𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐏 𝐌𝐄 𝐒𝐋𝐄𝐄𝐏 | 𝐝.𝐦 𝐱 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

-14-

Call me crazy, but Voldemort really needed an upgrade security-wise. None of the Death Eaters who came across my way were immediately down with one Expelliarmus charm. I was proud of myself for doing something such as this. It felt like breaking rules, however, for the greater good. The 'Order', which I later found out was a resistance force against you know who, collectively agreed to meet at the entrance of the Great Hall. We ought to have entered the hall any time now, so I was tipsy. What if something goes wrong? What if Snape escapes? What if something bad happens? What if the Dark Lord shows up?

Multiple questions like this questioning the ingenious plan were circling around in my brain. I was exhausted from just thinking. However, my thread of thought was finally cut off by a ginger woman with the nicest smile tapping on my shoulder implying to stay concentrated. I nodded trying to keep my fast-beating heart in check. There is no denying I was yet again very scared of what might happen and was overthinking madly. However, it was life or death. Go big or go home.

"It's show time," Professor Lupin whispered under his breath and opened the heavy door of the hall with one swift move of his wand.

All of us entered the Great Hall in a group in front of which I saw Harry standing his wand out pointing at Snape. A beautiful sight indeed; a few more moments in and he soon would taste Harry's revenge for Dumbledore's death. Harry was yelling something at top of his lungs trying to intimidate Snape, however, my mind was too out of it to concentrate. I noticed Snape take out his wand immediately after and point it back at Harry, but fortunately enough, McGonagall stepped into battle herself.

After a few moments of silence standing in a fighting stance, the duel started between the two professors. McGonagall lightly but confidently threw spell after spell making Snape almost lose his balance. The grim man started blocking the attacks taking a few steps back to avoid getting hurt. However, it cost him losing his two oh-so-beloved subordinates: the Carrows. Seeing that there was no way out and that he was cornered, Snape Apparated out of the Great Hall through the window.

"Coward!" I heard McGonagall yell which was surely then followed by a howl of applause and cheers, which soon enough were momentarily silenced by a horrid scream of a first-year.

My ears started ringing and my head felt like it would explode any second. The headache got even worse when I heard a slithery and cold voice speak inside my head.

"I know that many of you will want to fight," I heard the same disgusting voice ring in my ears, and I knew exactly who it belonged to, "Some of you may even think that fight is wise. But this is folly. Give me Harry Potter. Do this and none shall be harmed. Give me Potter and I shall leave Hogwarts untouched. Give me Harry Potter and you will be rewarded."

I looked back and forth to see any movement which was supporting this idea. A few Slytherins were looking at Harry hungrily waiting for him to step out and hand himself in.

"You have one hour," Voldemort finally whispered in a snake-like voice and my ears stopped ringing.

All of this trouble just for a four-eyed geek, huh?

⋇⋆✦⋆⋇

Long story short, I was sent to look after the Slytherin house since Pansy decided it would be a marvelous idea to step out and tell everyone to grab Harry and hand him into the Dark Lord. Obviously, McGonagall didn't quite fancy this idea and thought it would be best to send the whole house back to where they came from; the dungeon. And now, like a trusty chaperone, I was going after the whole crowd of the Slytherins to secure their safety in the dungeons and keep them out of the fight.

As we arrived at the wished destination McGonagall planned for the whole house, I started to hear voices of complaints and whispering everywhere. The group was divided into three categories: the ones who were joking about the whole attack, the ones who were shivering from the fear and the ones too were yelling at Filch, the other chaperone, to let them out of the dungeon so they could fight. And one of them was Leila.