[Chapter Size: 2000 Words.]
Third Person POV
Prince Mansion.
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Severus finally returned to the mansion on the Prince estate, using shadow exchange to cross to the other side of the planet in an instant, while the shadow left behind in Atlantis simply traveled back through the ocean floor, journeying once again to Great Britain.
After the end in the dungeon, Severus didn't spend much time there. He quickly found the other portals and closed them himself in an instant, taking longer to collect the resources than to actually defeat all the monsters, even the boss.
He returned to the mansion with a magical bag filled with resources, with tons of mana crystals inside it. He would use them with satisfaction. He had to admit he had never found so many portals with so many mana crystals as there were in Atlanta. Even though there were only a few, it had been satisfying.
He was soon greeted by his elves as soon as he entered the house, as the four appeared.
"Master Severus, welcome back," the four said.
Genini raised his hand. "Ah, I must inform Miss Rosária of the master's arrival. She asked personally," he said, disappearing right after.
It didn't take long for Severus to feel the girl rushing toward him. "Where have you been, Sev? They said you went to Atlantis. Is that true?" she asked immediately as she hugged him.
"There was a monster outbreak there. I managed to stop them," said Severus.
"Well… are you hungry? Let's have dinner together. I waited for you," she said shyly. "Unless you suddenly had dinner with that princess…?" she added with a suspicious look and a hint of anxiety, raising an eyebrow.
"Are you jealous? I have nothing to do with that girl, though I did use her to teleport." Severus shrugged and walked on, while Rosária huffed, and the elves vanished a moment later.
His great-uncle also approached at that moment. "Oh, nephew, you're here! It's good to see you well. You gave us quite a scare at the court."
"Really? And was there a verdict?" asked Severus, still having no idea what had been decided — not that it really mattered, in truth.
"Well…" Grandpa Alaric puffed out his chest proudly, while Rosária gave a sincere smile. "You managed to clear yourself of all charges. You're now a free citizen and a source of pride for all of Great Britain!"
"Well, that's going to bring us some trouble, won't it?" Severus remarked, as the great-uncle laughed.
"You didn't just defeat a dark lord, slaughtered a bunch of dark wizards with powers no one had ever seen, but even in the most basic things — like creating two revolutionary potions — you amazed everyone. I know you were surprised that I revealed that information in court, but I couldn't help but show how incredible my nephew is, a true Prince. It would be foolish of the wizarding world to make you their enemy," said Alaric, pausing proudly.
"Besides, not only will Great Britain be watching us, but the entire international magical community will be observing as well."
Severus merely nodded upon hearing that. "Well, that sounds interesting. Let's have dinner now," he said.
They went to the kitchen; the elves had already prepared almost everything, and while he teleported, they were setting the last dishes on the table.
"The Black family sent a letter inviting you. Your fiancée wants to see you as well," said Severus's uncle, while Rosária pouted, knowing that Bellatrix wanted to be with her Sev. She herself had been wanting to come here to wait for Severus.
"I see. I'll go see them as soon as I can, but Bellatrix may come here whenever she wishes," said Severus, beginning to eat.
The uncle shook his head. "Actually, we're receiving countless letters from all the newspapers inside and outside the country, but I'm blocking them all with the help of the elves. Everyone wants to interview you, all the papers are talking about the trial. Which is quite reasonable. You'll be surprised by some of the articles yourself," he said, laughing.
Severus merely nodded. But before they could continue their conversation, a phoenix entered the house, passing through the wall as it shone with white light. It was Albus Dumbledore's Patronus.
"Severus, if you're there, listen! There are monsters inside Hogwarts Castle! We need you here, please!" Dumbledore's voice roared, as Severus raised an eyebrow. His uncle and Rosária looked at him in shock.
Severus immediately stood up. "I'll go check what's happening," he said, leaving the table and his meal behind.
"Wait, let me go with you!" Rosária pleaded, running after him.
Severus threw Floo powder into the fireplace. "Hogwarts!" he said, and the flames exploded between him and Rosária.
In the blink of an eye, both appeared inside Hogwarts and were surprised to find a corridor with two giant ants roaring loudly.
They immediately turned their heads toward them. Severus narrowed his eyes before drawing a blade and simply vanished, cutting off the first one's head and then the second's in an instant. They fell, massive — as large as horses.
"This is… that dimensional dungeon break you mentioned?" Rosária asked, stunned at the sight of the creatures.
"I think so. Let's find the headmaster," said Severus, walking forward, still wearing the black clothes and jacket from the trial.
"Severus, is it really you?" a ghost appeared, trembling with fear. It was Nearly Headless Nick.
"Tell me, what's happening here?" Severus asked.
"I don't know! These hands started appearing out of nowhere! The headmaster is keeping all the students inside the Great Hall. They managed to invade, but those shadows stopped some of them. They managed to close the doors, but the school is getting infested with these things!" exclaimed the ghost.
