The Only One He Ever Feared

• Harry won't believe that Sirius is dead. He thinks that Sirius is just out of sight.
• Lupin keeps holding Harry back from the archway.
• Lupin insists, "He can't come back, Harry [...] He can't come back, because he's d—" (36.4).
• Lupin drags Harry away from the veil.
• Neville tells Harry, "I'b really sorry [...] Was dad man – was Sirius Black a – a friend of yours?" (36.12).
• Harry nods.
• Kingsley hits the floor as Bellatrix Lestrange bolts for the door.
• Harry chases after her, intent on getting revenge for Sirius's death.
• Harry keeps following her throughout the Ministry.
• Finally, they reach the front Atrium, where Harry crouches behind the statues in the Fountain of Magical Brethren.
• Bellatrix calls out, "Come out, come out, little Harry! [...] What did you come after me for, then? I thought you were here to avenge my dear cousin!" (36.27).
• Harry jumps out and tries to cast Crucio.
• The spell knocks Bellatrix over, but it doesn't really seem to work.
• She gets up and taunts, "Never used an Unforgivable Curse before, have you, boy? [...] You need to mean them, Potter! You need to really want to cause pain – to enjoy it – righteous anger won't hurt me for long – I'll show you how it's done, shall I?" (36.32).
• They trade spells and dodge one another as Bellatrix makes another demand for the prophecy.
• Harry feels a surge of pain from his scar, and knows that Voldemort is already aware that the prophecy's glass ball has been broken.
• He mocks Bellatrix, "Your dear old mate Voldemort knows it's gone! He's not going to be happy with you, is he?" (36.41).
• Bellatrix refuses to believe it, begging, "MASTER, I TRIED, I TRIED – DO NOT PUNISH ME —" (36.48).
• The pain in Harry's scar gets worse and worse.
• Harry looks up and finds Voldemort standing in the middle of the hall.
• Voldemort is pointing his wand at Harry.
• He tells Harry, "I have nothing more to say to you, Potter [...] You have irked me too often, for too long. AVADA KEDAVRA!" (36.58).
• But something stands in front of Harry and protects him: a golden statue, spelled by Dumbledore.
• Dumbledore tells Voldemort, "It was foolish to come here tonight, Tom [...] The Aurors are on their way —" (36.64).
• Voldemort keeps trying to cast Killing Curses at Dumbledore, but he can't quite catch him.
• Voldemort disappears and a snake rears in his place.
• Voldemort is standing in midair above Dumbledore.
• Voldemort sends another Killing Curse at Dumbledore while his snake strikes at the same time.

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• The phoenix, Fawkes, appears in front of Dumbledore and appears to swallow the Killing Curse whole.
• Dumbledore sends the snake off "in a wisp of dark smoke" (36.76) and the pool of water in the Fountain rises up to cover Voldemort "like a cocoon of molten glass" (36.76).
• Harry starts to go to Dumbledore, but Dumbledore warns Harry to stay where he is.
• Suddenly, Harry feels a burst of pain from his scar worse than anything he has ever felt.
• He feels "locked in the coils of a creature with red eyes, so tightly bound that Harry did not know where his body ended and the creature's began: they were fused together, bound by pain, and there was no escape —" (36.83).
• The creature speaks through Harry, demanding, "Kill me now, Dumbledore [...] If death is nothing, Dumbledore, kill the boy" (36.85-7).
• Harry thinks, yes, let me die – this hurts too much, and then I'll be close to Sirius again.
• As Harry's heart fills with feeling, "the creature's coils loosened, the pain was gone" (36.90).
• Harry finds himself lying on the floor.
• The Atrium is full of people, including Cornelius Fudge.
• Fudge finally admits that he has seen Voldemort.
• Fudge glimpses Dumbledore and orders the Aurors to seize him.
• Dumbledore thunders, "But a few minutes ago you saw proof, with your own eyes, that I have been telling you the truth for a year. Lord Voldemort has returned, you have been chasing the wrong man for twelve months, and it is time you listened to sense!" (36.100).
• Fudge sends two Aurors down to the Department of Mysteries to find the Death Eaters Dumbledore says are there.
• Dumbledore promises he will explain everything, but first he has to get Harry back to Hogwarts.
• Dumbledore lays down his demands to Fudge: "You will give the order to remove Dolores Umbridge from Hogwarts [...] You will tell your Aurors to stop searching for my Care of Magical Creatures teacher so that he can return to work. I will give you [...] half an hour of my time tonight, in which I think we shall be more than able to cover the important points of what has happened here" (36.110).
• Fudge stares at Dumbledore, but can't think of anything to say.
• Dumbledore transports Harry back to Hogwarts and stays to talk to Fudge.