Chapter 256: Patronus
Chapter 256: Patronus
"So the Room of Requirement has been here all along."
Standing in front of the wall opposite the tapestry, Professor Flitwick examined the seemingly empty surface, which looked no different from any other wall in the castle. He drew his wand and curiously tapped it against the wall.
"Now isn't the time to investigate this, Flitwick", Professor Mcgonagall said sternly.
Flitwick put his wand away, not insisting on an answer.
Hogwarts Castle was steeped in history, and it had many unique places like the Chamber of Secrets and the Room of Requirement.
After Professor Mcgonagall pulled Flitwick away from the wall, Sherlock paced back and forth three times in front of it, summoning the room concealed by the Fidelius Charm.
Before opening the door and beginning their plan, he carefully confirmed with each professor that they were ready.
"Professor Mcgonagall will cast a spell on me, Professor Flitwick will use a spell to speed me up, Professor Sprout and Snape will use the Patronus Charm to distract, and finally, Vera and I will handle the cleanup."
As he said this, he couldn't help but glance at Snape, who stood nearby with a cold demeanor.
"Are you sure your Patronus Charm is up to the task?"
Snape snorted, immediately finding fault with him.
"At least I won't have an emotional overload and turn into a ridiculous spectacle like someone else."
Sherlock was long accustomed to the old recluse's sharp tongue and didn't take it to heart.
Professor Sprout, the head of Hufflepuff, was known throughout Hogwarts as a kind and reliable witch, embodying all the virtues of a Hufflepuff. She was absolutely trustworthy.
After receiving confirmation from each headmaster, Sherlock stood in front of everyone, took a deep breath, and placed his hand on the handle of the Room of Requirement's door.
In the next moment, he opened it.
There was no breeze, but a cold, chilling aura swept out from the space beyond the door.
Seeing the darkness that lay beyond, the four headmasters' expressions grew grave.
With their keen eyes, they could clearly sense the unusual nature of the darkness, filled with powerful magic.
Sherlock didn't step in immediately. Instead, he controlled the silver raven that had been acting as a sentinel, sending it into the Room of Requirement first.
He had spent three days calming his emotions, and during that time, Fidelius, hiding here, must have been active.
Even though Sherlock had dispersed its physical form the last time he left, it wouldn't take long for it to regroup using its abilities.
The faint silver light illuminated part of the room, and after confirming that the area near the door was safe, Sherlock led the four headmasters and Silke into the room.
As soon as Snape, who was bringing up the rear, entered the Room of Requirement, the door behind them slammed shut!
The darkness was endless, as if it stretched into all space.
Even though they had prepared themselves, all four headmasters, except for Sherlock and Silke who had already dealt with Fidelius, felt their hearts race.
Meanwhile, in the distance, a strange, eerie yellow light flickered on, radiating no warmth at all.
For Sherlock and his companions, the light signaled the start of their operation!
"Expecto Patronum!"
Only one voice cast the Patronus Charm, and it was Sherlock.
This time, he remembered Madam Pomfrey's advice and did not release a massive, two-hundred-strong Patronus Charm like before.
Instead, only a dozen silver crows materialized in the darkness!
The moment Sherlock's Patronus took effect, Professor Mcgonagall's expression grew solemn as she pointed her wand at Sherlock, muttering a complex spell.
Sherlock then vanished into the darkness, disappearing without a trace.
Professor Flitwick, who had been on high alert, wasted no time. As soon as Sherlock disappeared, he gripped his wand tightly and began to wave it vigorously.
Bright silver light traced intricate patterns at the tip of his wand, but soon, those silver beams vanished into the darkness as if they had never existed.
After Flitwick finished his gestures, the Straw Golem seemed to sense something. Two soul-piercing crimson glows flickered in the direction of the eerie yellow light.
An extremely oppressive and insanely furious voice bellowed through the space.
"Shelby!" or more likely "Sherlock!"
But the only response was the simultaneous casting of two spells!
"Expecto Patronum!" 2
As the spells were cast, silver light illuminated the entire dark space. A silver doe and a silver mole materialized and leaped into the air.
When Professor Mcgonagall saw the doe, her face became incredibly complex. She glanced at Snape, who remained expressionless, seemingly indifferent to the form of his Patronus.
The Patronus summoned by Snape and Professor Sprout, though only one each, emitted a more intense silver glow than any of Sherlock's silver crows.
However, in terms of overall quality, they fell far short of the two-hundred-strong flock Sherlock had summoned earlier.
The silver doe, the humble mole, and the dozen silver crows Sherlock had summoned all charged toward the direction of the eerie yellow light!
The silver light spread over every corner of the darkness, and the four headmasters finally saw the true form of the Straw Golem.
Fidelius, holding a lantern in one hand and a scythe in the other, had a towering frame similar to Hagrid's!
As the Patronus approached, a strange, shrill scream echoed, and the tattered crown on Fidelius's head burst into a blood-red glow!
Dense cawing filled the Room of Requirement, and a swarm of black ravens erupted from the crown, colliding fearlessly with the oncoming Patronus.
The moment they made contact, the silver glow of the doe, the mole, and the silver crows dimmed significantly.
But among Sherlock's flock, only one silver crow's light remained undiminished. It ignored the black ravens and flew straight toward the crown on Fidelius's head!
(End of Chapter)
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