Just as Voldemort prepared to destroy the secret chamber and crush Harry once and for all, a sudden surge of heat erupted beside him.
"Are you ready?"
Lin Mei's voice rang chillingly in his ears.
Before Voldemort could react, a wave of dizziness overwhelmed him. His body, like a soaked and tattered rag, was tossed around mercilessly. Lin Mei hurled him in every direction, slamming him against the walls and floor with bone-jarring force.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Each impact echoed through the chamber, followed by Voldemort's groans of pain.
Harry, watching from nearby, couldn't help but feel an odd sense of satisfaction. Maybe it was because Voldemort wasn't suffering enough? Finally, Lin Mei flung him—Quirrell's frail body—against the wall and let him slide down slowly to the floor.
Lying there, Voldemort stared blankly at the ceiling, his expression frozen in shock. Tears welled in his eyes as he questioned everything he knew.
This isn't fair! We're both magicians—why can she touch me?
His mind reeled in indignation, but his body betrayed him. He could feel it—Quirrell's body was shattered beyond repair. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say nearly every bone was broken.
Lin Mei scoffed, glancing at the immobilized Dark Lord with disdain. "Hah! In the face of absolute power, magic is meaningless."
The truth was, Voldemort had already been drained back at the manor. His magic was nearly depleted, and after exerting himself to teleport here, he had no energy left to counterattack. He had been so weak that he hadn't even noticed Lin Mei approaching.
Lin Mei turned her attention to Harry. "Are you okay?"
Before Harry could answer, his eyes widened in alarm. He pointed behind her and shouted, "Lin Mei! Behind you!"
Lin Mei didn't sense any immediate danger, but she turned cautiously—only to find Voldemort making his move. He had given up on Quirrell's ruined body and now, in his soul form, lunged toward Harry.
Lin Mei was a split second too late.
A high-pitched shriek suddenly pierced the air.
But it wasn't from Harry. It was from Voldemort himself.
The moment his spectral form touched Harry, a brilliant light exploded from the boy's body, burning into Voldemort like acid. The protective enchantment left by Lily Potter had activated, repelling the Dark Lord with searing agony.
Voldemort, now severely weakened, had no choice but to flee, his shredded soul fragment darting out of the chamber like a wounded beast.
Lin Mei clenched her fists. Because of her lapse, Harry had been in danger. Fury surged within her as she sprinted after Voldemort, disappearing into the dark corridors.
Meanwhile, the chamber fell into eerie silence. Harry collapsed, trembling from the clash of opposing forces within him. At that moment, Dumbledore appeared, his presence radiating calm authority. He gently reached into Harry's pocket, retrieved the Philosopher's Stone, and placed it safely in his robes.
Then, with a flick of his wand, he levitated Harry and the unconscious Ron, carrying them toward the infirmary. He made no attempt to stop Lin Mei's pursuit—he had seen something in her, an infinite potential. If she could end Voldemort's reign of terror, perhaps he could finally retire… perhaps even spend his remaining days in Azkaban with an old acquaintance.
But, of course, reality was never that simple.
Deep in the Forbidden Forest, Lin Mei skidded to a halt. She had lost him.
Hanging upside down from a tree branch, she scanned the area with sharp eyes. Below, a circle of centaurs had gathered, their homemade bows and arrows aimed at her with tense precision.
One of them, a leader among them, stepped forward. "Human wizard, this is the Forbidden Forest, not Hogwarts. I suggest you leave."
Lin Mei sighed and dropped from the tree, landing gracefully on her feet. "I only have one question," she said firmly. "Then I'll leave."
The centaur hesitated but nodded. "Speak."
"Did you see a black mist—something like a shadow—fly through here just now?" Lin Mei asked, her voice steady.
The centaur's expression darkened, and he exchanged glances with his kin. The hunt was far from over.
All the centaurs exchanged glances and shook their heads, indicating they had seen nothing.
Lin Mei sighed internally. "What a pity."
If he had managed to capture Voldemort, there was no way he would have let him escape so easily. His tattered robes were evidence of the battle—his newly developed alchemic magic robe had barely withstood Voldemort's Killing Curse. Letting that fiend slip away without a proper reckoning left a bitter taste in his mouth.
"Since there's nothing more, I'll leave the Forbidden Forest now," Lin Mei stated.
He had already intruded upon the centaurs' territory, and it was a miracle they had tolerated him for this long. If it had been another magical creature's domain, the encounter would have likely ended in battle. In the Forbidden Forest, only a select few beings were naturally peaceful—the rest were anything but. There was a reason this place was forbidden.
As Lin Mei's figure disappeared into the shadows, a centaur with striking blue eyes and golden hair stepped forward from the group. His name was Firenze, a future professor of Divination at Hogwarts.
He turned to the centaur leader with quiet reverence and said, "Chief, that child is… different. He gives off the aura of a predator. And his scent—it's remarkably close to that of a dragon."
The centaur leader nodded solemnly. "I felt it too. Few young wizards would dare force their way into the Forbidden Forest like that. Next time, instruct our kin not to provoke him."
"Understood. I'll spread the word," Firenze affirmed with a nod.
Not far from where Lin Mei had dangled from the tree, a small squirrel lay curled up in the crook of a branch, seemingly asleep. But as Lin Mei vanished into the distance, its eyes snapped open, glinting with an eerie resentment.
A wisp of black smoke slithered from its tiny head, twisting and writhing as it floated toward Hogwarts.
Somewhere within the castle, a servant awaited its master's call. And Voldemort—weak and desperate—was coming to claim them.
... patreon Seasay , kindly support