The three towers closest to them, and also the highest.
Now, without anyone noticing, several young wizards had appeared there, wands in hand and expressions solemn.
Whether Slytherin or Gryffindor, every wizard was focused entirely on their captain.
There was Luna Lovegood, who looked dazed and harmless, yet could say something startling at critical moments. There was also Penelope Clearwater, the gentle and capable former Head Girl.
And finally, there was the overall commander of the support team, Draco Malfoy's most loyal lackey... ahem, childhood friend, Pansy Parkinson.
At this moment, Pansy was crouched behind a wall, exposing only her eyes as she observed the situation on the battlefield below. "Hermit, Pope, report your current status."
"This is Pope. I've reached my position and can act at any time."
"Hermit here. Everything is going smoothly."
It had to be said that with the badges Hermione had personally made, Draco Constellation's way of fighting had become far more flexible.
Especially when paired with their status as wizards, which was no ordinary thing to begin with, it had taken on something of the flavor of a special forces unit in the Muggle world.
And not just any special forces unit, but a powerful one with all kinds of methods at their disposal.
After the slightly distorted voices came through, Pansy frowned and looked toward the gates of Hogwarts, where the fighting was at its fiercest.
"Still not here yet, Granger?"
Although there was some distance between them, Pansy could still tell that the current situation was extremely deadlocked.
It looked as though things were moving in a good direction, but in reality, this was the worst outcome for those on Hogwarts' side.
After all...
It was almost midnight. And when that time came, the one they would have to face was that person.
Even though she had unconditional faith in the plan Draco had prepared, the mere thought of the being they were about to face filled Pansy's heart with deep worry and tension.
Thinking this, Pansy tightened her grip on the badge at her chest and could not help murmuring to herself.
"What are you doing right now, Draco...?"
...
Hermione, who was being missed by someone, was currently running through the corridors of the castle.
Because of the constant tremors beneath their feet, along with the stones blocking the way due to the battle, Hermione and her group had been somewhat delayed. That was why they had yet to appear in Pansy and the others' sight.
More importantly, Hermione and the others had run into trouble.
She stopped in her tracks.
Warily, she looked ahead.
Standing there was a wizard who was also holding a wand.
"Weasley... Ron Weasley."
Hair as red as blood.
Eyes that were clear one moment, then filled with malice the next.
The one who had appeared and blocked Hermione's group was none other than Ron Weasley, who had come here together with the Death Eaters.
And only after clearly seeing the scene before her did Ginny, standing beside Hermione, reveal an expression of disbelief and let out a confused question.
But just as Ginny was about to step forward, Hermione reacted and grabbed her, shouting the command that saved everyone. "Everyone, prepare for battle!"
The combat instincts built through countless hours of training proved enormously effective at this critical moment.
No one questioned the order at once. They obeyed Hermione's sudden command directly, which allowed them to avoid the enemy's first wave of magical attacks.
Ginny, who had been pulled back to the rear, still murmured in disbelief, "That's Ron? No... impossible. How could he..."
"Calm down!"
"Hermione?"
"This isn't the time for you to hesitate. Didn't you see who he's standing with?"
Ginny looked up.
Aside from one Killing Curse after another, she saw Alecto Carrow, the Death Eater professor of Hogwarts, leading the Death Eaters in their attack.
It seemed that compared with Amycus Carrow, who had already died in the Fiendfyre, this Alecto Carrow understood far better when to deliver the most crucial blow.
If this group of Death Eaters appeared from behind the battlefield, then the scales of victory might very well tip.
Likewise, Alecto Carrow on the opposite side had realized this as well.
Having understood this, Hermione and Alecto Carrow tightened their grips on their wands at the same time.
"We have to stop them here!"
"We have to kill them all here!"