In the end, Harry's heist of firearms went off with surprising ease. He reached the coast quickly with the Firebolt, and he followed the coastline until he reached his target, a large naval base.
Hidden under the invisibility cloak, he landed and sneaked into the base, searching for someplace where firearms were stored. Unsure where to look, he imperiused an unsuspecting, unaccompanied officer to get more information. The officer didn't only answer Harry's questions, he was also able to access one of the storage rooms of the armoury himself. Under the Imperius Curse, he allowed Harry to collect several handguns and many boxes of suitable ammunition.
Harry then sent the officer away with the parting order to get heavily drunk and forget all about the encounter. He thought it was unlikely that the officer would remember anything, but even if he did, Harry had made sure to stay under the invisibility cloak the entire time. He felt certain that no one would ever find out that magic had been involved, much less suspect his involvement.
Funnily enough, the most challenging part of his expedition was the journey back to Hogwarts, as he had difficulties finding his way back while travelling on his broom through the Scottish Highlands at night. Luckily, he knew some navigation spells to help him find his way to his destination, and he arrived back at Hogwarts close to midnight.
He sneaked into the castle through the secret gangways and was back in his quarters a few minutes later. As he stepped inside, he could already hear wet sounds and loud moans coming from the bedroom.
With an excited grin, Harry pushed open the door to his bedroom and was greeted with the sight of Hermione furiously masturbating on his bed. She was pounding a thick dildo deep into her sopping-wet pussy while she rubbed her clit with her other hand.
When Harry entered the room, her head snapped towards him and she halted her movements and stopped in the middle in a loud moan, looking at him with wide eyes.
"Mhhmmhhhhh-Mhhshthh!" she moaned, her mouth still stuffed with the anal plug. She let go of the dildo, leaving it inside her as she sat up on the bed to greet him.
"Hi, Pet." Harry greeted her. "Having fun?"
"Mhhmhh." she mumbled, nodding her head.
"Well, put the plug back where it belongs so that we can talk." Harry told her, and Hermione immediately did as commanded. She took the plug from her mouth and grimaced slightly in discomfort when she slid it into her arse.
"Done, Master." she said when the plug was securely lodged in her arse again.
"So, tell me truthfully, what were you doing tonight?" Harry asked her.
The brunette gave him an exhausted but proud smile. "I did some research. Some experiments."
"Experiments?" Harry repeated with a quirk of his lips.
"Yes, Master." Hermione said. "As the first experiment, I tested if I can still cum with the clamps on my nipples and clit squeezing me with the highest setting."
Harry gave her a surprised look. "Oh, wow, really?" he asked. "What was your result?"
He was impressed that she had done something that painful and unpleasant to herself, even when she had probably only done it for this exact reason - to impress him.
"It hurt, but when I used the dildo and fingered myself, I managed it in the end." Hermione answered him. "And after I came for the first time, I got there much quicker the next time."
"That's good to know." Harry smirked. "What did you do next?"
"Then, I tried to - Well, I removed the clamps first, but then I tried to find out how many fingers I can fit in my pussy."
"Oh, interesting!" Harry grinned. "I think I'd like to see what you did there now."
"Yes, Master." The girl said and spread her legs apart before him.
She slid the dildo out of her pussy and then slowly eased her fingers into her slick channel. She started with her index and middle finger and soon entered her index finger too. As she slid the fingers back and forth inside her, she gave off some small moans and whimpers. Harry could see that she was getting uncomfortable when she inserted her little finger into her stretched out pussy and tried to push her hand forward. Tight as she was, she came to a stop before her fingers were fully buried inside her pussy.
Harry very much enjoyed the show she gave him, and he chuckled when Hermione grimaced in discomfort when she unsuccessfully tried to push the tip of her thumb inside her, too.
"That's it? That's all you can do?" he asked.
"I-" Hermione hesitated, trying once more to push her hand forward only to whimper in pain again.
"I'm sorry, Master, but the potion I take each morning ensures that I remain tight." she said. "Any more and I might really hurt myself, and I can't do that except if you tell me to."
"Hm, I see." Harry nodded appreciatively. "I think we'll test that further pretty soon. But for now, let's move on. Tell me what you did next."
Hermione breathed a sigh of relief as she withdrew her hand from inside her before she answered. "I... I was a bit sore, but also... I hadn't climaxed again, Master, but I needed to, so I thought I could test how many times I can cum within ten minutes."
"Oh, that certainly sounds like fun." Harry laughed.
"It was." the girl said with a bright smile. "I used the toy in my pussy and sometimes my arse, and used my fingers, too. I always managed to come more than five times, but my record so far is nine. I think. It was hard to tell when one orgasm ended and the next began."
