Dumbledore drags Harry to Voldemort’s seaside cave, convinced a Horcrux waits inside, but Harry recognizes the setup immediately: Regulus’s sacrifice, the fake locket, and a potion that could kill the Headmaster. With Inferi stirring beneath the black water and no safe way forward, Harry makes a desperate choice and Confunds Dumbledore into believing the Horcrux is already secured, just to get them out alive. They return to a Dark Mark over Hogwarts, and on the Astronomy Tower Harry is trapped under his cloak as Draco hesitates, Death Eaters close in, and Severus Snape arrives to finish the plan. When Dumbledore falls, Hogwarts erupts into chaos, Greyback strikes, and Harry races to protect the people he cannot afford to lose.
