Aurora | Harry Potter

chapter seventy-nine

The doors of the Great Hall shut and mustering all my strength to not turn around, I wait to see Professor - or Headmaster - Snape saunter down the centre of the Hall, his cloak swishing around rhythmically as he moves. As he steps up onto the small raised platform by the centre window, he is joined by a witch and a wizard, both dressed in similarly dull clothes. My guess, judging from the similarities in their faces, is that they are the Carrows that Neville was talking about. 

Slowly, Snape twists himself around. His face carries no note of emotion at all, his lips pursed into a completely straight line, subtle bags under his eyes. "Many of you are surely wondering why I have summoned you at this hour," he starts, his voice sending a slight shiver down my spine, "it's come to my attention that earlier this evening... Harry Potter was sighted in Hogsmeade." From the moment that Harry's name slips out of Snape's mouth, murmurs and whispers flood thought the Hall. 

"Now... should anyone, student or staff, attempt to aid Mr. Potter... they will be punished in a manner consistent with the severity of their transgression," Snape continues, the dramatic pauses in between his sentences makes me cringe ever so slightly. I subtly raise my eyes up, scanning the room for a friendly face or figure; relief floods through my system when I spot Professor McGonagall stood off in a corner in robes of a much duller green than usual, with her hair neatly curled into a tight bun. 

"Now then," Snape snarls, as he steps off the platform and walks a few purposeful paces into the Hall, his eyes glaring at anyone who makes eye contact with him. "If anyone here has any knowledge of Mr. Potter's movements this evening, I invite them to step forward... now." The silence that follows is deafening; you could hear a feather fall to the floor. No one moves out of their rows, expected of course, so I make the first move. As I walk out of the crowd and into the open space, keeping my eyes completely fixated on Snape, despite all the gasps around me.

"I'm sorry to have to tell you this, Headmaster," I spit, adding as much venom into my words as possible, "but your relentless defence strategies haven't paid off quite as well as you thought." I hear the doors open behind me and without turning around, I know that any remaining members of The Order have entered. Harry then walks out of the row I just exited, which elicits more gasps and whispers from the students around us.

"How dare you stand where he stood," Harry snaps, anger and pain growing in his tone, "tell them how it happened that night. Tell them how you looked him in the eye, a man who trusted you, and killed him!" I proceed to shout at Snape to tell everyone in the room the truth also, but before Harry can react, I violently push him out of the way and swiftly withdraw my wand. I aim it directly at Snape, whose own wand is aimed at me; the crowds of students around us have now dispersed right against the walls, and I see Professor McGonagall holding Harry back. "Now now, Headmaster," I say, scowling at the man in front of me, "you wouldn't attack a student, would you?"

He hesitates for the slightest moment, which I seize and confidently fire a spell at him. He manages to deflect it but I keep firing spell after spell, my actions aggressive and strong, whereas his own are held back and defensive. The final spell I fire at him, he deflects onto the Carrow siblings behind him, causing them to pass out immediately. Before I can engage any more in the duel, Snape transfigures into a cloud of black robes and jumps around the room. I keep my wand trained on him, but after he bursts through the window and disappears, I turn around and flick it to the large lights hung around the hall.

As I use my wand to lighten up the room, a round of applause cascades across the groups of students and after pocketing my wand, Harry envelopes me in a slightly crushing embrace. "You're amazing," he gasps into my neck, before pressing a light kiss on my skin. "I keep telling you this, Harry," I respond jokingly. But before he can respond, I feel him fall out of my grip and to the floor, his eyes glassed over and his mouth slightly gaping open. 

"Harry?" I ask with worry, immediately falling to my knees in front of him, clutching his hands in mine. "Potter?" McGonagall asks, now stood behind the two of us. When I turn to face her, I see everyone else in the room has grown solemn and can't seem to look anyone in the eyes. A ear-splitting scream pierces the air and as Harry pulls himself to his feet, we both make our way towards the source of sound; a young Hufflepuff student with curled strawberry blonde hair, holding her head in her hands. 

Another scream follows the Hufflepuff girl's own, coming from Padma Patil, who is also clutching her temples with her hands. Then, every head in the room seems to twitch, as the cunning and terrifying voice of You-Know-Who fills everyone's eardrums. 

"I know that many of you will want to fight. Some of you may even think that to fight is wise. But this is folly. Give me Harry Potter. Do this, and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter, and I shall leave Hogwarts untouched. Give me Harry Potter, and you will be rewarded. You have one hour." As the voice starts to fade, I come back to my senses to see that Harry and I are stood in the middle of the Hall, everyone else around us staring.  

"What are you waiting for?" The snide voice of Pansy Parkinson calls out, her finger pointed directly at Harry, "Someone grab him!" Without even having to think, I pull Harry behind me and go to pull out my wand again, but I feel his hand usher mine back down as the rest of The Order surround him. I turn my head around to the entrance of the Hall, where a bumbling Mr. Filch hobbles through screeching, "Students out of bed! Students in the corridor!" whist clutching onto his cat and a glass lantern. 

"They are supposed to be out of bed, you blithering idiot!" McGonagall snaps back, rolling her eyes slightly at the fidgety man. Interrupting his apology, McGonagall marches forward and orders Filch to not only remove Pansy from the Hall, but the rest of the Slytherin students. After asking where she wishes for them to be taken, she answers with the dungeons. Everyone in the room cheers, but Harry and I pull McGonagall to the side. "I assume you have a reason for returning, all of you," she asks, a slight dread in her eyes, "what is it you need."

"Time, Professor," Harry answers as he clutches onto my hand, "as much as you can get me... us." She nods and tells us all to do whatever we have to, and she'll start on securing the castle. Harry turns away and pulls me with him, but when McGonagall calls out our names - including Ron and Hermione - we turn back to a see a brief smile on her face. "It's good to see you all." We all nod and smile back, before we sprint out of the Hall.