"Impressive." Harry chuckled, pleased by her creativity in coming up with activities to do during his absence. "How often did you do this?"
"I was only able to do the experiment four times." Hermione replied. "I'm sorry, Master, but I had to take some breaks because I was afraid I would pass out otherwise."
"That's alright." Harry said. "I'm sure you can repeat the experiment soon."
"Yes, thank you, Master." she smiled.
"Well then, tell me, how often did you come tonight?" he asked.
"Oh... I-I'm sorry, Master, I didn't count." Hermione said remorsefully. "I have no idea. A lot. But I didn't keep track of the number. I'm sorry, Master."
"Well, fine, I'll forgive it this time." Harry said generously. "But in the future, I want you to keep count."
"Yes, Master. I'm sorry, Master." Hermione said, relieved that she wasn't about to get punished.
"And what were you doing now?" he asked.
"I - Not much, Master." the girl said hesitantly and lowered her gaze. "I was sore and exhausted, so now I was only pleasuring myself without climaxing while waiting for you to return, Master. I'm sorry that I didn't do anything more interesting."
"No, that's alright." Harry decided. "I think you did a good job finding interesting things to do while I was gone. And I guess it's good that you took breaks. I'm glad that you're still responsive now that I'm here."
"Yes, Master. Thank you, Master." Hermione said. "And thank you for letting me cum so often."
"You know, I think you should prove to me how grateful you really are." Harry said with a smirk and stepped closer towards her.
"Yes, Master." Hermione said eagerly and crawled towards him on the bed. She knelt upright and began to undress him slowly. Harry affectionately fondled her tits and caressed her nipples, eliciting soft moans from her, while she unbuttoned his shirt and then divested him of his shirt and trousers.
Then, she freed his cock from his boxers with soft hands and then lowered her head onto his erection. She licked the length of his shaft, kissed the tip of his cock and lapped up some pre-cum before she parted her lips and took him fully into her mouth.
"Fuck, yes!" Harry groaned when the girl began bobbing her head on his cock, sucking him and massaging his shaft with her tongue.
His slave's blowjob felt heavenly as ever, but Harry was in the mood for something more.
"Lay down on your back, your head on the edge of the mattress!" he ordered. "I want to really fuck your throat."
"Yes, Master." Hermione muttered as she drew back and immediately rolled over on her back, placing her head over the edge of the mattress and opening her mouth for him again.
He didn't waste any time and immediately slid his cock back into her mouth, ramming his entire length into her hot throat. He increased his pace and was soon fucking her throat as hard and fast as if it was her pussy, using her mouth as just another hole for his cock.
Hermione was gagging and coughing while he pounded into her throat with his length, his balls slapping against her face with every thrust.
Harry knew that she was having difficulties breathing and occasionally halted for a brief moment to let her get some air, just long enough for her to not lose consciousness.
After a while, he paused again and looked down at the girl. She looked up at him, giving him a pained look, her face covered with saliva and her lips still wrapped around his shaft.
"Feel free to continue playing with yourself." he told her, and Hermione nodded weakly in response. She slid two fingers back into her wet pussy and began rubbing and rolling her clit between the fingers of her other hand.
He enjoyed the pleasurable vibrations when she moaned around his cock, and he took up speed again, fucking her throat with the entire length of his throbbing member.
Only a minute later, Harry groaned loudly when his orgasm finally hit him. A muffled scream around his cock told him that Hermione also climaxed when he pumped several spurts of cum straight down her throat before he slowly slid back his pulsating cock, filling her mouth with his seed and then finishing off with several spurts across her messy, saliva-covered pretty face.
"Ah, that was amazing, Pet." Harry breathed as he climbed onto the bed, ready to fall asleep after his mind-blowing orgasm.
"Tha-Thank-thank you, Master." Hermione wheezed between wet coughs as she slowly gathered her breath, still feeling rather dizzy from her orgasm and the lack of oxygen. She still lay sprawled across the bed, her face as messy as the rest of her body.
Harry rested his head on the pillow and looked down at Hermione as she slowly recovered. But an idea struck him a moment later.
"Put your mouth back around my cock." he told his slave, and Hermione gave him a questioning look but did as commanded. She shuffled around on the bed until she had situated herself between his legs and then lowered her head onto his cock again, enclosing him with her lips once more.
"That feels great. Keep it there." Harry muttered contently, lazily patting her head. With his hand lodged in her hair, holding her in place, and her soft lips wrapped around his semi-erect cock, he closed his eyes and was soon fast asleep.
