Lily called on Snape and Flitwick, along with several other professors, and they immediately went to the place where the magical barrier had alarmed. The professors were all on guard, raising their wands coldly at the intruder outside the barrier.
"Harry?!" When Lily saw who the intruder was, she hurried forward a few steps but then stopped abruptly. Given the current situation, she wasn't sure whether she should lower her wand.
It was her Harry. Since their last parting in the Muggle world, the Order of Phoenix had tried hard to find the child again, but he had vanished without a trace. Lily really missed Harry, and as a mother, her heart was filled with mixed emotions.
Outside the barrier, Harry put away his wand first, raising his hands to show that he was unarmed. He was prepared to be immediately bound by magic and didn't intend to defend himself, to show his sincerity.
Among the professors, only Lily and Snape knew that Harry was the Dark Prince, but neither of them made a move to attack due to various reasons. The other professors also recognized Harry as the transfer student from two years ago. They remembered him as a smart student, so none of them attacked him.
"I mean no harm. I need to see Professor Dumbledore." Harry explained his purpose directly, his tone urgent.
"Alright." Deputy Headmistress Lily nodded solemnly. She trusted Harry emotionally and reasoned that seeing Dumbledore wouldn't cause any harm, so she immediately agreed. "We will contact him for you."
Lily summoned her Patronus, still the beautiful buck from Harry's memory. She whispered something to the silvery buck, and then it bounded away, disappearing into the void. Lily turned back to Harry, the beautiful red-haired witch smiling gently, and the atmosphere had already softened. "It's good to see you again, Harry. Are you alright?"
"Not really." Harry avoided her gaze, barely answering. In truth, he wasn't alright at all. He had never had real family; Lily and James had never belonged to him, and now even his beloved adoptive father hated him... Harry felt incredibly lonely, permeated with the chill of late autumn.
He glanced at Snape standing nearby, who was staring at him with a mocking expression. Harry couldn't help but remember the last time they met at that masquerade ball, and the time before that when they went to the Muggle world to buy dresses, back when he and Voldemort were still "in love." Feeling somewhat guilty, he averted his gaze. Snape sneered but fortunately didn't make any extra sarcastic remarks.
The other professors, seeing that there was no crisis, left first, while Lily stepped out of the castle's barrier and approached Harry. She carefully examined him. "You seem to have grown a bit taller in these two months, Harry."
Harry thought about how his recent good mood had led to a good appetite, and he had indeed been eating well. Despite previous old injuries making him weak, his father had been taking care of him. Who would have thought it was all a dream, and upon waking, he found himself still in the abyss, never having escaped. He didn't answer, just sighed.
The mother and son, long separated, exchanged a few more words. Harry could feel Lily trying to show concern and bridge the gap, but it only made him feel more at a loss. He stammered, unsure how to respond.
"Harry," Lily tried tentatively again, "we've been looking for you, but we lost track. We couldn't find that Muggle school. It seemed to be magically concealed."
"It was Voldemort's doing," Harry said curtly, remembering his father's assurance that the Order wouldn't be able to find him.
"Is that so? I thought you didn't want to see us." Lily paused. "You know, I've missed you all this time."
"Sorry." Harry still didn't know how to respond. This situation was beyond his ability to handle.
"I know there's a rift between you and James, and it's hard to mend... James is in a difficult position too."
"I know I'm not welcome by them." Harry had enough self-awareness for that.
"But hiding isn't the solution. We have to try to resolve it." Lily said, "And we love you. James loves you too, even Sirius—"
"I don't deserve your love." Harry shook his head, remembering the dream he had not long ago. Strangely, if Lily said she hated him, he might find it easier to handle.
"How could you not? You could try to trust us—"
"You don't understand me at all. You have no idea what I've done! Why do you believe in me?" Harry began to panic, faced with this unprecedented display of affection. If he weren't waiting here for Dumbledore, he would almost want to run away.
"You are our child. We won't give up on you." Lily said firmly.
"If you want a child, maybe you could have another one?" Harry thought, then they would have a child truly worth loving, much better than him.
"Harry! It's not like that," Lily's words were interrupted by a loud crack of Apparition. Dumbledore had arrived. This allowed Harry to breathe a sigh of relief as he quickly changed the subject.
