Chapter 591: Returning to School
Chapter 591: Returning to School
Once again, as they opened the door, they were greeted by a silver glow. However, Liam, who was well-prepared, easily dodged it. Then he cast an enhanced Stunning Spell to knock Mrs. Malfoy unconscious.
"Okay, let's go." Liam used a Levitation Charm to lift the unconscious Mrs. Malfoy and waved for Hermione to follow as they both hurried towards the entrance of the room.
"Did you get my mother out?" Malfoy, standing in the entrance hall, was anxiously peering into the pitch-black corridor. When he saw Liam emerge from the darkness, he asked with urgency.
"Yes, we got your mother out, but now isn't the time to explain. We had to stun her to bring her out, but don't worry, it won't harm her." Liam explained, satisfied with Malfoy's current attitude. At least someone who cared about their family was more worth saving than someone who abandoned their kin.
"That's good, that's good—" Malfoy sighed with relief, finally finding a reason to relax after being on edge for so long. "So, where are we going now?"
"Of course, back to Hogwarts Castle. It's the only place that can offer you the maximum protection right now." Liam didn't hesitate to state their next destination. "Alright, grab my arm. We're heading back to Hogwarts. Hermione will take your mother with us."
With a soft pop, the four of them disappeared from the dark entrance hall, leaving Malfoy Manor once again in complete darkness and silence.
"Liam, Hermione, and Mr. Malfoy, where have you been? And what happened here?" As Liam and the others Apparated back to the Eighth Floor of Hogwarts Castle, a somewhat sharp voice came from behind them. Liam turned to see Professor Flitwick looking shocked at the sudden appearance of the four in the corridor.
"We just rescued Mrs. Malfoy." Liam explained to Professor Flitwick. "Everything that happened here started when Mr. Malfoy decided to turn against the Dark side—"
Although Professor Flitwick was a professor at the school and the Head of Ravenclaw, he wasn't a member of the Phoenix Order. So Liam gave him the story he had fabricated. After listening to the brief explanation, Professor Flitwick nodded solemnly. "Damn this war, to have you children fighting in the front lines."
"Don't worry, this won't cause you any trouble." Seeing Liam frown as he thought about how to explain the night's events to Professor Flitwick, Flitwick mistook it for concern over the deaths of the enemies and reassured him. "I can confirm that the people you dealt with were dangerous Dark Wizards. No one will punish you for this. Now, let's go downstairs. The enemies in the Forbidden Forest have retreated. I think today's attack on Hogwarts is over."
With that, Flitwick led the way downstairs, muttering to himself as he went. "Severus, why did you—"
"I heard your mother and Snape made an Unbreakable Vow. Can you tell me what the vow was about?" As they descended the stairs, Liam asked Malfoy, who was walking beside him.
"Was it the scarhead—was it Harry who told you that?" After considering his situation, Malfoy answered Liam's question straightforwardly. "The vow was simple. He was to protect my life and provide any help he could without hindering my actions."
"That seems different from the original story." Liam thought. In the original story, the Unbreakable Vow required Snape to ensure that Voldemort's task for Draco was completed, but that wasn't the case here. It seemed that the plan had been altered because Professor Dumbledore's condition wasn't as dire as it was in the original story, where he had only a year left to live. Liam wondered how Snape had managed to gain Voldemort's trust this time.
After entering the hall, Liam noticed that the castle's main gates were still tightly shut. It seemed that although the enemies had retreated, Professor Mcgonagall and the others were still maintaining the school's vigilance to prevent a surprise attack.
"Now it's quite late, so you should all get some rest", Professor Mcgonagall said, standing in the hall in a vivid green robe. She immediately gave instructions as soon as she saw Liam and the others come downstairs. "Leave the rest to the professors. You all did a great job, and I am very proud of you."
"By the way, Buck", she added, turning to the elf beside her. With a loud pop, a house-elf named Buck appeared from the air, dressed in a neatly pressed tea towel with the Hogwarts crest embroidered on the chest.
"It's a pleasure to serve you, Professor Mcgonagall", Buck said in a sharp, high-pitched voice. "What would you like me to do?"
"Please take Mr. Malfoy and his mother to a resting room", Professor Mcgonagall instructed. She had a good idea of how Liam and the others had persuaded Mrs. Malfoy, so she decided to have Malfoy stay with his mother to keep her calm when she woke up.
"Of course, sir, please follow me", Buck said. With a snap of his fingers, he summoned two more house-elves who used magic to gently lift Mrs. Malfoy and carried her ahead. Buck then led Malfoy to a guest room on the second floor. Liam and the others returned to the Gryffindor Common Room.
After waking the Fat Lady to let them in, Liam saw that almost all of the Gryffindor students were still standing in the Common Room, not yet retired to their dorms.
"What's the situation outside? An hour ago, the other prefects came back and said the attackers were driven off. Is that true?" Harry asked rapidly.
"Yes, that's exactly what happened. It's safe now, so everyone can go to bed", Liam reassured them, seeing the pleading looks on their faces. "The enemies didn't manage to cause any damage. We won this time."
"Great, I knew it would be fine." "Hogwarts is indeed the safest place." "Thank Merlin for his protection." Amid the chatter, the students' expressions relaxed, and they began to head up to their respective dorms. It was already past midnight, and they were all very tired, so they quickly dispersed to their rooms after hearing that everything was safe.
Only Harry and Ron stayed behind, waiting for everyone to leave before asking Liam and Hermione about what had happened that night.
"The attack at the entrance was just a diversion to weaken Hogwarts' defenses. The real threat was an attempt to use one of the Vanishing Cabinets in the Room of Requirement to bypass Hogwarts' magical protections and bring a Dark Wizard inside to attack the school", Liam explained briefly. "The details are best left to the professors to tell you. I can only say that Hermione and I managed to kill all the intruders tonight. Now, we need to rest."
"Is that so? I'm sorry, I didn't know." Harry felt the harsh reality of war, and he stepped aside to let Liam pass up to the dormitory. As Liam walked by, he heard Harry murmur a quiet "thank you."
Harry had always believed that fighting Voldemort and his followers was his duty, but tonight he had hidden in the safety of the Common Room while his friends fought a bloody battle. This made him feel a bit ashamed, so he sincerely thanked Liam and Hermione for taking his place in the fight.
"This war isn't just yours; it's all of ours", Liam paused, looking Harry in the eyes. "So you don't need to thank me."
With that, Liam turned and headed to the dormitory. For him, this long day was finally over, and he could finally get some rest.
(End of Chapter)
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