"Is there something going on?" Ron asked in a low voice, his hand unconsciously reaching for his pocket, where Harry knew his wand was hidden.

"Let's talk about it outside," Harry said almost in a whisper. Ron and Hermione stood up and hurried through the common room. When they passed Neville, he stood up and asked, "Huh--" But Harry quickened his pace and walked away. He was still undecided. It was not a critical moment, so it was better not to involve other people...

The three of them pushed open the door of the common room and walked a distance away.

"They're starting to act, Umbridge and Avery?" Ron asked impatiently.

Harry spread out the slightly wrinkled Marauder's Map, and Ron and Hermione immediately gathered around him. "It's hard to say, look here." Harry pointed to a small dot, "It's Umbridge, she's walking towards the tower of the headmaster's office. I don't know if she knows the password, but..."

"Hey, we're on the eighth floor! As long as we turn a few stairs and corridors, we may be able to intercept her in advance." Ron said excitedly.

"Good idea," said Harry, "but there is a problem, we have to separate."

"Why?" Ron looked at Harry in confusion, then at Hermione, hoping to get an explanation.

"Umbridge's unusual behavior may be a sign, a sign that the action has begun. But she is not the whole story, look!" She pointed her finger on the map, "Avery is in the Great Hall, he did nothing, this is not normal."

"Where are the people from the Order of the Phoenix?" Ron asked.

"Two are guarding the Great Hall, two are at the front and back doors of the school, and the remaining two... Got it, Alastor and Tonks are patrolling the school wall."

"Are they guarding against Death Eaters breaking into the school?" Ron said in surprise.

"It's possible," said Harry, he lowered his head to look on the map, "Did you see Malfoy?"

"Maybe in the Slytherin common room, I'll look... Oh, no," Hermione groaned, "He came out and is walking up. At this time! Will he..." She asked uneasily.

"I don't know." Harry said, "So we have to act separately. You take the map and keep an eye on Avery on the way. Since Umbridge has moved, he will definitely move too. But fortunately, Frank and Alice, as well as other professors are here--"

"What about you?"

"I don't need a map. The destination is clear." Harry said briefly, "I just need to make sure no one sneaks into the headmaster's office. If it's just a false alarm, that would be the best, so don't alarm others."

Ron and Hermione nodded silently. Harry walked up different stairs with them and passed through two doors. He knew he was approaching the headmaster's office. He had been there before and remembered the huge stone beast statue lying at the door. Harry hoped it would be loyal to its duty.

There was a stone monster standing in the middle of the empty corridor, and no one else. Harry didn't know whether Umbridge had already broken in, but she couldn't leave in such a short time. At this time, the giant beast suddenly jumped away, and the automatic spiral staircase wound down. A person appeared in Harry's sight. Harry slowed down and looked at the person coming out of the headmaster's office in disbelief.

It was Snape!

"Potter," he said coldly, blocking Harry's way, "what are you doing here?"

"I, uh, Snape, professor, I'm looking for Headmaster Dumbledore. I saw Umbridge coming over. She's trying to break into the Headmaster's office!"

"Nonsense, I just came out, the door is locked, the Headmaster isn't here." Snape said coldly.

"But--" Harry opened his mouth, not sure if what Snape said was true or not. He looked back at the corridor he came from, but no one appeared. Did he run too fast, and Umbridge didn't have time to get there? Then could he stop her by going back?

Or was he too sensitive, and Umbridge was just in a hurry to go to the toilet, so she ran so fast? Thinking of this, the doubts that he hadn't noticed before emerged one by one. The Order of the Phoenix didn't guard Umbridge, but scattered most of the people around the school and the castle...

Harry subconsciously took a step to leave, but he suddenly stopped and looked at Snape scrutinizingly.

"What's the password? I want to go in and take a look." He said.

Snape's thin lips twisted into a mocking smile. Harry felt very embarrassed. He knew that Snape must be laughing at himself for overestimating his own abilities. But what if Umbridge got there before him and hid in the headmaster's office? Was it her who locked the door, so Snape couldn't get in? Or were they in collusion?

