Struggling to survive at Hogwarts

Chapter 270 Let there be light

"Fire Shield Protection!"

God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

Just as it is said in Genesis, light appeared: a bright, golden-red ring of fire surrounded the rock, like a phoenix surrounded by raging flames. It began to circle and illuminate the entire cave, and the scorching flames burned away all the darkness.

That was an absolutely magnificent sight.

Unfortunately, Harry didn't see it.

By the time he came to his senses, his head was already above the water.

Feeling the binding sensation on his waist, Harry looked down and saw a golden-red halo wrapped around him, pulling him up. At the other end of the halo was none other than Dumbledore.

He had already stood up, but his face was deathly pale, making him look no different from the corpse he had just seen.

He raised his wand high like a torch, and the phoenix, under his command, rampaged through the cave until it burned all the Inferi. The halo that had just wrapped around Harry's waist was merely a small extension of the phoenix's body.

"Come here, Harry."

Dumbledore's voice sounded much weaker, and Harry, not daring to delay, stumbled toward him without even stretching his limbs.

"You did a great job..."

Harry had just run to Dumbledore's side when Dumbledore seemed to be unable to hold on any longer. He swayed and was about to fall to one side, but luckily Harry grabbed him in time.

"professor?"

For the first time, Harry was not pleased by Dumbledore's praise, because it was also the first time he had sensed Dumbledore's weakness.

The heavy weight on Harry's arms and shoulders startled him, while Dumbledore's increasingly faint voice clearly reminded Harry that this was not a dream.

“Take that locket…”

"We need to go out."

Harry quickly grabbed the locket and stuffed it into the inside pocket of his clothes.

Harry was in such a hurry that he didn't notice Dumbledore turning back to take a deep look at a certain protruding rock.

It wasn't until the two boarded the ship that Harry realized something was wrong.

What about the phoenix?

Weren't you just here a moment ago?

"Fox has more important things to do."

Dumbledore had his eyes slightly closed, seemingly conserving his energy, but he still offered a brief explanation because of Harry's doubts, even though this explanation seemed to only arouse Harry's greater confusion.

But Harry dared not show any more doubts now; he didn't want Dumbledore to waste his rest time answering his trivial questions.

The return journey was smooth, and Harry managed to open the passage again using his arm, which had been scraped by the rocks.

Dumbledore didn't stop Harry this time either, because he was too exhausted.

“Harry…”

"I'm here, Professor."

"Hogwarts is not safe tonight... You should be careful."

"……it is good."

In fact, although Harry did not understand what kind of "unsettled" scene Dumbledore was referring to, it did not prevent him from feeling a vague sense of familiarity.

The end of the semester is not peaceful... Voldemort.

Harry strung these three words together effortlessly, which made him feel a little tired. He didn't know what was wrong with Voldemort, that he had to cause trouble at the end of the semester.

Couldn't you have chosen a more precise time for his exam?

Harry's inner monologue made him laugh.

The smile finally vanished completely from Harry's lips when they arrived at Hogsmeade.

Huge, green, and skull-shaped.

No one will misunderstand its meaning.

There are Death Eaters at Hogwarts!

"It seems that the information I received was correct."

Dumbledore, who was originally exhausted, seemed to be injected with a powerful stimulant after seeing the Dark Mark.

Under the influence of this stimulant, Harry watched in astonishment as Dumbledore mounted his flying broomstick.

They returned to Hogwarts.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Let's rewind to about ten minutes earlier, at Hogwarts.

Unlike usual, Filch, who was supposed to be patrolling the corridors, did not appear. Instead, several young wizards wearing invisibility cloaks were present.

They either traveled in groups of three or five or alone, but they all had one thing in common: they were all in a hurry.

They seemed to want to explore the entire Hogwarts complex on foot in the shortest amount of time, and repeatedly at that.

Above the entrances to each lounge, a metal object quietly emits a tiny glow, silently watching those who come and go.

In an underground room, a huge screen occupied an entire wall. Looking up, the screen displayed the various entrances and exits. Below the screen, several girls with their ponytails tied high were staring intently at the screen, not daring to relax for a moment.

"Report: The Weasley siblings, along with Longbottom, have been discovered in the Room of Requirement."

"Report: Granger has been found outside the Potions Office."

"Okay, don't worry about it."

"Report: Three Gryffindors have been found in the sixth-floor corridor. They appear to be nocturnal. Should they be knocked unconscious?"

"Knock them out and move them behind the statue of Skinny Lachlan."

"Yes."

After a moment of silence, the young wizard spoke again.

"Report, resolved."

Zabini listened to the report coming through his earpiece, a hint of impatience flashing in his eyes.

He had quite an eye-opener tonight. In just three hours, there were more than 20 young wizards taking a night stroll in Hogwarts, three-quarters of whom were from Gryffindor!

"If there are any more nighttime visitors... I don't know which statue or room I'll have to put them behind..."

As Zabini was thinking this, a message suddenly came through his earpiece.

"Report! Abnormal vital signs detected at the location of the One-Eyed Witch!"

Abnormal vital signs?!

Not from Hogwarts!

"Hide well!"

Without time to think, Zabini quickly gave the order to remain hidden.

This report seemed to be just the beginning; soon, more and more abnormal vital signs began to appear.

"Report! Abnormal vital signs have been detected near the statue of sycophant Greg!"

"Report! Abnormal vital signs have been detected near the mirror on the fourth floor!"

"Report! Dumbledore and Potter have appeared at the observatory!"

Zabini turned his head sharply, and the last sentence was spoken by Daphne. At this moment, her face was ugly, and in front of her was the Marauder's Map.

"Attention all squads, everyone wrap your invisibility cloaks. Those who can retreat should immediately retreat to the nearest empty classroom. Those who cannot retreat should immediately find cover."

"They don't want to attract attention right now, so everyone should stay calm."

As soon as Zabini gave the order, the young wizards sprang into action, and in the gaps between their hiding places, they didn't forget to squeeze the unfortunate souls who had just been behind the statues into the inner circle a little more.

“Zabini…”

Daphne's trembling voice made Zabini realize something was wrong. "Draco is heading towards the observatory, and he's going very fast!"

On the Marauder's Map, the small dot representing Draco is moving rapidly toward the Observatory, much like a charge at the start of a battle.

Upon seeing this, Zabini's expression finally changed.