After leaving the Headmaster's Office, the workaholic Lynn once again found himself standing before the door to his private office, tucked away at the far end of the second floor of the Ministry of Magic.
Without knocking, Lynn pushed the door open and walked straight inside.
As for why he had not gone directly to the Hall of Prophecy...
First, Lucius had just told him that he was still gathering his men and would need some time before arriving.
Lynn was worried that, if he grew impatient while waiting, he might smash every Prophecy Orb in the Hall of Prophecy.
Those things had nothing to do with him, but it would still be a shame to break them all.
Second, Dumbledore might already be waiting there.
It would be awkward if they ran into each other. Lynn had only just promised Dumbledore in the Headmaster's Office that he would "go back and enjoy his vacation," only to immediately run off to the Ministry of Magic.
In Lynn's opinion, that was not breaking his word.
It was merely changing the location of his vacation.
Dumbledore, however, would probably not see it that way.
The office was spotless. It was obvious at a glance that someone had cleaned it thoroughly.
The floor had been polished until it reflected a person's shadow. The desk was smooth and completely free of dust. The documents on the shelves had been reorganized; where they had once leaned crookedly, they were now stacked neatly in order.
Even the map on the wall had been wiped down, and the heads of the red pushpins marking locations gleamed brightly.
Lynn was somewhat surprised.
He had originally assumed that, after being on leave for so long, his office would be covered in dust.
Although Ministry cleaners came through every day, they probably would not care much about an unimportant place like an intern's office.
After thinking about it for a moment, Lynn decided that it was probably Tonks's doing.
The next time he saw her, he would treat her to a Butterbeer as thanks.
Lynn walked over to his office chair and sat down. After adjusting his posture, he turned the volume of his message notifications all the way up.
Lucius had said he would send a message when he arrived.
With a light tap of Lynn's wand, the teacup on his desk transformed into a soft pillow.
Lynn placed it on the desktop, leaned forward, and went to sleep.
During the exam that morning, he had not even managed to fall asleep before that damned Socket Spirit's antics ruined everything.
Lynn had already decided that, since he had not slept enough, he would make the Socket Spirit's Death Eaters sleep to their hearts' content later.
Hmm...
He truly was such a kind person.
With endless fantasies about the good things to come, Lynn gradually drifted off to sleep.
The office fell silent.
Lynn's breathing slowly became steady, and he looked every bit like someone who had fallen into a deep sleep.
Just as he was dreaming about capturing a hundred-ton giant creature, a strange sensation of being watched rose within him.
Lynn's eyes snapped open.
At the same time, he heard an unhurried set of footsteps outside. They were moving directly toward his office.
The footsteps were light and steady, every step firm and deliberate.
Lynn quietly straightened up from the desk, reached into his pocket, and pulled out an invisibility cloak.
He draped it over himself.
A second later, the office door was pushed open.
Dumbledore poked his head inside.
Lynn, hidden in the shadowy corner: "???"
Wait... what is going on? Why is Dumbledore here? Shouldn't he be in the Hall of Prophecy?
In truth, Dumbledore had come because he did not trust Lynn to obediently remain at Hogwarts.
Just as Lynn was lost in thought, Dumbledore's gaze suddenly turned toward him and stopped.
Lynn instinctively wanted to move.
Then Dumbledore spoke.
"Don't move. I know you're there."
"Damn it!"
Lynn cursed under his breath, pulled off the invisibility cloak, and revealed himself.
There was not the slightest trace of embarrassment on his face after being caught.
Only defiance.
For a split second, Dumbledore's expression stiffened.
Clearly, he had not known Lynn was there at all. He had simply been making a blind guess.
Unfortunately, Lynn had actually fallen for it.
"Are you going through a rebellious phase?"
Dumbledore's opening question left Lynn speechless.
Lynn could only shrug helplessly and say nothing.
You have already stated my reason for me. What else is there to say?
Seeing Lynn's stubborn, unyielding expression, Dumbledore sighed.
"Mr. Lynn, honesty—"
Just then, the notification on Lynn's Magic Phone rang again.
Ding-dong—!!!
Lynn swiped across the screen and opened the message Lucius had sent him.
[Platinum Gentleman]: I have arrived at the Hall of Prophecy, ha
The message cut off abruptly.
Lynn scratched his head as he looked at the unfinished line.
Ha? What "ha"?
It was probably meant to be a laugh.
Otherwise, what else could it mean?
"Wait a moment, Headmaster. Let's save the honesty lesson for later. The Death Eaters have arrived."
As soon as he finished speaking, Lynn vanished from the spot in a burst of golden-red fire.
The corner of Dumbledore's mouth twitched again.
He let out another sigh.
Red flames erupted in front of him.
Fawkes appeared from the fire.
...
The Department of Mysteries was located on the ninth level of the Ministry of Magic.
It was the Ministry's most mysterious place.
And also its most dangerous.
The corridors here were very, very long—so long that one could not see their ends at a glance.
The lighting was equally scarce—so scarce that it illuminated only a small patch of ground beneath one's feet.
Lynn and Dumbledore stood together at the entrance of a long corridor, both gazing at the large black door at its far end.
Looking at the black door, Lynn said, "This is my first time here. I wonder what's inside that No-Nose is making such a fuss over."
His voice was not loud, but in the silent corridor, every word rang out with unusual clarity.
With that, Lynn stepped forward, ready to push open the black door.
But after only two steps, a sudden sense of danger gripped his heart.
Then a Killing Curse shot directly toward his face.
