Lia shook her head gently, her movements possessing an elegance that was completely discordant with her current state.
She didn't answer Harry's question, as if the question itself were as light as dust and not worth responding to.
Her gaze moved past everyone else and settled back on the slumbering Hermione beside her.
On that pale face, the pained furrow of her brow had not yet relaxed, and unshed tears still clung to her long eyelashes.
The arguments and roars within the room had briefly subsided due to this eerie resurrection from the dead.
But Snape's accusations and Dumbledore's death weighed on everyone's hearts like two great mountains, making the air turn stagnant once more.
"Snivellus, do you even know..." Sirius's roar flared up again.
"Enough."
A cold, clear voice rang out, putting a stop to the noise that was about to ignite again.
Everyone turned their heads sharply.
It was Lia.
She remained seated on the sofa, merely lifting her eyelids slightly. Her indifferent sky-blue pupils swept over Sirius, then over the spite-filled Snape.
Beneath Snape's black robes, his gaunt fingers suddenly clenched tight.
From this monster who had just "revived," he felt an extremely uncomfortable and familiar pressure.
It was exactly the same as the pure darkness and tyranny that came from Lord Voldemort.
"You... you monster..." Snape spoke hoarsely, "What right do you have..."
Lia ignored him.
She reached out a slender finger and gently brushed Hermione's cheek, tucking away a strand of damp hair that was stuck to it.
Turning her head, her gaze pierced through the thick walls of the Headmaster's Office, looking toward a certain direction in the Castle.
"It is there."
"What?" Harry asked subconsciously.
"The last one," Lia's voice remained flat. "The Horcrux Lord Voldemort hid in Hogwarts. Ravenclaw's diadem."
Last time, she had used the search for Horcruxes as a pretense to do other things, which instead left the Horcrux hidden in Hogwarts with no one looking for it.
"The diadem? In the school?" Lupin's face turned even paler.
"How do you know?" Harry pressed. He remembered that Malfoy had searched for it too, but had found nothing.
The corners of Lia's mouth curled into a very faint arc, though the emotion behind it was extremely indifferent.
"Because I can'smell' it," she said softly. "Like a rotting corpse, no matter how deep it's hidden, that stench cannot be covered up. It's in the Room of Requirement, hidden among a pile of junk, waiting to be found."
Her eighth death had allowed her perception of souls to reach an unprecedented height.
She no longer needed to be close, nor did she need a medium.
As long as she wished, the entirety of Hogwarts was under the coverage of her soul perception.
Just then—
"Wooo—!!!"
A dull, long blast of a horn pierced the night sky over Hogwarts, penetrating layers of magic barriers and reaching everyone's ears clearly.
It was the horn of war!
Everyone's expression changed drastically.
Professor McGonagall rushed to the window in one stride, her face turning even grimmer.
Outside the Castle, at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, a dense mass of figures emerged like a tide.
They seemed to have a faint intention of stopping at the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
Professor McGonagall let out a sigh: "They are forcing us to leave..."
The Death Eater army was in no hurry to attack, but they had presumably received news of Dumbledore's 'death'.
They were already starting to get a bit restless.
"Wooo——————!!!"
A dull, long blast of a horn pierced the night sky over Hogwarts, penetrating layers of magic barriers and reaching everyone's ears clearly.
It was the horn of war!
Everyone's expression changed drastically.
Professor McGonagall rushed to the window. With just one look, her face became more ghastly than a corpse's.
Outside the Castle, at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, a dense mass of figures emerged like a tide.
The hulking silhouettes of Giants loomed among them; the tips of the Death Eaters' wands flickered with green sparks; and in the sky above, countless Dementors circled, bringing a bone-chilling cold and despair.
Lord Voldemort's army was at the gates!
The Death Eaters seemed to have received an order, as the army halted at the edge of the Forbidden Forest and did not launch an immediate attack.
But that posture, like dark clouds pressing down on the city, was in itself the most terrifying declaration of war.
Professor McGonagall clenched her fists, her knuckles turning white from the force.
"He is waiting," she said, her voice dry. "He is waiting for the news of Dumbledore's death to spread, waiting for us to collapse from within. He is forcing us..."
