Voldemort had yet to attack, but Bellatrix suddenly sprang into action and attacked Dumbledore instead, catching quite a few people by surprise.
At that moment, Bellatrix was so close to Dumbledore that her spell could reach him with almost no delay.
Yet almost no one showed the slightest concern for Dumbledore. After all, this was Dumbledore!
Things unfolded just as everyone expected. Dumbledore did not even glance at the Avada Kedavra Bellatrix had sent at him. He merely waved a hand-not even the one holding his wand.
A transparent shield shimmering with a faint platinum light flashed into existence and vanished.
Bellatrix's Killing Curse actually rebounded straight back at her. She visibly froze for a moment, apparently not expecting her spell to be reflected so easily.
Fortunately, Voldemort's silver shield swooped in front of her, blocking the Killing Curse she herself had cast.
Otherwise, even with the astonishing resistance to magic Bellatrix had displayed earlier, she would probably still have fallen short against Avada Kedavra.
But after taking that hit, the enormous crack already running across Voldemort's silver shield split it apart completely, and the shield vanished without a trace.
The corner of Voldemort's eye twitched almost imperceptibly.
That silver shield was not a spell-at least, not an ordinary one. It was a special form of magic similar to the Smoke Sparrow, somewhere between a spell and a magical device. It required advance preparation to make it quick and convenient to use.
But this magic was far more advanced than the Smoke Sparrow, and far more troublesome to prepare.
Judging by the abilities the shield had displayed earlier, one could imagine just how much trouble it took to make one.
In the nearly year-long period since his resurrection, Voldemort had worked on restoring his body to its peak condition while