Chapter 1243: Avenging a Great Grudge
Chapter 1243: Avenging a Great Grudge
At Grimmauld Place, number twelve, Sirius Black, who had just finished his night shift patrol, knew something was amiss when he received an alert from Phineas.
Even if the Astronomy Tower displayed the Dark Mark, and even if there truly were Death Eaters infiltrating Hogwarts, it wouldn't amount to much in the face of Dumbledore, who was already back at the school. The headmaster could handle most situations on his own.
However, the fact that Dumbledore still had Phineas send out a call for reinforcements from the Order of the Phoenix meant that Hogwarts might be in serious trouble and required assistance.
Sirius immediately contacted other Order members via the communication quill, asking them to assemble at number twelve, Grimmauld Place. Unfortunately, at this late hour, most members had already retired for the night. Only those personally notified by Sirius—Remus Lupin, Bill Weasley, and Fleur Delacour—made it, hurrying to join him.
The others were either at Azkaban or temporarily unavailable.
After discussing the situation, the group unanimously decided that Fleur would remain at headquarters to await the arrival of other Order members, while the rest would immediately use Floo powder to reinforce Hogwarts.
On their way to the Astronomy Tower, they encountered Professor McGonagall.
"What's going on?" Sirius asked, pausing to catch his breath and address the professor.
"I'm not sure," Professor McGonagall replied. "Harry came to inform me that the Dark Mark had appeared over the Astronomy Tower and that Death Eaters had infiltrated Hogwarts. I'm still trying to piece things together."
Upon seeing Sirius, Lupin, and Bill, Professor McGonagall breathed a sigh of relief, realizing the gravity of the situation.
The sounds emanating from the Astronomy Tower prompted the group to cease their conversation and heighten their vigilance, straining their ears to listen.
Bill, his eyes wide with shock, murmured, "Could it be that Voldemort has invaded Hogwarts?"
It was understandable that Bill would jump to such a conclusion. In their memories, the only one who could rival Dumbledore was Voldemort, and the rest of the Death Eaters seemed like children in comparison.
"Take a Felix Felicis," Sirius said, a hint of worry in his voice. "We should hurry. I have a bad feeling about this."
Sirius's concern was palpable; it was difficult to imagine Dumbledore in such a situation. No matter how they looked at it, the enemy seemed to have planned this for a long time, and it could very well be a trap specifically set for Dumbledore.
After exchanging glances, each of them took out a golden potion and swallowed it, then turned to look at Professor McGonagall.
"Have you taken a Felix Felicis?" Sirius asked abruptly.
"No, why?" Professor McGonagall shook her head. She had been allocated some of the potion, but in her haste to arrive, she hadn't brought it with her.
"Then take one now," Sirius urged, reaching into his pocket and retrieving the remaining golden potion. "Just in case." He handed it to Professor McGonagall.
She accepted it without hesitation and swallowed the potion.
"I still don't understand how the Death Eaters managed to infiltrate the castle, bypassing all the protective enchantments," Bill said, thinking that perhaps the others had information he lacked. "Could they have used a secret passage or entered from the Forbidden Forest?"
"That's impossible," Lupin interjected, certain on this point. "All secret passages leading out of Hogwarts have been blocked. Sirius and I made sure of that."
"No one could have flown in," Professor McGonagall added, shaking her head. "If they had tried to enter the school from the Forbidden Forest, it would have triggered an alarm. The Death Eaters couldn't have done so undetected."
"Actually, the passage under the Whomping Willow—the one leading to the Shrieking Shack—isn't completely blocked," Sirius revealed, halting in his tracks and pulling out a peculiar object from his pocket. He tossed it onto the ground and turned to the others. "Let's let the inflatable decoy take the lead. Even though we've taken Felix Felicis, we should still be cautious and avoid any potential ambushes by the Death Eaters."
Soon enough, Sirius's caution paid off. As the decoy turned the corner and prepared to ascend the stairs to the Astronomy Tower, it was struck by a sudden spell and destroyed.
The group immediately stopped in their tracks, allowing Lupin to step forward and use a mirror to observe the situation around the corner.
A strong, blond-haired male witch descended the stairs. After destroying the decoy, he seemed to realize that Dumbledore's reinforcements had arrived. He began casting spells wildly toward the corner, sending explosion after explosion careening off the walls and shattering windows.
Professor McGonagall, Sirius, and Bill, sensing the danger, swiftly cast protective shields, protecting the group from the onslaught of spells.
"I don't recognize him," Lupin said, putting away the mirror. They had all witnessed Voldemort's resurrection through Harry's memory and were familiar with most of the Death Eaters. But the madman who had just hurled spells at them was a stranger to Lupin, likely a new addition to the Death Eaters' ranks.
What was even more peculiar was that there seemed to be only one Death Eater. Where were the others?
Were they lying in wait, or...?
"We'll take care of him together in a moment," Sirius said, brandishing his wand and summoning a large iron plate out of thin air. He manipulated it with a spell, using it as cover as they rushed forward.
This tactic, like using the inflatable decoy to scout ahead, was something he had learned from the Weasley twins, who had in turn learned it from Albert.
