It had been going on for weeks now. Reports on the television of strange attacks on muggles. Of course it didn't say "muggles," as most of them didn't even know such a word existed, but Harry knew that there was no witch or wizard stupid enough as to expose him or his or herself on television. With the exception of Dedalus Diggle of course.
It wasn't until Harry came downstairs after a screech of "boy" from Aunt Petunia, to find Dumbledore sat comfortably on the living room armchair he knew that things must have been getting out of hand in the wizarding world as well.
"Come on, my dear boy. It's not safe here anymore," the old wizard said sadly. "Grab my arm and we'll disaparate now." He then turned to Harry's aunt and uncle and asked "are you sure you won't come. You'll be much safer at Hogwarts."
Harry's head was spinning. Its only halfway through the holidays and I'm going back to Hogwarts? So caught up in his thoughts he barely heard Uncle Vernon's rant about "how there was no ruddy way that he and his family would hide up in a school full of freaks when there was work to be done."
Before he knew it he was feeling the strange new sensation of being pulled through a rubber tube, seconds later appearing in the familiar village of Hogsmeade feeling both sick and confused.
"Sir. What's going on? Has this got something to do with the murders the muggles have been talking about? What's causing it? Is it the imperius curse?" All of Harry's questions started to flow out in a long stream.
Dumbledore started to lead him up towards the castle before telling Harry in a kind voice, "there seems to be a rather large formation of inferi spreading through both the muggle and wizarding world. But these are much stronger than any ever documented. They can infect those whom they bite, and add their victims to their ranks. So far we've tallied about ten thousand."
Harry gasped. This was much worse than anything he had ever imagined. He had read about inferi briefly in his fourth year, and the ones in the text book were horrific enough. To think that these ones could actually infect…
Once arriving at the familiar entrance hall Dumbledore explained that he had been encouraging students, parents, and any wizard who would listen that the safest place for them was Hogwarts. Entering the great hall Harry was in awe at the amount of faces that looked up at him from all corners of the room. Though there were a few familiar faces such as Neville Longbottom and his grandmother, an entire table of redheads that could only be the Weasleys, and a few other students that he had perhaps passed in the hallways, there were hundreds of faces he had never seen before.
Dumbledore drifted away to the head of the hall, and Harry quickly rushed over to where the Weasly family were gathered, to find Hermione and her parents (whom Harry had only met once before) were also huddled with them. Harry was just about to ask everyone when they had arrived when Dumbledore began to speak.
"Friends, Colleagues, Wizards and Muggles. I would just like to start this announcement by thanking you all for having such faith in myself and the school. Now as you all know, inferi have been growing stronger and stronger, both in physical strength and numbers. My plan of action is thus; those of age that wish to help eradicate this problem shall join me, to track down and kill as many of them as we can. Those not of age shall stay behind along with any of you who do not wish to be involved in the fighting."
" So far," he continued, "they have not reached the perimeters of Hogsmeade and therefore have no way of reaching the castle. I plan to try and defeat them before they get the chance. However, in the unfortunate event that they do build an army powerful enough to reach us here, everyone needs to be on guard. Wards will only last for so long."
As Dumbledore finished his speech everyone started to talk amongst themselves. "I wish I was of age-" moaned Harry. "I'd have loved to help."
"Don't talk like that Harry," said Hermione gravely. "We might soon have no choice."
Little did they know that Hermione was right, and that at that moment dark forces were urging the dead to rise up and fight against Hogwarts. At there was only one person that could be behind it. Lord Voldemort.