Chapter 585: Engagement
Chapter 585: Engagement
After discussing with the others, Professor Mcgonagall decided to split the most powerful professors and volunteers into several teams to guard the entrances of the various Schools. The student teams, on the other hand, were assigned to patrol the castle's floors in pairs.
This arrangement seemed to be the most reasonable given the current situation. The most powerful professors were stationed at the most dangerous points, while the less experienced students were placed on relatively safer floors. In theory, if any intruders did manage to breach the castle, they would have to get past the professors' defenses before reaching the students.
Professor Mcgonagall quickly began assigning specific roles. Liam and Hermione were assigned to the seventh floor, while Malfoy and Pansy were assigned to the eighth floor, where the Room of Requirement was located. Liam suspected this wasn't a coincidence but rather a deliberate move by Snape during their earlier discussion.
This also confirmed that Malfoy would likely make his move tonight. Fortunately, Liam was assigned to the seventh floor, which he considered the best place to monitor Malfoy's activities.
"Well, everyone, take your positions. I hope tonight will be a quiet night, just like any other, but we'll all have to stay alert", Professor Mcgonagall said as everyone headed to their assigned patrol areas.
"I hope it's a quiet night, but I don't think it will be", Liam said to Hermione through the Phoenix Mark as they climbed the grand staircase to the seventh floor.
"Is Malfoy's plan about to succeed?" Hermione, who had already noticed Malfoy's recent behavior, immediately understood what Liam meant. "I want to see how effective your traps, which you've been boasting about all semester, really are."
"Just wait and see", Liam said confidently. "I'll give those intruders a surprise they won't forget."
Since they were walking quickly, Liam and Hermione reached the seventh floor before Malfoy and Pansy. Liam gestured for Hermione to keep an eye on the staircase while he ran up to the eighth floor to place several alchemy monitors on the vase near the tapestry. Once everything was set up, he returned to the seventh floor just as Malfoy and Pansy slowly made their way up the stairs.
When they saw Liam and Hermione standing in the seventh-floor corridor, Pansy's face twisted into an expression of disgust, as if she had just stepped on gum. She started to say something snide, but Malfoy pulled her along and continued up the stairs.
Less than five minutes after Malfoy went upstairs, a small badge on Liam's chest vibrated, indicating that only one person was left in the eighth-floor corridor. Liam immediately grabbed Hermione and pointed to the stairs. She nodded in understanding, and they both ran up the stairs.
At the staircase, Pansy was nervously peering down. Seeing Liam and Hermione, her face turned pale, and she said in a shrill voice, "You two Mudbloods shouldn't be up here. You shouldn't be here tonight. I warn you—"
Before she could finish, Hermione abruptly drew her wand and cast a spell. A red beam of light shot toward Pansy, but just before it hit, a white barrier sprang up in front of her, deflecting the attack.
As Pansy began to smile, Hermione's left hand, adorned with rings, clenched into a fist. The white barrier shattered like glass, and another Stunning Spell hit Pansy in the chest. She immediately collapsed, her knees buckling, and she rolled down the stairs to the seventh-floor landing.
"Do the Weasley Twins sell their products without checking who buys them?" Hermione stepped forward and rolled up Pansy's left sleeve. Liam saw a copper bracelet on her wrist, one of the many sold by the Weasleys.
"There's not much investigation done on these lower-tier bracelets before they're sold. We know that most of the buyers are Purebloods, and if we didn't sell to them, we'd lose a significant portion of our market", Liam explained as Hermione removed the bracelet and Pansy's wand from her.
"Alright, let's head upstairs and wait", Hermione said after collecting the loot and using magic to bind Pansy into a mummy, then tossing her into a broom cupboard.
When they reached the upper floor, they found the corridor empty, not a soul in sight. Liam asked Hermione to keep an eye on the exit of the Room of Requirement while he set up an alchemical array to create a barrier at both ends of the corridor, preventing any intruders from bypassing the traps and harming others.
After spending over 40 minutes setting up the alchemical array, Liam was about to place some magic traps at the entrance of the Room of Requirement when they heard Professor Mcgonagall's voice echoing through the corridor. "Please, all patrol personnel on each floor, remain at your posts. There is an attempt to attack from the Forbidden Forest. We are currently confronting them at the castle's main entrance, but there is no need to worry. The attackers should not be able to break through the castle's defenses."
"Is this a distraction?" Liam immediately thought. First, they attacked the Ministry of Magic to draw away Headmaster Dumbledore, and now they were attacking the castle entrance to keep the professors on the ground floor. It seemed this attack by Voldemort and his followers was a serious one. This also suggested that the group Draco Malfoy had brought would not be easy to handle.
Maybe they could catch a big fish this time, Liam thought as he tossed a few silver badges into the corridor. Then, he and Hermione hid to the side, using the alchemical array to conceal themselves.
The next ten minutes were spent in pure waiting, but Professor Mcgonagall never lifted the alert. Liam suspected this was because the Death Eaters from the Forbidden Forest were few in number and not very powerful. However, if they were pretending to be more numerous and threatening, Professor Mcgonagall and the others had no choice but to remain vigilant at the entrance. Even if they suspected it was a distraction, they wouldn't dare to risk the safety of the entire school by taking the initiative to attack, especially since their primary goal was to keep the students safe until Headmaster Dumbledore returned. If they were lured out and the enemy attacked Hogwarts Castle, the consequences would be dire.
After waiting in silence for about ten minutes, a door appeared on the wall in front of Liam and Hermione. Draco Malfoy emerged alone, looking furtive. His face was bruised, a wound he hadn't had when he went in, indicating he had been hit. In his hand, he held a ghastly withered hand, which held a candle. From Liam's perspective, the candle wasn't lit.
"What is he doing?" Hermione asked through the Phoenix Mark.
"Malfoy is surveying the area. The hand he's holding is the Hand of Glory. It's made from the hand of a hanged man, wrapped in mandrake or other herbs and soaked. The holder can use it to light their way in the dark, but others can't see the light. It's a favorite tool of thieves and bandits, fitting for Malfoy's current situation."
Malfoy then called out softly in the direction of the stairs, "Pansy, Pansy, where are you?" But Pansy was unconscious, bound, and hidden in a broom cupboard downstairs, so she couldn't respond.
After calling twice, Malfoy realized something was wrong and turned to run back to the Room of Requirement. However, Hermione was quicker. She waved her wand, releasing a fine line of black mist that wrapped around Malfoy's left hand holding the Hand of Glory. She pulled hard, and Malfoy's left hand, along with the Hand of Glory, fell to the ground.
Malfoy let out a scream but didn't stop running. He dashed straight into the Room of Requirement.
(End of Chapter)
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