Frightening than his screams; humorles and insane, it echoed around the silent Hall.

"You think you know more magic than I do?" he said. "Than I, than Lord

Voldemort, who has performed magic that Dumbledore himself never dreamed of?"

"Oh he dreamed of it," said Harry, "but he knew more than you, knew enough not

to do what you've done."

"You mean he was weak!" screamed Voldemort. "Too weak to dare, too weak to

take what might have been his, what will be mine!"

"No, he was cleverer than you," said Harry, "a better wizard, a better man."

"I brought about the death of Albus Dumbledore!"

"You thought you did," said Harry, "but you were wrong."

For the frist time, the watching crowd stirred as the hundreds of people around the

Walls drew breath as one.

"Dumbledore is dead!" Voldemort hurled the words at Harry as in the marble

tomb in the grounds of this castle, I have seen it, Potter, and he will not return!"

"Yes, Dumbledore is dead," said Harry calmly, "but you didn't have him killed.

He chose his own manner of dying, chose it months before he died, arranged the whole

thing with the man you thought was your servant."

"What chldish dream is this?" said Voldemort, but still he did not strike, and his

red eyes did not waver from Harry's.

"Severus Snape wasn't yours," said Harry. "Snape was Dumbledore's.

Dumbledore's from the moment you starting hunting down my mother. And you never

realized it, because of the thing you can't understand. You never saw Snape cast a

Patronus, did you, Riddle?"

Voldemort did not answer. They continued to circle each other like wolves about

To tear each other apart.

"Snape's Patronus was a doe," said Harry, "the same as my mother's, because he

Loved her for nearly all of his life, from the time when they were children. You should

have realized," he said as he saw Voldemort's nostrils flare, "he asked you to spare her

life, didn't he?"

"He desired her, that was all," sneered Voldemort, "but when she had gone, he

agreed that there were other women, and of purer blood, worhier of him - "

"Of course he told you that," said Harry, "but he was Dumbledore's spy from the

moment you threatened her, and he's been working against you ever since! Dumbledore

was already dying when Snape finished him!"

"It matters not!" shrieked Voldemort, who had followed every word with rapt

attention, but now let out a cackle of mad laughter. "It matters not whether Snape was

mine or Dumbledore's, or what petty obstacles they tried to put in my path! I crushed

them as I crushed your mother, Snape's supposed great love! Oh, but it all makes sense,

Potter, and in ways that you do not understand!

"Dumbledore was trying to keep the Elder Wand from me! He intended that

Snape should be the true master of the wand! But I got there ahead of you, little boy - I

Reached the wand before you could get your hands on it, I understood the truth before you

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 552