Chapter 51

REUNION OF BROTHERS

When I was leading my flying army over Stirlingshire, some part of me kept telling myself that I was rushing into battle too hastily and recklessly. It had been an important part in my career plan of a Dark Lord to avoid such movements, because so many previous Dark Lords had met their end by doing so. But real life rarely adhered to theoretical guidelines. My career plan also dictated that I would never waste an opportunity or give up my initiative.

Voldemort was hiding in Crouch Manor, and with the might of the Ministry at my disposal, I had cut the entire Stirlingshire out of the Floo Network and erected immensely strong Anti-Apparition and Anti-Portkey Wards over the county, as well as an Anti-Flying Ward that only allowed the anti-gravity enchantments used by my army to function. Voldemort was trapped, but not entirely without means to escape. That was why I approached his headquarters so recklessly with the intention of crushing him once and for all.

It was late Saturday evening; no more than twelve hours had passed after we had started our attack against the Ministry. I felt some fatigue, but little enough to be ignored with the help of excitement and eager anticipation for the end of the war.

My army had grown further after Voldemort's brief takeover of the Ministry had alerted most of wizarding Britain to the danger. Some magical law enforcers had returned to service after Fudge's return to the position of Minister, and they were now flying among the sizeable contingent of Ministry forces in the army. More relatives of my study group members had flocked into the army as well, and many of the students who had remained at Hogwarts when I had left had felt ashamed, sneaked out of the castle and rejoined my forces. With these new additions, the army that surrounded Crouch Manor had more than seven hundred fighters.

The morale was high; our only casualties were a few adult members who had never been trained to fight by me. Everyone was enthusiastic to see Voldemort defeated, and the greatest threat to our morale was the host of Dementors that had gathered in Stirlingshire. The county was shrouded in dark clouds and chilly mists, making it seem as if November had suddenly replaced June. Everyone felt even a bit depressed, but as Harry's Patronus stag soared through the air next to me, I was shielded from most of the horror emanating from the demons roaming the forests south of Loch Ard. Crouch Manor stood near the shore of the loch on a peninsula; the entire area was part of a Muggle national park, a very subtle way to keep any Muggles from settling too close.

Ben Venue loomed in the north and the steep, steep sides of Ben Lomond in the west when I gave my army the signal to start descending. Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy, Arthur Weasley and Lucius Malfoy, Oliver Wood and Marcus Flint, Aberforth Dumbledore and Igor Karkaroff, Sirius Black and several law enforcers, all working in unison for a common goal… it was no small feat having united them all, and the accomplishment filled me with pride. It had taken me three years to manage something that Voldemort had not been able to do in more than three decades.

"Sir, the wards are in place ahead of us!" called one of my forward scouts.

I fired a weak Disarming Charm. The red bolt flew for some distance, but then it was snuffed out by a blue force field that was visible only for a second before disappearing from sight again.

"Crouch Manor is one of the most securely protected private residences in Britain," Theodore said. "And who knows how many new protections Tom Riddle may have put in place after he took the manor for his own? It may take us a very long time to break them all."

"No, I don't think so," I said and gestured Flint to fly closer. "I had a good reason when I suggested Flint to join the Muggle military and the artillery arm in particular. Unfortunately, we were not able to – er – 'borrow' any of the weapons I was the most interested in, but we did get a few very efficient… what did you call them, Flint?"

"They are M270 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, M270 MLRS for short," Flint said, grinning widely. "Derrick and Bole have them ready to fire."

"I happen to know that Tom Riddle lived in a Muggle orphanage in London during Grindelwald's Second War when German Muggles dropped bombs all over the city," I said. "Let's refresh Mr Riddle's memories of his youth a little, shall we? Fire!"