Harry didn't know Umbridge's goal, but he knew that Umbridge was sent by Voldemort, and Voldemort must have some unspeakable secret.

He ignored Snape and walked quickly to the stone beast. "Iced lemon juice? Pear hard candy, uh - licorice wand, super bubble gum... I'm in the same group with your master, can you open the door?" He said angrily. The monster didn't move. Snape

looked

at him mockingly, and Harry stared at his deep black eyes, unable to make up his mind. According to his previous temper, he would have yelled at Snape a long time ago, but Hermione had inadvertently reminded him this morning that no one could see the whole picture of the incident.

This made him think: since he could get some information from other people, and rack his brains with Ron and Hermione in private, trying to piece together the complete truth; it is possible that Snape is doing the same thing.

The premise of all this is that both he and Snape were only given part of the information by Headmaster Dumbledore, but he happened to see a clue...

Professor Happ's reply also affected Harry's judgment. If the questions in the letter were as Ron said, "the answer is quite obvious", which is "love" - ​​Harry's breathing almost stopped when he thought of this - then Snape's decision to stop at the brink and be willing to be an undercover agent can barely make sense. Everything can be explained in a way that makes Harry uncomfortable:

Snape is a bad guy, this is engraved in his bones. Whether it is his preference for Slytherin College or his undisguised hatred for Harry, it is just a strong proof of this conclusion. The only difference was that he deeply loved someone - Lily. Lily's death made him abandon his old master and completely turn to Dumbledore...

But if Snape and Dumbledore were in the same group, why did he turn a blind eye to such a big thing and not care at all? Harry thought angrily, didn't he know that Voldemort was plotting outside? Harry stared at Snape, very angry. The strong and complex emotions in his heart kept surging, making him almost unable to think, and the brain block technique was difficult to help. Suddenly, a spark of inspiration ignited the fog in his mind.

Voldemort...

Yes, Voldemort is back, if - Harry felt breathless. He thought tremblingly that he seemed to know where Snape got the information about the Death Eaters. It was not by writing letters to his Death Eater friends, nor was it by indirect means, but - he was one of them.

After more than ten years of peaceful life, the boy once again put on the cloak of the Death Eaters... and became an undercover agent again!

Could it be like this?

If Snape was an undercover agent, then Harry wouldn't have to worry at all, and Umbridge might as well be a ridiculous tool for spreading false information. It suddenly dawned on him. But what if he wasn't? Harry looked at Snape hesitantly. He had already turned and left. Harry gritted his teeth and chased after him, standing in front of Snape.

Snape's eyes were empty and his face expressionless, looking down at Harry.

Harry couldn't read his thoughts at all.

"Potter, do you want me to deduct points from you? I'd say twenty points--"

"You know what's in the headmaster's office, goblin-made silverware, a pensieve, all kinds of precious books, and even information about Voldemort, and his soul--"

"Shut up! Potter." Snape interrupted him loudly.

"I didn't mean to say it." Harry said calmly, wondering in his heart that he reacted so quickly. "But you don't seem surprised. You know it, don't you?" He stared at Snape's face. "Then you should know its importance. We have destroyed several things, such as the diary, the snake, and the ring... But maybe one or two are still left. Headmaster Dumbledore wants to crack its secret, and it is now hidden in the headmaster's office. If Voldemort gets it again..."

"That snake? What snake?" Snape asked suddenly.

"Don't you know? Before Voldemort was resurrected, he was accompanied by a big snake, and then died. It was one of them." Harry said.

"One of them... One of them..." Snape muttered, and he suddenly stared at Harry, his empty and indifferent eyes showing a look of horror.

Harry couldn't understand this look, which contained too many emotions, shock, suspicion, enlightenment and fear... Maybe it was more complicated than all the emotions they had experienced since their first meeting. Black eyes stared at green eyes. Harry suddenly lost the courage to look at Snape, but he stubbornly refused to look away.