Hermione in the meantime wriggled around on the bed awkwardly, trying to get into a more comfortable position for the night while keeping her Master's cock in her cum-filled mouth. The cock twitched with every movement she made, and when she rested her head on his hips and closed her eyes, she wondered how long it would take him to grow hard again and how often he would cum in her mouth during the night. She hadn't gotten permission to swallow anything and didn't think she could hold all of it. But due to her exhaustion, she still drifted off into sleep despite her thoughts and despite the slowly hardening cock in her mouth.
After a very good night's sleep and an enjoyable morning - for him, at least - Harry and Hermione arrived in the Great Hall just in time for a quick breakfast before classes were about to start.
When they sat down, Harry was surprised by how few hostile glares were greeting him. Most students had apparently bought his explanation on the day before. Only a small group surrounding Ron and some Hufflepuffs who were joined by Cho sneered at him and whispered amongst each other.
"Huh, I thought it would be worse." he whispered to Hermione, pleased by the reaction the school. However, his mood soured when Ginny suddenly rose from the Gryffindor table and walked towards him.
"Good morning, Harry!" she greeted him and came to a halt behind Hermione, who sat to his right. "Could you move aside, Hermione? I'd like to sit there."
Harry frowned at the ridiculous request, given that the bench to his left was empty.
"Leave us alone, Ginny." he told her while Hermione decided to ignore the girl and simply continued eating her breakfast.
Ginny huffed and sat down on the bench next to him. "Harry, you shouldn't spend that much time with her." She glared hatefully at Hermione. "Don't you see that she's corrupting you? She made you use the Killing Curse! Please, Harry, let me help you!"
"Enough of this!" Harry growled and drew his wand. "Leave us alone! I won't say it again!"
"Okay okay, fine!" the redhead said hastily and stood up, raising her hands in a placating gesture. "I'll go. For now. But I won't give up on you, Harry. You hear that, Hermione? I won't give up on him!"
Hermione only chuckled lowly and shook her head as Ginny stomped away from them, while Harry scowled after the girl.
"She's completely crazy." he muttered. "What an annoying, crazy, stupid fucking bitch..."
He had saved her life by killing a basilisk, but killing a dragon to save his own life was apparently wrong and reprehensible to her. And she just couldn't let it go. He was starting to think that he had to do something about her. Though, that would actually be quite easy, he remembered. She also owed him a life debt, after all. A smirk formed on his face when he began to think about the possibilities.
When they returned to their chambers after breakfast - Harry was making full use of his privileges as a champion and decided to skip classes again - Hermione gave Harry a worried look.
"Are you still upset about Ginny?" she asked.
"Not really. Or, well, I guess I am, but I think there's an easy solution for our problem with her." he said with a grin.
"You're going to kill her, too?" Hermione asked with a neutral voice.
"Ah, I could, but wouldn't that be a waste?" he replied. "When she owes me a life debt just like you?"
Hermione's eyes widened. "You - you would - you want to have another slave?" she sputtered.
"Yeah, I'm seriously considering calling in the life debt just to teach her a lesson." Harry said. "Besides, don't you think it would be fun?"
Hermione didn't share his enthusiasm.
"I-I don't know, Master. I suppose it might be for you. I'll be yours either way. But - please, don't push me aside! I'll do anything for you, you know that. What can I do to... isn't it enough what I'm doing?" she asked, looking sad and anxious.
"Oh, Pet." Harry said softly and cupped her cheek. "You will still be my number one. Don't worry about that. But that doesn't mean that we can't have fun with another girl, does it?"
"Oh." Hermione muttered, giving him a questioning look. "What do you mean with 'we'? You want - Me and Ginny?"
"Well, she wants to break us up and she's targeting you. She might even try to hurt you. So it would only be fair that we both get to teach her the error of her ways, don't you think?"
"But - I'm not - I mean - How?"
"She would belong to me, of course, but I think you should also get to teach her. To train her." Harry explained to the flustered girl. "You'll be in charge of her. And if you're good, you'd get to enjoy her, too. You could give her orders as long as they don't contradict mine."
He moved his hand away from her face to massage her boobs while he pushed his other hand down her skirt and began stroking her pussy.
"Wouldn't you like to take charge of her?" he asked lowly. "Order her to lick your pussy? To suck on your clit and put her tongue deep inside you, licking up your juices and any cum I might have filled you up with?"
"I - Master!" Hermione gasped, her face flushed crimson.
Harry chuckled when he withdrew his hand from her, his fingers glistening with her wetness. "Yes, indeed. I see that you like that thought very much."