Distant artillery fire blared and but a moment later the air above Crouch Manor became a firestorm. The blue force field became visible again, and it brightened and brightened as the rockets launched from afar strained the magical protection. The wards had most likely been designed to withstand a great deal of damage – but most wizards knew nothing about how Muggle technology had developed during the three centuries of the Statute of Secrecy. Wards were designed with such non-magical devices as catapults and battering rams in mind. One M270 MLRS could inflict more damage in one minute than a catapult in one month.

I saw flashes of light in the park of the manor. The prisoners released from Azkaban were doing their best to strengthen the wards before they would collapse. Good, someone was desperate, and their efforts came to naught.

Then the wards broke down. Rockets rained in the park, causing huge explosions. Fires broke out and people ran around in panic. I watched the show patiently with my lieutenants, all hovering in midair.

Suddenly the bombs stopped exploding and just dropped to the ground. All fires that had broken out around the manor were extinguished in an instant.

"The idiot finally created a ward that prevents combustion," I noted. "It took him long enough. It cannot be broken like anti-trespassing wards, but I had prepared for this. I have crafted an Anti-Anti-Combustion Charm that we can use for our bombs and cartridges."

"Well, cast it on the bombs so that we can continue the barrage," Harry said and took the handgun that I had given him from its holster.

"No, there is a risk in a victory that seems too easy," I said in an undertone and looked over my shoulder at the large group of Slytherin alumni that Robert Jugson junior had recruited. "I'm trying to convince the entire Slytherin faction of Britain that I'm more worthy to lead than Voldemort. Victory through superior firepower won't make an impression on cunning Slytherins. I'll have to prove that I'm a superior wizard, otherwise they will continue looking for a more suitable leader and join the next Dark Lord the instant he demonstrates great cruelty and proficiency in magic. The peace and unity of this nation depends on the way I defeat Voldemort. From now on, using Muggle weapons will be the last resort."

I left it unsaid that Voldemort still had one Horcrux left. If his body was destroyed before I could find the Horcrux and bind it to myself instead, he would survive and return again. Luckily, I had a shrewd idea of what the final Horcrux was: the snake that I had previously assumed to have been an Animagus. Voldemort had possessed it too well during the scouting mission in the Ministry that had ended with the attack on Arthur Weasley.

"Do we have some magical way of defeating Voldemort?" Harry asked anxiously. "He is, after all, much older than the two of us combined."

"I have a few ideas," I said. "The first one requires some preparation. Lend me your invisibility cloak; I'd like to be as safely concealed as possible when I place some runes around the park."

Harry took the black fabric out from a pocket and handed it to me. I put it around my shoulders, but then I noticed that it did not make me completely invisible.

"The Disillusionment enchantment imbued in the cloth is starting to fade," I said. "We have to refresh it, but we don't have the time right now. However, this should be enough for now."

I cast the Disillusionment Charm on myself. It was such a challenging spell that I was not perfect at casting it: it gave me great camouflage, but not true invisibility. With the charm and Harry's cloak both on I was sufficiently protected from being seen, especially in the darkness of the night.

There were many potions in my pouch, most of them concentrated Essence of Devil's Snare. The plant was peculiar in its habit of growing in dark places. It did not use photosynthesis, but some kind of magical equivalent, and therefore it had more magic than any other magical plant, making it a very potent ingredient of potions. Essence of Devil's Snare could be used as a restorative potion or as a power source of runes. I placed a rune that I had designed myself on the ground and poured a quarter of the potion on it, making it absorb the magical power.

Before I reached the place I had chosen for the next rune, there were cries in the park, and the criminals started firing curses haphazardly in every direction. The cold fear of Dementors was also pressing harder on me. I flew quickly back to my lieutenants and said,

"This may be a diversion to allow Riddle escape. Begin a counter-attack from above and be vigilant."

Hundreds of witches and wizards riding broomsticks started circling and slowly approaching the manor. The air was filled with bolts of every colour, and every now and then someone screamed when some of the bolts hit their targets. Patronuses and Dementors were clashing in dazzling collisions of light and darkness. Great roars were heard, and a group of giants and mountains trolls came out of their hiding places. While this battle played out, I flew in a square around it, placing runes and pouring Essence of Devil's Snare on them.

