"Everyone, stay quiet!"
Neville's roar mixed with the lingering echoes of the explosion.
The sudden scene made almost everyone present stare at him in shock.
If Neville's change from inferiority to confidence had previously refreshed everyone's impression of him, then what they had just witnessed completely overturned it.
They simply couldn't imagine it.
That timid little chubby boy from the past actually had such a brutal side.
Under the pressure of his presence, everyone instinctively quieted down.
Even the girls who had been crying together earlier were no exception.
Yet seeing all this, the stern look on Neville's face was replaced with panic and helplessness.
His throat moved hard, and he secretly glanced at Hermione beside him, lowering his voice.
"Hermione... Hermione! What do we do now?"
Hermione was still in shock herself. Only after hearing him did she come back to her senses.
She muttered a few "Ohs" and hurried over, looking at everyone as she said, "I believe everyone has heard the alarm just now."
"What I need everyone to do now is stay honestly in the common room. Don't run around, don't fool around, and most importantly, please stay quiet!"
"Believe me, as a prefect, I would never harm you. Maybe in the past you didn't listen to my orders, but today, please obey me!"
"Because we, and all of Hogwarts, are facing a huge disaster. At least until the professors have completely solved the problem, we absolutely must not become a burden to them!"
"B-but..."
Ron stammered. The moment he spoke, everyone's eyes immediately turned toward him, making the bare-legged Ron panic.
"Hermione, are you sure we're supposed to stay in the common room instead of gathering in the Great Hall?"
"I remember whenever there was an emergency before, we always gathered there. Like when the Forbidden Forest caught fire, or when Sirius broke into Hogwarts."
As soon as Ron finished speaking, many voices echoed in agreement.
Though they weren't very loud. Clearly, those speaking still hadn't recovered from the shock Neville had caused.
Hermione glared fiercely at Ron.
With Neville's help, she had almost managed to get the situation under control, but Ron had chosen this critical moment to jump in.
He was the perfect pig teammate.
But Hermione had no time to argue with Ron.
With an extremely ugly expression, she said, "If this were an ordinary emergency, then yes, we should go to the Great Hall and receive the professors' protection. But do you know what that alarm means?"
Not a single person answered.
Just as Hermione awkwardly prepared to reveal the answer herself, Neville softly spoke up.
Hermione shot him a grateful look before continuing, "What we just heard was the highest-level disaster alarm!"
"If you've carefully read Hogwarts, A History, then you should know what that means! This alarm was created during the war-torn era when the Four Founders first established Hogwarts."
"It means Hogwarts has encountered an unprecedentedly powerful enemy invasion, one that may bring a devastating disaster to Hogwarts!"
"At times like this, all of Hogwarts' defensive forces have to be concentrated against the enemy. They simply can't spare the effort to protect us! So please don't go outside. This is the only thing we can do!"
Silence filled the room.
Hermione was famous throughout Hogwarts.
Everyone acknowledged her as Miss Know-It-All. Though Snape had originally given her that nickname with some sarcasm, it also proved how knowledgeable she was.
People might question Hermione's personality or character, but they would never question her knowledge.
And that finally made everyone afraid.
The girls started crying again.
But unlike before, they desperately covered their mouths to keep themselves from making too much noise.
As if making too much sound would attract monsters.
The boys all lowered their heads.
Though they remained quiet, they gritted their teeth in unwillingness.
Seeing this, Hermione finally let out a sigh of relief.
Her eyes felt sore, and her nose was stinging.
Actually, she wanted to cry too.
But as Gryffindor's prefect, she couldn't show even the slightest weakness at a time like this.
Because if she cried too, what would the other students do?
Hermione rubbed her nose hard before suppressing the urge.
Then she looked toward the dormitories.
There should still be plenty of blankets over there. Perhaps she should organize some people to move them here.
And food, too.
That way, they could comfort the students in the common room more effectively.
Thinking this, Hermione prepared to get moving.
But at that moment, Neville, who had remained silent all this time, suddenly said loudly, "Hermione, you just said that alarm means Hogwarts has encountered an unprecedented enemy and is standing on the edge of destruction, right?"
Hermione instinctively nodded.
Then she saw Neville say with determination, "Then I'm sorry, Hermione, but I can't obey you and continue staying here! I'm going out to help and fight alongside the professors!"
"Neville! Do you know what you're saying..."
"The fighting outside is dangerous, and I may very well die if I go out. Of course I know that!" Neville interrupted her.
"But I'm a Hogwarts student! I'm a member of D.A., and Hogwarts is my home. How can I just sit and watch it be invaded without doing anything?"
Hermione's face flushed red as she shouted, "You don't understand how terrifying death is! And the professors... the professors wouldn't want you running out and meddling at a time like this! More than having whatever little help you might provide, they'd rather you stay alive!"
Neville completely ignored her words and silently drew his wand as he walked toward the common room exit.
Throughout the process, he never once asked anyone else to follow him.
His body was still somewhat overweight, but at that moment, looking at his back, everyone present felt a powerful force.
"Hold it!"
At last, someone stood up with a roar.
"I'm going with you!"
Neville turned around with a smile, but after seeing who had spoken, he looked surprised.
Because it was the upper-year Gryffindor whose tooth he had knocked out with a punch earlier.
His face was still bruised and swollen.
