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Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 97: Back To School
The Headmistress kept the opening speech to the bare minimum and proceeded with the Sorting Ceremony.
It wasn't surprising to find out that they had very few new students this year. The attacks on magical settlements had not been very numerous, but everyone could feel the unsettling atmosphere becoming more oppressive as they waited for the other shoe to drop.
McGonagall finished welcoming the students and called for the feast to begin while trying very hard to avoid showing the concern she was feeling.
Afterwards, she exchanged a few words with the other professors and wasted no time in walking towards the Gryffindor table.
Professor Flitwick went to the Ravenclaw table to call for Luna, and Professor Sprout went to fetch Susan Bones while appearing as casual as possible so as not to alarm anyone that something was wrong.
McGonagall was keeping her eyes on Hermione. Underneath her robes, her wand was firmly gripped and ready to act.
She could not tell what the Muggle-born girl was thinking right now, as Hermione had a blank stare on her face, merely glancing down at her food but not eating anything.
Some of her classmates seemed to be trying to talk to her, becoming increasingly frustrated when they got no response.
"Miss Granger." McGonagall got right next to her before calling.
The girl lifted her eyes to look at the Headmistress, and it was then that McGonagall understood there was something very wrong with her.
The previously cheerful and animated Hermione Granger, who was always rambling about something she read in a book, was now quiet and taciturn.
There was less life in her eyes than in those of a dead fish.
"Miss Granger," McGonagall repeated, not being very sure if she had been heard the first time. "I'm sorry to interrupt your dinner, but there is something I need to discuss with you. Would you mind accompanying me outside the Hall?"
Without saying a word, Hermione stood up from her chair and glared at the Headmistress, making her go on full alert.
"Miss Granger… come with m—" She was about to grasp the girl's robes when she heard a sharp scream coming from the other side of the Hall.
The commotion came from the Ravenclaw table, and she immediately found out what had happened.
Luna Lovegood had somehow managed to stab Professor Flitwick with one of the knives from the table and was now aiming her wand at him.
McGonagall's eyes widened in shock. Her wand was already out, and she was screaming at the blonde girl to stop.
All of the professors were doing the same, and Professor Flitwick was groaning and grasping at the knife stuck in his chest.
"Avada Kedavra." Luna said with a tone that showed no emotion as the Killing Curse emerged from the tip of her wand and struck the injured professor.
No one was able to stop her in time.
"Ahhh!" Another scream—this one a bit closer.
"Pomona!" McGonagall spotted her friend trying to wrestle a knife from Susan Bones' hands, who seemed to have tried the same thing as Luna but failed to hit the mark.
Still, Pomona Sprout's hands were covered in blood as she had no choice but to grab the knife by the blade to stop it from piercing her chest.
McGonagall was about to throw a Stunning Charm towards Susan.
"Professor!"
She heard the students around her screaming, and by pure instinct, her eyes moved to Hermione, who was now holding a knife as well.
However, the girl did not attack her immediately, and McGonagall could see her hand shaking, as if she was trying to resist whatever command had been given to her.
"Stupefy!" She used this chance to restrain Hermione before the girl could attack her.
When she turned her attention back to Professor Sprout, she was relieved to see that some of the senior students were able to grab Susan Bones and pull her away, taking the knife in the process.
The only one left was Luna.
"Stupefy!"
"Expelliarmus!"
Professor Snape and Professor Sinistra were already trying to stop her.
Luna did manage to hold on for a bit and block a couple of spells, but she was no duelist by any means, and soon enough, the two professors were able to stop her.
The Aurors were the last ones to arrive, as everything had happened in a matter of seconds, and they had been the furthest away from the action. Not to mention that they couldn't carelessly throw spells in a hall filled with children.
When the situation appeared to be back under control, everything became more chaotic.
The first thing that happened was that the large glass window at the top of the Hall's main entrance shattered into a million pieces.
Small winged creatures came flying into the Hall, moving at a tremendous speed, and just as everyone was trying to process what had happened, the massive double doors beneath the window were hit with enough force to make them come loose from their hinges and fall down.
It became immediately obvious that the two grey giants on the other side of the door were responsible for this, and in between them stood an elegantly dressed boy with black hair and red eyes.
He had a wide grin on his face as he glared around the Great Hall of Hogwarts and at the terrified individuals inside.
"Sorry for being late. I hope the professors can forgive me." Harry Potter walked into the room, quickly followed by the two dreadnaughts and several more demons who rushed behind him.
A horde of imps came next, as well as half a dozen shadow demons.
"Protect the students!" McGonagall screamed.
They had predicted that this could happen, although they all hoped that Harry Potter would at least have the decency not to attack a school with his demons.
The worst-case scenario had become a reality.
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