Snape made a terrible wheezing and clacking sound in his throat, as if he wanted to eat someone. Harry took a step back in fear, and managed not to turn around and run away. He admired his courage. He didn't know how long it had been, but the complex and terrible emotions in the eyes opposite him were hidden and became unpredictable.

Snape looked at him and gritted his teeth.

Harry clenched his wand nervously.

Bang! A distant, low and loud noise interrupted their gaze. Harry looked out the window. The sound did not come from this side. He ran to the other side, put his face against the edge of the window in the corridor, squinted his eyes and tried his best to see the edge of the dark forbidden forest in the distance. A fire shot up into the sky.

Not sure if it was an illusion, Harry had an absurd idea that a big hole had been blown in the school wall... Then there were several more red sparks in the sky, hanging in the air. Harry's heart tightened. That was the warning signal of the Order of the Phoenix!

Snape also stood in front of the window, staring ahead with his black eyes. In addition to the red sparks, the fire that appeared at the beginning disappeared, replaced by billowing black smoke, climbing straight up into the sky. They heard faint shouts, and then a green light shot into the black smoke, twisting into an extremely large skull pattern, flashing a frightening green light.

"Dark Mark." Harry said word by word. He stared at the huge skull rising into the sky. Not only was it not covered by the billowing smoke, but it was even clearer, reflecting the red sparks emitted by the members of the Order of the Phoenix. A giant python emerged from the skull's mouth, wriggling strangely and eerily.

Death Eaters attacked? Harry thought incredulously, unable to accept it for a while. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, with Dumbledore, Professor Hep and a group of professors, is the safest place in the world, like a copper wall and iron wall. How dare Voldemort! Isn't he afraid of being beaten to death? Even if there were Horcruxes, it would be too stupid...

There was a buzzing sound in the castle, and there was a lot of noise. Harry knew that other people had heard the noise, and they were probably asking each other what was going on.

"Potter, go back to the common room." Snape said coldly.

Harry ignored him. He knew that the wall of Hogwarts was broken. Voldemort would never do useless work. The danger had already happened! His face was pressed against the window, his glasses were embedded in his skin, and his nose was painful, but he saw some blurry things. There seemed to be some creatures where the wall was broken. Was it a Death Eater? But he was not sure if it was the reflection of the green Dark Mark.

"Potter, I say - go back!" Snape shouted angrily. He strode over with his wand raised, trying to drag Harry away from the window - "Don't move!" Harry shouted, his heart seemed to be suddenly immersed in ice water, and his body shuddered. He saw clearly that a group of creatures were pouring in from the gap. They were not Death Eaters in black robes, but some kind of pale, strange humanoid creatures, their bodies glowing with phosphorescence, flickering, like clusters of jumping will-o'-the-wisp.

"Inferi," Snape breathed, his hand suspended in the air.

The noises in the castle were getting louder and louder, accompanied by screams and hurried footsteps. Harry jumped up suddenly, and he remembered what Moody had said to him a few days ago, that there might be a riot in the school... He left Snape and ran outside.

The riot really happened, Harry thought as he ran.

A large number of Inferi rushed into the school, was it a hundred or a thousand, or more? It couldn't be just Inferi. He imagined a large number of Death Eaters, dark wizards, werewolves, vampires, and Dementors rushing in...

The more he thought about it, the colder his heart became. He didn't know what the members of the Order of the Phoenix guarding outside were doing now. Were they fighting or retreating? He was extremely anxious. The only good news was that it was almost dark. Most of the students were staying in the castle. There was no danger for the time being, but it was not impossible for an exception to happen. What if a student wandered around the edge of the Forbidden Forest... Harry's heart shuddered. He thought of Luna. She had a centaur friend named Firenze. She and Ginny would occasionally go to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. What if... He didn't dare to think about it.

And Hagrid. Harry stopped in horror. The broken wall was not too far from Hagrid's hut. Hagrid would definitely go out to check if he heard the sound, taking Fang with him. Unless he was not at home and was with little Grawp.