"Yes, Master." Hermione admitted, breathing heavily. She had never considered herself a lesbian or bisexual, but the thought of herself pleasuring her Master together with another girl still stirred something inside her. And somehow, it felt only fitting that there would be other girls. She loved him and she knew that he returned her feelings in a certain way, but she was his pet, his property. She didn't have a right to have him all to herself. As long as she remained the only girl he truly had feelings for, she could live with others getting involved. In fact, she thought that she might indeed come to enjoy it very much.
"I'm glad that we agree." Harry said happily. "It is decided then."
"Will... will Ginny be the only one?" Hermione asked carefully.
Harry grinned at the girl and laughed. "I like how you think! Why do you ask? Do you have any suggestions?"
"I... er..."
"Come on, tell me!" Harry urged her on.
"Well, didn't you have a crush on Cho?" she asked hesitantly. "And she's been mean to you, too."
"Huh." Harry muttered, grinning as he pictured three naked girls sharing his bed. "I did fancy her. She's pretty, though I didn't know she had such a shit personality."
He shrugged. "Not that her personality would matter much. But she doesn't owe me a life debt."
"No, she doesn't." Hermione admitted. "But there might be other ways. It would be something that we'd have to research."
"We will." Harry agreed, impressed with his slave once more. "But it will have to wait until we've dealt with more pressing problems."
"Dumbledore?"
"Yes. Dumbledore and Snape first." Harry decided. "And it will be best to act fast now, while they're still distracted with the tournament. I think we should move ahead with the plan soon. The first thing to do is getting some practice with the guns."
He quickly fetched the bag with the guns and ammunition he had stolen the night before and laid out its contents on the table in the living room.
"Wow!" Hermione muttered when she saw the guns. "Those are pretty big."
"Yes." Harry said and lifted one of two big semi-automatic handguns that were the standard sidearm for the British armed forces. "They might be too big to conceal them easily, actually. That's why I also brought two of these..."
He pulled out two small snubnosed revolvers from the bag. "Those should be perfect for us. I'm not sure what they are. Maybe they're older stock or sidearms for officers. But the officer I imperiused assured me that they're in good working condition. And all the guns are made of sturdy mechanical parts, nothing that magic could interfere with. Nothing fancy and no electrics. And I got more than enough ammunition for all guns."
"Good," Hermione said. "I guess we'll have to practice now? I get to join you, right?"
"You want to?" Harry asked.
"I - Yes, I think so, Master." she said. "And wouldn't it double your chances of success when you have backup?"
"Right." he agreed, happy that the girl was volunteering her help. "And I do have two guns of each model. So, yes, you can help."
"Thank you, Master." Hermione smiled, glad that she would get her own chance of revenge against Dumbledore and Snape.
"Alright" Harry said. "We'll have to plan how to best go about this. We'll have to kill Snape and Dumbledore and remain undetected. And Moody is an old pal of Dumbledore who also seems to have an unhealthy interest in me, so we should try to take him out, too. So, how do we do that?"
They pondered the question for a while, discussing and dismissing several options. They knew that the invisibility cloak wouldn't work against Dumbledore, so they decided that the best way to take him out would be to simply catch him alone in his office, conceal the guns in their robes and shoot him by surprise from a short distance. The same approach should also work for Snape and Moody. After all, pulling the trigger of a gun would be much faster than casting a spell.
However, they knew that they had to make their first shot count in order to be successful. They couldn't allow their victims enough time to react to the attack. That meant that they had to practice their shooting before they could proceed. It was what they had to do now.
BAM!
The sound of the gunshot rang through the Room of Requirement later that afternoon, though Harry thought that the silencing charms they had put on the guns earlier made the noise bearable at least.
"Only a Six." he said with a small frown as he lowered his revolver after his sixth and final shot at the target eight yards ahead. The guns weren't very accurate over longer distances, but he knew that they would serve their purpose in close-quarters.
He turned towards Hermione and smirked at her. "But I'm nine points ahead. I think you'll lose this round, too."
"We'll see about that." Hermione muttered and took aim at the numbered target, hoping to hit the bullseye to pull ahead. She exhaled slowly and then pulled the trigger.
BAM!
"An Eight!" Harry exclaimed. "That's impressive, but it's not enough. That was your last shot. You lose."
Hermione sighed and nodded.
They had been in the Room of Requirement for a few hours already, practising target shooting. At the same time, Harry had made a game out of it. They both got thirty shots or five full chambers of the revolvers, and they alternated shooting at the numbered target. When she scored more points, she was rewarded by getting to suck him off. When he scored more points, he first spanked her with a riding crop her and then fucked her.
