The nearby Death Eaters gaped again, looking utterly terrified. Even Bellatrix seemed at a loss.
Had Harry grown stronger, or was their master truly no longer up to the task?
Still kneeling, Barty Crouch Jr.'s eyes went blank again. As though a switch had been flipped, a streak of purple began spreading rapidly through the depths of his mind.
Enraged, Voldemort ignored his wand's anguished cries and brutally forced his immense magical energy through it. A towering surge of magic seethed around him.
The bead of light where the spells met finally began hurtling toward Harry.
Harry gripped his wand tightly, pouring out every ounce of magic he could. Suddenly, he saw countless ghostly figures, including his own parents.
Celestial music rang in his ears, like countless friends whispering to him, urging him not to give up.
But in his furious frenzy, Voldemort was powerful-so powerful that even Shawn and Dumbledore would have had to give ground before him.
The bead of light struck with lightning speed, finally erupting into a vast flood of green light that swallowed Harry whole...
Before Harry could tell the ghostly figures of his parents how much he missed them, his consciousness sank regretfully into darkness. His body flew high into the air like a struck sack, then landed in the mud with a thud, motionless.
As it happened, Harry's "corpse" landed beside Barty Crouch Jr., whose eyes were flickering with intense turmoil.
Clutching the Knucklebone Wand, now covered in cracks, Voldemort held his head and panted. Just now, it had felt as though someone had struck his head hard with a hammer.
He rubbed his bald head, not forgetting to ask Barty Crouch Jr. anxiously,
"Quick, check whether Harry's dead!"
Conflict raged in Barty Crouch Jr.'s eyes. He turned his back and crouched down,