Everyone was overwhelmed by the overwhelming amount of information and couldn't speak for a while. After a long pause, Oscar asked tremblingly, "Should we run away quickly?"
"We can't run away. There's an air barrier here, blocking the way." Jennifer tapped on an imaginary wall nearby. The wall surrounded the square, trapping the Muggles inside. No one could escape.
"Should we call the police? Will it help?" Romancia hid behind Oscar and cautiously asked, grasping at straws.
Jennifer took out her phone and lit up the screen. "I have no signal. Do any of you have one?"
"No, me neither..."
"It seems like no one has a signal."
"The Death Eaters have no reason to kill us. We haven't done anything to them," Mr. Cotton cautiously suggested.
"...The Death Eaters never act reasonably," Jess said despairingly.
The burly man who had just tried to escape by striking the air now attempted to fight back. He grabbed a broom from a nearby street cleaner's vehicle, intending to attack the hooded figures.
"Avada Kedavra!" A dazzling red light flashed.
"What the hell—" The crowd was astonished by the strange flash, as they had never seen such a special effect from movies become real.
The red light cut through the air, hitting the unfortunate bystander squarely in the chest. The strong body was torn into several pieces, and several Death Eaters let out excited cries. The sight of blood and flesh flying through the air terrified all the Muggles present. The crowd erupted into panicked screams, some started vomiting, and others were petrified. Even Jess and some others were crying out of fear.
Then the short figure who used the Killing Curse spoke with a commanding voice, "Silence. If anyone makes noise, this will be their fate." He walked over to the scattered body parts and kicked them a few times.
Silence fell upon the square, and everyone was too scared to even breathe.
"Let's play a game," the leading Death Eater said, waving his wand once again. Strands of red light connected the Muggles in pairs.
The short Death Eater next to him exclaimed, "It's an even number, what a pity. Otherwise, we could have killed one to liven things up."
But the leading Death Eater continued with a malicious tone, "Among those paired together by the curse, only one person can survive. You have to choose who will be killed. And if both refuse to die, then both will be killed."
Upon hearing this, the various groups of Muggles on the square looked at each other in shock.
"You can start choosing now. You have twenty minutes. Hurry up and give me your decision," the small-eyed Death Eater beneath the mask said, a malicious glint in his eyes.
Initially, some people tried to resist. A woman had brought a gun, but it proved futile against magic. The sound of the gunshot only angered the Death Eaters, and they subjected the woman to the Cruciatus Curse, causing her to scream in agonizing pain, the sound tearing through everyone's hearts.
Jess reached for his wand, even though he had no idea how to use it. At most, it could serve as proof of his magical abilities. Shaking, he attempted to negotiate with a Death Eater who was nearby, "I... I am a wizard too. Can I not participate in this game?"
"What's your name?" asked the cold Death Eater with a mocking tone.
"Jess Scott."
"What qualifications does a mudblood like you have to call yourself a wizard? You're as lowly as Muggles." The Death Eater seemed offended, his anger growing. He cast a curse that sent Jess flying, crashing into the air barrier surrounding the square.
The other students fell into deeper despair. They had heard stories, but now they witnessed firsthand the brutality of the Death Eaters.
Occasionally, there were individuals who displayed nobility, like Mr. Cotton. He stepped forward voluntarily, stating that he was willing to be killed. As a teacher, it was his duty to protect the students. He only hoped that the student who survived alongside him would help him deliver a letter to his wife, Claire Bryan. The student paired with him nodded eagerly, grateful for the opportunity to assist.
But not everyone was as selfless. Why should they be the ones to die? Everyone wanted to be the survivor.
When all resistance proved futile, the only remaining possibility for survival became the sought-after solution within this prisoner's dilemma. People began to try to persuade each other to die in their place.
"I beg you, I have a two-year-old child at home..."
"I have money. I'll give you as much as you want!"
"My work is important. I contribute to this country. I can't be allowed to die—"
Among the group that had escaped from the cafe, a young couple, now paired together, discussed their options. "Instead of dying in the hands of these monsters, let's die in each other's arms. I'll send you off first, and then I'll sacrifice myself for love..."
"Okay..." The girl closed her eyes and agreed. However, the boy didn't follow through with stabbing himself after the girl's death, causing the magical connection to disappear. Instead, he burst into laughter and exclaimed, "I survived!"
His maniacal laughter attracted the attention of everyone around. People learned that once the other person died, the red magical connection on their bodies vanished. Soon, people began resorting to violence to solve the problem, forcefully coercing each other to accept death or directly killing each other. Just ten minutes later, several groups of Muggles were engaged in chaotic fights, tangled messes of violence and screams.