Of six matches in total, this was the fourth match she had lost. The first time she had lost, Harry had spanked her arse with twenty lashes and then fucked her pussy from behind. The next time, he had given her twenty lashes to her tits before he had fucked them. Her face, her neck and her boobs were still covered with drops of cum from that round. And after her last defeat, he had given her sore butt twenty more lashes, only to the fuck her in the arse. She was nervous about what awaited her now.
"Well." she said and laid aside her revolver. "What will it be this time, Master?"
She walked towards the couch in the corner of the room and slipped out of her skirt and unbuttoned blouse, the only articles of clothing she was wearing. As the skirt glided off her and pooled around her feet, she turned her head back at her Master, looking at him nervously.
"Lie down on your back, legs apart." he commanded and fetched the riding crop from the top of a nearby cupboard.
"Yes, Master." Hermione said and gulped. She knew that it would be her pussy this time, which was always the most painful. She wished she had done a little better with the target shooting - she had only lost by one point, but that wouldn't help her now.
"Twenty lashes." Harry said as he approached her. "You know the drill."
"Yes, Master. Thank you, Master." she replied meekly and braced herself when Harry swung the crop.
SMACK!
"Oww!" Hermione groaned when the crop landed on her labia, leaving behind a pink mark. "One, Master. Thank you, Master!"
Swoosh!
SMACK!
"AAHH!" she cried out when Harry hit her sensitive clit with the crop. She felt her eyes watering in pain. "Fuck! Two, Master! T-Thank you, Master!"
The spanking continued on, and by the time she had endured the twenty lashes and Harry had filled her sore pussy with his cum, Hermione was highly motivated to win their next matches to avoid further punishments.
She narrowly won both of the two remaining matches before dinner, and Harry noted her relief with amusement. He only grinned and allowed her the small victory, knowing that they would continue their game after dinner and that her luck wouldn't hold forever. They still needed more practice with the guns, and their game would ensure that they both tried their hardest and got better as fast as they could.
They continued their training over the next days, and two days later, Harry felt that he and Hermione were ready to proceed with their plan. They had gotten a lot of practice with the guns within a short time. While they had started out by shooting on stationary targets, they now were able to hit small moving targets in only a split of a second, and reliably so if the target was close. It would be enough for what they had planned, he decided.
They had spent most of their time in the Room of Requirement, but Harry was glad that the students still kept their distance from them during meals and whenever they were in public.
All in all, it had been surprisingly easy to defuse the students' increased hostility after he had used the Killing Curse against the dragon. The Slytherins still didn't like him, but if there was any change at all, they seemed to respect him slightly more after his public display of dark magic. Some Hufflepuffs followed Cho's lead and claimed that Cedric's death had been his fault, but he ignored them. They didn't do more than glare at him hatefully, so it didn't bother him much, except that he was annoyed with Cho's attitude.
More bothersome was the small group of Gryffindors, led by Ron, who still believed him to be the next Dark Lord. And for some reason, they thought it was a good idea to keep insulting him. He thought he probably should be glad that they didn't resort to curses, but he often wondered what his House mates were hoping to achieve with their behaviour. Did they think it was a good idea to provoke a Dark Lord, did they think he would change if they kept on pestering him, or did they simply had a wish to die? He didn't know and just tried to ignore them for the moment.
The biggest annoyance however was Ginny, who still seemed to think she had to protect him from going dark. She always tried to sit with him at meals and constantly tried to get him away from Hermione's "corrupting influence". The only thing that kept Harry calm was the reminder that he would soon show her the error of her ways, as soon as Dumbledore was dealt with.
As for Dumbledore, Harry hadn't seen the old man at all since the first task, and he knew that the headmaster had been constantly holed up in meetings with the Ministry and the ICW, dealing with the fallout of the death of Cedric Diggory in the first task.
The press had also been tearing apart the old man, much to Harry's delight. The Daily Prophet had condemned Dumbledore and the other tournament organisers for setting up the far too dangerous first task.
Another pleasant surprise to Harry had been the Prophet's take on himself. He had feared that the paper would paint him as the next Dark Lord, but it instead depicted him as a valiant and tragic hero who had been forced to resort to extreme measures like the Killing Curse only due to the negligence of Dumbledore and the others. Apparently, Dumbledore made for a far juicier target for the Prophet than himself.
As such, it wasn't surprising that Dumbledore hadn't been much in the castle lately, and Harry was almost glad when he spotted the aged headmaster sitting at his usual spot at dinner on Friday three days after the first task.
"Look, he's back." Harry whispered to Hermione when they sat down. "Good. Because I think we're ready."
"Tonight then?" she asked.
"Yes." Harry confirmed. "If he doesn't leave again. Or if-"
He paused when he spotted Professor McGonagall approaching him.
