Chapter 749: Entering Hogwarts
Chapter 749: Entering Hogwarts
The Hog's Head was completely different from the Three Broomsticks that Liam had visited. It was a small, dark, and very dirty room with a strong smell of sheep. The few convex windows were covered in thick layers of grime, barely letting any light through. The rough wooden tables were lit by a few candles.
At first, Liam thought the floor was made of mud, but after a few steps, he realized it was actually stone covered by centuries of dirt. Hermione clearly noticed this as well, and she entered the room tiptoeing like a ballet dancer. Soon, all the people preparing to reinforce Hogwarts entered the bar. Over twenty people crammed the room, making it feel even smaller and darker.
"Alright, the person at the back, please close the door, and the rest of you follow me", Aberforth said, turning to the people behind him. He then led everyone around the counter, through a door, and up a rickety wooden staircase to the second-floor living room.
The living room was much cleaner than the first-floor hall. The floor was covered with a worn carpet, and there was a small fireplace with a large portrait hanging above it. The portrait depicted a blonde girl looking at the room with a vacant yet gentle expression.
"Mr. Dumbledore", Hermione whispered, looking at the portrait, "is this your sister, Ariana?"
"Yes", Aberforth replied curtly. "I assume you've heard about our family from someone, but now is not the time to discuss it. You need to hurry." He cleared his throat, stood up, and walked around the small table to stand in front of Ariana's portrait. "You know what to do."
The girl smiled and turned away, walking down a long tunnel that seemed to be part of the painting. Unlike the figures in other portraits, she didn't disappear at the edge of the frame but continued along the tunnel. They watched her slender figure grow smaller and smaller until it was swallowed by the darkness.
"What a clever trap design", Liam murmured, earning a disapproving glance from Aberforth. After giving Liam a look that made him close his mouth, the portrait on the wall opened like a small door, revealing the entrance to a real tunnel.
"Good luck", Aberforth nodded firmly, then moved aside to make room by the fireplace, conjuring a stool for them to step on. Liam, as the leader of the group, was the first to climb onto the fireplace platform and through the hole behind Ariana's portrait. After Liam went in, the others followed one by one, leaving Aberforth standing quietly in the living room.
The tunnel was in better condition than they had expected. The entrance was lined with smooth stone steps, and the walls were lit by brass lamps casting a warm, yellow glow. Further down, the stone slabs gave way to a smooth, hard dirt path. It wasn't the bumpy, rocky, and root-filled path typical of other tunnels but was very even and firm.
The passage was steep, and after walking for a while, everyone was slightly out of breath. Although each person's breathing was quiet, the combined sounds of over twenty people echoed in the dim tunnel.
Finally, after turning a corner, they reached the end of the passage. Here, like at the entrance, there was a short set of stone steps leading to a door, identical to the one behind Ariana's portrait.
Gently pushing the door open, they found themselves in an empty room, about the size of a small classroom. The room contained nothing but a few torches on the walls and a door on the opposite wall.
"How have I never been here before?" "What is this place?" "I don't remember Hogwarts having this room." "That's right, such a distinctive room would be hard to miss." The guerrilla fighters murmured, curious, as they had all graduated from Hogwarts and had never seen this room before.
"This is the Room of Requirement, a secret room within Hogwarts Castle", Liam said, having quickly identified it based on the path they had taken and the magical power he sensed in the room. "Its door is located opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy on the eighth floor, but it's usually hidden."
"Ah, I see." The Guerrilla Fighters nodded, and one of them approached the door, intending to open it. Suddenly, a transparent barrier appeared in front of him, blocking his right hand from reaching the doorknob.
"Ever since someone attempted to attack Hogwarts through here at the end of last term, I've set up traps all around the Room of Requirement. If you try to go out like that, you'll trigger all of them", Liam explained, pushing his way through to the Guerrilla Fighter. He then drew his wand and tapped the doorknob.
Everyone in the room felt a strong static pulse scan over them, making their hair stand on end. At the same time, a pink light enveloped the entire room, and a multitude of complex and simple magic symbols appeared on the walls before fading away.
"Now we can go out", Liam said as the last symbol faded and the door swung open. Everyone saw the tapestry of Troll Battering Barmy Barnabas on the wall opposite the door. After the door opened, Liam turned to the people in the room. "Everyone, move quickly. The traps will reactivate in two minutes. They will also be triggered when we all go out and close the door."
Hearing Liam's words, everyone quickly formed two lines and filed out of the room. The last person closed the door behind them, and as the two doors clicked shut, various runes appeared on the surface.
"Next, we should inform the castle—" Lupin began, standing next to Liam, but he was interrupted by the sound of a cane tapping on the floor from the stairs.
"Iron Armor." "Stupefy." A red light shot from the stairs and was blocked by a barrier. After deflecting the Stunning Spell, Liam called out, "We're reinforcements from Hogsmeade who came through the secret passages, not Death Eaters."
"Prove your identity", Mad-Eye Moody's voice came from below. "Only one person should come to the stairs to talk to me, or I will attack."
"I'll go. You all wait here", Liam instructed. He extended his wings and slowly rose a foot off the ground, then flew up to the stairs. When he looked down, he saw Mad-Eye Moody below, using the handrail for cover and pointing his wand at him.
"It's you, Liam", Mad-Eye Moody said, lowering his wand. "Let the reinforcements come down. I trust that no one could have forced you to bring them in."
Once everyone had gathered, they followed Mad-Eye Moody down the stairs to meet the others. On the way, Liam and Lupin began asking about the current situation at Hogwarts.
"The situation at Hogwarts is dire", Mad-Eye Moody said gravely. "Voldemort and the Death Eaters are attacking the outer wards with all their might. Even with our best efforts, the wards can only hold for another ten minutes. That's only because your magic statues are keeping the Death Eaters busy from behind, preventing them from attacking with full force."
At that moment, they rounded a corner, and Liam saw the statues and armors of the castle standing in neat rows in the courtyard, while spells were causing strong winds to howl across the grounds.
(End of Chapter)
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