The fight crept closer to the manor, inside the square I was forming with runes. When one more rune remained to be prepared, a voice echoed across the battlefield. It was high, cold and clear; there was no telling from where it came.

"I know that you are preparing to attack. Your efforts are futile. You cannot fight me. I do not want to kill you. I do not want to spill magical blood. Give me Harry Potter and Tom Valedro and none shall be harmed. Give them to me, and I shall leave the rest of you unharmed. Give them to me, and you shall be rewarded."

I let out an incredulous chuckle. Voldemort was really getting desperate. I cast the Sonorus Charm on myself and replied to my brother's pathetic attempt to cause fear among my army.

"You are in no position to demand anything, Riddle! Your threats are hollow. Here is my counter-offer: step out of the manor and keep your hands up, and I will give you a quicker death than the one I had planned for you."

Voldemort's voice was furious when he replied.

"So be it, Tom Valedro. Now you will see the death that I have planned for you!"

All of a sudden, all ponds in the park were raging, as was the moat of the manor and the entire Loch Ard. Dark forms started to creep out of the water. It took me two seconds to realise that they were dead bodies, the vast quantities which Voldemort had collected after his return. Tens of thousands of Inferi assembled in front of the manor, each carrying a staff of some sort. What the staves were for became very clear after a moment when the Inferi started to point them and shoot curses. My army was repelled quickly as everyone retreated back to our starting positions. The Patronuses nearest to me retreated after their casters, and I left the fourth rune unfinished before the Dementors would find me and returned to the lieutenants.

"Inferi are vulnerable to fire!" I called out. "Let's set the entire park on fire and see what they like about it!"

Hundreds of voices began to cry, "Incendio!" The balls of magical fire shot towards the Inferi who were slowly marching towards us, but nothing happened. The Inferi were drenched in water, but also the Anti-Combustion Ward was still active. Blasting and Reductor Curses were tried too, but they had little effect. Inferi were perfectly able to continue their attack without several body parts, even their heads.

"We have to use Fiendfyre!" Karkaroff said.

"No!" I cried. "It would spread in every direction and burn all of Britain to a crisp! Do not despair yet; we've got more weapons. You see, my house-elf has experience in tampering with Quidditch equipment. That's why we confiscated the properties of all British Quidditch teams."

I turned to the group of fifth-year students whom I had tasked with overseeing the Quidditch crates.

"Release the Bludgers!"

Over a hundred steel balls surged into the air and soared towards the Inferi. They struck chests, heads, arms and legs, causing quite an unpleasant chorus of thumping sounds. The march of the undead was visibly halted, but it did not stop.

"Oh, come on," I muttered and looked to the south. Charlie Weasley and Amos Diggory had already been too long on their mission…

Then, when it was starting to seem inevitable that the Inferi would be leaving from the square area I had prepared, I heard an excited cry. I turned to look, and with the help of the Infrared Seeing Charm I saw the ultimate weapon against Inferi flying towards us: dragons.

Dragons breathed magical fire that had given the inspiration for the Dark wizard who had invented Fiendfyre; it was horribly destructive and could not be extinguished by any Anti-Combustion Charm known to wizardkind. It was great to see my old friend the Hungarian Horntail soar above my flying army and landing in the middle of the park. She roared furiously and attacked. The Inferi were as much of an opponent to her as my illusions had been in the first task of the Triwizard Tournament, and the giants and mountains trolls were not much more either. And she was not the only dragon: also several Common Welsh Greens were brought from the dragons reserves.

Dragons had not been used in warfare for centuries. This battle would be remembered for ages to come.

"Anything can be a weapon with the right mindset," I said to Harry who was laughing. "However, there remains the great show that I have prepared, the one that will convince everyone of my superior magical capabilities. First, I must finish the last rune. Send your Patronus with me."