"Mr Potter." the professor greeted him curtly and handed him a slip of parchment. "The headmaster would like to see you tomorrow morning."
"Alright, Professor. I'll be there." Harry answered, not giving anything away. He was actually glad about the summons, as the request for a meeting gave him a good opportunity to catch the old man unaware.
"Good. And, Mr Potter, could you please explain why neither you nor Miss Granger have been to your classes recently?"
"We don't have to be." Harry said with a shrug. "I'm a Triwizard champion and Hermione is my advisor. We spend our time practising for the next task of the tournament. After what happened three days ago, you can probably see why I would want to be as well prepared as possible."
"Very well, Mr Potter. Carry on." McGonagall sighed and returned to the head table. Harry was glad that she didn't argue the point even when he knew that the rules were on his side.
"Are we still going to do it tonight?" Hermione whispered to him when they were alone again.
"Yes." Harry decided. "I think this is a good way to catch him unaware. And, also..." He grinned and showed the girl the piece of parchment. "Bring toffee eclairs. Now we even know the password."
"That's good. But... wouldn't that make us the first suspects?" Hermione asked with a worried look.
"I think our distraction is good. Especially with how little trouble people are giving me at the moment." Harry said confidently, keeping his voice low. "Besides, while we might get in trouble if there was an extensive investigation, such a thing doesn't seem to exist here. It didn't happen for anything here at school, nor for Sirius, nor have I ever heard of criminal investigations in the last war. Have you?"
"No. I guess you're right." Hermione agreed. "As long as we present them with a culprit who looks guilty, that should be enough to forestall anyone from looking into it too closely."
"Exactly." Harry said. "Alright. So we'll do it tonight. Shortly before curfew, I think. The teachers won't be too suspicious when someone knocks at their door then."
"Right. In a bit over three hours then." the girl said. "What shall we do until then?
"I think I can think of something." Harry said with a grin. "Come on, eat up, and let's get back to our quarters soon."
Shortly before curfew, Harry and Hermione were huddled under the invisibility cloak near the entrance to Dumbledore's office.
Harry had brought along the Marauder's Map and checked it for any movements close-by. The map didn't show the teachers' offices and private quarters, but Harry was glad to see that no teachers were moving around in the corridors, and only a handful of students were hurrying towards their common rooms or were occupied in various broom cupboards in remote locations of the castle.
"Alright. All clear." he whispered to Hermione.
"Good." Hermione nodded and took out her dark black revolver from her pocket, checking it once more. Earlier that day, they had magically painted the guns in a dull black to better conceal them within their robes.
Harry also did a last check, switched the safety and then hid the revolver in his hand within his robes. Both revolvers had six rounds, which gave them twelve shots in total between them. He was confident that it would be more than enough.
"Alright." he said and took his wand in his left hand. "So, we go in, make sure that he's alone, and then we start shooting at once as soon as we have him in front of us. Follow my lead and don't hesitate! No delays."
"Yes." Hermione said, nodding nervously. "I'll keep watch of Fawkes and shoot him if he attacks us. And you'll take care of the paintings afterwards."
"Right. Ready?"
"Ready." the brunette confirmed, also palming her wand in her left hand.
They approached the gargoyle guarding the headmaster's office, their steps sounding through the dim empty corridors.
Still hidden under the cloak, Harry then stated loudly, "Toffee eclairs."
The gargoyle looked back and forth startled before it moved aside a moment later, giving access to the staircase leading up to Dumbledore's office.
Harry and Hermione crept up the stairs, but they stepped out from under the cloak when they reached the door to the office. They gave each other a last nod before Harry knocked loudly at the door.
"Yes? Enter." Dumbledore's voice sounded from inside.
Harry opened the door and quickly took in the office before he focused on the headmaster. He noted that Fawkes was not on his perch - maybe he was out hunting, or doing whatever else Phoenixes did in their pastime - and there were no other occupants in the room.
Dumbledore smiled when the two students entered his office. "Harry, my boy. And Miss Granger, what-"
Harry and Hermione took two steps into the office and raised their right hands simultaneously. Three yards distance. Even with a snubnosed revolver, this was hardly a challenge.
There was a flicker of worry in Dumbledore's eyes, but he didn't react. After all, Dumbledore saw that Harry and Hermione's wands were in their left hands, drawn, but pointed to the ground. The students clearly weren't a threat to him.
Dumbledore didn't see what they were holding in their right hands, concealed by their robes until their hands were fully raised. Even when he spotted the small metallic objects in their hands, he didn't recognize the small handguns as the deadly threat that they were. The split of a second during he which he could have reacted passed, and then it was too late.
The muzzles flashed as Harry pulled the trigger of his revolver and Hermione followed suit at once.
