the Gambler

Dumbledore just lay there, as if asleep.

Yet he could no longer open his eyes.

Harry grabbed the collar of his purple robes and buried his head in Dumbledore's chest. He felt as if some part of his body had disappeared with the old man, leaving an unsettling void.A few minutes passed, but it seemed like hours to Harry.He could feel the familiar tug, and the dilapidated floor of Grimmauld Place became beneath his feet.Gradually, a mess of voices sounded beside him, many hands tried to pull Harry away, and he waved them away stubbornly, not wanting to take his eyes off Dumbledore for a moment.

"Harry, you need to cheer up, and Albus doesn't want to see you so sad." McGonagall's nose twitched, as if it took a lot of strength to speak, "He died for ideals, so It's a great sacrifice."

"If I had been stronger, the headmaster wouldn't have died. He died because of me!" Harry stopped where he was stubbornly, he didn't want to go anywhere, he just wanted to stand quietly in front of the headmaster's body, couldn't they throw Leave him alone?Harry's mind was muddled, and in his vision blurred by tears, the colorful patches of color and light seemed to be through a filter.There were sobs and screams all around, and Fox sang sad songs as if he might cry blood at any moment.

"He died in the way he was most proud of, Harry." Professor McGonagall covered his mouth with his hands, and a crying voice came through his fingers, "He put you in an important position."

"I couldn't have killed Voldemort even with a powerful weapon - I wasn't worth Dumbledore's life, he could have done better. Yes, I wasn't worth it."

"Never underestimate yourself!" said Moody gruffly. "Albus believes you can defeat the Dark Lord. You respect him, don't you? Then cherish your life, Potter!"

"We will all help you." Sirius wrapped his arms around Harry's shoulders, speaking firmly, "Dumbledore will not die in vain."

"I can't, I can't kill Voldemort at all." Harry said in a daze, his fingers touched the uneven surface of the Elder Wand, and suddenly he felt that the thing was like a red-hot iron rod, haha Leigh withdrew his hand sharply, and his wand rolled to his feet, "I can't kill Voldemort, we're too far apart—"

Professor McGonagall put a trembling hand on Harry's shoulder: "Stop saying this again, you defeated Dumbledore, Harry, that's not something other wizards can do. You are very powerful, even the prophecy said so. Forever Don't doubt yourself." She bit her lip and looked up at Tom, "He marked you as a rival, you have powers that the Dark Lord doesn't even know."

"He said love was the strongest force," said Harry dryly. "But it was all a lie. Can you believe it? Voldemort said he was in love with me, before Dumbledore showed up?"

The entire open space suddenly became silent.

"Then he must be lying." After four or five minutes, Tonks' hollow voice sounded, and she turned her proving eyes to Remus, who shook his head.The witch continued: "This is impossible, isn't it? Voldemort has no ability to love, let alone Harry, it's ridiculous, it's not funny—"

"It's the truth," said Tom testily, smoothing his bangs. "Voldemort and I are connected, we share the same emotions, magic and soul. He loves Harry dearly."

"But he wanted to kill Harry?" Tonks asked bewilderedly.

Tom pulled a weird smile.

"I could kill Harry too. Love has nothing to do with hurt."

Don't think about Voldemort anymore, and don't think about Tom anymore.Harry closed his eyes tightly, the pain of nails digging into his flesh told him that everything was not a hallucination, that Dumbledore was really dead.He reached out and grabbed the front of his clothes, slumped on the ground, and finally burst into tears.

Someone pulled his arm vigorously, but he chose to give up after many times to no avail.Someone else was calling loudly in his ear, and Harry turned around obstinately.Dumbledore was dead, and that icy despair enveloped him, as if thrown into a black winter lake.Harry sniffed hard and buried his head between his knees, his tears running dry.He never knew that he could cry so hysterically, so recklessly, it seemed that the grievances and dissatisfaction of so many years were completely vented today.

"Get up." A calm voice sounded above his head.

Harry ignored it, and the voice repeated, even colder than the previous one.

"Get up, Harry Potter!"

This time he heard clearly, it was Tom.Harry raised his head sharply and stared fiercely at the face that was exactly the same as Voldemort's. The suppressed anger seemed to find an object of impact, and he suddenly bounced off the ground, knocking Tom down on the stone steps.Harry tugged at Tom's hair and robes frantically, cursing continuously.

"It's all your fault, it's all your fault! If it weren't for you, Dumbledore wouldn't have died!" Harry's mournful wailing echoed over the Hogwarts castle, and everyone stopped for a while , looking in surprise at the two wrestling together.

Tom grabbed Harry's hair and pulled Harry away, his bloodshot eyes burning with rage, and he spat a mouthful of blood, kicking the boy to the ground.Harry straightened up almost instantly and threw himself at Tom again. There was an exchange of fists raining in the tussle, and no one knew who was more injured until he was exhausted and separated by the professors.