He prayed in his heart, hoping that Hagrid would suddenly have a whim and insisted on being with Grawp, even for his birthday, so that he could accompany him in the future...

Harry was overwhelmed by the thoughts in his mind. The Marauder's Map was on Ron and Hermione, and he had no way to confirm the safety of these people. Fear kept rising in his heart, and he heard a familiar voice, "Harry!" Hermione and Ron ran up the spiral staircase, panting.

Harry found himself running to the door of the Gryffindor Common Room subconsciously, and then, the portrait of the Fat Lady was pushed open from the inside.

Neville came out, holding his wand. He asked hurriedly: "What happened? I heard a noise, and those humanoid things..." He shuddered. Fred, George, Lee Jordan, Seamus and some others blocked the door and looked at Harry.

"Those are Inferi--" Harry gasped. "

Are they really Inferi? Hey, I've only seen them in books!" Fred shouted, looking quite happy, "Is it the work of the You-Know-Who? Then what are we waiting for? It's time for us to show our skills."

His words received a low murmur of agreement.

Harry found himself in a difficult choice unhappily. He didn't know whether he should let them take the risk. This was not training. No matter how hard the training was, it would not put their lives in danger. Now it was a real fight, not one-on-one, but full of tricks. The Death Eaters might be hiding in the Inferi, waiting to recite the deadly spell suddenly.

If someone died, he would definitely feel guilty for the rest of his life.

"Where's Ginny? Where's Luna? Are there any students outside?" Harry made small talk. He needed some time to weigh the pros and cons

. "I'm here, Harry!" Ginny's voice said. Harry raised an arm after seeing the crowd. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"No one is outside. When we came back, we saw Luna trying to open a door." Ron said.

"What door?" Harry regretted it as soon as he said it.

"I don't know." Ron shrugged. "I was too busy to ask-"

"How is your side?" Harry asked. "Did that Avery do anything?"

Hermione and Ron looked a little strange.

"He didn't make any movement, but when we saw someone staring at him, we went to look for Malfoy. We intercepted him on the way, but he had nothing to do with the commotion. Instead, we were ridiculed... or was it a reminder?" Hermione said quickly, "Anyway, we knew someone was going to break into Professor Happ's office--" "

Who?" Harry asked hurriedly.

"Crabbe and Goyle," Ron shrugged, "When we arrived, we found them entangled in vines and unconscious at the door. The professor wasn't inside, and neither was Valen... We didn't know what to do for a moment, but then we heard some noise outside, so we left them behind and hurried back."

"It was the professor's defensive measure," Hermione added.

After asking the question, Harry looked around, all eyes were on him, and he had to make a decision.

"Harry, give the order. We have all learned the Light and Fire Charm. I remember you said that this magic is very effective against dark creatures." Neville said slowly, "We have to do something."

"I, ah..." Harry suddenly thought of something and took out a small bottle from his pocket, "Okay, divide this up, and everyone takes a sip--"

"What is this?" Neville asked.

"Felix Felicis." Harry said excitedly, his blood pulsating in his veins. Are they going to fight together, just like Sirius always said, to become a real warrior? At this time, a huge roar came from a distance, passing through the dark night sky and the commotion in the castle, and drilling into their ears.

"It's Hagrid!" Hermione said in horror, and they all rushed to the window, "And Grawp, oh, my God!"

"Who is Grawp, Hagrid's friend? Oh, oh--" Fred stared at the dark night, and when he saw the huge figure next to Hagrid, he was shocked and speechless.

Compared with the giant whose origin was unknown, Hagrid was like a dwarf, and the pale white corpses surrounding them, reflecting the pale green light and phosphorescence of the Dark Mark, were like jumping dwarfs.

"The corpses shouldn't be able to hurt the giants," Ron looked at the distance uneasily, "Their nails are just like tickling, Grawp will smash them into small pancakes with one punch."

"No, there are also Dementors, Hagrid and Grawp can't deal with that." Hermione groaned.

Harry tried his best to calm himself down. He wanted to use the Patronus Charm, but the distance was too far, and he didn't know if it would work. What he needed to do most now was to support Hagrid as soon as possible. He had it, he stretched out his wand, "Firebolt!"

