Piertotum Locomotor.
Within the field of Transfiguration, this was an advanced Charm that was highly technical and difficult to master.
Its effect was also very direct.
It gave life to inanimate objects.
In fact, Draco was not unfamiliar with this Transfiguration Charm at all.
After all, Draco Constellation's wizarding forces had put a great deal of effort into this area as well.
Especially for them, whose numbers were far from sufficient, a spell that could be useful for both offense and support was naturally something Draco would never overlook. In fact, it was one of the spells he valued highly.
But if the Piertotum Locomotor mastered by Draco Constellation was compared with the Piertotum Locomotor Snape was casting now, then it was like comparing a child's trick to true mastery. There was no comparison at all.
Because...
"This number... I see. So this is Hogwarts' trump card?"
The stone soldiers appearing before Draco's eyes were not merely one or two.
Looking out the window toward the outskirts of Hogwarts, he saw rows and columns of stone soldiers marching toward the only great bridge, filling Draco's entire field of vision like an army.
Draco did not believe such a vast number could be maintained by the magic of a single wizard alone.
Because of that, he came to suspect that this was Hogwarts' trump card.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Such an obvious commotion was impossible for anyone present to miss.
Especially the Death Eaters, who had gone from surrounding the members of the Order of the Phoenix to becoming the ones surrounded themselves. These Death Eaters, who had never been especially disciplined to begin with, immediately fell into confusion as they struggled to decide whether to continue attacking or turn back to break the encirclement.
"What are those?!"
"Stop those statues!"
"Damn it! We were so close!"
And as an experienced old Auror, Alastor Moody naturally would not let this opportunity slip by.
His faintly glowing blue magical eye seemed to lock onto the enemy's weakness as he shouted his orders. "Everyone, put pressure on those damned Dark Wizards and break through like this! And... Lupin, I know you're worried about Harry, but now is not the time for you to look after him!"
Alastor Moody, who looked even more like a Dark Wizard than the Dark Wizards themselves, raised his wand as he spoke and fired a Killing Curse at the enemy.
His fierce expression and the green light of the Killing Curse gave Alastor Moody a ruthless, sinister air.
If Alastor Moody were not the commander of these Order of the Phoenix wizards, one might almost think he was on the Death Eaters' side.
But that was exactly what was needed most on a battlefield.
After Alastor Moody said those words, the morale of the Order of the Phoenix side visibly surged.
"Follow Moody and break out!"
"It's our reinforcements! Quick, take this chance to break through!"
"Kill!"
"Let these Dark Wizards know we're not so easy to bully!"
Perhaps it was the threat of the Fiendfyre behind them, or perhaps it was the morale brought on by Alastor Moody's outburst. In any case, as the stone soldiers charged in, the battle that had just been locked in a stalemate began to shift again.
...
Flying rubble.
Wizards and stone soldiers tangled together.
Although the stone soldiers' movements were indeed somewhat clumsy, they would not stop unless they were completely destroyed. Combined with their sheer numbers and the cooperation of the Order of the Phoenix under Alastor Moody's lead, Draco soon saw that the Death Eaters were gradually becoming unable to withstand the assault from both sides.
Not to mention that the Death Eaters' strength varied greatly, and their mutual distrust was the real reason they collapsed so quickly.
Just as Draco was silently watching all of this, Snape, who had cast the Charm, turned his head toward Draco's hiding place. "You have something more important to do, don't you, Draco?"
"..."
So he had been discovered after all?
If Draco had still been somewhat uncertain at first, then after Snape called out his name, he could be sure that Snape had truly noticed him.
With no intention of playing dumb, Draco directly removed the Disillusionment Charm and met Snape's pitch-black eyes. "As I thought... you're not one of them."
"Hmph. I am merely carrying out my duties as Headmaster."
Duties?
Was it that he did not want to see Hogwarts destroyed, or that he did not want anything to happen to Harry Potter?
Only Snape himself would know.
Although Draco did not say those words aloud, his strange expression had already said everything. Snape noticed it, and the veins at his temple throbbed.
However, Snape said nothing. He simply swept his black robes aside and ignored Draco's look.
Draco did not mind his godfather's reaction.
After all, he already knew very well what kind of person Snape was. More importantly, just as Snape had said, he did indeed have something more important to do.