Oscar and Romancia, the young couple paired together, followed the path set by the previous couple. Without hesitation, Oscar resorted to violence, using force to compel Romancia to agree to be the one killed. The girl couldn't control her tears, unsure if they were for her impending death or for the love she had misplaced. With a swollen face and tears streaming down, she sobbed, "Just talk to me, and maybe I would have agreed... How could you..."
However, her cries were drowned out amidst the chaotic fighting and screams unfolding around them.
Harry returned after finding the lost cat and was greeted by this chaotic scene. He fell into silence for three seconds. In that moment, he truly felt a sense of disgust. One second, they were friends and family, and the next, they had transformed into grotesque creatures, fighting, deceiving, and killing each other. Were the peaceful moments just a facade? Was this the true nature exposed?
Harry could imagine his father mocking them. Harry himself felt a bit lost. Perhaps his father had been right all along.
However, Harry remained obstinate, instinctively wanting to save people. He reminded himself, who was he to judge others? He was the one with the most heinous sins. He had caused the deaths of so many people, and now someone needed his help. Of course, he had to save them.
Harry recognized the group at the center of the chaos as the Death Eaters, whom he knew all too well. But how did they end up here? Was it a coincidence?
He suppressed the impulse to directly attack the Death Eaters - his prior agreement with his father was to remain neutral, so he couldn't conveniently engage the Death Eaters.
But of course, Harry couldn't just stand by and watch everyone die. So he did two things.
First, he immediately used magic to contact Hermione. Before parting ways at Hogwarts, he had given her a protective charm against evil with his magic attached to it, which he could use to convey messages. Hermione was now a member of the Order of the Phoenix, and they would come as soon as they received the news.
Second, he cast an invisible shield over the Muggles present in the area.
This way, Harry didn't need to take action against the Death Eaters. And technically, he hadn't broken his promise to his father, right?
As they spoke, the twenty minutes arranged by the Death Eaters had already passed. They began the deadly act of two against one.
The first pair linked by a chain of red magical light consisted of a skinny person and a fat person. The fat one coerced the skinny one through force to say that they were willing to be killed. However, when the skinny person spoke, it was, "Neither of us wants to die. If you have the ability, kill both of us!"
The visibly flustered fat person responded, "You—it's not, it's not like that. It should be him who dies, not me—"
However, the person in the center of the square, wearing a hood and a robe, was already grinning and raised their wand at them, as if thoroughly amused by the spectacle. Then they uttered the spell that was powerful enough to be fatal, "Crucio!"
But the anticipated bloody scene didn't unfold. The curse seemed to disappear like raindrops falling into the ocean, melting away in an instant upon impact, without any effect.
The Death Eaters clearly hadn't anticipated this turn of events. "What's going on?" said the tall one who had just been lazily dragging out his words, their grey eyes now alert, scanning the surroundings, raising their wand, but with no idea which direction to aim.
At the same time, a burst of visible air explosion sounded, and the members of the Order of the Phoenix arrived unusually quickly.
"It's Hermione!" Jess immediately recognized one of the girls among them. He had always admired Hermione. The arrival of the Order of the Phoenix undoubtedly ignited a spark of hope in everyone. Jess's trembling voice, whether out of fear or excitement, exclaimed, "We're saved!"
Time goes back three minutes ago. On the other side, at the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix in London, Hermione received a magical message along with several stones turned into key-like objects. The message stated that Death Eaters were slaughtering Muggle towns and the Order of the Phoenix was needed to help save people.
In the new semester, after Professor Dumbledore's temporary absence, Hogwarts was occupied by Umbridge, and Muggle-born students, including Hermione, were no longer welcomed back to school. However, Hermione didn't hesitate to return to the Muggle world. Instead, she chose to stay at the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix to continue studying magic and prepare for her O.W.L. exams. Ron and Neville would visit the headquarters on weekends to accompany their friend Hermione.
Three minutes ago, Ron and Hermione were comforting Neville about his father, Frank Longbottom, being tortured into insanity by Bellatrix's Cruciatus Curse. Suddenly, a light descended from the sky in front of Hermione. The light transformed into three glowing stones, suspended in front of the trio, and then words appeared in the air: "Death Eaters are slaughtering a Muggle town. The Order of the Phoenix is needed to help save people."
Neville grabbed one of the stone key-like objects and exclaimed, "I'm going to seek revenge on the Death Eaters!"
Hermione immediately stopped him, saying, "We can't act rashly. We need to inform the other members of the Order of the Phoenix."