When it came to such tricks, Sirius was more attentive than most members of the Order.
As it turned out, these tricks were indeed useful.
As Sirius drew the heavy iron plate toward him, attracting a barrage of spells, Professor McGonagall and the others burst from the corner, casting spells at the blond Death Eater. Guided by the Felix Felicis, the once-arrogant wizard was quickly struck down by their combined assault, his fate unknown.
"Something's not right. Where are the other Death Eaters?"
It was highly unusual that with all the noise they were making, no other Death Eaters had appeared.
"Never mind, let's charge!"
Without hesitation, Sirius conjured another inflatable decoy and sent it forward, following close behind with the iron plate that Remus had just repaired.
Suddenly, something unexpected happened.
As the inflatable decoy rushed towards the stairs, it was forcefully repelled into the air by an unseen force.
Sirius, who was shielding himself with the large iron plate, was also flung away from the staircase entrance. Fortunately, Professor McGonagall reacted quickly and cast a spell to catch him in mid-air.
"They've sealed off the staircase with magic," Bill deduced, having spent many years as a curse-breaker in Egypt. He immediately set to work trying to undo the enchantment at the staircase.
Once again, they sent the decoy forward, only to have it repelled once more.
"It's no use. It seems they're trying to buy time..." Bill muttered, "Their target must be Dumbledore."
The group exchanged grim looks, understanding the Death Eaters' intentions. Despite their faith in Dumbledore, they couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding about the current situation.
Just then, a dark figure darted past the broken windows, followed by a piercing scream that tore through the night.
"Someone just fell!"
"They must have plummeted to their death."
Remus rushed to the window to see who it was, but Sirius called out, "We don't have time for that now! We need to break through this magical barrier!" He urged the group to cast unlocking spells together, attempting to forcefully break the enchantment.
After their combined efforts, Sirius led the way up the stairs, only to be repelled once more by the persistent enchantment. He tumbled down and landed at Harry and Professor Flitwick's feet.
"Are you alright? What's going on?" Harry asked, reaching out to help Sirius up.
"The staircase is sealed with a spell. We're trying to undo it," Bill explained to Professor Flitwick. "If we can't break it soon, I suggest we try to destroy the staircase or find another way up."
"Let me give it a try. It should be fine," Professor Flitwick said, still a bit dazed. He raised his wand and cast a spell towards the staircase. After a moment, he lowered his wand and said, "It should be fine now. I've seen something similar before. It was likely designed to only allow Death Eaters with the Dark Mark to pass through."
This time, Sirius sent the inflatable decoy at the forefront, and just as Professor Flitwick had said, the blocking enchantment had indeed been lifted.
Just as the group was about to rush in, the decoy was struck by a devastating blow. The Death Eaters were determined to keep them trapped at the staircase.
"Damn it, how many Death Eaters have infiltrated Hogwarts?" Sirius' face darkened. If it weren't for the Felix Felicis, and its forewarning that allowed them to dodge the previous ambush, they would have surely perished.
"Are there any other secret passages to the upper floors?" Bill asked, turning to Sirius and Remus, who were most familiar with the school's hidden passages.
"None," Harry replied on their behalf. He was observing the situation upstairs through the Marauder's Map, "There are eight of them up there, and several more Death Eaters are fighting with Dumbledore on the Astronomy Tower. Snape and Malfoy are also up there. I knew this whole thing was orchestrated by those two scumbags."
"We'll deal with Snape later and hand him over to Dumbledore," Sirius said, taking the map from Harry and studying it carefully. Suddenly, he suggested, "I say we bring the ceiling down on them. Since we can't get up there, let's bring them down here. I'm sure those bastards won't be expecting that."
He began calculating the Death Eaters' hiding spots, preparing to deliver a devastating blow.
The group turned to Sirius with incredulous looks on their faces.
"That won't be easy, but it's worth a try. It's certainly better than charging up the stairs," Professor Flitwick agreed. "Let's all cast the Shattering Spell together and bring down the ceiling. At least it will be easier to fix afterward."
The group shared a glance, needing no further encouragement. They moved to the area Sirius had indicated and raised their wands, aiming at the ceiling.
Shatter! The ceiling came crashing down!
Five spells flew towards the ceiling simultaneously, causing it to shatter like tofu cut by a knife. Countless small stones rained down, and two unlucky Death Eaters nearby were caught in the sudden collapse, screaming as they fell from above.
Stunned and dazed! Harry didn't give the two falling Death Eaters a chance to recover. He immediately stunned them with the Stunning Spell, then used the Summoning Charm to pull their wands away and snapped them in half with his own hands.
The group watched in surprise as Harry efficiently took down the Death Eaters and destroyed their wands.
"Without their wands, the Death Eaters won't be able to pose much of a threat," Harry explained, sensing the curious gazes directed at him. "After all, not everyone can perform wandless magic."
"Well done," Sirius praised, "Of course, you could also render them harmless by, say, finishing them off."
"Sirius," Remus frowned slightly.