Still outside the castle, on the hillside in the forest, treading on the golden leaves, Harry roughly explained the current predicament to the leader of the Order of Phoenix.
"So now, after I rescue them, only the Order of Phoenix can protect them." Harry added uncertainly, "Is that okay?"
"Of course, Harry. We will do our best to protect the innocent, no matter what." Dumbledore readily agreed, which eased Harry's mind.
"Thank you." Harry said sincerely.
"You're welcome. I'm pleased to see you striving to protect others." Dumbledore stroked his white beard with a smile, his purple robes standing out brightly among the golden autumn leaves. "But have you thought about how to escape? Clearly, this is his trap to capture you."
Harry was silent.
"It's crucial. If something happens to you, Professor Evans will be very sad."
"There's no need for her to be sad for me."
"And your magical abilities are excellent. You know too much. If you can act independently instead of being under his control, it will undoubtedly protect more people, right?" Dumbledore gently persuaded.
"But... rescuing people from him isn't easy."
"We've always known the extent of Lord Voldemort's magical prowess." Dumbledore nodded in agreement, also contemplating a better plan.
That castle couldn't be escaped by Apparition or Portkeys; all spatial magic was ineffective... Harry analyzed inwardly. If he diverted attention to open a portal for others, his father would seize the opportunity to capture him. There wasn't enough time to open another for himself... Wait, time?
"Time magic can work!"
He said, pulling out a small brass object from his robe's pocket and hanging it around his neck. The Time-Turner he had stolen from the Ministry of Magic not long ago, could it come in handy again? Opening a portal required time. He wouldn't have time to open one for himself afterward, but he could use the Time-Turner to escape back a few hours, then open a portal to escape! A perfect plan.
Dumbledore looked at the brass hourglass and understood Harry's plan. He looked at the boy approvingly, smiling gently. "Very clever, Harry. I always wanted to tell you, be kinder to yourself."
Harry was about to say something when a bright sphere of light appeared beside him. It was the message-transmitting spell he used to use with his father. From the sphere, his father's voice, hissing in Parseltongue, said, "Your friends are with me. Come back, Harry, or you know the consequences."
Perhaps it's worth noting that this happened three hours after Harry felt the pain in his scar had stopped.
Two Death Eaters opened the wooden door of the dungeon, roughly ordering the group of Muggle prisoners to come out and follow them.
The Muggle classmates lined up, being pushed one by one through a portal of light by the Death Eaters. The tall and strong Oscar, always swaggering, tried to resist, but muscles were no match for magic.
Through a blur of light, the other side of the portal was a luxurious hall with dark green velvet curtains and silver chandeliers. As soon as they entered, they saw, from afar, a tall, hooded, and masked figure standing loftily on the dais at the end of the hall.
The intense aura of dark magic weighed on everyone, almost suffocating them, as if all the air had solidified around that one person.
Jess froze, immediately recognizing who it was. He had seen the photo in the newspaper, the terrible snake-faced mask. The other students quickly guessed too. It was the You-Know-Who!
Did this mean they would all die here today?!
Invisible magic bound the Muggles like ropes. Their stiff bodies were pushed and shoved by the Death Eaters, stumbling along the carpet through the hall, step by step closer. The road was both too long and too short.
They were roughly thrown onto the empty ground below the dais. The two ferocious Death Eaters knelt respectfully before the high-standing figure. He merely waved his hand, and the Death Eaters obediently rose and stepped back.
The quiet terror settled among the students, who could only hear their own heartbeats.
You-Know-Who ignored them. He leisurely sat on his throne, playing with his long, bone-white wand, appearing quite elegant—despite everyone knowing he was a dangerous and deadly Dark Lord.
Lord Voldemort was waiting. Waiting for that rebellious child, the prophesied enemy. His Harry.
Not long after You-Know-Who spoke Parseltongue to a light ball, the hall doors opened again. The Muggles, bound by magic, looked up. From the light outside, a slender figure emerged, their classmate, Harry Vance.
Jess's mouth fell open in shock. He had prayed for Harry to save them, but he had expected Dumbledore to come. This was a direct confrontation with You-Know-Who—how could Harry come alone? Didn't he bring any help? Wasn't he walking into his own death?
