Chapter 317 "Burning The Horcruxes"

Upon hearing Wentworth's words, a silence fell over the scene momentarily, until Ron responded dismissively, "Gellert Grindelwald? An ancient man over a century old? Surely, you jest about him. Even if he is strong, you are nothing more than a child in my eye."

Wentworth sneered in reply, his tone laced with sarcasm, "Albus Dumbledore is also an elderly man over a hundred years old. Shall I take you to see him? You've longed to end his life for ages, haven't you?"

"Seems like the Grindelwalds truly have talents for their tongue!" Ron's temper flared instantly.

Meanwhile, seizing the opportunity, Harry pointed his wand at Ron when he wasn't looking and demanded, "Expelliarmus!"

Had it been only Ron, Harry might have succeeded, but unfortunately, it was the young Tom Riddle controlling Ron's body.

Tom Riddle's response was swift. Evading Harry's attack, he swiftly cast a spell in retaliation, "Flipendo!"

In a flash, Harry found himself locked in combat with Ron.

Yet, before long, Harry found himself on the defensive, worn out from parrying Ron's relentless assaults. With a malevolent grin, Ron taunted, "Today, I'll use your blood to mark my return!"

Observing Harry being pushed back by Ron, Wentworth sighed, realizing, "I suppose I'll have to handle this myself after all."

Just as Wentworth poised his wand, ready to intervene, he was halted by the sight of someone standing before him – Green.

Green's eyes remained fixed on the battleground between Harry and Ron as he addressed Wentworth without turning, "The last time I battled in the Forbidden Forest, I wasn't satisfied. And now, with a younger version of Voldemort right here, I see it as an opportunity for practice."

Cedric, too, stepped forward, aligning himself beside Green, "It's serendipitous. I share Green's sentiment. You're not one to adhere to strict moral codes, Green. You'll engage Tom Riddle directly, won't you?"

Green chuckled, shaking his head, "Do you truly perceive me as such a knightly wizard?"

With a smile, Cedric replied, "Then, I'll gladly fight along on your side!"

With that, Cedric and Green advanced side by side towards the fray between Harry and Ron. Witnessing their approach, Wentworth issued a caution, "Exercise caution. He was, after all, the brightest student at Hogwarts in his time."

But Green waved off Wentworth's concern, "The brightest student at Hogwarts? Who hasn't been?"

Cedric added pointedly to Wentworth, "You stay there on your throne, Wentworth. Let us show you how the current brightest student in Hogwarts could take care of a mere relic from the past."

It became evident that at this stage, Tom Riddle wasn't quite the formidable Voldemort yet.

With Cedric and Green joining the fray, the dynamics on the battlefield swiftly shifted.

Without chanting the next attack, Tom cast an offensive spell, which created a giant shockwave and was unleashed in the form of a torrent.

The whole room was developed in blue shockwave.

"Protego!" Cedric yelled, "Senior, I'll try to hold this one. Try attacking him with another spell!"

"You don't need to remind me of anything, Cedric! Confringo!" Green replied as he casted a spell with the purpose of burning Tom alive.

Cedric and Green weren't like Harry Potter, reliant solely on disarming spells. Were it not for Ron's possessed body, they might have even employed more aggressive spells like Fiendfyre.

Having fought alongside each other numerous times, Cedric and Green had developed a strong rapport.

They positioned themselves in a triangle formation with Harry, launching coordinated attacks on Ron from multiple angles. Ron found himself overwhelmed and struggling to keep up.

As Ron fell behind, a look of desperation washed over his face. In the next instant, he aimed his wand at Harry and uttered maliciously, "Avada Kedavra!"

Cedric and Green reacted immediately, their wands unleashing spells in a desperate attempt to disrupt Ron's curse.

"Now, that's a desperate attempt, isn't it, Tom? You have both of us in front of you, yet you still turned your face away!" Green taunted.

Meanwhile, Harry, facing Ron head-on, watched in horror as the green light erupted from Ron's wand. Yet, to everyone's astonishment, the lethal spell dissipated almost as quickly as it appeared, fading into nothingness.

The abrupt turn of events left Green, Cedric, and the others stunned, but what unfolded next was even more unexpected: Ron collapsed to his knees, clutching his head in agony, and wailed, his fingers tangled in his hair.

The sudden transformation caught Cedric and the others off guard. Green, however, seemed to piece something together and glanced up at Wentworth, who was nearby.

As expected, Wentworth ignited the faint blue flame once more and, without hesitation, tossed the Ravenclaw's Diadem into the fire.

Observing Green's gaze, Wentworth calmly gestured toward Ron and instructed, "Don't stand there; act quickly! Fetch that diary."

Wentworth's prompt spurred Cedric and Green into action.

They swiftly converged on Ron, restraining him from both sides, while Harry frantically searched through Ron's belongings.

Despite Ron's fervent struggles, the searing pain emanating from the depths of his soul rendered him incapable of wielding magic, and he couldn't resist Cedric and Green's efforts.

In the end, Tom was trapped in a fragile vessel. There is nothing much he can do against the two older kids trying to overpower him in the moment.

Within moments, Harry located the diary among Ron's possessions, "Got it!"

With Cedric and Green maintaining their hold on Ron, Harry hurried over and handed the diary to Wentworth, "Wentworth, catch!" Harry said as he threw it.

Wentworth scrutinized the diary in his hand, then cast a disdainful glance at Ron, who remained kneeling on the ground, and remarked with contempt, "You'd sacrifice everything for this mere trinket? Pathetic."

Without hesitation, Wentworth tossed the diary into the flames, and as the fire consumed it, Ron's anguished cries intensified.

After a brief moment, a spectral figure clad in Slytherin robes began to emerge from Ron's body. The apparition, with malevolent eyes and clutching its hair, glared menacingly at Wentworth.

Before Wentworth could react, the figure, resembling the young Tom Riddle, dissolved into twinkling stardust, dissipating before the onlookers' eyes.

"Aghh! Curse you Grindelwald! This is not the end of our battle yet!" Tom screamed one last time.

With Tom's soul dispersed, Ron's cries subsided, and he fell silent. Exhausted and drenched in sweat, Ron gazed vacantly around him before collapsing to the ground.

"Ron!" Harry rushed to his side, lifting him gently and assessing his condition.

Meanwhile, Cedric and Green returned to Wentworth's side, with Green tentatively inquiring, "That bastard Voldemort, is he gone for good?"

Wentworth shook his head solemnly, "Destroying two Horcruxes is just the beginning. If we want to eradicate Voldemort completely, there's much more to be done."

The petrified Luna suddenly could be seen showing signs of movement, Wentworth rushed toward her, "Luna, are you alright?"

As Wentworth embraced Luna, he glanced toward Harry, who stood nearby.

When Wentworth and Luna shared a moment, Harry and Cedric carefully supported Ron and guided him out of the secret room.

Upon reaching the ground, the sound of approaching footsteps reached their ears, and moments later, Dumbledore and the other professors emerged before them.

Upon seeing them, Dumbledore swiftly organized medical attention for Luna and Ron, "Don't just stand there! Treat the injured!"

Just as Wentworth was about to retire for some rest, Lockhart intercepted him once more, "Don't you go just yet!"