Catharsis [Tom Riddle]

Chapter Sixty-Five

At that moment of pure chaos, Harry burst up from the ground, bolting toward the castle as the entire crowd let out a collective gasp, their gazes following him as he sprinted away from the Dark Lord. People were shouting out, some in glee, others in rage, pointing at him as he ran away from the budding commotion. Tom saw Voldemort's crimson eyes narrow in fury, his attention being drawn back to Harry as the boy draped his Invisibility Cloak over himself.

Voldemort began to turn away from Tom, instead pointing his weapon at Harry, but Tom knew that he couldn't let the boy die. Avalon's words echoed through his mind.

'Harry is the key to all of this... Without him, we cannot win. So we are to protect him at all costs.'

He knew that without Potter, the war would be fated to the same outcome as prior. Avalon had made it abundantly clear that the prophecy had been explicit, only Harry could be the one to ultimately defeat the Dark Lord. So, if he were to die, they would be destined for the same bleak end plagued with nothing more than death and defeat.

Avalon would be forced to relive her greatest nightmares over and over-- even when awake. She'd be sentenced to another lifetime of pain, loss, and defeat. Being forced to live through new terrors that would tarnish her pure heart with the same stain of darkness that he wanted so desperately to keep her away from. And Tom wouldn't allow that. He would protect her no matter the cost. Because for her, he'd do anything.

So, without hesitation, he sent a powerful blast of purple straight at the Dark Lord, demanding back his undivided attention.

Voldemort retaliated with a hastily cast stream of green, their magic meeting in the center of the Courtyard in a powerful collision. Both wizards were taken aback by the sheer power that coursed through them, their magic battling for dominance as they were each forced to put a second hand onto their wands.

Tom felt his feet dragging backward on the ground, and could see the same force influencing Voldemort, both casters struggling to stay on their feet as the strength of the spell-lock fed off their energy and focus. A bead of sweat found its way onto Tom's forehead, slowly trickling down his face as his body burned with the intensity of the magic coursing through him. The heat of a thousand suns felt like it was streaming through his veins, but he still commanded more and more power into his magic until he feared he was at his own breaking point, still refusing to be the weaker of the two.

But, before either blast of magic could overtake the other, their spells merged into a bright flash of white, dissolving in a massive explosion of blinding light that momentarily stunned everyone that was watching from the sidelines.

When the light faded, there was a brief second in which everyone was forced into a shocked silence. All eyes-- belonging to both the good and the evil-- shot to where Harry had stood. But, in the chaos, he had escaped.

Harry Potter was gone.

And he was alive.

When this realization struck the crowd, all hell broke loose.

Every single bystander suddenly ran back into the Courtyard, clambering to attack their enemies in their moment of stunned weakness. Colorful blasts of magic shot through the air, flying straight from the tips of their wands into the center of their enemies' chests.

Screams rang out like battle cries as unsuspecting Death Eaters were suddenly struck by deadly arrows, centaurs riding into the castle grounds with their bows in hand, emerging from the depths of the Forbidden Forest to aid the Order. Hooves clambered on the stone ground, racing into the crowd of the Dark Lord's followers and trampling them as they furiously impaled all those in their way. Agonizing screams and pleading cries rang through the Courtyard as the invaders were crushed onto the ground,