章節 1082: A Grim Ⅲ

In the village of Hogsmeade, the students happily scamper around full of laughter and gay cheer now that their exams are over. Inside the large shop of Zonko's countless students pick up jokes and tricks to try out on friends before their departure for the summer holidays (or upon unsuspecting siblings back home). The Dungbombs are set high on the back shelves to deter any thieving students. On the lower front shelves, there are things like Hiccough Sweets, Frog Spawn Soap, Sugar Quills, and Nose-Biting Teacups.

The shop is bustling with eager students including the suspicious mustached shopkeeper with a cartoon villain mustache. The shopkeeper's aide a young man in his mid-twenties with auburn hair and olive-colored eyes smiles good-naturedly at students as he helps them at the register. The students happily pay for their purchases while others wait in line to pay.

Despite the hullaballoo, Glenda Chittock appears to be distracted. The pretty first-year girl tugs on her golden hair while her blue-green eyes are somber. At her side, Gilderoy Lockhart automatically checks his appearance with a palm-sized foldable make-up hand mirror, a gift from one of his older sisters during Christmas. He proudly practices a smooth wink with his blue eyes, before showcasing a flashy white smile.

Finished, Gilderoy Lockhart puts his hand mirror away and continues to chat about his plans for the summer. At his and Glenda's side stands their friend Jacob Clayton, who with a resigned expression wearily listens to Lockhart. The first-year Hufflepuff boy shakes his honey-colored hair and wrinkled his light-colored eyes and scrunched up his long nose.

Sometimes Jacob Clayton very much questioned his friendship with Lockhart, especially during his long-winded monologue. Then again, Jacob hadn't had much of a choice…. They were roommates. He couldn't have gotten rid of Lockhart even if he wanted to.

"Do you think, Lorcan is okay?" Glenda worriedly interrupted Lockhart's monologue.

Lockhart looks mildly insulted at being interrupted, but Jacob nor Glenda pays him any mind. "Madam Poppy said that Lorcan was having a flashback before dousing him with a calming drought and dreamless sleep potion," Jacob said trying to comfort Glenda.

"Yes, but-," Glenda's voice faltered upon recalling how pale and distraught her best friend Lorcan had been this morning. He had been shivering and wrapped his arms around himself mumbling, "It's the exact same feeling. They are coming! They are coming!"

Lorcan D'Eath had nearly started a panic in the Hufflepuff common room until Barty Crouch Jr. and Prefect Olympia Branstone escorted Lorcan to the infirmary accompanied by Glenda, Lockhart, and Jacob. All the while Lorcan resisted shouting, 'They needed to warn Dumbledore and the Aurors!' As they passed the students in the halls, the others whispered and pointed at the spectacle of Lorcan was making.

"We can always head back after this," Jacob helpfully said causing Lockhart to sullenly sulk at being ignored. Lockhart sulks for the rest of their time in Zonko's. The three of them squeeze out the door with the bell ringing overhead. No one notices the shopkeeper stop working and glances at the shop windows that seem to be slightly vibrating.

The shopkeeper's aide quickly excuses himself and heads towards the back of the shop. In fact, he literally sprints out the back of the shop tossing his shop apron aside. In a matter of seconds, his entire face transforms reverting to another face. Without a second to spare, he instantly apperates away to report to the Aurors. He had been temporarily lent out by his Boss Lewis to Sanderson to make use of his metamorphamagus abilities.

Sanderson had requested he transforms and appears like a boy in an old photograph. He had complied with the instructions to the letter tee, but he had also been instructed to report any signs of an attack to the Aurors. It wasn't his place to question orders, nor did he have a death wish. He had done this long enough to have an inkling that this had all been part of a trap.

Outside of Zokno's at a slow place, the trio of first-year Hufflepuff's had not taken more than half a dozen steps when the ground abruptly shook. With a frightened expression, Glenda glanced down at the ground that shook again. With utter terror, she remembered the exact same sensation that she would never forget. It was the night the ground shook when giants attacked their village of Fernburgh.

"Lorcan was right," Glenda with a sick expression said, before dropping her purchases on the cobblestoned ground. "We need to run," she anxiously cried out.

"Why do we need to run?" Lockhart asked in annoyance bending down to pick up Glenda's fallen purchases. "We are already leaving early, there is no need to-." Lockhart never finished his sentence as the ground next to him exploded sending him and Glenda flying.

A cloud of dust fills the air as Lockhart painfully lands on the cobblestoned ground scraping his hands and knees. "Ouch!" Lockhart hissed in pain clutching his left arm that throbbed violently suggesting he had cracked a bone in his arm.

Lockhart opens his mouth to cry out in pain, before turning a white and green the next second. In the location where his friend, Jacob Clayton had been standing previously is a large border with red ooze spilling underneath. A familiar hand sticks out from the large boulder still clutching Jacob's purchases from Zonko's. Feeling the urge to hurl, Lockhart painfully chokes on air unable to suddenly breathe.

Abruptly Lockhart is hauled roughly to his feet. In shock, Lockhart numbly glances up to meet the stricken dust-covered face of Glenda. Tears creep down her dusty face creating a visible trail of tears. "We have to run, Gilderoy."

"But what about Jacob? We can't leave him! We have to help him!" Lockhart protested in the direction of the hand of Jacob.

"We can't help him now," Glenda tearfully sniffed. "Jacob's gone."

Screams and shouts fill the air around him as the ground violently shakes more. Glenda tugs on Lockhart's robes dragging behind her as they and others begin to run in fear. Loud crashes can be heard around them as enormous boulders are hurtled through the air violently destroying the village of Hogsmeade.

The loud voice of Professor Horace Slughorn fills the air being on his last and final patrol duty at Hogsmeade before his official retirement. "All Prefects gather and escort the younger years out of Hogsmeade. All available 7th-year witches and wizards escort the wounded if possible. As for everyone else, take appropriate measures we are under attack! I repeat we are under attack!"

Abruptly the Ravenclaw Prefect, David Goldstein arrives with his usual straight blond hair in disarray and his light brown eyes frantic but firm. "All Hogwarts students to me," he loudly said waving Glenda and Lockhart over along with other groups of terrified younger years, before leading them at a near run.

The ground violently shakes as they run, but the students somehow manage to remain on their feet. Their purchases are quickly forgotten and discarded across the cobblestones. Similar scenes can be seen throughout Hogsmeade as the Prefects lead as many students out as they can from Hogsmeade.

It seemed like hours when in reality it had been only a matter of minutes. In the course of these few minutes, their entire lives had been abruptly altered and ended for some. However, worst of all after that day many of the students would no longer be children, but rather survivors.