There were still thousands of enemies remaining. The criminals had gathered near the manor, Dementors were lurking in the shadows and thousands of Inferi were still fighting against the dragons. Some giants and mountain trolls were preparing some kind of assault against the Hungarian Horntail. Before they could start it, I finally finished the last rune and then positioned myself above the straight road from the manor to the gate. Almost all enemies were inside the square marked by the four runes.

"Are you watching, Tom Riddle?" I asked with amplified voice. "You claim to be a Dark Lord, but as of yet, you have not shown any extraordinary magics – such as this!"

I flicked the older yew wand and activated the spell powered by the runes… the most horrendous spell of mass destruction I had ever crafted: the GRAVITY AMPLIFYING AREA CHARM.

Every single thing inside the square had its weight increased tenfold. All Inferi, all criminals, all giants, all mountain trolls and Amycus and Alecto Carrow, the last remaining Death Eaters, were flattened in an instant as if stepped on by an invisible foot of a titan. All trees were destroyed, their branches were torn off from the trunks and the trunks themselves were splintered. All flowers and all blades of grass were pressed against the ground…

And then it was over. Nothing remained of Voldemort's forces but a few Inferi and the Dementors that were now easily repelled.

"Storm the manor!" I ordered, and my lieutenants flew forwards, over the obliterated battlefield, through the entrance of Crouch Manor.

Theodore had visited Crouch Manor many times in the sixties when it had still been a frequent meeting place of the British high society, and he had given me a drawn layout of the building. There was a great and opulent ballroom, and as I knew Voldemort as well as I knew myself, I knew he would be waiting for me there.

Harry followed me, obviously, eager to exact justice for all the suffering he had experienced. Along him came his friends Ron and Hermione – and Ginny, the little girl vengeful for what Voldemort had not done to her. Remus and Sirius came as well, the two of them having a bone to pick for the calamity that had happened to their group of friends. Lucius, Theodore and Robert Jugson senior act as a demonstration of the political support I had earned. Karkaroff was my representative, and finally, Aberforth Dumbledore, the oldest member of my army, more courageous and upright than his famous brother, joined us.

On the way to the ballroom, I heard furious hissing from a dark corridor. Moving swiftly, I cast two Full Body-Bind Curses on the snake that was there, probably trying to ambush us. Then, I grabbed it so that it could not reach me with its venomous fangs even if the curses broke, and used the Horcrux binding magic that I had used a few times before. The soul fragment that Voldemort had placed in the snake was weak and pathetic, much more so than any of the previous ones, and it did not take me but a short while to bind it to myself instead.

Slither into my robes and stay there, brother, I told the snake with Legilimency, or I will feed you to the Basilisk!

The snake hurried to obey my command. Apparently, being bound to me diminished its independent will somehow, similar to how I had felt loyalty towards Voldemort when chained in the diary and only regained my free will as I had been breaking free.

"Don't worry, it's tame now," I assured my lieutenants.

Voldemort was now mortal once more. As I continued towards the ballroom, I thought about the ingenious last part of my plan.

When I had tried to kill Voldemort with a volley of curses in the graveyard of Little Hangleton a year earlier, he had somehow sensed the attack a fraction of a second before I had even triggered it. He could not be caught unawares with any such trick again. I could not defeat him in a duel fair and square, because he was so much more powerful and experienced than I was. Voldemort's Shield Charm was so powerful that it could withstand even my Gravity Amplifying Charm. I might, perhaps, be able to kill him by surprise with a Muggle weapon, but in that case I would be considered a cheat, and Slytherins would never truly respect me.

My only avenue to victory was to be superbly cunning. That was why I had asked myself, 'was there something, apart from the Darkest magics, that Voldemort's Shield did not protect against?'

And so, before I entered the ballroom of Crouch Manor, I put away my yew wands and took Gilderoy Lockhart's wand in use again, and I muttered an incantation, "Lumos Gamma." I kept the wand pointing at the floor as I wrenched the door open.