Lynn's pupils constricted.
He tilted his head and dodged.
The green light passed by his left ear, so close that he could hear it cut through the air.
The moment Lynn turned back, his wand was already in his hand, its tip aimed toward the source of the curse.
"You really are here, Tom."
Dumbledore's voice came from behind Lynn.
His tone was calm, as if he were greeting an old friend.
As Dumbledore's words fell, a tall, thin figure in a black hood appeared at the end of the corridor.
The hood was so large that it covered his entire face, revealing only a blood-colored chin.
"Ah, Dumbledore, you—"
Before Lord Voldemort could finish speaking, Lynn flicked his wand.
A blue-white arc of lightning leapt from its tip.
With a piercing crackle, it tore through the air and shot straight toward Voldemort's face.
Sizzle—!!!
The lightning struck a black shield and exploded into a shower of sparks.
Lord Voldemort's pale face seemed to darken slightly.
His lips pressed into a thin line. His jaw tightened.
Every part of him radiated an aura that seemed to say, You are looking for death.
His eyes locked onto Lynn.
"Lynn! It's you! That hooded fellow!"
Lord Voldemort's voice sounded as though it had been forced through clenched teeth.
He had clearly only just recognized Lynn as the person who had fought him in the graveyard.
Lynn continued pouring out lightning with one hand while picking at his ear with the other.
"You only just realized?
"You-Know-Who? Lord Voldemort? Dark Lord?
"No. It should be Tom. Your IQ really isn't up to standard either~"
It could only be said that Lynn's mouth had a rather defense-piercing quality.
Voldemort's temper had never been good to begin with.
After hearing Lynn's words, what do you think happened?
He flew into a complete rage.
Lord Voldemort snapped his wand backward, flinging aside both the black shield and Lynn's continuous stream of lightning.
Using that brief opening, he immediately cast another spell.
He waved his wand through the air.
A mass of snake-shaped Fiendfyre appeared from thin air.
It leapt from the tip of Lord Voldemort's wand and pounced toward Dumbledore and Lynn.
At the same time, Dumbledore, who had been watching from the side, finally acted.
His wand moved.
A silver-white light shot from its tip and plunged into the body of the snake-shaped Fiendfyre.
Then...
The Fiendfyre stopped.
It hovered in midair for less than a second before beginning to writhe, struggle, and change direction.
Its head slowly turned away from Dumbledore and Lynn.
Then it turned toward Lord Voldemort.
Dumbledore and Voldemort began struggling for control of the Fiendfyre.
Both men pointed their wands at the flaming serpent.
The creature twisted in the middle of the corridor, veering left, then right, as though it did not know whom it was supposed to bite.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Lynn kicked off the ground and flew directly through the black door.
For a moment, both Dumbledore and Voldemort were stunned by Lynn's actions.
At that instant, the thoughts of the two men—whose ideals had always been completely opposed—were surprisingly identical.
Isn't he helping me?
Isn't he supposed to be attacking me?
Lynn truly could not be bothered to fight Voldemort right now.
They could fight for ages and still fail to kill each other. It would be a complete waste of time.
It was better not to fight at all.
Instead, he would go inside and look for trouble with the Death Eaters—people who could actually be killed.
Lynn's body flew through the darkness at high speed.
In the blink of an eye, he passed one corridor.
Then another.
Just as he reached a room resembling a library, filled with rows upon rows of Prophecy Orbs, he heard someone chanting an incantation in the distance, accompanied by bursts of wild laughter.
Lynn abruptly stopped in midair.
Both voices were familiar.
The person laughing was Lucius.
The person chanting the spell sounded like Ron.
Holy crap! Ron? Why is he here?!
Lynn immediately changed direction and flew toward the voices.
"Expelliarmus!"
Lynn casually flicked his wand.
The Disarming Charm was deflected at once, striking a nearby shelf where Prophecy Orbs were stored.
One of the orbs on top fell to the ground with a clatter.
Lynn accelerated again and instantly arrived near Ron.
He moved so fast that Ron saw only a blur pass before his eyes.
Then a hand pressed down on his wand.
"Ron, it's me!"
Only then did Ron realize what had happened.
His mouth opened in surprise.
"Lynn, how did you—"
Just as Ron was about to ask how Lynn had gotten here, he saw Lynn suddenly raise his wand and point it at him.
"Lyn—"
Boom!
A loud explosion rang out behind Ron, accompanied by a cry of pain.
Ron's ears buzzed.
He turned his head and saw Lucius lying on the ground, his arm covered in blood, apparently unconscious.
Lucius's wand lay nearby, its tip still glowing.
Lynn forcibly turned Ron's head back to face him.
His brows were furrowed, and he radiated a seriousness Ron had never seen before.
"Now is not the time to question me.
"Tell me. Did you come alone, or are there others?"
Ron swallowed hard.
"Th-there are others."
Lynn cursed under his breath, his brow furrowing even more deeply.
He did not need to think very hard to know that Harry and Hermione were definitely somewhere inside.
"Who else is here besides Harry and Hermione?"
Lynn's voice rang out again.
Ron's mouth opened and closed.
"Gin... Ginny. Ne... Neville. And Luna."
A massive headache immediately rose in Lynn's mind.
In his impression, Ginny and Luna had always been well-behaved girls. Their combat strength might not even be as good as Ron's.
Why had they come here?
Were they here to die?
Lynn sighed.
"Stay close to me. Don't blame me for not warning you if you get ambushed."
Then he turned around and strode deeper into the Hall of Prophecy.
---
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