"We must prepare for every possible form of resistance."
Dumbledore spoke, and a sense of safety rose in the students' hearts.
"Voldemort is now more powerful than he has ever been," Dumbledore said. "In the past, I was known as the one he feared most. Yet Voldemort has come here, which means he no longer fears me."
"This is a battle whose outcome we cannot predict, but we have the power of unity and love—"
Dumbledore was still speaking.
Suddenly, a voice rang through the Great Hall.
It was high, cold, and unmistakably clear, coming from all directions.
"I know you are preparing to resist."
The familiar voice made Harry's pupils contract.
Hermione and Ron felt their hearts tighten.
"It's useless, Dumbledore."
Voldemort's voice echoed through the air. "You may look outside the castle."
At his words, the Heads of House exchanged glances.
Professor McGonagall strode quickly to the window.
From there, a vast black mass could be seen outside—an overwhelming, terrifying number.
When the students saw it, they couldn't help but scream.
Their numbers far exceeded those of Hogwarts.
"Your efforts are useless. You are not my opponents, and I do not wish to kill you."
Voldemort's voice continued to echo.
"As long as you are willing to hand over what belongs to me, I hold great respect for the professors of Hogwarts. I do not wish to see wizard blood spilled."
"I will wait until midnight. Remember my words, Dumbledore."
The voice vanished.
The entire castle fell back into silence.
Heavy breathing followed, then the sound of sobbing.
Dumbledore sighed and said calmly, "Students will leave with Filch. We'll start with Slytherin."
However, the Slytherin students did not move. Malfoy glanced at Dumbledore, stood up, and said, "Those below fifth year, don't get in the way."
At his words, the Slytherin students began to rise one after another, but Astoria stayed behind.
Malfoy's eyes flicked toward Theodore without drawing attention, then he turned to the upper-year Slytherins. "Come with me."
The senior Slytherin students stood and followed Malfoy. A Ravenclaw student complained, "Don't act on your own."
"I have no reason to follow the orders of an idiot," Malfoy sneered.
He led his people out without looking back. Snape watched his actions without saying a word.
Filch led the other students away.
Harry had no idea where Malfoy had taken that group of Slytherin students.
Apart from Slytherin, the younger students from the other three Houses had left, though some upper-year students had chosen to stay.
Among the three Houses, almost all the upper-year Gryffindors remained, most of Ravenclaw had left, and about two-thirds of Hufflepuff stayed behind.
They were all waiting for the battle that was about to come.
What frustrated Harry was that he felt he could do nothing.
Suddenly, he saw Neville leave the Great Hall.
His instincts told him that Neville was heading for the Constellation Society.
The Weasley twins had also arrived, bringing with them various products from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, which they were distributing to the students.
Harry stood behind George and asked, "George, do you have any idea where—"
"No," George said, as if he already knew what Harry was wanted to ask. He shook his head. "Don't mention me. Even Tommy Shelby doesn't know where John is."
"Just like the reports said—he vanished into the volcano as if he'd evaporated."
Harry's mood grew heavy.
Seeing his dejection, Fred patted his shoulder and said solemnly, "We can't give up."
…
The Slytherin common room.
Half an hour remained before midnight.
Malfoy led...
Malfoy led the group forward. After entering, he frowned.
"Where's Theodore?"
Theodore Nott, who had originally been in the group, was gone.
Even Pansy hadn't noticed when her boyfriend had disappeared.
"Good riddance," Malfoy said to Daphne. "Now we can use those things."
Daphne nodded and walked toward the dormitory that belonged to John.
After she opened it, a box flew out.
"Everyone, put them on," Malfoy said as he opened the box. Inside were various protective charms and Impact Rings.
Each student could take a set.
Blaise picked up an Impact Ring and slipped it onto his finger, unable to help saying, "This is cool. Where did John even get these?"
Goyle and Crabbe were about to take one as well when Malfoy kicked them away.
"You two wear this."
He pulled out two pieces of chainmail-like armor from the box and threw them at them.
They picked them up and put them on. All they lacked now was a helmet, and they could pass for warriors.
Those two were hopeless at spells.
The time came to fifteen minutes before midnight.
...
With no one watching him, Theodore made his way to the Room of Requirement.
He walked inside and opened a cabinet.
The Vanishing Cabinet.
