In the Hogwarts library, Darcie and the others watched Snape's black cloak billow past the towering bookshelves after he had strictly forbidden them from leaving the school grounds.
With the uneasy ceasefire underway—despite the glaring absence of any formal written or verbal pact with the Pillars—Professor Dumbledore and the staff had arranged for students to reunite with their families a week earlier.
Most of the Muggle world remained completely oblivious to the apocalyptic doom that could befall them at any moment.
Even so, students had been granted permission to bring their parents if they wished to shelter them within the castle.
This held for students across every magical academy, not just Hogwarts.
Harry had tried to reason with the Dursleys, but his uncle had barked a volley of curses and slammed the door in his face, forcing him to return to the castle empty-handed and sullen. Black had yet to return, though an owl had arrived with a letter promising he would soon arrive with his parents in tow. Hermione's parents had eagerly accepted the sanctuary, and she had returned to the castle the very next day.
The rest of their circle hailed from the wizarding world.
The Greengrasses and the Weasleys had already taken refuge at the castle when the Black Death struck the grounds.
Fortunately, both families had survived the plague.
In fact, all those who hadn't perished during those dark hours had survived the Black Death thanks to the antidote Professor Snape, Professor Slughorn, and Darcie had concocted at the eleventh hour.
Professor Dumbledore had withheld the identity of their mysterious savior, who had destroyed the Spell spewing all those rats from hell, disclosing only that he was a youth of mysterious origin, wielding magical powers far beyond ordinary comprehension.
Contrarily, the Headmaster hadn't kept the true identities of their invaders a secret.
It was them — counterparts from a parallel world.
Another Harry. Another Daphne. Another Hermione and Ron… Professors, students, and other wizards and witches, even Magical Creatures.
The arrival of the false Madam Villanelle had already forced the sharper minds in the castle to suspect as much, but Dumbledore giving voice to the truth had driven the final nail home.
Still, it hardly softened the blow.
Not when these invaders — no matter how identical their faces appeared — had already slaughtered their friends and innocent bystanders.
Just as the castle seemed to settle into a desperate, exhausted respite, Darcie had slipped away to Malfoy Manor with Draco a few days prior, only to find it… abandoned.
Unlike the others, Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy would never have willingly abandoned their ancestral seat.
To make matters worse, no matter how many times Darcie summoned Dobby, the house-elf never appeared.
"Why was Snape so certain those… Pillars… haven't abducted your parents?" Harry asked.
Grinding his teeth, Draco merely shrugged. He hadn't uttered a word since Dumbledore had forbidden him from using his unique Apparition to leave the school grounds.
Licking his dry lips, Harry turned his gaze toward Darcie.
"I think…" Darcie murmured, her voice barely audible, "… I know why."
Draco's head snapped toward his sister. "You think Dumbledore knows where Father and Mother are?"
Darcie maintained her silence.
Beside her, Daphne and Hermione exchanged a tense glance.
"There she is…"
"… Looks completely normal right now…"
"… That's because you didn't see her in the dungeons. I did…"
"Horrible… How can Professor Dumbledore allow a monster like that to stay with us?!"
The group turned their attention toward the library doors, where a crowd of whispering students had gathered, glaring directly at Hermione.
"Oh, bugger off!" Ron snapped, shooting to his feet with his fists balled. "She saved every single one of your miserable lives!"
The onlookers narrowed their eyes at Ron, but dispersed down the corridor nonetheless — not without casting spiteful, suspicious glances at Hermione, who kept her head bowed in burning humiliation.
To keep the plague-carrying vermin from overrunning the Potions classroom, Hermione had been forced to unleash her werewolf form. The rats' fangs had failed to pierce her furry hide, making her the only one capable of tearing the swarm apart without succumbing to immediate infection.
Unfortunately, dozens of terrified students had witnessed her gruesome transformation, and far more had heard her feral snarls as she tore through the swarm like a savage beast.
Werewolves had remained symbols of terror, betrayal, and revulsion ever since the bloody episode at Hogwarts years prior.
The fact that nearly every werewolf pack in Britain had pledged allegiance to either the Dark Alliance or Voldemort hadn't helped her case in the slightest.
To the eyes of the fearful student body, their hostility was entirely justified toward a beast that had concealed its true nature for years — a creature living, eating, and sleeping among them without a leash.
Yet despite frantic petitions from parents demanding that Hermione be bound in chains, Dumbledore had flatly trampled upon every complaint, publicly declaring Hermione one of the true Heroes of the War.
That decree, however, did nothing to stop the venomous murmurs echoing through the halls.
"We don't have time for this petty nonsense," Darcie cut in sharply, drawing everyone's eyes back to the table. "Our priority is… to rescue Madam Villanelle and Sirius."
Draco bristled. "Our priority is finding our parents!"
Darcie fixed her brother with a cool, piercing stare. "Do you honestly believe yourself to be more informed than Professor Dumbledore?"
Draco's face darkened. "… What…?"
"It's obvious the Headmaster already knows Father and Mother's whereabouts," Darcie deduced calmly. "Yet instead of mobilizing a rescue operation, he sent Professor Snape to order us to remain inside the castle wards — without so much as a promise that the Order would save Father and Mother anytime soon."
"… Wait…" Ron breathed, the realization dawning on him just as it did on the others. "… That actually makes sense."
"It doesn't change our position, though," Harry said as Draco reluctantly sank back into his chair. "First of all, Professor Dumbledore expressly warned everyone that the Pillars are monstrously powerful and shouldn't be engaged without overwhelming numbers. Second, he personally placed Draco under surveillance."
Daphne nodded grimly. "Which means the Headmaster has cast specific tracking wards to trigger the instant Draco attempts an Apparition," she added. "Realistically… what can a handful of students even do?"
The group stared down at the polished oak table, suffocated by their own helplessness.
Exhaling a tired sigh, Darcie rose to her feet. "You're missing the point entirely. Tell me: who do the Pillars perceive as the greatest threats on our side?"
"Dumbledore?" Ron guessed.
"Voldemort," Harry hissed.
"Professor Snape? Professors?" Hermione offered hesitantly. "Or… other the senior staff, like Aurors?"
"Precisely," Darcie said, planting her palms flat against the wood. "And the inverse applies to them as well. Grown ups never consider students a threat. But we aren't ordinary students. You aren't ordinary."
A sudden, dangerous spark ignited in Harry's eyes.
"Wait…" Hermione frowned. "… It's an active ceasefire…"
"Which makes it perfect!" Harry leaped out of his chair. "They will never see us coming!"
A heavy, electrifying silence fell over the table.
Barely minutes after Snape had warned them against setting foot outside the castle, they had already reached a unanimous verdict: they were going to infiltrate enemy territory and pull Villanelle and Sirius out from under the Pillars' noses.
There was just one glaring problem.
"How do we even get there?" Draco asked, leaning forward. "Even if the Headmaster hadn't locked down my Apparition, I can't jump blind without the exact coordinates."
"Don't worry about that…" Darcie said, her black Hogwarts robe turning yellow. "Let's… leave that to Lilith."