Bab 697: Chapter 697: Before the War (Edited)
Boom!
A lightning bolt struck Hogwarts' protective barrier, which had already been weakened by previous bombardments. Finally, amid everyone's anticipation, the barrier shattered into small fragments and dissipated into the air.
While its existence had been significant, it could only buy valuable time for Hogwarts' professors and students.
When Hogwarts was invaded, Professor McGonagall was awakened by the commotion. She quickly got out of bed in the dormitory and dressed in haste, then went to the window.
Her face displayed serious concern as she watched the flames at the castle's entrance.
Before leaving, Professor Dumbledore had activated Hogwarts' defenses and implemented other defensive measures around the castle. However, these measures could only delay the invaders and couldn't hold for long. Now was the time to make a decision.
Professor McGonagall headed for the dormitory door and raised her wand. Instantly, three silver cats with glasses-shaped markings around their eyes emerged from the tip of her wand. These were her Patronuses. The three Patronuses agilely raced away, leaving behind a trail of silver light in the corridor.
McGonagall needed to contact the other three Heads of Houses to discuss a plan.
After the three Patronuses had disappeared in the distance, McGonagall remembered that the other two wizarding schools might also be involved. So, she sent a Patronus to Beauxbatons and another to Durmstrang.
Having completed these tasks, McGonagall patiently waited in place, expecting the arrival of the other Heads of Houses and Heads of Schools, while mentally calculating what cards she still had left to play.
After weighing the pros and cons, McGonagall had an idea in mind as the other Heads arrived.
Soft footsteps echoed in the corridor, and McGonagall walked toward the sound and saw Snape.
"Someone has invaded Hogwarts; we need to do something," McGonagall said.
"Of course," Snape replied calmly and then fell silent, waiting for the other two Heads.
Soon, Professor Flitwick and Professor Sprout also arrived at Professor McGonagall's office.
"Minerva... Severus... what's going on?" Professor Flitwick was breathless from his haste.
"Hogwarts has been invaded."
Both of them were taken aback by the news.
"Where is Professor Dumbledore?" Flitwick exclaimed, "If Albus—"
"He's at the Ministry of Magic," Snape replied, providing the answer, "He's executing his own plan."
Flitwick's forehead immediately creased in worry. His colleague beside him, Professor Sprout, said seriously, "Then we must wait until Albus returns..."
"Yes, Pomona," McGonagall looked at her friend, "I believe we should lock down the common areas of the four houses. If there are students willing to join the fight, only allow upper-year students to participate."
"Of course," McGonagall's proposal was supported by all the Heads.
"Hagrid, I need you to mobilize the tribes of magical creatures in the Forbidden Forest," after organizing everything for the students, McGonagall turned her gaze to Hagrid, who had hurriedly arrived.
Hagrid stood still for a moment and then turned around to head back to the Forbidden Forest.
He didn't like using his friends who lived in the forest for his own purposes, but when it came to defending Hogwarts, he was willing to do it.
As for the Heads Madame Maxime and Karkaroff, Professor McGonagall also had a plan for them: in case the protective barrier was breached, the students from both schools could withdraw immediately. The invaders were targeting Hogwarts' castle and wouldn't initially come after them, giving them the best chance to retreat.
"Alright, but I will stay here and fight alongside you," Madame Maxime said without hesitation, making the decision after a brief moment of thought. She wanted to stay at Hogwarts with some of the older students to help defend the school.
The reason? The more, the better; that was her only consideration.
Madame Maxime's statement left Karkaroff green with envy. Olympe, you have good manners! But what about me?
Karkaroff felt that Madame Maxime's head must have been struck by one of those Abraxans. Wouldn't it be better to return home as soon as possible? He, Karkaroff, was a man who couldn't even protect Durmstrang. How could he stay and fight to the death for the people of Hogwarts? Do you know anything about being courteous?
Wait, courteous?
Karkaroff understood.
This was Albus Dumbledore's school; why should he worry if Dumbledore was there?
"And Professor Dumbledore?" However, as a precaution, he inquired about Dumbledore's whereabouts.
"He's not here."
"Isn't he here? This is his school!" Karkaroff grew anxious. The greatest power of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore, was absent?! This situation was untenable! This place wasn't conducive to staying for long.
Professor McGonagall glanced at Karkaroff's arm, which was well-covered by his robe. Her look seemed to heat up Karkaroff, making him uncomfortable.
"He's fighting against that person," Professor McGonagall said coldly.
Karkaroff startled. He suddenly realized he couldn't worry about matters of pride now. The enemy was Voldemort and the Death Eaters. What more needed to be said? He had to run.