"An enemy is an enemy. Don't sympathize with them, Remus. Sympathize with those they've killed," Sirius retorted.
The Death Eaters, having recovered from their surprise, began casting dark magic through the gap in the ceiling, targeting the group below. Unfortunately for them, one of their spells hit the very same Death Eater that Sirius had dragged along as a shield, causing him to expire on the spot.
"Despicable cowards!" The Death Eaters flew into a rage and prepared to cast the Killing Curse on Sirius, but luck wasn't on their side. Professor McGonagall pulled them down from above, causing them to crash to the ground. Their heads seemed to knock against the marble floor, and they didn't get up again.
"There are five more up there!"
Sirius tossed aside the corpse and glanced at the wand that Harry had snapped in half. He stuffed the Marauder's Map back into Harry's hand and said, "Keep an eye on their locations for me."
He silently gestured to Lupin a few more times and then shouted, "Use those two scumbags as cover and charge straight at them! They won't be able to stop us."
With that, Sirius rushed towards the stairs while controlling the unconscious Death Eater, but this time he didn't charge upwards. Instead, he sent the inflatable decoy ahead to scout, using the captive Death Eater as a meat shield.
As Sirius drew the Death Eaters' attention to the staircase, Lupin and Bill stepped onto the stone stairs conjured by Professors McGonagall and Flitwick from the rubble. They burst in through the hole in the ceiling above and cast spells at the Death Eaters who were trying to hold off Sirius, catching them off guard.
However, it seemed that two of them charged directly at Bill and Lupin, but the pair took down one, and the other was disarmed and bit Bill's arm, which he had held up in defense.
"Fenrir Greyback."
Seeing the man exuding a nauseating stench and a faint bloody aura, Lupin immediately cast a spell to blast Fenrir away and simultaneously defuse the danger to Bill.
"What a disgusting guy."
Lupin casually waved his wand, effortlessly subduing Fenrir and binding him tightly to the ground. A cruel smile appeared on his exhausted face as he said, "Looks like once a month isn't enough to satisfy your perversion."
"Are you alright, Remus?" Sirius had already rushed over. The remaining Death Eaters, sensing the turn of events, retreated upstairs.
"Of course, I'm fine. The Felix Felicis brought me luck!" Lupin's eyes were fixed on Fenrir as he said softly, "Do you know that I've been waiting for this day for too long? You ruined my life."
"Everyone has the right to take revenge. I respect whatever choice you make." Sirius raised his wand and stood beside Lupin, addressing Professors McGonagall and Flitwick, "If you can't bring yourself to do it, I can help you."
"Thank you, Sirius." Lupin's lips twitched, "But, it's not necessary."
"How's your wound?" Sirius frowned as he looked at Bill's bleeding arm. "Can't you stop the bleeding?"
"It's not looking good. I don't think ordinary spells will heal it. Will I become a werewolf?" Bill glared angrily at Fenrir, who had bitten him, and spat on the ground.
"No, it's not a full moon tonight, and Fenrir Greyback didn't transform either. But you might exhibit some werewolf characteristics from now on." Lupin warned.
"That's good. If you can't do it, then leave this guy to me!" Bill said fiercely. He was bitten by Fenrir Greyback and almost turned into a werewolf himself.
"Forgiveness won't solve the problem." Harry said calmly, "I suggest we should destroy Fenrir Greyback as soon as possible to prevent him from harming others. If you can't do it, I can help."
Everyone was startled by Harry's words.
"You're right." Lupin mumbled, "Goodbye, you disgusting man. You ruined my life, and now I've ruined yours. That's fair."
A blast of Dark Magic struck the charging Fenrir Greyback, and the ambitious werewolf fell onto his former prey.
He didn't suffer much pain before his death, as Lupin had shown him this final mercy.
"How does it feel to have your revenge?" Sirius patted Lupin's shoulder comfortingly.
"It feels great. Sorry for not leaving any for you." Lupin turned to Bill and said.
"We'd better hurry!" Harry urged.
As they rushed towards the staircase, they suddenly heard a loud explosion from outside the castle.
"What's going on?"
"Someone's attacking Hogwarts." Professor McGonagall's expression turned solemn.
"Don't worry, I can see clearly now. This is definitely Albert's scheme," Sirius walked to the window and looked in the direction of the sound. The Felix Felicis told him that this was undoubtedly Albert's plot, and perhaps Dumbledore was involved as well.
"Albert's plot?"
Everyone looked at each other, unsure how Sirius had come to this conclusion.
"Don't you think it's similar? And every time, it's basically the same trick. That group of Death Eaters just blindly falls into the trap." Sirius whispered, "They plan to finish off this group altogether. There are about a dozen Death Eaters. If they kill them all at once, Voldemort will probably be furious."
"Anyway, we'd better get there to reinforce them soon. I have a bad feeling about this." Harry continued to urge, the strong sense of unease still lingering in his heart. He felt that something bad was about to happen.
I originally intended to write a longer chapter, but being sick is unavoidable. I had to split the update, fortunately, it's just a mild illness, but the pandemic is truly frightening.
(End of Chapter)
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