BAM! BAM!
The first two shots hit Dumbledore in his right shoulder and the center of his chest, throwing him back in his high-backed chair, his eyes bulging in utter shock.
BAM! BAM!
One bullet smashed into the chair above Dumbledore's shoulder. The other bullet hit the base of his neck in a spray of blood.
BAM! BAM!
His left shoulder and his chest again. The old man wasn't dead yet, he made a gargling noise from his throat while he fumbled for his wand. Harry and Hermione each took two steps forward, closing the distance to less than two yards.
BAM! BAM!
The old man's head snapped back as one bullet smashed his glasses and buried into his skull through his left eye. The other bullet slashed open the side of his neck.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Three more bullets impaled the dying man's chest as he slumped down in his chair. He was rocketed back by the impacts, then slumped forward again, his face coming to rest on the desk, his arms hanging limply to his sides.
The air was filled with the biting scent of powder. Hermione had emptied the cylinder of her revolver, but Harry had one shot left still. Dumbledore was most likely dead already, but better safe than sorry. Harry took a last step forward and pressed the muzzle of his revolver on the back of Dumbledore's head.
BAM!
The old man's whole body jerked as the bullet smashed into his skull, and a puddle of blood seeped outward from where his face lay, covering the table.
Wasting no time, Harry then switched his gun for his wand and aimed it at the portraits in the room.
"Incendio!" he shouted, and the powerful fire curse turned the portraits to ash before any of the shocked occupants had any chance to flee.
When Harry lowered his wand, there was an eerie silence in the room, the only sound the flicker of the dying flames. A few moments later, Hermione began to chuckle, causing Harry to join in moments later.
"So that was supposed to be the most powerful wizard in the world." she muttered.
"Not so powerful now!" Harry grinned. "Alright. Let's see if we can find anything useful here before we leave."
Hermione nodded and began casting some detection charms while Harry quickly checked the Marauder's Map again to make sure that there were no teachers out in the corridors. Luckily, it looked as if he and Hermione would have lots of time.
"Did you detect anything?" he asked the girl, who had carefully approached Dumbledore's desk.
"Not yet." she answered. "Maybe... Specialis Revelio!"
She shook her head. "No. Nothing. I can detect something like... maybe hidden compartments... in the desk and behind the wall near the desk, but I detect no protective enchantments. If there were any protections, maybe the charms have ended with Dumbledore's death."
Harry nodded thoughtfully. It might be the case that the old man had arrogantly believed himself invincible. Or maybe he had thought that no one would dare to invade his office. In either case, they were free to explore his office now.
Over the next hour, Harry and Hermione gathered many books from the office from various open and hidden shelves. They took Dumbledore's personal notebooks as well as a huge number of ancient tomes on dark magic and rituals that Dumbledore had apparently deemed unsuitable for the public eye.
They left behind most of the magical knickknacks that filled the office, but they also took a large collection of memory vials that they found near a Pensieve. Together with Dumbledore's notebooks, Harry hoped they would give them an insight into all of the headmaster's schemes and secret plans.
When they were done, he and Hermione threw around some explosive curses to destroy all the small magical trinkets they didn't take and to make it look as if a bigger fight had taken place.
The entire time, Harry kept track of the Marauder's Map, but there was still no movement in the corridors or on the grounds.
"Ready to leave?" he asked Hermione when he had shouldered the bag with their loot.
"Yes." she said and looked around in the destroyed office. "Just a small thing to add..."
The brunette swung her wand and conjured three fiery words above Dumbledore's corpse.
Harry's eyes widened when he saw the message the words spelled out before he laughed out loud.
"Brilliant!" he exclaimed. "Now for the second part of the deception..."
He aimed his wand at the window of the office.
"Reducto!"
The glass shattered and Harry stepped closer, pointing his wand out of the window.
"Morsmordre!"
He watched with satisfaction as the Dark Mark took form outside the window above the Headmaster's Tower.
"Perfect. If we're lucky, it will take a while until someone notices it." he said. "But let's move on quickly just in case."
"Yes." Hermione agreed. "Still no movement on the map?"
"No. Still all clear." Harry confirmed. "Let's drop off the bag in the Room of Requirement and then go to the dungeons. Snape is next."
"Yes, Master." Hermione said and opened the door of the office.
She waited for Harry to slip under the invisibility cloak with him, and together they left the devastated headmaster office to get to their next target.
Severus Snape looked up with annoyance when someone knocked at the door to his office and private quarters almost an hour past curfew.
"What is this?" he muttered and stepped towards the door. "You better have a very good reason to-"
He opened the door and was surprised to see Potter and Granger standing before him.
