Chapter 33

"Lee!" Kate said as she hopped up from the bean bag and hugged me. "Where were you?!"

"My mom took me out the second the fight between Dumbledore and the Death Eater was over." Lee replied as he hugged back.

"Why didn't you say goodbye?"

"I was in the Great Hall during the fight and my mother came in the door 2 minutes later and took me out before I could even say a word to you."

"Well, welcome back. I missed you."

"I missed you, too." Lee replied with a smile.

Matt whistled and Lori said, "It seems like you two need some personal space." Lee just gave them the middle finger in response. Matt laughed and Lee saw Kate's face blush.

"So," Lee asked, "I take it I have a lot of homework to do."

"You have no idea." Kate replied.

"Mr. Anderson." A woman's voice asked.

Lee turned around to see Professor Sprout standing there and he asked, "Yes?"

"The Headmaster wishes to see you immediately." Sprout said with a stern face.

"Of course. I'll just put my stuff away."

"He wants to see you immediately." Sprout replied in the same stern face.

"Okay. I'll see you guys later." Lee replied as he walked around Sprout and out the door. As he walked down the hallway he started to wonder what was about to happen. The first idea that came to mind was that it was about Alchemy but why would that need to be urgent? He was scheduled for class that night so it would be weird if he wanted to speak now. Maybe it was about the fact that Lee never reported coming back until this morning.

Lee had just started walking up the grand staircase when he realized that it may be the fact the Dumbledore knows. It would explain the quick need to talk as he could be worried that Lee will attack one of the students before Dumbledore could get to him. But what would have given it away? Lee has a perfectly good reason for leaving so quickly after the fights and Lee never did anything that revealed himself during the second fight.

Lee strolled down the 5th floor corridor as more ideas ran through his mind. Either this was a trap or it wasn't. It sounds very obvious, but Lee didn't know which one was more likely to happen. The expression on Sprout's face points to a trap along with the immediate need to talk to Dumbledore. However, what would have happened to tip off Dumbledore?

As Lee reached the statue guarding the Headmaster's entrance, he questioned if he should go in but the statue immediately jumped out of the way without even a word. Lee walked up the circular stairwell to the door and readjusted his wand so it was very close in case there was a fight at hand.

Lee opened the door to find Dumbledore casually sitting at his desk. He looked up and said in his sweet voice, "Oh, hello. I heard you came back, Mr. Anderson. Will you be here for the rest of the year?"

"I hope so, Professor." Lee replied.

"Good. Could you please grab that book on the floor and bring it here?" Dumbledore asked. Lee nodded in response and walked over to it. It was just a regular textbook but when he placed his hand on it, he was immediately transported.

Lee stumbled as he landed on the ground and looked around. He watched as Dumbledore Apparated into the grassy field. The field they were in was about the size of a football field and Lee could see only trees and hills in all directions.

"What just happened?" Lee asked.

"You touched a portkey which brought you to an isolated part of Northern Ireland."

"Why?"

"Why what?" Dumbledore asked as he watched Lee stand up. Dumbledore had lost all of his playful expression and now was very serious in the face.

"Why did you take me here?"

"I wanted our last battle to be somewhere with no eyes watching us."

"Our last battle?" Lee asked, realizing that Dumbledore knew.

"Yes, our last battle."

"How'd you figure it out?"

"I've always known."

"That's impossible."

"I've known for years that Voldemort had been training a child. Then you came along to Hogwarts with a past that seemed to come out of nowhere and parents that no one had ever heard of. You go and show your superior skills in the classroom and your flagrante hatred of Order members and Gryffindor house. You love Alchemy and have an obsession with fire. It was very easy to connect you to the mysterious Dark Prince and the boy Voldemort was training."

"Why didn't you arrest me?"

"I wanted to show you your mistakes and let you repent."

"But I didn't."

"No, no you didn't. Instead you worked right under my nose and spied for your cause. I tried to help you, but then one day I went up to the Astronomy tower to meet with an individual and a masked man tried to kill me."

"And you let me back into your castle?"

"Yes. I was sure that your loss would show you that you aren't invincible but you came up to me in the Herbology gardens and tried killing me again."

"But two was enough chances for me?"

"Yes. I now see that you being at the castle is only a danger to the fellow students. So when you arrived, I have Professor Sprout go and have you come to my office."

"So, you want to battle?"

"It will be our last battle."

"Yes it will, old man, because you aren't leaving here alive." Lee replied as he quickly covered the area in fire. Dumbledore quickly started dousing the fire but Lee made the ground start shaking like an earthquake. Dumbledore had vines pop out of the ground to grab at Lee. Lee went into ghost form and started making the fire rise up in the air.

In just seconds, fire was blocking out the sun like a cloud and Lee used it to actual rain fire. Dumbledore quickly put a shield around him but Lee used this to make the flames heat up the earth around the shield. Dumbledore cooled his little bubble that was starting to burn up from the heat and amazed Lee as he cast a spell that froze the whole area. Lee had never seen an ice spell be able to work against Fiendfyre.

Lee again created a dome of fire and had dragons made of fire fly at Dumbledore. As Dumbledore destroyed the dragons, Lee sent killing curse after killing curse at Dumbledore. It seemed like Lee was going to get him but Dumbledore disappeared and reappeared 50 yards away where he sent his own spells at Lee.

Lee avoided what he could and sent explosive spells at Dumbledore's feet. Dumbledore had the earth fly up and guard him like a wall. Lee flew around the wall and caused his fire to converge on Dumbledore. Dumbledore went into ghost form himself and started covering the whole area in ice.

Lee used his fire to burn up any shields Dumbledore was making but all of the sudden Dumbledore sent a spell that Lee didn't see and hit him in the leg. Lee crashed into the ground and had the earth swallow him up.

Lee moved around under the earth as he quickly nursed his leg. He popped up out of the earth and created fire again the flying at Dumbledore like bullets from a machine gun. Dumbledore, who was back in human form, simply created a shield and started sending yellow spells at Lee.

He avoided what he could and caused the earth to shake once more. However, Dumbledore stopped it with just a simple flick of the wand and one of the yellow spells he was sending hit Lee in the stomach.