Lord Voldemort stood in the far end of the room, posing in a way that he probably thought was impressive and intimidating. I raised my wand and pointed it at him, feeling the surge of magic going through it at every moment.

"Hello, Tom Riddle," I said as my lieutenants followed me in.

"Hello, Tom Valedro," Voldemort said. "That was quite a show, I must admit. I should have never expected less from you."

"Really? How lovely." My wand still pointed at him.

"We have much to talk about," Voldemort said. "Lower your wand, and we will speak."

Slowly, I lowered my arm, but as I placed it next to my thigh, I still kept the wand pointing at Voldemort.

"Harry Potter," Voldemort said menacingly, "and a couple of friends. Traitors, too… Theodore, I am very wounded by your actions. But then again, recently I have understood how the circumstances have been different from those I imagined…"

I was getting intrigued, but I did not allow it to distract me. My wand still pointed at Voldemort.

"Mr Valedro, there are things I am sure not all of your companions know about," Voldemort continued. "I could blurt them all for everyone to hear, but I offer you a chance for a private talk."

"Sure, why not?" I said, happy to accept any excuse to drag the conversation on. My wand still pointed at Voldemort.

An Anti-Eavesdropping Charm was placed around Voldemort and me, much to the annoyance of the others. Before Voldemort managed to open his mouth, I used my left hand to pull out a couple of items from my robes: the locket of Slytherin, the cup of Hufflepuff, the diadem of Ravenclaw, the Gaunt ring and my diary. Also the snake peeked out of my sleeve.

"I think you've seen these before?" I asked mockingly.

However, Voldemort did not get a fit of rage. Instead, his brows just furrowed slightly, and he said, "Yes, I have."

"So, you know my little secret," I said and dispelled my disguising charms so that he could see his own, young face. "How long have you known?"

"For a while now," Voldemort said. "It wasn't a difficult riddle to answer after I began to play with anagrams again…"

Huh? I thought, genuinely puzzled. My wand still pointed at Voldemort.

"Tom Valedro," he said. "That silly name is an anagram of a Voldemort."

WHAAAAAAAT?!

I could not keep my astonishment off my face. If I recalled correctly, I had searched for a suitable false surname from many places, and eventually I had settled with a name I had found in a random Muggle book. What were the odds that the name would fit into the name Tom like that?

"In a way, I understand you, my brother," Voldemort growled. "I would not have wanted to serve you either, so why should I expect servitude from you? It is not in our nature to serve anyone. You decided to usurp me, and I admit, you have done admirably well. But you must understand, my brother, that your game is up. My skills and powers are far beyond yours. You are my creation! You belong to me!"

"You know, when I opened the Chamber of Secrets and learned of the fate that had befallen you, I truly intended to come to your aid," I said, keeping my wand pointed at him. "But then… you left me in the endless void of the diary for fifty years! All my life I had tried to flee the apathy and flee death, and just when I thought that my salvation was at hand, everything went awry. You did nothing to let me out of the horrible prison! You would've left me there for all eternity! There is not a single person in the universe who has wronged me more than you, my brother! That alone is reason enough to want you punished, but it's not all. When I learned what an idiot you had made yourself by letting the Dark Arts control you instead of the other way around, I was ashamed beyond comprehension! I renounced you and fashioned myself a new identity. You are unworthy of being the heir of Slytherin! I decided to correct my mistake and started by plans anew. Harry Potter considers me a friend, as does Draco Malfoy. They both believe I'm fooling the other one while, in fact, I'm fooling them both. A simple plan, if you ask me, but clearly too complex for you to try. All it takes is mimicking the methods with which Dumbledore became a far greater lord than you've ever been."

We glared at each other, my wand still pointing at Voldemort. I noticed several beads of sweat starting to form on his forehead.

"The trouble with you, my brother," Voldemort said, "is that you've always been too good."

