dumbledore, it was a true fear.
Talk about Harry, he was sure his killing curse hit the boy but then he fainted and somehow so Harry walking in a white room. Then when he woken up he saw the boy are also woken up.
Voldemort then suddenly remembered, where is Nagini?
---Hogwarts---
During the rescue mission, every student had been ordered to return to their common rooms. Professor Snape, Hagrid, and the others had done a great job keeping them inside safely. Nobody knew the exact reason, but everyone suspected the worst. After all, just a few days ago, they had experienced the same thing and the next day, the news broke out that the Dark Lord had attacked the Ministry.
Only Harry, Hermione, Susan and Hannah sensed the real reason behind tonight lockdown, it was related to the disappearance of Harry Potter and Dudley Dursley.
"Where's Harry?" Ron asked for what felt like the twentieth time, pacing back and forth. His hair was a mess, his voice raw with worry.
Ginny sat curled up in a corner, while Hermione looked pale, clearly anxious about her best friend.
"Something happened," Hermione muttered. "They wouldn't keep us in here this long without a reason."
It was then that Fred and George returned after being detained by Snape. They had heard a conversation between Snape and Sirius Black and knew exactly where Harry had gone.
"He was fighting You-Know-Who," Fred said, his voice lacking its usual spark. "Both he and Dudley went to save Madam Bones."
"What?" Everyone was stunned.
"Yes, we overheard Snape and Sirius talking about it."
"They faced him," Fred continued, "and Dumbledore and the other professors arrived later to help."
Ron blinked, stunned. "Fought him… Harry fought him again?"
Fred hesitated. "Well… not just Harry."
"What do you mean?" Hermione whispered.
"Remember we mentioned Harry and Dudley," George said.
Silence swallowed the room whole.
Meanwhile, in Hufflepuff common room, a similar conversation was happening between Susan Bones and her housemates.
"The reason we're locked in is because Harry and Dudley are missing," Susan said quietly.
"Missing? Don't tell me..." Justin Finch-Fletchley couldn't even finish his sentence.
"I just hope nothing happened to them. The Ministry was attacked only days ago," Hannah Abbott added, her voice trembling.
Unlike Gryffindor, the other common rooms remained confused and anxious, with no clear answers.
It was finally 1:30 AM when the professors returned to Hogwarts.
Susan were told in detail of what just happened because it was related with her Aunt.
While Harry golden trio friend also received news later.
---Dumbledore and Snape---
"You summoned me, Headmaster," said Snape, his voice low as he entered.
Dumbledore gestured to the chair beside him. "Please sit, Severus. This concerns Harry and Dudley."
Snape sat, his expression cool, but the sharp glint in his eyes betrayed his curiosity.
Dumbledore took out his Pensieve and drew a strand of silvery memory from his temple.
"Take a look, Severus," Dumbledore instructed.
Snape leaned forward and plunged into the memory.
An hour later, he emerged, shaken by what he had witnessed. What shocked him most was the potion.
"He created it himself?" Snape asked, incredulous. "A potion capable of channeling magical force into raw destructive power? That's...."
"Brilliant," Dumbledore finished for him. "And frightening."
Snape hands clenched around the armrests. Even he couldn't hide his shock.
"When the Dark Lord summons you next," Dumbledore said softly, "you must tell him this, the potion wasn't taught by me, nor did it come from Hogwarts. It was created by Dudley Dursley and he shared it with no one."
Snape slowly nodded, his face unreadable.
"It's already 2:30 AM," Dumbledore continued. "Rest for now. In the morning, you'll need to answer his call."
Author Notes: There is 30 advanced chapter on my patreon.
-patreon.com/zorojurown