After waiting for a few seconds, a streamlined broom tore through the air, whizzed from the bedroom through the lounge, passed the open door with the portrait of the Fat Lady, and fell into Harry's hands.

"Oh, by the way, I also have a flying broom, or Nimbus 2000, the performance is great." Ron said blankly. "No one is advertising for you," Fred said unhappily, and then he asked, "Can you lend me your broom? George and I left our brooms with the team." George nodded on the side.

"You stay and organize people to maintain order." Harry said.

"Hagrid is also our friend, Harry." Fred said.

Harry stared, "Then call more people, not just one or two." He raised his wand and the glass shattered in front of him. Harry turned his head and glanced at Ron and Hermione. The two understood what he meant, 'Protect them.' He turned over and jumped down from the castle. The others leaned on the window to look down. Harry dropped more than ten feet, then climbed rapidly and turned into a blurry shadow. The performance of the Firebolt was maximized by him.

"Hu-God-Protect-Guard-"

A silver stag appeared, glowing all over, jumping continuously in the air, and rushed towards Hagrid's hut with Harry.

The light from the Patronus formed a straight track, illuminating the open space below. "Hiss~" The people who stayed behind inhaled together. The grass was full of Inferi, and they were about to surround the castle.

"We must guard the entrance and not let them in." Neville's face was full of fear, but he still said firmly.

"We know the shortcut." Fred said, pointing at him and George.

"I have a suggestion. Can we go through Madam Hooch's office? It may take a little detour, but I remember there is a room for old flying brooms next to it." George said, "Hermione, what are you doing?"

Hermione was tapping a piece of parchment with her wand. "Oh, okay, I just notified the members of the front-line observation station and the Magic Rune Club."

"Cool." Fred said. A dozen Gryffindor students kept walking through the secret passages of the castle. They saw the students who kept walking and the prefects who kept shouting to maintain order. When they met acquaintances on the way, they joined the team without saying a word after knowing their purpose.

When they appeared in the broom collection room, the number of people had reached more than 30.

"The door is locked," said Ron. "Alaho Open," he chanted, but the door didn't budge. He frowned and cast a cutting spell, and the surface of the door flickered with a faint light, destroying the spell. "Mrs. Hooch is really dedicated to her job--"

"Get out of the way, Ron!" Hermione shouted. She put six or seven small wooden signs on the door, and everyone stepped back. "Bang!" The thick door broke into pieces.

"Excellent." Fred said happily, and a group of people rushed into the collection room to choose brooms. "Look what I found, the whole sweep, the Comet 140, even the old antique Oak Arrow 79, the Moon Dream and the Silver Arrow... Nimbus 1000, Nimbus 1001, Nimbus 1500, Nimbus 1700, is this Nimbus 2000? Madam Hooch hid it really well!"

"It's a pity that there is no Nimbus 2001." George said greedily. The students picked up their brooms, and even Hermione picked a sweeping seven-star number 5.

"Well, uh--" Hermione said, "We need to send some people to support Harry, and the rest to the front door, the back door, and other exits. The professors are all there. It's best to send a few people to fly around the castle on brooms to issue warnings..."

"By the way, where is our trump card? Professor Hep's lighting is very suitable for this occasion. And Headmaster Dumbledore, is he asleep? Has anyone thought about this question..." Fred asked happily.

Yes, where are they now?

Hermione and Harry, who were riding on the broom, were thinking about this question.

Everyone's time is a line, and they can only see things from their own perspective, especially when they are in it. But if a historian analyzes it afterwards, they will find that today is a very important and chaotic day.

The entire British wizarding world is like a boiling crucible, and the beginning of this series of events was neither the Ministry of Magic being attacked suddenly, nor Felix Hep appearing at the door of the burning Sword Castle, nor Dumbledore receiving a distress signal from his own brother-it was earlier than all of these.

It all started when Voldemort walked into the Hog's Head and started killing people.