"Ah, that may be," I said. "But I still think I'm the one following Salazar's example. I've not disregarded as many powers and opportunities as you have in your arrogance."

Voldemort's eyes flared, and when he spoke, he tried to speak in a thunderous voice.

"Brother, there's no need for me to destroy you! Surrender! Surrender your army!"

I clapped my hands mockingly, but then pointed my wand at him again.

"You always did need an audience, you sap," I sneered. "Let me tell you… I realised years ago that Muggles have learned truths about the very laws of existence that are totally alien to wizardkind. I want to show you a trick Muggles taught me, a trick you were too arrogant to learn for yourself. It's just for special occasions like this. Oh yes, one more thing. If you hated our original name so much, why did you fashion yourself a new name by creating an anagram of the original one?"

Voldemort stared at me. The beads of sweat had started to flow down on his face, and he grimaced. He opened his mouth to say something… but then he vomited violently. He crouched in agony and dropped the wand he had been using.

"Accio wand," I said. "Nox Gamma."

Voldemort groaned and growled in increasing pain. His red eyes stared disbelievingly at me as I stepped closer.

"What," Voldemort whined weakly, "what have you done?"

"Your Shield Charm was too powerful for me," I explained. "I had to be creative, and I came up with something it does not protect against. You see, Shields are transparent, they allow light to go through them. And since most wizards don't know about other kinds of electromagnetic radiation, Shields have not been designed to stop any of the other kinds either – not even gamma radiation. It goes through clothes, it goes through flesh… and it destroys internal organs. Can you imagine how easy it was to craft a Gamma Radiation Charm based on the Wand-Lighting Charm? It is one of the simplest spells I've ever crafted, but the most ingenious one. It goes by the name Invisible Death, and even your sharp sense of magic never noticed a thing, because radiation is such a mundane, Muggle phenomenon that it is far beneath the interest of a great wizard – and this arrogance turned out to be the end of you."

I knelt before Voldemort and whispered, "You are mortal again. Your Horcruxes are bound to me, even your snake."

Terror flared in his pained eyes, and I straightened myself, looking down at him.

"You're dead, brother," I said. "Dead. I'm going to stand here and watch you die. Take your time. I'm in no hurry."

Voldemort retched and let out gurgling noises.

"You cannot… do this… to me," I could make out. "You… are inferior! I… am… Lord Voldemort!"

I laughed dryly before taunting him again.

"So ends the feared Lord Voldemort. Alone in Crouch Manor, forsaken by his followers, defeated at last by his brother he so unwisely challenged. You'll be with our Muggle father soon… or would it be more fitting a fate to be forever chained in the diary? The horror of an eternity in the endless void… it was the fate you chose for me, after all."

I showed him the Horcruxes again. I held the diary in the same hand as the ring, and I thrust it close to his face.

"Would death be preferable?" I asked. "I have learned that there are things more terrible than death, and I would rather choose the end of my consciousness to eternal, hopeless apathy."

Something changed in Voldemort's expression. He looked up at me and seemed so pitiable that I felt myself annoyed. There was something in his eyes…

"Inferior, am I?" I growled. "Our encounter proved otherwise. You're unworthy of any 'next great adventure' there could possibly be. I'd like to put you in the diary until the end of days, but whatever. Avada Kedavra."

Green light flashed, and as Voldemort's vile life came to an end, I felt a tinge of disappointment that he would be evading the fate he had left me with. How sweet it would have been to have him as a Horcrux…

As that thought was in my mind, I felt a strange surge of power in the ring Horcrux. A fraction of a second later, the diary felt momentarily heavier before everything returning to normal.

It was probably just my imagination.

The Dark Lord Voldemort was finally dead and the taint to the name Tom Riddle had been cleansed. I turned to face my audience and smiled broadly.

Posted on the 30th of June, 2021.

The next chapter will be posted on the 3rd of July, 2021.