Meanwhile, at Hogwarts… Pt.4
"Where did Harry go?" Hermione asked with a frown; lately Harry was disappearing every now and then, looking for those dark rooms. She more or less knew why he was doing it, but even so, it worried her, since Harry could get too obsessed with something. And that was never good for anyone.
Draco had also disappeared, while Daphne and Fleur stood beside her, lifting their arms helplessly without knowing how to answer. Harry had been with them just moments ago.
"Hey… isn't that… Red? Or his head?" Daphne suddenly said, pointing toward one of the hallways coming from the Ravenclaw tower.
There, Red was running at full speed. Well, his head was moving at full speed, because the lower half of his body looked completely invisible. And considering where he was coming from, it was obvious he had just left the Ravenclaw common room.
"I think he found Harry's invisibility cloak," Hermione said as the three of them watched the chaotic dragon rush forward until disappearing around a corner. For some reason, only his head was visible beneath the cloak. Even though they had plenty of questions, it was probably better to ask Harry later.
"It doesn't matter… where are we going?" Hermione asked, turning to Daphne, since they were following her. Supposedly, she had a plan to help Harry against the Slytherins, who had recently become a real nuisance.
"Hehehe," Daphne laughed suspiciously, saying nothing before quickening her pace. The other two could only follow her, knowing that when she acted like that, they wouldn't get anything out of her.
…
In the Defense Against the Dark Arts tower, at the very bottom of the stairs, there was a huge clock embedded in the wall. When a specific point was pressed, the entire structure opened like a large hidden door. Daphne smiled and motioned for the girls to follow her inside.
Once inside, they realized the place was enormous; thick columns rose at the center, and around them were barrels, old furniture, and some artifacts tossed in the corners. Candles floated everywhere, illuminating the place with a warm and secretive glow.
In the center of the room there was a table acting as a small improvised office. There, two very familiar boys, with mischievous smiles and, for some reason, glasses with no lenses, were sitting. In front of them, the desk was filled with all kinds of objects and artifacts; many under construction, others disassembled. It was clear they used the place to create their prank inventions.
Yes; because they were none other than the Weasley twins.
"Welcome to the Undercroft," Daphne said with a proud smile.
"Although we call it the Prank Creation Hall," Fred added quickly.
Hermione observed the place carefully. It was huge, hidden, and perfect for studying peacefully away from the teachers' eyes. Which explained why the twins used it to create their products; in fact, she had already suspected there had to be some kind of secret hideout.
"Great, right?" Daphne said with renewed pride. "We discovered this place thanks to some notes from someone named Sebastian Sallow, which Astoria and Luna found somewhere."
Hermione and Fleur walked around the site; it wasn't incredible in appearance, but it was large and practical enough for anything they might plan. And it was accessible.
Then both girls looked at the Weasley twins and their boxes full of half-finished objects. Many were clearly for pranks, but others were small suits of miniature golem armor. They were probably hoping to join the original creators to get funding. And there were also a couple of special armors, similar to the ones Harry and his friends had created in the last tournament.
"So, boss, what's the mission you've got for us?" George asked, looking at Daphne.
"Well, it's actually about the Slytherins. I need you to help me with something that will definitely be very fun too," Daphne said as she sat in front of the twins with a mischievous smile.
The twins became instantly interested and smiled just like her.
Fleur and Hermione exchanged a look. They knew Daphne was planning something truly mischievous. And if the twins were involved, it would definitely also be loud.
But before they could begin talking, an explosion was heard, shaking the castle slightly.
Dust and dirt fell from the ceiling, and immediately afterward more explosions went off in succession.
Everyone frowned and quickly ran toward the exit to see what was happening in the castle.
…
Draco was in a corner, talking to a young man wrapped in shadows. It looked like the boy was handing him some papers. He was thin, pale, with a sharp face and dark eyes that hinted at a dangerous kind of intelligence. His body was slightly hunched, as if he wanted to go unnoticed. He wasn't ugly; in fact, he was quite handsome, almost at the level of Harry and Draco himself. His slightly long black hair fell forward covering part of his face, as if he did it on purpose to hide in plain sight.
From his green tie, it was clear he was a Slytherin student. Something odd, considering Draco didn't usually have much sympathy for Slytherins; many of them reminded him of his past.
Draco read the papers quickly before looking back at the other boy.
"Are you sure about this?" Draco asked seriously.
"Yes," the boy replied simply, looking around with obvious nervousness. He didn't want to be seen near Draco; being a Slytherin, and considering how some of them were behaving lately, that could bring him a lot of trouble.
