Voldemort's expression darkened as he watched the wretches Dumbledore had hounded into disarray scramble up and slink behind him.
"Useless trash!" Voldemort snapped. The Dark Wizards fell silent in terror, but the vampires looked rather resentful.
Unlike the Death Eaters and the Dark Wizards, the vampires were Voldemort's partners.
Voldemort had promised them that once they ruled the world, they would have the right to hunt ordinary people freely. The noble High-Ranking Vampires would even be allowed to taste wizard blood. Half-blood or Muggle-born blood, of course.
Their relationship with Voldemort was therefore one of partners, not subordinates.
With Voldemort insulting them like this, they would certainly have turned on him if they could have beaten him-and if Dumbledore, whom they disliked even more, had not been standing opposite them.
Yes, even the noble vampires understood when they needed to swallow their anger.
Dumbledore said little. When he first landed, there had still been a trace of tension on his face. But once he saw Tris, his usual calm, easygoing expression immediately returned, even carrying the faintest hint of a smile.
He looked at Voldemort. "Tom, if this is your final preparation, I must say the scenery here leaves something to be desired as a burial site."
"You don't like it? What a pity, then, because this will be your final resting place." Voldemort rose from the Throne with a sneer.
The next instant, without any warning, he fired a Killing Curse.
Dumbledore intercepted it with a spell of his own. The two spells met in midair with a crackling sound, countless fragments of magic spraying in every direction as they remained locked in a stalemate.
"Leave the two children to the Dark Lord. Kill everyone else." Seeing Voldemort and Dumbledore locked in their struggle, Bellatrix turned her gaze to