Harry Potter and the Secret Treasures - H.P.S.T Chapter 1522: The Phoenix Lament

Noticing that Evan and Harry had stopped, Hagrid urged them impatiently again. He was starting to get agitated.

Although he stubbornly believed that Dumbledore would be fine, Evan and Harry’s words, as well as the Twin Serpent Staff in Evan’s hand, stimulated Hagrid’s increasingly sensitive nerves all the time.

Dumbledore was dead. That thought had taken root in his mind and refused to go away. It was as if the sky had fallen.

The light in the darkness had vanished. The world was about to be shrouded in endless sorrow and despair.

Evan, Harry, and Hagrid walked forward silently. The oak front doors stood open ahead of them, light flooding out onto the drive and the lawn.

Slowly, uncertainly, dressing-gowned people were creeping down the steps, looking around nervously for some sign of the Death Eaters who had fled into the night.

Besides, there was the terrible news that spread quickly among the crowd.

No one said a word, but somehow everyone seemed to know.

Just moments ago, it wasn’t only Evan and Hermione who had seen Dumbledore fall from the Astronomy Tower.

Many people had come out, still groggy from sleep, awakened by the sounds of fighting coming from the castle, not yet understanding what had happened.

Then, without warning, they witnessed that terrible scene.

Under the glowing Dark Mark, Dumbledore had fallen from the highest tower of the castle.

Many were now searching for proof of what they had seen, but no one could find Dumbledore’s body.

That scene seemed like an illusion, like a dream, the worst nightmare.

But that did little to make anyone feel safer. Gradually, as members of the Order of the Phoenix joined the search, unease and panic began to spread.

Strange music rose from somewhere in the darkness and soon echoed throughout all of Hogwarts.

The phoenix was singing in a way no wizard had ever heard before: a stricken lament of terrible beauty. And they felt, as they had felt about phoenix song before, that the music was inside them, not without: It was their own grief turned magically to song that echoed across the grounds and through the castle windows.

Everyone heard it — even the most cold-hearted Death Eaters were moved to tears.

“The Phoenix lament is magical. They will only feel sad when they lose their closest friends.”

A hoarse voice sounded beside Evan. He turned around and saw a figure darker than the night itself. It was Caresius Slytherin.

He was holding Elaine’s hand as he walked over. Caresius bore the marks of battle; his face was bleeding, and his elegant robes had been torn.

“I have never heard a phoenix lament before,” he said softly. “Only one person’s death at Hogwarts could cause such sorrow in a phoenix. There is no doubt — tonight, we have lost one of the greatest wizards.”

Under the influence of the phoenix lament, accepting Dumbledore’s death didn’t feel quite so impossible.

Even though his body was never found, there were simply too many witnesses who had seen him fall.

Harry’s testimony played a key role. His account completed the sequence of events that had occurred on the Astronomy Tower and explained Snape’s abnormal behavior.

At the same time, the captured Death Eaters eagerly spread the story of how Snape killed Dumbledore, as if afraid someone might not yet know.

After briefly meeting with Evan and Harry in the hospital wing, Professor McGonagall publicly announced the news.

It was clear that Dumbledore had made arrangements before his death and had instructed that this be done — but aside from Evan and Harry, no one else knew that Dumbledore had only left. Everyone else believed he was truly dead.

Due to the terrifying magic of the Twin Serpent Staff, not even his body was left behind.

Professor McGonagall took the Elder Wand from Evan’s hands — the most direct proof of Dumbledore’s death.   

A wizard would only lose his wand when he was defeated… or dead.

No one could have defeated Dumbledore, not even Voldemort. He had merely been cowardly ambushed… and killed.

Accepting the fact of Dumbledore’s death wasn’t as easy as one might imagine. No matter how many had witnessed it, the truth was that no body was ever found in the end.

Compared to death, people were more inclined to believe Dumbledore had simply vanished or left because of something important — just as he had done in the past.

Even if this idea was not in line with common sense, there were many people who stubbornly believed it.

Not only students and Hagrid, but also many professors and members of the Order of the Phoenix thought so, such as Sirius Black.

Evan would never forget the wild look on Sirius’s face when they told him that Dumbledore was dead.

Going back to a quarter of an hour earlier — while the phoenix’s lament still echoed — Evan, Harry, Hermione, and Elaine were brought to the hospital wing.

Many people were there. Ginny sat beside Ron’s bed. He had been caught in an explosion during the battle on the Astronomy Tower, but his injuries weren’t serious. Madam Pomfrey believed he would make a full recovery.

Besides him, Professor Flitwick had also been knocked unconscious.

The most seriously injured was Mad-Eye Moody. He was already old and had rushed to the Astronomy Tower, where he was struck by three curses at once.

But he was still alive. Only three Death Eaters died in the battle, two hit by stray Killing Curses, and the last one fell to his death while trying to escape.

And then there was Fenrir Greyback, the rogue dealt with by Evan — probably the most gruesome death of all.

Speaking of Greyback, one had to mention Bill.

When heading towards Gryffindor Tower, Greyback met Bill and attacked him.

Fortunately, at the time, Greyback was focused solely on getting revenge on Evan and didn’t bite Bill; so there was no need to worry about him becoming a werewolf.

As soon as Evan and his friends entered the ward, Sirius rushed forward and pulled them into a hug.

They hadn’t seen him for months, and he looked much thinner than before. His hair was wild and messy, a bit like how he had looked three years ago when they had first met him.

There was no joyful reunion after a long separation; the air was still thick with sorrow.

The topic quickly turned to the Phoenix Lament and Dumbledore’s death. When Evan confirmed the news of Dumbledore’s death, Sirius completely lost control!

“IMPOSSIBLE!” he shouted. “He can’t be dead! No one can kill Dumbledore!”

Lupin was also out of control like him, but he didn’t shout. He collapsed into a chair, his hands over his face.

Evan had never seen Lupin like this before; he felt as though he was intruding upon something private, indecent. He turned away. He simply couldn’t bring himself to speak the full truth to them.

Evan noticed that Harry had lowered his head as well, silently holding Ginny’s hand.

After Sirius vented for a while, the conversation continued, but it didn’t last too long.

When Sirius knew that it was Snape who had killed Dumbledore, he rushed out frantically and desperately, and Tonks hurried after him.

Although the others did not react as violently as Sirius, they all seemed to find it difficult to believe the harsh reality.

Dumbledore’s death was terrible enough, and Snape’s killing him directly shattered whatever remained of their emotional defenses. …

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