Merry Christmas 🎅
Wishing you all lots of happiness and prosperity
May you all be healthy and happy
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Chapter 536 – Doing Trouble!!
Darren nodded, then quietly stepped out of Dean Perkins's room.
He was prepared to act in three minutes.
Without any real danger, how could he possibly earn Holy Father value?
Darren waited outside.
Three minutes passed.
A terrifyingly powerful magical presence suddenly appeared nearby. Without hesitation, Darren rushed back inside.
"Who's there?!"
Standing at the doorway of Dean Perkins's room, Darren deliberately put on a wary expression.
Voldemort was standing not far from the entrance.
He wasn't hiding, yet he wasn't standing particularly upright either—more like someone casually fishing, clearly not expecting to reel in a catch as big as this.
Voldemort looked surprised for a split second, then laughed.
"I've been wondering when I'd see you again. I didn't expect it to be here… interesting, very interesting. It seems Dumbledore truly intends to test you. He trusts you a great deal."
Darren froze briefly, then his face filled with rage.
"Voldemort!"
He almost roared the name.
His eyes were instantly flooded with fury and killing intent.
"I heard you wanted to die together with me?"
Voldemort asked with amusement.
Darren paused.
Good grief—Voldemort knew that much already?
No… something felt off.
It sounded more like Voldemort was deliberately reminding him of something.
Was he hinting that the Order of the Phoenix had an internal traitor?
That was possible.
Or was he trying to make Darren suspect someone—Snape, perhaps?
That, too, was very possible.
After all, Voldemort had ordered Snape to "brainwash" him. Now he was reminding Darren that the Order had an inner spy. If Snape later tried to influence him, Darren would naturally connect the dots.
But why?
Why would Voldemort deliberately make him doubt Snape?
Darren suspected Voldemort believed he had a good relationship with Snape and was trying to sow discord.
But Darren wasn't Voldemort. He couldn't be sure whether this line of thinking was correct.
Naturally, he wasn't about to discuss any of this now.
He raised his wand and shouted angrily,
"Yes! Even if it means dying together!"
A brilliant red beam shot toward Voldemort.
Voldemort's eyes lit up.
He blocked the spell with a piece of wood. The wood exploded into fragments.
"Good, very good. But tell me, Potter—wasn't this spell something I taught you myself? You intend to kill me with magic I taught you?"
He sneered.
Darren ignored him.
He cast again—another red beam.
Voldemort remained calm. With a flick of his wand, a wall appeared.
The spell rebounded toward Darren, who dodged it with a quick leap.
Spells flew back and forth. In a short time, Dean Perkins's house was nearly reduced to rubble.
"Master!"
The two Death Eaters finally noticed Voldemort. They froze in shock.
Seeing Darren exchanging blows with Voldemort, their faith in Voldemort's absolute invincibility wavered for a moment.
"Avada Kedavra!"
Voldemort barked.
One Death Eater collapsed instantly, lifeless. The other barely had time to show fear before a green flash struck him down as well.
Dean Perkins, still tied up, screamed in terror.
Voldemort casually waved his wand again.
Dean fell limp to the floor.
Voldemort was as ruthless and powerful as ever.
"You are not my opponent," Voldemort said coldly.
Darren nodded.
He was deliberately holding back—using only a fraction of Voldemort's combat strength—afraid he might accidentally kill him.
Of course, this was only because neither of them was truly fighting to the death.
If Voldemort went all out, he might believe he could kill Darren within half an hour.
If Darren went all out, Voldemort might not last seconds.
A complete mess.
But neither intended to finish the other—except that Darren very much intended to put on a show.
He suddenly rushed forward and grabbed Voldemort.
Laughing wildly, he shouted,
"Maybe I'm weaker—but I'm not afraid of death!"
He aimed his wand at the space where both of them stood and unleashed what Voldemort considered an extremely powerful explosive spell.
The moment the spell detonated, Voldemort's body erupted—his skin tearing apart.
Even so, Voldemort did not die.
Darren was unharmed, but the instant he saw Voldemort's condition, he immediately concealed his true reaction.
Of course, the explosion didn't end there.
If Darren's spell truly went all out, another direct hit would have killed Voldemort outright—forcing him into resurrection once again.
Voldemort was genuinely shaken.
He tried to retreat and Apparate—but Darren grabbed him.
In the same instant, Apparition activated.
They vanished from the ruins.
Almost immediately after they left, members of the Order of the Phoenix arrived—along with Aurors from the Ministry of Magic.
Dumbledore was there as well.
His expression was terrifying.
No one dared speak.
Dumbledore tapped the area with his wand, then said in a low voice,
"Voldemort was here just now. Among these remains… there is his flesh.
"I believe Voldemort once left behind a skin vessel at Harry's home. Compare it immediately. You'll find it's the same."
His voice was icy.
The Aurors stepped forward. Their faces soon turned pale with shock.
"Yes… yes, it matches… There's another person's remains as well. Are… are they really alive?"
Almost everyone in the Order of the Phoenix went pale.
They all looked at Dumbledore.
Dumbledore tried to speak several times, but no words came.
Finally, his lips trembled.
"Return for now."
—
Darren had never expected Voldemort to take him along.
He'd assumed Voldemort would retreat alone at most.
"Idiot. Absolute fool!"
Voldemort roared, pointing at Darren, grinding his teeth in fury.
Darren tried to stand, but Voldemort aimed his wand at him, forcing him to stay still.
"I will prove to you, great Dark Lord that I am, that you have only one path—to stand at my side. Dumbledore is merely brainwashing you!"
Voldemort snarled.
Darren wanted to retort, to curse him back—but Voldemort wouldn't allow him to speak.
Voldemort stared at him. Darren had the distinct feeling that if they weren't both in such a precarious state, Voldemort might have physically attacked him already.
Then Voldemort noticed something was wrong.
Darren's appearance—his carefully disguised injuries—made him look as if he were dying. His eyes slowly closed, his breathing growing weaker.
Finally, Voldemort muttered a curse.
He knocked his wand sharply and turned to leave.
For a moment, Darren thought Voldemort was abandoning him—and prepared to escape immediately.
But Voldemort suddenly turned back and cast several more spells around him.
Muggle-repelling charms. Protective wards.
It was clear.
Voldemort was trying to keep him alive.
Darren felt conflicted.
Voldemort treated him like this…
Would he really be able to kill Voldemort in the future?