A white-haired old wizard in a black robe appeared out of thin air. He walked with a leisurely air, as if strolling through a garden. With each step he took, he lazily flicked his wand and fired off several Killing Curses. The Death Eaters had no time to react—each was struck by three Avada Kedavras in quick succession.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Seconds later, the Death Eaters dropped like flies, expressions of shock and terror frozen on their faces. They were dead—completely, utterly dead.
The Durmstrang students stared wide-eyed, their faces full of awe and disbelief.
That man was…Grindelwald?!
Merlin's beard—he actually came to Hogwarts?!
Did he come just to save us, the younger generation of Durmstrang?
"Aaaahhhh!!"
Several girls screamed sharply in shock.
With a flick of his hand, Grindelwald erased their mouths. He turned back with disdain and sneered, "Albus, these are the kind of wizards your Hogwarts churns out? A bunch of hothouse flowers who do nothing but shriek when faced with danger?"
Dumbledore appeared right on cue, his face calm and kindly as he reassured the crowd.
"Don't be afraid, everyone. It's all right now. You're all safe."
Then he turned to Grindelwald with a serious expression and said, "Gellert, if children this young had already grown accustomed to killing and death…then I would be the one who has truly failed them."
He paused for a moment before adding, "Also…why didn't you act sooner, when you saw those Death Eaters attacking that child?"
"I was hoping to hear more useful information from them," Grindelwald shrugged, then tapped his wand on the wall.
"Finite Incantatem."
A pulse of white magic spread outward from him, washing over the entire room. Immediately after, several parrots and toads began rapidly morphing back into human form.
Before they had fully transformed, Grindelwald casually waved his wand again and fired off more Killing Curses—each person got a few.
Dumbledore opened his mouth to stop him, but didn't make it in time.
Grindelwald scoffed, "Don't tell me you still feel some pointless sympathy for these Death Eaters?"
"No," Dumbledore said calmly. "I just wanted to find out where Barty Junior is."
"Well then," Grindelwald said, a bit awkwardly. "That just proves it was wise of me not to act too early. Otherwise, we wouldn't have known that girl was being forced."
He glanced around at the pile of Death Eaters sprawled across the floor.
"Still...maybe double-check if any of them are still breathing?"
Hidden under his Invisibility Cloak, Future Edward rolled his eyes: Seriously? With your habit of triple-casting Avada Kedavra on everyone, even Voldemort himself would've dropped dead on the spot, let alone these idiots. Unless they were giants or dragons or trolls with sky-high magic resistance, they wouldn't stand a chance.
By the time Edward had arrived, the battle was already over—there hadn't even been a chance to make a dramatic entrance and show off.
Honestly, it's hard to pull off a proper hero moment when you're working with folks like Dumbledore and Grindelwald—they always steal the spotlight with their ridiculously overpowered magic and sharp strategic minds.
"So that's why Dumbledore was so confident," he thought.
Even if he hadn't predicted exactly how the Death Eaters would sneak in, he'd already made contingency plans—namely, the joint strike force of the two legendary archmages: the "white" and "black" Dark Lords.
From the moment Barty Crouch Jr. started hunting Karkaroff, he had laid out his plan: use a magical contract to coerce Emily into transfiguring the Death Eaters into "pets" and smuggle them into Hogwarts, intending to sabotage the school from within.
That plan—already delicate—was now a complete failure before it even had a chance to begin.
Suddenly, a thought struck Edward: What if Barty's true goal was to sacrifice those Death Eaters all along? To tie up both Dumbledore and Grindelwald…?
If that was the case, then all this was just a diversion.
His real target might be…
The Philosopher's Stone?!
Dumbledore gently helped Emily lie down, a look of guilt in his eyes.
"I'm sorry, Miss Larsson. We arrived too late."
Emily's face was pale, her eyes still full of pain.
"No… I'm the one who should apologise. The Death Eaters…got inside because…because I kept…transfiguring them…helping them…"
"I know you were forced," Dumbledore said softly, his eyes burning with anger. "To control you, they even twisted the Unbreakable Vow into a one-sided, restrictive form of Dark Magic…"
He placed a comforting hand on her forehead.
"But it's over now. It's all over. You're safe."
Grindelwald strolled over.
"I thought you'd be guarding your 'Chosen One'—Harry Potter. You said yourself Voldemort is after both him and the Stone."
"Harry is…unique," Dumbledore replied, shaking his head.
"I've already asked Aberforth and Fawkes to keep an eye on him from the shadows. And with Edward on the move as well, nothing will go wrong."
"You've never even trusted me that much."
"I trust his abilities."
——
BOOM!!!
The protective enchantments around Hogwarts Castle finally shattered.
Death Eaters, goblins, and giants surged through the breach like a flood. Within moments, the sky was crisscrossed by streaks of spellfire raining down upon the castle.
"Fall back!"
The defending wizards of Hogwarts began retreating while looking for opportunities to counterattack.
(Past) Edward arrived at the eighth-floor corridor where Audrey was retreating with Lupin and the others. Without a word, Edward activated [Distortion], reflecting all incoming spells right back at the attackers.
"Edward? Why are you here? Weren't you supposed to be guarding the Philosopher's Stone?!"
"They figured out a way to sneak in—transfigured into owls and other pets. I couldn't leave you unprotected," Edward explained quickly.
"Wait…so the Philosopher's Stone is unguarded now?!"
"Come with me to keep watch over it," Edward said firmly.
