Chapter 1379: Snape Escapes
Chapter 1379: Snape Escapes
They've appeared! The Death Eaters patrolling Hogwarts Castle in the dead of night felt the searing heat emanating from the magical coins in their hands, signaling that Dumbledore's Army had indeed emerged from the Room of Requirement and was planning to make their way to the castle dungeons under cover of darkness to rescue their captured allies.
However, even though all the Death Eaters had been alerted and were now on high alert, they did not receive a second signal, indicating that they had neither apprehended their targets nor intercepted them on the way to the dungeons.
This method of communication was a variation of the one previously employed by Dumbledore's Army, improved upon by Snape based on information provided by Draco Malfoy.
As for the use of communication bookmarks by the Defense Association, the Death Eaters had considered it, but such items clearly couldn't be crafted in a short time. Most Death Eaters excelled in the use of dark magic rather than transfiguration spells, and even if they threatened Professor McGonagall to make the bookmarks for them, they might not dare to use them.
"It looks like the Death Eaters have spotted us."
Arthur Weasley, patrolling alongside his sons, noticed the red light glowing on his watch and halted in his tracks, turning to his sons.
"The Death Eaters must have their own means of communication," Fred and George Weasley said simultaneously, not at all surprised. "From the start, we suspected this was a trap. And where there's a trap, there's bound to be a quick way for them to coordinate and surround us."
Both Arthur and Bill Weasley were astonished by the calmness displayed by the members of the Defense Association. It was as if they had expected to be discovered all along. They wondered what these people did in their regular lives to appear more experienced than themselves.
Sensing their bewilderment, George whispered with a slight smile, "The worst-case scenario is an all-out battle with the Death Eaters, but our dueling skills are nothing to scoff at. We chose stealth for a smoother operation."
"Also," Fred added, stopping abruptly and motioning for the group to be quiet, "don't forget that we have the upper hand here. The Death Eaters are unaware that their every move is under our watch. We've had the advantage from the start." He then turned and made a series of hand signals that Arthur and Bill couldn't decipher.
However, the people around them quietly gathered together, forming a tight formation. They then reached into their pockets and put on glasses.
"Three, two, one," Fred signaled, and at the end of the countdown, he hurled a specially crafted flash bomb, created by Albert, around the corner of the corridor. Using the bright flash as cover, the twins, along with their squad, who already had their sunglasses on, swiftly appeared at the corner and cast spells at three Death Eaters who were momentarily blinded by the flash, taking them out in the blink of an eye.
"You two..."
Both Arthur and Bill were stunned by Fred's actions.
"Flash bombs are extremely effective at night," Fred explained, "catching the enemy off guard and blinding them. I brought a few just in case, and it looks like they came in handy sooner than expected."
"The coast is clear."
"Let's tidy up."
"What a poor sod."
After efficiently allocating resources from the defeated Death Eaters, they tied them up with ropes and tossed them into an empty classroom next door.
"Three down," Fred said, picking up the flash bomb. He seemed to be in high spirits.
"Actually," someone suggested quietly, "we should take this opportunity to turn them into mice and capture them. That way, they won't be able to continue causing harm."
Fighting the Death Eaters was everyone's responsibility, and simply defeating them and letting them go would be pointless.
"No," another person objected, "if we eliminate all the Death Eaters, the mysterious man will surely take it out on Hogwarts. It's best not to involve the students, and we're not ready to declare war on him yet."
The mention of war cast a somber mood over the group. Everyone present knew that a confrontation with the mysterious man was inevitable.
But the time wasn't right yet.
So they had to be patient and wait.
...
On the other side, after stunning a dark wizard who was about to alert the Aurors, Kingsley Shacklebolt skillfully used the Imperius Curse to control the wizard, sending him into the Aurors' resting area with a message: there were intruders in the castle, and they needed assistance.
"Damn it!"
Rubbing their sleepy eyes, the Aurors, looking exhausted, filed out of the room one by one. As they reluctantly stepped out, they seemed to sense something and lifted their heads to glance in a certain direction, but it was too late. A streak of red light shot from a nearby wand, and five Aurors were felled in an instant.
