Harry thought he was going to die, but at the critical moment, someone appeared.
A pale blue robe, half-moon glasses, and thick silver hair and beard.
Dumbledore, who never showed up until the very last second, blasted Snape straight out of the cave with a single spell.
Even the Acromantulas were trembling.
One old man was bad enough, but now an even older one had come.
"Harry, are you all right?"
"Not at all, Professor!" Harry's large eyes instantly filled with tears. "Vincent and the others—"
"They were all taken by him—"
"It's all right." Dumbledore bent down and pulled him into an embrace. "They're resting at the camp. None of them ever came out."
"Then why did Voldemort—"
"Dumbledore—" The raggedly dressed Snape appeared at the cave entrance.
He restored his robes. "Have you finished collecting the corpses of those little brats?"
"Don't believe him, Harry." Dumbledore slowly rose to his feet. "He's trying to shake your resolve and make you weak."
Harry certainly would not believe Voldemort anymore.
The reputation of the strongest wizard alive was far better than that of the enemy before him.
Snape gripped his wand tightly, following the script.
"Avada Kedavra—"
Dumbledore pointed his wand downward, conjuring two enormous stone statues.
The Killing Curse looked deadly, but it was not invincible.
The statues had no life to begin with, so the spell could only inflict physical damage upon them.
Having completed the demonstration, Snape decisively changed tactics.
"Reducto—"
The broken clods of earth were all Transfigured by Dumbledore into little white doves.
The white feathers falling from the sky also transformed into long, slender silver needles.
They flew uncontrollably toward the doves, and both fell together, shattering into even smaller fragments of stone.
"You've improved." Dumbledore praised him without thinking.
"Hmph!" Snape swept up