Meanwhile, at Hogwarts… Pt.5
While the great barrier rose over the school, the others protecting the castle began to break one by one, as if everything had been programmed to activate at the exact moment. It was as if someone had calculated every second, every weak point, every opportunity; everything matched the day when it was known that Dumbledore would not be at the castle, having been called by the Ministry to preside over the Wizengamot.
Like many other powerful wizards, he was far from Hogwarts, leaving the castle protected only by its professors.
The instant the first explosions went off, a voice echoed through every corridor of the castle; a familiar voice, firm and at the same time filled with urgency.
"All students move swiftly to the Great Hall, where the professors have created a containment and protection area for everyone, unless you are in an extremely safe place. If so, stay there. I repeat; all students move to the Great Hall swiftly."
It was Professor McGonagall's voice, surely using a Sonorus so it could be heard throughout the grounds.
She knew that some students were participating in that silly competition of finding hidden rooms, and several had already found more than one. She prayed many would hide there, but for those who could not, or did not know where to go, it was better to gather them all in the Great Hall, where they would be protected.
It did not matter that the enemies attacking the castle knew exactly where everyone would gather; the important thing was preventing them from being caught alone. The best professors of Hogwarts would safeguard that point. It was the only way to present an organized defensive front.
…
Meanwhile, Julliette, sitting in an empty classroom alongside some Slytherin students, lifted a faint smile when she heard the commotion outside.
"This place gets more interesting by the day," she said with a disconcerting calm.
Unlike the kids around her, she did not seem worried at all. The others, nervous, did not take long to follow her once she stood up to move toward a safer place.
…
Elsewhere, Professor Flitwick was running at full speed, or at least as fast as his small body allowed him. He moved through the corridor, exited the castle, and pointed his wand at the golems decorating the surroundings.
"McGonagall is going to be very jealous," he murmured with a smile before lifting both wands and pronouncing: "Piertotum Locomotor."
The golems, silent until that moment, shuddered and leapt off their pedestals. In seconds they formed a protective line around the castle. They had been crafted and placed there after the reconstruction of Hogwarts, as a defensive measure in case they were ever attacked. No professor truly thought something like that would actually happen; after all, it was a school. But today they proved how useful they could be.
And above all, almost no one knew that those same golems protected the properties of the allied families: Potter, Black, Greengrass, Malfoy, and Longbottom. Now everyone would find out.
The golems advanced with perfect coordination. Each raised the shield mounted on its left arm, one that, upon closer inspection, seemed familiar to the professor. It was practically identical to the one belonging to the mini golem Neville Longbottom had used in that fabulous golem competition.
To prove that it indeed was the same type of enchantment, the golems struck their shields into the ground in unison. Immediately, a new barrier formed around the castle; a golden dome that enveloped the entire perimeter. This barrier rose within the oppressive barrier the enemies had placed to prevent entry and exit.
Flitwick opened his eyes wide in surprise and joy. If that childish shield Neville had created had been so impressive, what would it be like now with hundreds of golems invoking it at the same time?
He did not allow himself to enjoy the sight for long; he immediately ran back inside the castle, where explosions and spells could be seen flying through hallways that evidently already housed enemies who had infiltrated earlier.
…
Draco had a cold, calculating, lethal look in his eyes. He directed it toward the man who laughed with madness while casting explosive spells as if it were the best entertainment in the world.
Draco moved his wand with precision and skill, deflecting some spells and dodging others by rolling on the ground. Then he counterattacked quickly, though the man defended himself perfectly.
He was truly powerful; a complete wizard, skilled in multiple areas. And the strangest part was his appearance: he was dressed like a vagabond, which only made the scene even more disturbing for Draco.
"Hahaha… that look… it reminds me of someone," the man said, stopping for a moment to observe him with interest. "Ah… yes. You're Lucius' son, right? I finally found you. I accepted this job just for that."
The comment caught Draco off guard for an instant.
"Bombarda," the man shouted, taking advantage of Draco's slightest hesitation.
Draco jumped to the right, rolling on the floor as the spot where he had just been exploded violently. Dirt covered his face, but he did not care. With one knee down, he raised his wand and deflected another spell headed straight for his face.
