Struggling to survive at Hogwarts

Chapter 325 Chaos

There was no one behind her. Thea stood there for two seconds before picking up the lantern and walking down.

The steps were damp and dark, forcing Thea to pull her coat tighter around herself until her vision suddenly blurred, and then, belatedly, she realized what was happening.

She has a fever.

Feeling her weak limbs, Thea wanted to lean against the wall, but then she thought that it might leave marks on her clothes, so she gave up and resignedly walked deeper into the dungeon.

The further they went, the stronger the stench of blood mixed with the damp, decaying smell of a place long shrouded in darkness became, so pungent that Thea couldn't even utter the words she had prepared until she reached the vicinity of her destination.

She slowly stopped in front of the side of a cage. A corner blocked the view from inside, but it was just right for people outside to see the scene inside.

Thea did indeed see it.

Just as she had imagined—curled up in a ball, looking inexplicably pitiful.

"Pat-a-tat,"

A small stone tapped Harry's calf lightly before falling to the ground with a crisp sound.

"……What's wrong?!"

Hermione, who was still half asleep, was immediately jolted awake, as was Ron next to her.

"fine,"

Harry shook his head to indicate that he was fine, but he clenched the small stone in his hand tightly.

Seeing Hermione and Harry close their eyes again, Harry curled up into a ball again, his hands, with his back to them, carefully unfolding the "little stone".

A simplified map of the secret passages of Malfoy Manor.

Harry's breathing quickened for a moment, but quickly returned to normal.

He calmly surveyed the entire map, finally finding only one line of text in a corner:

Believe it or not.

The handwriting is elegant, but the strokes are weak and superficial.

Harry knew almost instantly whose work it was.

He expressionlessly woke Hermione and the other woman, and calmly said amidst their puzzled looks:

"We've found a way out."

Around the corner, Thea had already slipped into another empty cell the moment she threw the small stone. With an invisibility cloak over her body, she instantly blended into the darkness.

She slowed her breathing, but kept her ears open to the sounds coming from next door.

There were no guards in the dungeon, and the spell on the cage couldn't stop Potter and his companions. Potter and his companions knew this, because they had seen waves of guards patrolling outside when they were brought there.

So now only two problems lie before Potter: first, the defense, and second, the anti-Apparition Charm that covers the entire Malfoy Manor.

Lucius will take care of both of these issues for them.

In other words, as long as Potter and his friends are smarter than the trolls, they can get out.

At one o'clock in the morning, Thea heard a faint commotion outside, and Harry and the others heard it too.

Less than a minute later, Thea heard the sound of the cell door next door being blown up.

Thea: "…………"

I worried for two seconds about the Malfoy family's coffers.

A rustling sound came from outside the cell door, then faded into the distance.

Only when the footsteps could no longer be heard did Thea move her body, and a sliver of light shone from the lamp she had been hiding beneath her.

Using the light from this lamp, she swayed and staggered up the steps.

Harry and his friends rushed to the dungeon entrance in one go, only to find that there was an unusual commotion outside.

Harry didn't run away immediately, but instead crouched down to observe the situation.

Looking in the direction of the sound, a thick plume of black smoke rose from the top of the tall castle not far away, and the occasional explosions could be heard from a great distance.

"They...fight amongst themselves?!"

Ron's belated remark was quickly met with an elbow from Hermione.

"Hurry up! Don't stand there!"

This is indeed a good time to escape.

A large number of patrolling guards are rushing to the top floor of the castle. In the chaos, no one cares about the little mouse that has sneaked out.

They tried to keep their bodies low to the ground and blend into the darkness as much as possible. They ran quickly while also trying to avoid the occasional lone patrolman.

Their chests began to feel tight and painful, and their breathing became heavy, but they dared not slow down.

Until a lone guard suddenly appeared ahead.

They rushed so fast that the guard saw them long before they did.

"Come--"

"Immediately imprison them!"

Harry successfully cast a Binding Charm on his opponent, but unfortunately, the half-finished word the opponent uttered still attracted the attention of others, and coupled with the spell Harry cast...

The situation is not optimistic.

"You guys run first!"

"...It's useless,"

As the guards drew closer, Hermione's tone was heavy, but not pessimistic.

If all else fails, we can just fight our way out!

Ron was also eager to fight.

"A swift and decisive victory!"

As soon as Harry finished speaking, the three of them rushed into the guards.

Since there's no way to avoid it, then let's fight!

They swiftly dealt with the group of people blocking their way, and the three of them rushed toward the gate with perfect teamwork.

After charging forward several dozen steps, someone blocked the way again. Fight!

Once that's resolved, keep pushing!

Someone else is blocking our way. Let's keep fighting!

Ron lost count of how many spells he had cast; all he remembered were Harry's words from the dungeon:

"Charge towards the gate!"

"door!"

"door!"

In the end, Ron practically charged toward the gate mechanically.

Hermione and Ron are similar.

Her situation was even worse; compared to Ron and Harry, she was significantly weaker in terms of offensive power, and her superior agility only allowed her to avoid spells as much as possible, rather than engaging them directly.

Harry was well aware of this; the longer it took, the worse it would be for them. They needed to hurry and get to the gate!

Harry's gaze turned fierce, and his blows became heavier.

When Thea slowly walked up, this was the chaotic scene she saw.

One group rushed frantically toward the burning castle, while another group wandered around aimlessly like headless flies, muttering, "They've escaped..."

Thea knew what was going on as soon as she heard it.

She stood there for two seconds, doubting the protagonist's luck, and then—

"Oh!"

A deafening explosion shattered all the noise.

During those incredibly long two seconds, everyone saw an extremely arrogant declaration in the air:

"The Order of the Phoenix was here!"

At that moment, everyone looked up at the sky in unison, and the dazzling firework stood out conspicuously in the dark night.

By the time everyone came to their senses, the culprit, Thea, had already begun her journey back to her room.

Her scenes are over.

The three stumbled and staggered across the rain-soaked lawn, the neglected fountain, and the tall yew hedges. They even caught a glimpse of a flock of white peacocks sheltering from the rain by the corridor.

Harry hadn't expected them to rush out so quickly, not until the towering gate was right in front of him.

"Oh!"

When the third explosion rang out that night, Lucius could no longer muster a polite smile.