Indeed, the ambush proved to be highly effective once again.
"Even smoother than expected," Cedric commented as he bent down to pick up a fallen wand and placed it into his Extendable Wand Holster. Turning to Kingsley, he suggested, "We should split up. One team can go to reinforce Sirius and Lupin, while the other joins Fred and George."
"I'll go help Sirius and Lupin," Kingsley immediately volunteered, his thoughts fixated on getting his hands on Snape.
Before leaving, Kingsley glanced at the stunned Aurors they had effortlessly subdued and let out a soft sigh. "Take care of things here, Cedric. I'll leave Arthur to you."
At that moment, Sirius and Lupin, who were planning to ambush Snape, encountered a bit of a hiccup.
Their original plan was to stun Snape and throw him out the window to his death. However, when the magical coins began to heat up, signaling the end of Snape's conversation with Dumbledore and forcing him to take action, their plans were interrupted.
Snape's years of caution saved his life. As he sensed something amiss, he instinctively raised his wand to block Sirius' attack and retreated back into Dumbledore's office before Lupin's spell could reach him.
"Sirius and Lupin are outside," Snape said as he cast a spell to temporarily seal the office door.
"If I were you, I'd leave the office immediately. It's no longer safe here, and that wooden door won't hold them back for long," Dumbledore guessed Fred and George's next move.
"I can't do that. There's no one at the Ministry at this hour, and if I go there for reinforcements, I might get trapped in the fireplace," Snape replied, his face grim. He never imagined he would be cornered in his own office.
"Don't hesitate. Trust me, Sirius and Lupin want you dead more than anyone else. If you don't leave now, by the time more of them arrive, you won't be able to escape," Dumbledore warned. "This may be your only chance."
Indeed, it was a golden opportunity, and Sirius and Lupin would not have minded if Snape had met with an 'accident.' "What a mess," Snape muttered, gripping his wand tightly. He slowly lowered his hand and made his way to the fireplace, grabbing a handful of Floo powder and tossing it into the burning flames. In a flash of emerald fire, he disappeared.
Not long after Snape's escape, a flash bomb was thrown into the office through the shattered remains of the wooden door.
A few seconds later, Sirius and Lupin burst into the office, only to find it empty.
"Damn it! Where did that traitor go?" Sirius scanned the room with his wand, his frustration growing as he confirmed Snape's absence. He had been so sure that he would get his revenge on Snape for Dumbledore.
Well, while it was wishful thinking on their part, it had indeed been the perfect opportunity.
In fact, if Snape hadn't taken the initiative to leave the office, the members of the Order would have gathered to surround him after the rescue operation.
Unfortunately, Snape had slipped away, and Sirius couldn't help but regret not preparing more Felix Felicis. With that luck potion, he might have succeeded in his revenge.
"He's fled, using Floo powder to seek reinforcements from the Ministry," Phineas remarked as he eyed his great-grandson, surprised at his boldness in infiltrating Hogwarts.
"Damn it! I can't believe he got away," Sirius growled through gritted teeth.
"We need backup to prevent Death Eaters from reinforcing Hogwarts through the fireplaces," Lupin said, addressing Phineas' portrait. "Do you know how many fireplaces in the school are connected to the outside world?"
Phineas deliberately ignored Lupin's question, as he had no intention of speaking to a werewolf.
"Tell us what you know, or I'll burn your portrait to ashes!" Sirius threatened, his wand pointed menacingly at the painting.
"Threatening me won't do you any good. I don't know, so I can't tell you," Phineas retorted, clearly displeased with the threat.
"Damn it, Remus! Send them a message! The Death Eaters seem to know about our plan. Tell them to hurry up and get our people out of the dungeons!"
"No need, they already know," Lupin said, pointing to his watch. "Should we go join the others?"
"No, they have enough people. We'll stay here. I doubt they'd dare use the Floo Network with us waiting," Sirius replied, his wand at the ready.
Sirius cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself once more, and they positioned themselves around the fireplace, wands drawn, prepared to strike at any Death Eater foolish enough to emerge.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