The deflected spell hit one of the nearby suits of armor, causing it to explode into pieces.
Draco set his gaze again, this time with greater resolve.
"How do you know my father? Who are you?" he asked without lowering his guard for even a second.
"Someone with unfinished business. Since the father is no longer here, the son must pay for them," the man replied, eyes shining with excitement. "Bombarda Maxima."
Several explosive spells surrounded Draco, falling around him. He was forced to raise a Protego while fragments of stone flew against his shield.
But that cover gave the man the opportunity to move straight toward Draco…
"Avada Kedavra!" the man shouted as he cast the spell at point-blank range toward Draco.
Draco knew his shield could not stop that. His eyes widened with a slight hint of fear as he watched, in slow motion, the deadly curse advancing straight toward him.
In that instant, within a single second, his entire life flashed before his eyes.
He remembered the day he tried to make friends with a boy in Diagon Alley.
A kind boy… who turned out to be a Muggle-born.
When his father found out, he scolded him harshly, while Draco could feel the gazes of two women from a tea-and-pastry shop. It was clear that Lucius was using him; maybe he wanted to show off his superiority in front of them, maybe he simply despised them. After that, Draco was punished at home.
He remembered the day they announced his father's death.
He did not know whether he was supposed to feel happiness or sadness.
Lucius had never been a good father; always forcing him to hate those he did not want to hate, to associate with people he did not want to be around. His mother seemed to feel the same, but from that day on she tried her best to give him the affection she had not been able to show before because of Lucius.
He remembered the Malfoy family pressuring his mother to marry another relative of his father.
And his mother rejecting them.
He remembered how they tried to attack the family business in retaliation.
Then he remembered when he met Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Daphne Greengrass during etiquette classes.
He remembered the mansion where those lessons took place being destroyed before his eyes, the walls floating in the sky while even his mother stood there with her mouth open.
He remembered the day he gathered the courage to talk to Harry and the girls.
He remembered the first golem duel they created together.
He remembered his birthday, when his true friends were there: Harry, Hermione, Daphne, Astoria, Luna, his cousin Tonks… and all their parents, who had become something like uncles to him.
He also remembered the boggart taking the form of his father, telling him he was disappointed in him.
The Avada Kedavra touched his Protego.
It shattered it as if it were nothing.
The green beam advanced.
Draco barely glimpsed a piece of cobblestone lifting from the ground, held up by a blue aura.
And then…
"Repulso!"
The spell struck Draco from the side and sent him flying.
Draco felt the impact in the air.
And he also felt something warm running down his head. Blood.
When he hit the ground, he brought a hand to his scalp.
Turning, he saw the two people who had arrived to save him… or to seriously injure him by accident.
Hermione and Daphne.
"Oops… I think I overdid it," Daphne said when she saw the blood running down Draco's head.
She had cast the Repulso to save him, although… she had arrived a little late. Draco had already been saved by the cobblestone, so her Repulso literally came afterward.
"You did. I had already saved him," Hermione said seriously.
She had been the one who lifted the cobblestone just in time.
Draco let out a sigh, exhausted but alive. He got up as best he could, pulled a potion from his bag, and drank it in one go, taking advantage of the fact that the man was now glaring at Hermione and Daphne for interrupting his wonderful murder.
…
Harry was standing right at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, calm, analyzing everything carefully around the man before him.
Luciel stood nearby, her face fixed and full of resentment. If she did not know that she could not defeat him easily—she had seen the dark form he had taken just moments ago—she would have already attacked him with her swords. But she had also seen the gesture Harry made for her to stop.
Meanwhile, Professor Dominic watched Harry with interest.
"It's strange. Aren't you supposed to try to defeat me to maybe save your school?" he asked with a genuine tone.
Harry was not doing anything, as if he were buying time. Dominic wanted to capture him alive if possible; he could not kill him with a single blow. And knowing that Harry could turn into that red mist to escape, he wanted to be absolutely certain. If he failed, everything planned until now would fall apart.