Forcing them to make a choice.
To fight, or to surrender?
The answer was self-evident.
A flicker of complex emotion crossed Snape's face. He looked out the window, his black eyes reflecting the darkness in the distance that represented the first half of his life.
Sirius had already drawn his wand, the fire in his eyes almost ready to burst forth.
The sound of the war horn echoed in the night sky of Hogwarts, sharp and mournful, like the proclamation of the Grim Reaper.
Inside the Headmaster's Office, the heavy atmosphere was almost thick enough to drip.
Outside the window, Lord Voldemort's army was like a spreading patch of black ink, radiating an aura of misfortune and death.
"We must immediately activate the school's defensive arrays! All of them!"
Professor McGonagall's voice broke the dead silence. She could be the strict Transfiguration Class Professor, but she could also be the resolute commander called upon in a crisis.
"Filius!" She turned to the diminutive Charms Class Professor. "You are responsible for organizing the Professors to reinforce the protective charms on all corridors and classrooms! Use every bit of Ancient Runes we have!"
"No problem, Minerva!" Professor Flitwick jumped onto a chair.
Although Professor Flitwick lacked height, his ability was top-tier!
"Pomona!" Professor McGonagall turned her gaze to the Herbology Professor. "You and Horace go to the underground greenhouses and activate all the combat plants! devils snare, Venomous Tentacula—let them crawl all over the Castle's outer walls!"
"Those children will love that." Professor Sprout wiped some dirt from her forehead, not a trace of fear in her eyes.
"Severus," Professor McGonagall looked at Snape, "the Dungeon... is in your hands. I know you don't like it, but that is where the defenses are weakest."
Snape didn't speak, only nodded. He naturally knew what the right thing to do was at this time.
He turned and walked toward the door without the slightest hesitation.
Sirius watched his back, an oppressed low growl coming from his throat, but in the end, he said nothing more.
Now was not the time for internal strife.
"The Castle's broadcasting magic has been connected," Professor McGonagall waved her wand, and her voice instantly rang through every corner of Hogwarts via magic.
"Attention all students! Attention all students! This is not a drill! The school is under attack. All students please gather in the Great Hall immediately! Prefects are responsible for guiding the younger students. Repeat, gather in the Great Hall immediately!"
Once the orders were given, the Professors immediately sprang into action.
Only the members of the Order of the Phoenix, Harry, Ron, and Lia—who still sat on the sofa as if isolated from the world—remained in the office.
"What do we do?" Ron asked nervously, his palms covered in sweat.
"Fight, of course," Sirius said succinctly. He walked over to Harry and patted his shoulder. "Your father would be proud of you."
Lupin looked at Lia and the unconscious Hermione in her arms, his eyes full of worry.
At that moment, the ancient Castle of Hogwarts seemed to awaken.
In the corridors, rows of stone armor that had stood for centuries stepped clumsily off their pedestals. They raised rusted swords and shields, letting out a roar of grinding stone as they converged into an unstoppable torrent heading for the Castle gates.
On the walls, Ancient Runes lit up one by one, forming a Giant golden net that enveloped the entire Castle.
In the Great Hall, under the guidance of the Professors, some students were panic-stricken while others gripped their wands tightly.
Professor McGonagall stood at the High Table, her gaze sweeping over all students aged seventeen and older.
"Those who do not wish to participate in the battle may leave now through the secret passage in the Room of Requirement that leads to the Hogs Head Inn."
Her voice was clear and firm.
"We will not force anyone to stay. Hogwarts is your school, but it is not your grave. However, if you choose to stay, it means you will live or die with this Castle!"
A moment of commotion broke out in the crowd.
Some students, amidst hesitation and fear, chose to leave. But more people stayed.
Their faces were a mix of fear and determination: Gryffindor's courage, Ravenclaw's wisdom, Hufflepuff's loyalty, and even some Slytherin students chose to stand on the side of Hogwarts at this moment.
The entire Castle had transformed into a massive war fortress.
[I'm out of backlogged chapters... waking up to an alarm every day to type is a bit of an ordeal...]
[Watch me write a million words today to stock up!]
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