"Well… this will be useful. More than you think," Draco said with a slight smile as he flipped another page. But his expression shifted into one of deep disgust and annoyance. "No wonder they're all so united… or rather, that fake unity."
"It's better if I leave, Malfoy. I don't want to be one of the names on that list," the boy said seriously.
"Alright," Draco said calmly.
"Remember, don't tell anyone—"
"Yes, yes; I don't know you at all," Draco said quickly, cutting him off before he could finish, because he knew exactly what the boy was going to say.
The boy looked at him with mild irritation before turning around and walking away quickly, as if simply being near Draco was a risk.
Just as he was leaving, three second-year girls appeared down the hallway; they were chatting cheerfully about who knows what. Two blondes and one with intense red hair; three little beauties who stopped when they saw Draco and the other boy, observing them with interest.
"Uh, Draco; I found you," Luna said, as if she had been playing hide-and-seek with him without him knowing.
"Theo is here too," Astoria said with a smile, recognizing the boy standing next to Draco.
"No, I'm not," Theo said, covering his face and running off as if that would make him invisible.
Astoria and Luna made a strange expression as they watched him flee. They tilted their heads side to side, synchronized, trying to process his behavior, while Ginny watched attentively, recognizing the Slytherin student.
"Do you know Theodore Nott?" she asked.
"Mm, yes; we met him at one of those boring parties," Astoria said. By then, Draco had already approached her, shaking his head in resignation.
"It's better if you don't tell anyone that. He likes acting like some sort of spy or something," Draco said with a mocking smile. "Just play along with him," he added.
The two girls instantly lost interest in Theo and instead focused their attention on Draco.
"Draco, we need help. We want to see if Buckbeak will take us for a ride too," Astoria said with overflowing happiness.
"No," Draco replied without hesitation. "It's dangerous."
"Of course it's not. Aren't you all helping save him because he's a good boy?" Luna asked, staring at him while slightly frowning, as if Draco were a compulsive liar.
"Hagrid needs to be there to make sure everything is safe," Draco said quickly, trying to sound firm. "We can't do anything without his permission."
Astoria and Luna pouted lightly, but ultimately accepted it, because what Draco said made sense. Ginny let out a sigh; nothing she said would convince them it was dangerous.
"Then let's go look for Red. He'll let us ride him," Astoria said with immediate determination, while Luna nodded as if that were a universal truth.
"If you're talking about him, I saw him a moment ago. He was running with half his body invisible. He must have taken Harry's cloak, but he headed to—" Draco didn't get to finish.
A massive explosion boomed from the nearby door.
Before the fire burst in and the door blasted toward the girls, Draco moved his hand. His wand, hidden in a special sheath on his wrist, shot out instantly.
"Protego Maxima!" he shouted forcefully, stepping in front of the three girls and raising a magical shield.
The door and the flames slammed against the shield, producing a crash that shook the hallway. All four felt the heat, but not the damage.
Luna, Astoria, and Ginny covered their heads in fear. Draco, however, kept a cold, calculating gaze locked on the source of the explosion.
When the flames dissipated, a man entered the hallway. He wore a completely shredded green trench coat, like that of a beggar; his clothing looked as if it had survived fires, battles, or even poorly made traps. He laughed with madness. The moment he stepped inside, he fired several Bombarda spells at random, destroying columns, walls, and glass without any objective other than to cause chaos.
The man stopped upon seeing Draco and the girls. His eyes gleamed with a sickening malice. Without hesitation, he pointed directly at them and unleashed another barrage of explosions.
Draco remained firm in front of the girls and moved his wand swiftly, deflecting each attack. The blasts struck the sides of the hallway, shattering statues and kicking up clouds of dust everywhere.
"Run somewhere safe," Draco ordered seriously; he did not take his eyes off the attacker for even a moment.
The man, seeing that the boy didn't back down, smiled crookedly.
"Well, well… and here I thought only the teachers would give me some entertainment. I'm liking this job more and more. I can kill and earn a few galleons," he said while tapping his wand against his palm, studying how to blow Draco up with his next attack.
"Now!" Draco said to Ginny and the others, lifting his wand to create a blinding flash that distracted the man for a second.
Ginny grabbed Luna's and Astoria's hands and pulled them forcefully, knowing the three of them would only be dead weight for Draco. They had to leave, find a teacher, alert someone.
As they ran down the hallway, they could see, through windows and balconies, flashes of spells coming from other parts of the castle.
The sound of more explosions reverberated through the corridors.
The three girls realized something horrifying.
The school was possibly… being attacked.