However, Ron pointed out, "But they're killing Muggles right now. We can at least try to delay them."
"And... what if Bellatrix is there?" Neville's gaze became determined. In magic, often the person who casts the curse can break it. If they capture Bellatrix, maybe they can save his father. Without waiting for any further reaction from Ron and Hermione, Neville activated the stone key-like object in his hand.
"In case it's—" Hermione's words were cut short as Neville disappeared before her eyes.
But with Neville's level of magic, it would be a reckless act. Hermione quickly instructed Ron, "Take the remaining key-like objects and go find other members of the Order of the Phoenix. Hurry."
Then she also activated her key-like object and followed after Neville. With her magical abilities, she could at least protect Neville and the Muggles until other members of the Order of the Phoenix arrived.
After Hermione arrived at the scene, she quickly gathered information:
1. It wasn't a trap.
2. Good news, the top-level Death Eater, Bellatrix, wasn't there.
3. There were many Death Eaters, and the two of them couldn't handle them alone.
She prayed in her heart for Ron to arrive faster, even faster.
At the same time, she began to wonder who had sent that message. Weren't there only Death Eaters here? Could it be... it couldn't possibly be...? She couldn't help but boldly speculate about that person she knew in the ranks of the Death Eaters.
Neville was targeted by several Death Eaters, and multiple curses flew towards him. Hermione immediately threw a protective spell to shield her friend. "Neville, quickly use the key-like object to go back!" Hermione shouted, reminding him. Another curse, which seemed to come out of nowhere, caught her attention, but it was already too late. She could only watch as the curse flew towards the panicked Muggle crowd nearby. Hermione could hardly bear to witness it.
But... nothing happened. The curse seemed to melt into nothingness like raindrops falling into the ocean, leaving no trace or effect.
"...?" Hermione was extremely surprised.
The Death Eaters using magic were furious. "As expected, something's fishy about this place!" one of them exclaimed.
"Brat, did you have something to do with this? What has the Order of the Phoenix done?" Carrow suspiciously narrowed his eyes, pointing his wand at Hermione, intending to use severe interrogation methods.
At that moment, other members of the Order of the Phoenix arrived. Lily Evans, Alastor Moody, and Alice Longbottom—a reliable lineup. The children were lucky that there were other members of the Order of the Phoenix at headquarters. The members of the Order and the Death Eaters engaged in a fierce battle.
Hermione cast protective spells on the Muggles and then scanned the area for any familiar faces... the person who had delivered the message.
The battle among the adults was even more intense. With the Order of the Phoenix having limited numbers, they had to hold on until Professor Dumbledore arrived. Alice Longbottom asked Neville to return to the Order of the Phoenix immediately, and the talented Auror quickly joined the fray. Lily stunned Macnair with a stunning spell and used an ironclad charm to block Lucius's attacks. Colorful spells flew in the square, knocking down several trees outside the square, causing them to collapse and leaves and branches to scatter on the ground. Another explosive spell shattered the windows of a café on the edge of the square, and the glass shards flew in all directions, glinting with sharp edges.
Hermione caught sight of another red spell flying towards an empty corner of the square. The nearby trees were about to be damaged again, that prediction flashed through her mind.
But the spell disappeared in mid-air. Just like the protective spell she cast earlier to shield the Muggles. But there was no one there.
No one, so why set up this protective spell? Hermione had a strong intuition that there were many mysteries hidden in the corner where the spell vanished.
Hermione threw a harmless spell in that direction as an experiment. The light of the spell also disappeared in that corner, as if there was an invisible barrier.
Losing focus on the battlefield was not a good habit. A spell flew towards Hermione, and she couldn't dodge it.
However, the spell began to spin in mid-air halfway. "Huh?" Hermione stared at the spell, which had transformed into a red ring. Then all the spells from both Death Eaters and members of the Order of the Phoenix started spinning in mid-air, creating colorful and luminous circles of various sizes, but none of them could reach their intended targets.
"What's happening?" Carrow's voice carried a hint of panic. Clearly, no one had ever seen such a situation. Lily and the other members of the Order of the Phoenix were also puzzled, but at least this ensured the safety of the Muggles and the children present, which eased their minds.
Meanwhile, Hermione had reached the corner and reached out, feeling a powerful magical aura—a barrier. "Is someone inside?" she asked. No sound came from within. Hermione realized that the barrier didn't prevent people from entering or leaving, so she confidently walked inside and saw the group of Muggle secondary school students behind the barrier.
A/N: Happy birthday Harry! 7.31.
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