Audrey shook her head. "No, I need to stay here and help. Don't worry, I'll be fine."
"If this were a straightforward battle, I'd agree. But who knows what tricks Barty might still be hiding?"
"You should be thinking about the bigger picture!"
Edward sighed and said, "Don't you know me by now? I've never cared much for the big picture. What matters most to me is making sure you don't get hurt!"
"You…"
Audrey wasn't sure whether to be angry or moved. She took a deep breath. "Edward, if you keep doing this...I'll never get the chance to grow. You can't always be there to protect me!"
Edward fell silent. Of course, he understood this—he used to roll his eyes at characters in shows, movies, or books who insisted on shielding their loved ones (be they lovers, children, or parents) at all costs, thinking it was overly sentimental and impractical.
But now that it was his turn, he realised...he couldn't bring himself to let go, not when it came to Audrey or Lilith.
"But still..."
Audrey gently held his hand and lifted her other hand, the one wearing the Resurrection Stone ring. "Didn't you give me this ring for a reason? Just trust me this once. Besides, Lilith and Susie will protect me!"
Lilith immediately chimed in, "Absolutely!"
Susie, on the other hand, let out a very serious bark.
Woooooo—!
Suddenly, an aged and rasping horn sounded across the battlefield.
The one-eyed old goblin stood tall with a twisted grin as he blew into the horn again. He raised his arms and shouted with manic excitement: "Awaken, awaken my kin! Today is the day we take back everything! Charge! Kill every wizard you see!"
One by one, goblins began apparating into view, joining the frenzied assault on Hogwarts. Their pupils glowed red, madness filling their eyes as they charged forward, howling with wild, primal fury.
At the same time, the ground beneath Hogwarts Castle began to tremble—softly at first, then building into a roar.
It was the statues and suits of armour of Hogwarts!
Under Professor McGonagall's command, they surged to meet the incoming wave of Death Eaters and goblins without a shred of hesitation.
Goblins' spells had limited effect on the massive stone statues and armoured suits. In contrast, every sweep of the enchanted weapons sent goblins flying, limbs and blood scattering.
"Counterattack!!!"
Professor Flitwick's magically amplified voice echoed across the castle.
The witches and wizards who had retreated into the castle now surged out once more, firing spells with renewed ferocity.
Meanwhile, a new shimmering white shield had formed around the castle, once again blocking enemy curses.
Flitwick stood deep within the castle, one hand pressed to the Book of Admittance, pouring all of his magical power into it.
The Book of Admittance didn't just bring new students into Hogwarts—it was also meant to protect every student within its walls.
Soon, the outer courtyard was soaked in blood. The warm liquid melted the snow, forming winding crimson rivers across the battlefield.
"Not enough—still not enough!"
The one-eyed goblin growled, standing atop the head of a dragon. "Where's the Gringotts lot?! Why haven't they arrived yet?!"
He lifted the horn again, puffed his cheeks, and blew with all his might: "Woooooo—!"
A second blast echoed. Another wave of goblins apparated in, throwing themselves into the fray.
Still not satisfied, the old goblin raised the horn once more and blew a third time: "Woooo—woooo—woooo—!"
This time, no more goblins came.
But the sky turned black.
A frigid, soul-chilling despair descended upon the battlefield like a tidal wave.
"Dementors! It's the Dementors!"
The swirling black clouds descending over Hogwarts were no mere weather—they were swarms of Dementors, so many that they blanketed the sky.
And the despair they brought didn't care who was friend or foe.
The moment the Death Eaters saw the swarm of Dementors descending, they turned and fled—those monsters didn't care if you were a Death Eater or a student. They only cared about feeding on happiness.
Even the giants, known for their brute ignorance, hesitated. They stopped mid-charge, eyes fixed on the approaching darkness with dread.
"The Dementors are here! Those who know the Patronus Charm, to the front! Everyone else, fall back!"
Woooooo—wooooooo—!
The Dementors' screeches merged into a single, howling storm as they surged down, crashing through the white shield with terrifying force. In a heartbeat, they were pouring into the castle, heading straight for any living soul they could sense, ready to administer the Dementor's Kiss.
Many witches and wizards who had been too close to the front collapsed instantly upon contact—drained of joy, stripped of strength and will, left motionless on the blood-soaked ground.
The Dementors, tasting the blissful emotions, became even more ecstatic and ferocious.
"Expecto Patronum!"
Snape was the first to step forward, wand raised high. The first cast only produced a silver light.
Undeterred, he marched forward into the storm, his black hair whipping around him in the wind. He raised his wand again and shouted with fierce determination: "Expecto Patronum!!!"
A moment later, a brilliant silver doe—pure and luminous like moonlight—burst from his wand. She raised her elegant head, stepped lightly onto the air, and leapt into the sky, directly into the heart of the Dementor swarm.
Instantly, the Dementors screamed and scattered before her.
"Expecto Patronum!"
"Expecto Patronum!"
"Expecto Patronum!!"
All around, silvery Patronuses began to bloom.
Horses, cats, goats, dogs, lynxes, wolves, rabbits, lions, hyenas—and countless more undefined shapes of silver light—rose up to meet the invading darkness.
Dementors craved happiness, but feared it even more.
And now, with each Patronus—each concentrated burst of joy and hope—diving into the swarm of Dementors, it was like pouring ice water into a pot of boiling oil.
The sky exploded into chaos.
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.