Karkaroff had only one thought: escape by boat.
So, he didn't even bother with courteous words to Professor McGonagall and sprinted in the direction of Durmstrang's ship.
Madame Maxime cast a disdainful look at Karkaroff's back and then turned to Professor McGonagall to inform her that she would return shortly.
"Thank you very much," Professor McGonagall said sincerely. Her feet didn't stop moving as she headed straight for the Gryffindor Tower. As the Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts, she had too many things to do.
Meanwhile, in the common rooms of Hogwarts' four houses, it was chaos.
The Japanese wizards and the Death Eaters outside were causing a lot of noise, awakening many young wizards from their slumber. It didn't take long for everyone to learn of this startling news.
There was a brief moment of panic, but the Heads of Houses quickly calmed everyone down.
"Hogwarts Castle was built for war," Professor Sprout said as she looked at the gathered Hufflepuff students, soothing them patiently, "The castle's structure is extremely complex, and the entrances to the common rooms are protected by very powerful magic. The invaders cannot get in."
When the four founders built the castle, they considered the possibility of an invasion of Hogwarts, so they designed its structure incredibly complicated. It was so complicated that even new students could take a week to learn how to get to the common rooms. Staircases moved everywhere, and every portrait could hide a secret door. Even students who had been here for seven years wouldn't dare claim they knew most of the secret passages.
All of this was a protective measure prepared for war.
As for the entrances to the common rooms, they are perfectly concealed. For a thousand years, only Hufflepuff students know that the entrance to the Hufflepuff Common Room is hidden among a bunch of beer barrels. The entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room, at first glance, is just a simple mural. The entrances to the Ravenclaw and Slytherin Common Rooms are a bit more noticeable but still don't go so far as to have signs or indicators. All these entrances are hidden in some corner of the castle.
For some reason, the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room, even if it's opened, requires students to crouch down and crawl to get inside. During this process, if one were to receive a Petrificus Totalus... So, in reality, the common rooms of each house are easily defensible but difficult to attack. If young wizards remain calm, they can weather the catastrophe in the common rooms without problems.
After Professor Sprout spoke, there was a brief silence in the common room. After a while, Cedric stepped forward and broke the silence. He asked, "Professor, we can't just stand by and let the invaders roam Hogwarts with impunity, can we?"
These words stirred an emotional reaction in the crowd. Hufflepuff students, as if they had found a leader, began to express their emotions vigorously.
The students were quite dissatisfied with the intrusion of intruders.
Professor Sprout had to make a great effort to calm the students.
"Seventh-year students can accompany me outside; those who aren't in their seventh year should stay in their dormitories and rest. Everything will return to normal tomorrow morning."
Some younger Hufflepuff students showed reluctant expressions.
The scenes in the other three houses were not much different from what had happened in the Hufflepuff common room. It was basically about how many people were willing to defend Hogwarts.
The Slytherin students obediently returned to their dormitories to rest. On the other hand, some older Ravenclaw students volunteered to join the professors in defending Hogwarts. As for Gryffindor...
"Everyone must return!" Professor McGonagall looked at the crowd in front of her, and her pupils narrowed.
More than half of the Gryffindor students wanted to join and confront the invaders. If you included third-year students or higher, the ratio would be even more astonishing. Professor McGonagall had to forcibly remove those students who infiltrated the group but were not old enough.
"Colin Creevey, get out of here. And you, Longbottom... Fred-"
"Professor, I'm in my sixth year!" Fred exclaimed angrily, "I didn't qualify for the Triwizard Tournament, and now I don't qualify for this either?"
"If you were more mature, I wouldn't have thought you two were still little children," Professor McGonagall told Fred as she returned him to the fighting group.
This made the twins smile with excitement. While they had missed the chance to participate in the Triwizard Tournament, they certainly wouldn't miss defending Hogwarts!
The older students formed a long line and, to the admiring and envious looks of their younger peers, exited the common room. They would gather in the Great Hall and await further instructions from the professors.
On the Durmstrang ship and the Beauxbatons carriage, chaos also erupted. Madame Maxime loudly announced her plan and quickly determined the list of people willing to stay. Including Fleur Delacour, a total of five Beauxbatons students were willing to stay and fight, which surprised Madame Maxime.
"Isn't it our duty to help each other? Besides, they took care of us for nearly a year," Fleur said casually, as if she were discussing something trivial.
"Excellent," Madame Maxime said, very pleased. She had been worried that none of her students would volunteer. Fortunately, her children didn't disappoint her.