"Potter." he snarled. "What are-"
He halted mid-sentence when Potter and Granger raised their right hands, pointing something at him that was concealed under their robes but was too small to be a wand. Was this supposed to be some ill-conceived prank?
A split of a second later, Severus caught a glimpse of what they were hiding, and his eyes widened in shock when he recognised the objects for what they were. Those were guns!
He reached for his wand, but before his hand had moved more than a few inches, he could only watch with horror how both Potter and Granger - as if in slow motion - pulled the trigger of their guns.
BAM! BAM!
It felt as something hit him hard in his throat and Severus was knocked back and fell to the ground. He opened his mouth to scream, but only a gargle escaped his lips and he coughed up blood.
Lying on the floor, he managed to palm his wand, but there were two more deafening bangs only an instant later.
BAM! BAM!
Both his shoulders exploded in pain. His wand fell out of his numb hands and rolled over the floor.
"Stop!" Potter then suddenly shouted, and Granger gave an almost imperceptible nod, though she didn't lower her gun.
With his eyes wide in panic, Severus watched as Potter stepped towards him, purposefully stepping on the wand on the floor and breaking it in the process.
The boy smiled coldly at him, his gun pointing straight between Severus' eyes.
"I could shoot you in the head right now, you know?" Potter whispered. He paused and shook his head, smirking cruelly. "But that would be a much too clean death for you, don't you agree? But don't worry, it will be over soon."
Severus tried to speak again, to shout abuse at Potter, but he could only gargle unintelligibly as more blood filled his mouth.
The only thing he could do was to hatefully glare at the boy, who looked back at him with not a hint of compassion in his green eyes.
Severus felt his warm blood flooding out of the wound in his throat onto the floor and also filling his lungs. He was becoming lightheaded, and he panicked fully when he realized that he was about to die.
With his eyes bulging, he coughed up some more blood and struggled to breathe in some air, but it was of no use. He died in agony, drowning in his own blood while cursing the Potter brat in his mind.
The last thing he saw before blackness surrounded him were those cold green eyes.
Harry nodded with satisfaction when the life left Snape's eyes.
"Two down. One more to go." he said and opened his revolver to reload the empty chambers, Hermione doing the same.
"Let's go." the girl said when they were done. "Someone might have heard the shot and come investigating."
"Don't worry. It's fine." Harry said, glancing at the Marauder's Map. "There's no one around."
"Still, let's hurry." Hermione said, and Harry threw his invisibility cloak over the both of them.
They quickly made their way back out of the dungeons and through the castle, careful to avoid any paintings, and they arrived at Professor Moody's quarters only a few minutes later.
Harry knew that the paranoid ex-auror might be their most dangerous opponent tonight and he shared a tense look with Hermione. But despite his nervousness, he felt confident that they would get the drop on Moody. The professor wouldn't suspect them to be a threat, and the guns gave them a huge advantage.
Harry knocked at the door and waited for any sounds from inside.
He heard some steps getting closer, and a moment later, the door was yanked open and Moody stood in the doorway, his wand aimed at the two students.
"Potter." Moody gnarled. "Here for-"
Harry and Hermione raised their guns at the same time as Moody lowered his wand slightly.
BAM! BAM!
It was over at once. One bullet hit the man in the chest, the other right between his eyes. The back of his head exploded outward in a spray of blood and grey globs of brain matter.
"Whew." Harry breathed a sigh of relief as he looked at the corpse of the teacher. "I guess we were lucky."
"Do you want to raid his office, too?" Hermione asked.
"No, let's get back to our quarters before our luck runs out." Harry decided, and Hermione readily agreed.
They sneaked through the castle back to their chambers and arrived there after only a short detour to avoid Filch patrolling near the library.
"We did it!" Harry exclaimed happily when he closed the door behind him.
"We really did!" Hermione said enthusiastically.
"I think we should celebrate."
"Totally!" Hermione nodded and almost ripped her clothes off her body in her haste to strip down.
Harry very much enjoyed her enthusiasm while he unbuckled his trousers, looking very much forward to the rest of the night.
While Harry and Hermione celebrated their victory with much vigour - first in the shower and then in bed - they couldn't help but wonder when the alarm would be raised in the castle and when people would begin to panic.
And there would be panic, there was no question about it.
After all, right now, two dead teachers were lying in a puddle of their own blood in their offices. The Dark Mark flew over the headmaster's tower. And in the middle of his raided and destroyed office, the cold corpse of the headmaster was slumped onto his desk in a pool of blood.
And in the air above the dead body of Albus Dumbledore hung seven fiery letters, spelling out a simple message consisting of only three short words:
I am back.