Severus looked around, alert, but soon the Bloody Baron appeared, approaching with a worried look.
"Let's go to the Great Hall first. I want to see how this happened," said Severus.
"I saw the ants ahead, they're trying to get into the Great Hall. There's a group of more than a dozen of them! The headmaster is sending us to check the situation and look for students who aren't there and were left behind!" said the Bloody Baron.
"I understand. Rosária, stay alert," he ordered, and the redhead nodded, gripping her wand.
Severus moved quickly, easily killing any monster he encountered before beginning to release his shadows.
"Find where they're coming from and kill any monster roaming the corridors, understood?" Severus commanded his shadows. "And I also want you to protect all the students. None of them must get hurt; all of them must be saved."
He turned, continuing forward as more than fifty shadows quickly spread through all the castle's passageways, forming dark stains on the ground as they ran.
When he reached the front of the Great Hall, he found Igris, who had gone ahead, exterminating all the red ants.
Inside the Great Hall, the atmosphere was tense. The students trembled, wands in hand.
"Prepare yourselves!" Dumbledore ordered. He, along with all the professors, kept their eyes fixed on the door, which was being pushed constantly by the ants trying to break it down, aware of the number of humans inside.
Everyone was trembling. It had not been an easy night since they discovered there were monsters emerging within the castle. The first to see one had been Lily Evans, who immediately ran out calling for help. The professors, along with the headmaster, had just returned to the school after the court and a few brief discussions following the verdict, when Lily began shouting for help through the corridors. The ghosts and portraits heard and went to see what was happening, spotting the monsters and warning Dumbledore.
When they went to inspect the third-floor bathroom, they were shocked to see the ant finally crawl out of hiding inside the sinks. Dumbledore and the professors managed to bring it down, but it wasn't easy. Soon others appeared, forcing them to reorganize the entire castle. They gathered as many students as possible in the Great Hall while fighting more and more creatures — but they kept coming after the first ones emerged. Their skin was hard, and only powerful spells could harm them.
When the last students they managed to find entered the Great Hall, the ants tried to break through the doors — and three succeeded before they could be completely shut. However, from Clarice's and Pandora's feet, shadows emerged and rushed at the creatures, killing them swiftly.
The two still stood there, in front of everyone, swords in hand. There were many questions, but that was not the time. Dumbledore simply sent the phoenix Patronus again to call Severus.
The door shook violently, the ants trying to force it open, until suddenly everything went silent. No sound, no more impacts. Still, the atmosphere was pure tension, everyone waiting for the moment the creatures would return.
A light glowed on the handle, and the door began to unlock.
"What?! They're opening it!" a student screamed in despair.
"Everyone, prepare yourselves!" the headmaster urged.
But most were already in panic, trembling. No one there had been trained to fight monsters.
And as the door opened, what they saw was a sea of dead ants, with a person standing before the slain monsters, entering alongside a shadow — Igris — and another red-haired woman, a former teacher. It was obvious who they were.
"Severus!" the headmaster exclaimed, sighing in relief at the sight of him.
The encounter made many students feel calmer, though they looked at Severus with caution, admiration, hope, and even fear.
"What is happening here, Headmaster?" Severus asked in a serious tone, his voice echoing through the entire hall.
"We don't know. It all started on the third floor. These monsters are coming from there," said Dumbledore, as Severus nodded.
"I heard you went somewhere else to solve this problem… Tell me you can get rid of these monsters," Minerva said in a tone that sounded almost like pleading.
"All right, I'll handle it," he said firmly before glancing toward the students and spotting Clarice and Pandora. Both smiled, though one more weakly than the other.
"You're here to save us, Sev!" Pandora said with a genuine smile.
A noise came from the end of the corridor, and the students immediately stepped back. More monsters were running through the castle.
"Is there anyone outside?" asked Severus.
"My friend! Mathews Labrine! He didn't come back with us… he's in the Slytherin dungeons!" said a third-year girl in desperation.
"All right. I'll send some shadows to check. As well as throughout the entire school… it seems there are more students missing here," he said, as the headmaster nodded.
"I want to know exactly what happened on the third floor," he requested. "I'm sure I cleared every portal in the school."
"Severus!" Lily's voice called out as she approached him. "I saw it," she said, though her eyes reflected a bit of uncertainty. She continued, meeting his gaze.
"I was in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. She told me about a secret entrance that even you used… then those monsters came out of there, breaking everything."
"Impossible… there were no portal frames in the Chamber of Secrets," muttered Severus, making the students widen their eyes upon hearing that. A murmur spread through the group at the mention of the words 'Chamber of Secrets'.
"They came from there, Severus. That's all I know," said Lily.
He nodded at last. "All right. I'll go there to check."
Shadows began to rise from his feet once again.
"I'll leave some soldiers to protect you," he said, as the ice elves, Tank, and Voltariam — the thunder centaur — appeared along with groups of shadow soldiers to guard the students.
"Let's hunt," Severus said, beginning to walk away.
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