"Very well." Madame Maxime was very pleased; she had been quite worried that none of her students would step forward. Fortunately, her students didn't let her down.
Compared to the excitement in the other houses and Beauxbatons, the atmosphere on the Durmstrang ship was very somber.
"Professor Karkaroff, why did you wake us up in the middle of the night and set the ship in motion?" Krum asked with confusion. With his eagle eyes, he stared at his headmaster, expecting an answer.
"Viktor, my dear Viktor, they're attacking Hogwarts, and it's no longer safe here. I'm going to take you back to Durmstrang so you'll be safe. It's my duty as headmaster," Karkaroff said, having prepared his explanation on the way back to the ship and now presenting it with great pomp.
"Are we just going to leave it like this? What about the professors and students at Hogwarts?" Krum furrowed his brow.
"That's Dumbledore's business. Set sail at once!" Karkaroff patiently reassured Krum, then hurried the other students to get the ship underway.
Once the ship was set in motion, it could take the students back to Durmstrang. From then on, he would have to pay close attention to what happened here...
However, escape failed last time; could it succeed this time? Suddenly, Karkaroff felt that his future was bleak. He could only pray that Dumbledore would achieve victory.
Under the director's orders, some students moved, but Krum still stood in place.
"Do you have anything else to say?" with people bustling around him, Karkaroff improved his mood and now even cared about Krum's emotional state.
"Professor, I want to stay here," Krum pondered for a moment and made a decision, "Here are my friends, here is justice."
Karkaroff: ???
"Viktor, you're crazy, you'll die here!" He lowered his voice, almost growling at Krum.
"I know."
"But you still want to stay?" Karkaroff looked at Krum as if it were the first time he met this student.
Krum responded with silence.
"Get going, hurry up!" Karkaroff waved his hand and almost hit Krum's chin, "Don't delay the ship's departure."
Krum left. Some of his good friends also disembarked from the ship.
When they arrived at the Black Lake, they saw their school's ship slowly sinking.
A small wizard shrugged, looked at Krum, and asked, "How will we return after this battle? We don't know where the school is."
"We just have to survive first," Krum didn't want to think about that problem.
Krum led his friends to the Great Hall at Hogwarts. When they entered, there were already many people there.
Professor Sprout, Professor Flitwick, and Professor McGonagall led their respective students in the hall. Madame Maxime and her students also occupied a small corner, and Snape was alone and lonely in a corner.
"Professor Snape, where are your students?" seeing Snape alone, Madame Maxime felt a bit puzzled, "If they have other plans, it would be better if they informed us in advance, so—"
Madame Maxime instinctively thought that the Slytherin students had some special task, which was why they didn't appear in the Great Hall.
However, upon hearing what Madame Maxime said, Snape's face turned extremely ugly.
He came alone not because he had some grand plan, simply because no Slytherin student was willing to come out to defend Hogwarts.
Snape: ...
Enough, say no more.
Under normal circumstances, Professor McGonagall would surely have made some sarcastic comment to her "arch-nemesis," but now was not the time for arguments. She gave a brief explanation of how tasks would be assigned and then allowed everyone to begin preparations for battle.
Professor McGonagall's strategy was simple: the professors would lead their students to occupy key positions and stop the enemy. The advantageous positions for the battle would be the Ravenclaw Tower, the Astronomy Tower, and the Gryffindor Tower, where the view was wide, and spells could be cast from an elevated position.
More precise strategies couldn't be offered mainly because no one had experience in large-scale battles.
"Mandrake, Devil's Snare..." Professor Sprout muttered as she walked away, looking for magical plants she could use in battle. She would fight alongside her students in the Gryffindor Tower.
Professor Flitwick also departed; he wanted to personally protect the Ravenclaw Tower. He hurried off because he remembered some clever spells he could set up in advance in the school courtyard to hinder the invaders.
Professor McGonagall was not idle either; she drew her wand and shouted loudly, "Piertotum locomotor!"
The entire castle seemed to come to life, and a rumbling echoed throughout Hogwarts.
The suits of armor that had previously only adorned the hallways leaped from their pedestals and headed for the Great Hall.
"Hogwarts is threatened, it's time for you to do your duty!" McGonagall shouted, "Defend Hogwarts and exterminate the invaders!"
A large number of suits of armor and statues clustered around her and filed past, appearing to be almost the size of two people, holding all sorts of weapons. And the animal statues were even more diverse, in all shapes and sizes.
One of the statues, a knight with a hippogriff, caught McGonagall's attention because she had never seen it before.
As that thing approached, Professor McGonagall finally recognized it.
"Yodel, what are you doing here?"
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