"Well done, child," Bellatrix said as she stepped out from within.
After it was closed again, a few seconds passed before it opened once more, and another person appeared.
Theodore's heart was in torment—he had betrayed Hogwarts.
"My father will be fine, right?" Theodore looked at Bellatrix.
Her face seemed even uglier than before. A small green snake was coiled around her neck. "Of course."
Not at all opposed to giving the boy more motivation to serve, Bellatrix fixed her gaze on the Vanishing Cabinet.
Soon, a group of newly recruited Death Eaters arrived at Hogwarts ahead of time.
As the moment drew near, they filed out of the Room of Requirement.
"Let's make a mess of it!" Bellatrix laughed maniacally.
The group poured out one after another, and Theodore was knocked to the ground in the crush.
A small green snake silently crawled up from his robe.
An explosion rang out.
The already tense Hogwarts descended into chaos.
Professor McGonagall hadn't expected them to infiltrate Hogwarts.
The defenses that had been set up earlier became useless in an instant.
Everyone immediately entered combat mode.
Under the leadership of the professors and members of the Order of the Phoenix, the students launched their counterattack.
At the same time, the dark creatures and wizards outside the castle made their move.
Professor Sprout led the students in throwing Mandrakes, their piercing screams causing many creatures to collapse unconscious.
Banshees responded with equally terrifying shrieks, but fortunately, the students were wearing earmuffs.
The statues and suits of armor launched their assault on the army.
The assembled wizards came from all over the world.
During this period, Voldemort had been recruiting forces relentlessly.
His identity as the Dark Lord, combined with the crimes he had committed in various countries, attracted a group of deranged criminals.
"Stupefy!"
A red beam struck a wizard, but a layer of Shield Charm appeared around him, deflecting the spell.
Lupin's expression changed. "It's protective charms!"
He hurriedly warned everyone, only to see the students' attacks blocked by Shield Charms. The enemy grew increasingly reckless, and soon a number of students were injured.
The Weasley twins joined the battle, throwing out all kinds of gadgets from their hands.
Sirius rode Buckbeak down from the sky, transforming into a large black dog midair and sprinting forward, pouncing on a wizard.
Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick each encountered their own opponents.
They were people with Asian features—individuals Voldemort had recruited from Asia.
Snape searched everywhere for Voldemort while quietly slipping into the shadows.
He wasn't sure whether Voldemort still trusted him as a double agent, so he didn't dare to act rashly.
Slughorn also joined the fight. Before the battle began, he had taken a sip of Felix Felicis, causing spells aimed at him to veer off at strange angles.
The battlefield was split into several areas. Mr. Weasley and Kingsley were clearing enemies near the Astronomy Tower.
In a corridor, Lupin intercepted a werewolf who was chasing students. His expression turned grave. "It's you?"
The pack of bloodthirsty werewolves from before.
They wasted no words and leapt toward Lupin.
Tonks appeared from behind and fired spells at the werewolves.
But there were simply too many people who had come to Hogwarts.
Aside from a few exceptionally talented ones, students were naturally no match for adult wizards.
And this time, those wizards were equipped with protective charms, widening the gap even further.
The first to collapse was Professor Sprout's team—their throwing attacks were targeted and neutralized by the enemy.
Professor Sprout ordered the students to retreat while she herself blocked the wizards' attacks.
But outnumbered and outmatched in equipment, she found herself in grave danger.
Fighting while retreating, they withdrew into the castle.
In the entrance hall, the Hufflepuff students saw their Head of House being surrounded and attacked.
Just as they were about to rush forward to help, multiple flashes of light appeared in the corridor leading to Slytherin.
Professor Sprout turned back and saw the Slytherin students emerging in perfect formation, fully equipped.
"Everyone, follow me," Malfoy said, temporarily taking over the command of Slytherin.
This squad, equipped with the full set of Silverhand gear, successfully forced the wizards in the entrance hall back.
The fierce battle continued. Harry used a Levicorpus to take a wizard out of the fight.
At that moment, a tremor began to approach, growing stronger and stronger.
Harry looked up.
Dozens of giants were charging toward them.
At the front, the leading giant wore a golden helmet and wielded various terrifying wooden clubs.
~~~
o(*￣▽￣*)ブSupport and Read 12 Chapters ahead: Patreon/Dragonel