"Harry, run! Don't come any closer!" Mr. Cotton shouted, despite the pressure he felt, still concerned for the boy's safety. After all, he and Claire had taken Harry from the restaurant where he worked and brought him to school, later even paying his hospital bills. After everything they had been through, they had grown especially fond of this intelligent, kind, and humble child.
The shout broke the silence of the hall. Harry heard it, of course, but his steps did not falter. His gaze remained fixed on You-Know-Who on the dais. The Harry Vance that everyone knew was holding his wand, its tip emitting wisps of pale gold mist, leaving a faint, dissipating trail in the air as he advanced. It was magic, ready to be unleashed at any moment. The oppressive feeling brought by the dark magic in the hall grew even heavier.
Harry stopped a short distance from them, slightly raising his wand, facing Lord Voldemort on the dais. You-Know-Who slowly rose from his throne, also pointing his wand at Harry. Two wands faced each other, and green eyes met red.
No one else in the hall dared to speak.
Harry received the magical message, opened the portal, and, as always, returned to that fearsome castle. But this time was different. Before, this had been home; now, he was entering the lion's den alone.
He tightened his grip on his wand and pushed open the tall doors to the main hall. Ahead of him were his classmates, their eyes filled with anxiety, fear, and pleading as they stared at Harry. His heart eased slightly; at least they were all still alive.
Harry's gaze quickly locked onto the figure of Lord Voldemort on the dais.
"I wanted to invite you home, but it has become increasingly difficult, Harry," Voldemort hissed in Parseltongue. The Muggle prisoners only heard the eerie whisper of a serpent, unaware of the magical curse being spoken, and they felt even more terrified.
Harry chose to respond in English, "I'm here now. Can you let them go?"
"Don't be naive, Harry," the hissing continued. "After the choices you made, you should know what will happen..."
"That's between us. It has nothing to do with them!" Harry was determined to save the innocent.
The students, hearing the exchange of Parseltongue and English, were stunned. Harry was conversing in Parseltongue? Could he understand it? Why did he say "come back"? What was between him and You-Know-Who? Who was Harry really? Their minds were filled with shock and questions.
Suddenly, a bright red light illuminated the entire hall, aimed directly at Harry. The powerful spell created a vortex of magical energy in the air. Voldemort clearly had no intention of engaging in more dialogue. The Dark Lord moved quickly, not giving Harry any time to react.
Harry almost simultaneously cast a spell in defense. The two spells collided mid-air.
Then Harry felt the electrifying shudder of his soul once more as the two spells connected, transforming into a single golden light. The Priori Incantatem effect appeared again, and the song of the phoenix filled the air. The powerful magic clashed, the aftershock of the magical energy blowing Harry's bangs from his forehead. The light at the center of the connection was blindingly bright, impossible to look at directly.
Everyone else in the hall was frozen. Even though they didn't understand magic, the sheer power of the magic made their hair stand on end and almost suffocated them.
Harry, following his plan, took advantage of the moment when the wands rebelled against their owners. In that split second, he used his other hand to cast a spell, opening a portal under his friends in the corner of the hall, sending them to where Dumbledore had been earlier, hoping the old man would protect them.
Though Harry was skilled in magic, facing Lord Voldemort himself, he couldn't fight and save others simultaneously. As he opened the portal, Voldemort seized control of the Priori Incantatem connection, turning it against Harry. As Harry opened the portal, more spells like shooting stars came crashing down from Voldemort's side. Harry couldn't regain control of the spell's upper hand, leaving him unable to counter with magic or open a portal for himself. Harry would undoubtedly be hit and captured—if not for the Time-Turner in his hand.
But he had it. At the last moment before being struck by the spell, Harry forcefully turned the hourglass of the Time-Turner. The spell's light dissolved into nothingness before Harry's eyes. He vanished from that moment, leaving Voldemort's web of spells to hit only rubble and sparks in the grand hall.
Harry traveled through time, reappearing in the same spot in the hall three hours earlier, unscathed.
He knew he had successfully escaped—this thought had just crossed his mind.
Then a spell hit him in the back. Harry had no time to react before he fell to the ground.