That was right: he had planned everything from the beginning, or rather since he attacked those two women in Hogsmeade. He knew he would be discovered at any moment and had little time. He needed to capture Harry and study that strange magic.
Harry did not respond. He simply looked at him.
Dominic shifted his gaze toward Luciel.
Of course he knew how powerful that boy was.
His swords, his enchanted armor… he was a prodigy.
"It really is so ugly what they did to you, my son," he said, shaking his head in disappointment. "All my work… down the drain. Those girls really ruined you."
By "those girls" he meant Fleur and Katerina. That was why he had their photos as his next targets when he was at Beauxbatons. But the existence of Wanda changed everything; the woman was stronger than he expected, so he did not dare attack them then.
But now Wanda was not here.
Maybe he could kill two birds with one stone.
"Potter?" Luciel asked, impatient.
She wanted to attack with all her strength, but she knew Harry was very good with strategies; after all, they had already worked together in the tournament.
"I think that's enough time," Harry said with a smile.
"Mm?" Dominic looked at him, confused.
At that moment, part of the castle's entrance froze completely.
The ice advanced so fast it almost reached them.
"What? Are you waiting for that woman? Is that why you're buying time?" Dominic asked mockingly, convinced Harry was a fool.
He did not think Selene was nearly as powerful as Wanda.
He was not afraid of her at all.
"La tía Selene? No," Harry said with a calm smile. "I'm waiting for the man who, without a doubt, would never leave his wife alone. And I'm sure he snuck into Hogwarts the moment she arrived. One of the people I learned the most from in my life… I think Daphne once said that if this were a romance story, he'd be the protagonist with a cliché title like The Demon King in Love or The Obsessive CEO."
Dominic frowned at that comment; his expression made it obvious he knew exactly who Harry was talking about. And even so, he did not want to believe it.
He turned slightly… and then he saw him.
In the distance, walking with the calm of someone who never needed to run, advanced a man in a completely black suit, perfectly fitted to his body. He wore a dark coat over his shoulders as if it were a cape, and each step seemed to measure the very air. His posture was impeccable, his gaze icy, his aura calculated.
He was elegant, intimidating, and dangerous in a way that did not need to be announced.
Edward Greengrass had arrived.
The air around him grew heavier, as if the entire castle recognized a force that should not be disturbed.
Harry raised his hand in a casual greeting and said with a smile:
"Hi, Uncle Edward. I knew you'd be here."
Because if Selene was in the castle…
this obsessive, doting, and devoted husband would never leave her alone.
Never.
Edward directed his gaze toward Harry for an instant, just enough to acknowledge him.
"Demon king, huh?" he said with his usual cold tone, without slowing his pace.
"That's what Daphne said," Harry replied immediately, sacrificing his friend without a hint of remorse.
"I will have a talk with her later for making fun of her father," Edward murmured, with the same tone one would use to discuss a bank procedure.
Then his gaze shifted, precise as a sharpened blade, toward Dominic.
Edward drew his wand smoothly from his pocket, as if he were about to sign a document and not enter a battle. His expression did not change at all. He was the type of man who did not need to intimidate… because his mere presence already did the job.
Dominic raised an eyebrow upon recognizing him.
He could not help it.
Edward Greengrass.
Head of the Greengrass family.
Known as a genius who, it was said, had learned all basic magic in his first year and had continued studying only because he had become infatuated with a classmate. Leader of the neutral faction. One of the few wizards who might have been on the same level as Dumbledore himself, yet always one step behind because he preferred his family and his business.
The man Voldemort never dared to attack, even when Edward refused to join him.
Dominic knew this.
And facing him was not part of the plan.
Much less here, at Hogwarts, at this exact moment.
Edward stopped walking.
He barely inclined his head.
And he lifted his wand with the certainty of someone who had not come to fight…
but to finish an unresolved matter.
…
N/A: Wow, this chapter was a bit difficult for me. Honestly, I changed some things along the way because I wanted to show Edward fighting, but I didn't know how to include him properly without it feeling forced. At first I thought of having Harry fight, but then I decided to change some things, since this is meant to be a joint arc followed by another one. They are two arcs that connect to each other, and Dominic's arc was not closed at Beauxbatons.