"It's all your fault, your fault—" Harry repeated weakly, burying his head into Tom's chest, his fingers still wrapped around the front of Tom's tattered robes, "he wouldn't have died if it wasn't for you."

"I'm not Voldemort, what he did has nothing to do with me." Tom said hoarsely, the back of his hand was covered with scars and blood from beating Harry just now, and the disgusting feeling returned. "Dumbledore died an honorable death, at least like a true soldier. Anyway, at the end of this month he will still close his eyes forever. Isn't it better to die to protect someone you love?"

Harry said nothing.

Tom could hear the other's heavy breathing, he was very possessive, even though Harry and Dumbledore only had a platonic attachment, acknowledging the importance of Dumbledore's place in Harry's heart still made him very unhappy .Tom rammed his bloody fingers into Harry's tousled hair, and pulled the boy roughly to deepen his rusty kiss.

It feels bad but can't be interrupted, they are like driftwood for each other, sealing all pessimistic emotions in a desperate kiss.

"Cheer up, not just for me, Harry, but for all the people you cherish."

On the day of Dumbledore's funeral, Harry was like a shell that lost his soul. He didn't know how to face Dumbledore's body again.With the help of Hermione Ron, he avoided the eyes of all the students who wanted to know the truth of the matter. He was not sure if he could state the facts in a stable tone, and he might lose his voice halfway through.He couldn't cry anymore, now there was only emptiness and numbness.

The Hogwarts Express was temporarily used to take students home after the funeral.Dumbledore's death has caused an unprecedented shock in the entire wizarding world. Many parents have rushed to pick up their children. Even so, the castle is still full. The final farewell, together with the wizards who came from all over the world to mourn, was filled with darkness everywhere, and the solemn atmosphere was so heavy that it was difficult to breathe.

There was talk of Dumbledore's funeral everywhere, and all the staff wore dark robes.Professor McGonagall was sitting where Dumbledore should have been, and beside her was someone Harry would never want to meet under any circumstances, Minister for Magic Scrimgeour.His iron-gray hair seemed to be less than the last time he saw it, and his face was much darker and yellower.The wizard's yellow eyes swept across the Hall and rested on Harry.Scrimgeour wanted to talk to himself, Harry frowned, he didn't want to make any trouble today.

Since yesterday, Harry has received a lot of magic contracts. Nearly a quarter of the students have chosen to leave the Volpes Knights. He cannot blame them for being timid. Perhaps this is the best thing. , he has no intention of continuing to witness others die in battle.Even though he told himself this, Harry still felt very displeased, and the clenched fork creaked and screamed because of the force.Tom covered Harry's fist with his hand, signaling Harry to calm down.

Harry didn't even hear Professor McGonagall get up and announce, and just left the auditorium with the crowd.The sun was shining ironically outside, Harry stretched out his hand to cover his eyelids, and was pulled by Tom to walk towards the Black Lake. They deliberately slowed down and sat on the bench at the back.He saw a lot of familiar faces here. The row of chairs closest to the body was occupied by Professor McGonagall and Scrimgeour, both of whom had serious expressions.Harry noticed that quite a few Ministry of Magic officials were among the mourners, and he wondered how many of them meant it sincerely.

The moderator is a stocky wizard who repeats a cookie-cutter eulogy in a hoarse voice.Suddenly, there was a strange wave of magic power in the air. Harry and Tom raised their heads at the same time. A large number of mermaids appeared on the edge of the black lake, and a group of centaurs came out of the Forbidden Forest. They distanced themselves from the wizard and hid in the shadows. , bowing his head in condolences.

Fawkes appeared in mid-air, and flames blazed into the sky around Dumbledore's body, and everyone started screaming, but the flames didn't destroy anything, it just took the shape of a huge phoenix.Then, the rain of arrows fell far away from the crowd. The centaurs lowered their heads again, then turned and walked back into the forbidden forest. The mermaids also got into the bottom of the lake again.

"I'll kill Voldemort." Harry's voice was particularly pronounced in the silence, and everyone turned to look at him. Professor McGonagall's expression was a mixture of pride and disapproval.Scrimgeour looked happy, though he quickly put his sad mask back on.Harry stood up from his seat, walked slowly to Dumbledore's grave, and took one last look at the greatest, kindest and most respected wizard today before Hagrid closed the coffin lid.From now on, no one will stand in front of him, and no one will tell him what is right and what is wrong. Harry will grow up to be an independent person.

Tom walked slowly to his side and stopped. He drew his wand and pointed it high into the sky. The huge Walpes Knights logo slowly floated above his head. Harry noticed that the middle part became the shape of a phoenix.

"The war has begun." He solemnly announced.