Yet he said fiercely, "I'll return that punch sooner or later. But right now, as a member of D.A., I'm going to fight the enemy too!"
His answer instantly changed the tense atmosphere.
Everyone first fell silent.
Then several more people stood up with angry shouts.
After that came several more.
By the end, apart from some girls and younger students who had been forcibly pushed back into their seats, every other student in the common room stood before Neville.
Looking at the scene before her, Hermione's face turned pale, while Neville's lips trembled lightly.
Clenching his fists and suppressing the excitement in his heart, he said, "Good! Then let's go together and save Hogwarts!"
"Wait!"
Ron's voice suddenly rang out.
"We're definitely going. But before that, does anyone know where Harry is?"
"What do you mean, where's Harry? Wasn't he with you?", Hermione raised an eyebrow and asked.
"Of course not! When Neville and I came out of the dormitory, he was already gone!" Ron hurriedly said. "I thought he'd already come out earlier. Could it be..."
Ron stopped mid-sentence, and Hermione's expression gradually turned panicked.
Both of them realized a terrifying possibility.
Harry... hadn't gone out wandering at night again, had he?
And all by himself...
Then his current situation...
Neville let out a deep sigh, but his expression became even more resolute.
Looking seriously at everyone, he said, "Then it seems we now have one more reason to go out!"
———
More than ten minutes later, the fully dressed Gryffindors gathered at the entrance of the common room.
The Fat Lady's portrait had long disappeared.
The Gryffindor students were already used to that.
The Fat Lady was a spineless portrait. Running away alone when danger came wasn't the first time she had done it.
As for how they would leave the common room without her, nobody considered it a problem.
Because just as Snape had thought earlier, although the outer wall connecting Gryffindor Tower to the corridor outside had many protective spells, it was not indestructible.
And so, after everyone's combined bombardment, it didn't take long before the wall was completely blown through.
During the process, the Fat Lady's empty portrait frame was also blasted into pieces.
This was clearly revenge for her fleeing in the face of danger.
Unfortunately, the Fat Lady herself probably didn't have the nerve to come out and complain.
"So where are we going next, dear Commander Longbottom?"
Just after emerging from the dusty ruins of the wall, Hermione deliberately emphasized her words.
Neville couldn't help giving a bitter smile.
The sarcasm in Hermione's tone was far too obvious.
Neville naturally knew she was angry about how they had argued in the common room.
Under normal circumstances, he would never accept a title like "Commander Longbottom" and would immediately apologize to Hermione.
But now, looking at the bright eyes surrounding him, Neville finally took a deep breath and said, "We'll head toward the Entrance Hall and the Great Hall first!"
"Those are the places where professors are most likely to be. Whether we're saving Hogwarts or looking for Harry, we can't do without the professors' help!"
"Then it's settled! Let's hurry!"
Ron said dryly and immediately took the lead toward the dark corridor in the distance.
Seeing this, Neville and Hermione both shook their heads but still led everyone after him.
Everyone knew Ron was worried about Harry.
Under the cover of the Silencing Charm and Wand-Lighting Charm, the group quickly flowed into the darkness.
Pure darkness wasn't actually the scariest thing.
Especially since they still had the little lights on their wand tips for illumination.
So as they walked through the dark corridor, morale remained high. Apart from Ron, Neville, and the others at the front, several students at the rear were even whispering among themselves.
But when they emerged from the corridor and stepped onto the bridge connecting Gryffindor Tower to the main castle, everything changed.
The winter midnight fog was especially thick. The already faint moonlight became nearly invisible after passing through the mist and entering the bridge through the arched windows.
Yet even that dim light reflected with the glow from their wands, creating layer upon layer of shadows.
Not far away, the Whomping Willow slowly stretched its withered branches and leaves. Its strange shadow moved constantly before them, like countless claws trying to seize them.
In such surroundings, everyone finally lost their earlier mood.
Their taut nerves made them hold their breath and proceed cautiously.
But from the nearby main castle, flashes of bright spell light and bursts of screams and angry roars occasionally erupted, adding some warmth to their bodies that had already been soaked in cold fear.
It was the heat brought by the flames of vengeance.
Because the lights and screams erupting from the castle represented their comrades, who were trapped in fierce battle.
And their duty was to reinforce them and save them.
At that moment, everyone gritted their teeth.
The Gryffindor advance team's speed not only failed to slow, it actually increased.
Everyone had a fire burning inside them.
But just when they should have charged forward in one breath, Ron, who was at the front, suddenly stopped.
Neville and Hermione behind him almost crashed into him.
Hermione had been about to complain, but when she followed Ron's frozen gaze downward, she covered her mouth.
On the stone bridge beneath their feet was a shallow claw mark.
The mark was stained red with blood, still wet.
Around it were broken pieces of fingernails, and their shape looked less like an animal's and more like a human's.
Most importantly, the claw marks continued intermittently all the way into the darkness at the end of the bridge not far ahead.
Putting everything together, Hermione could already picture someone being dragged into the darkness.
"Neville, wh-what do we do?"
Hermione instinctively whispered.
By now, more and more students had noticed the abnormality on the ground, and gasps and suppressed cries continuously rose from the crowd.
Looking at everyone's panic, Neville gritted his teeth and answered with his actions.
He waved his wand, extinguished the light at its tip, and resolutely walked into the darkness.
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