They took the next few minutes to recon the surrounding corridors quickly.
Harry led Ron, Neville, Seamus, and Dean in a sweep of the passage outside, checking for hidden nooks and behind closed doors.
Normally, Peeves the poltergeist might have popped up—or the Bloody Baron might have lurked in the shadows—but there was no sign of any ghostly presence.
"The ghosts… Has anyone seen even one?" Harry asked.
Seamus shook his head. "Not a one. S'like they vanished with the adults."
The absence left Harry unsettled.
What kind of ward got activated that even the ghosts disappeared?
When they returned to the kitchens, they found Ernie fiddling with a small bell near the door. "If someone crosses this threshold while we're away, it'll trigger a shrieking sound," he explained.
"Smart," Dean said approvingly. "Almost like the Sneakoscope we used a while back."
Harry set his wand against the doorframe, murmuring a few incantations, the last of which was 'Protego Totalum'.
A thin shimmer of light flared and then vanished.
"That should reinforce the door. Hopefully, it'll hold until someone can respond."
Ernie raised an eyebrow. "You know your wards," he said curtly, but Harry caught the glimmer of respect underneath.
"You learn a thing or two when near Dumbledore," Harry replied with a wry smile.
Ernie was just about to ask for what else Harry knew when a sudden, silvery blur swooped into the kitchen—a bright otter Patronus, shimmering and agile as it glided through the air.
It landed before Harry, opening its small mouth to speak in Hermione's voice:
"Harry! We've run into trouble at the library. That Ravenclaw group from earlier is trying to claim it for themselves. We can't let them lock it down—there's too much at stake here. We're at a stalemate, and we need help. Come quickly!"
The Patronus vanished, leaving a hush in its wake.
Ron let out a frustrated growl. "So much for quietly sitting in the kitchens. Now we've got a fight over the library too."
Harry scrubbed a hand over his face, exhaustion pulling at him.
"We can't lose the library. If a group claims it, they'll control every spell book and every bit of knowledge we might need to get out of here."
Ernie frowned at him. "Are you leaving, then?"
Harry nodded. "I have to. Hermione's with some of the sixth-years and the seventh-year girls, but apparently they aren't enough. We'll go there, deal with the situation, and then I'll send some people back."
"We'll handle things here while you do that then," Ernie said, sounding surprisingly resolute. He hesitated, then added, "If anything goes sideways, send a patronus."
"I will," Harry promised.
He glanced back at Ron, Neville, Seamus, and Dean. "Let's go."
"Be careful," Ernie urged as they turned around to leave again.
Harry gave him a tight nod and turned for the exit.
As the five Gryffindors slipped out into the corridor again, Harry couldn't shake the sense of dread settling over him.
"Neville, as soon as this is over, you need to start growing stuff because we can't keep relying on the Hufflepuffs. We need our own food source," Harry said, fearing the possible backstab.
Neville nodded grimly. "I'll get on it as soon as we sort this out."
"Let's move," he said grimly, leading them at a run.
They had one more front to secure in a school that felt more like a battleground every passing hour…
The corridors leading to the library seemed darker than before—perhaps because the five Gryffindors were moving at such a frantic pace, or perhaps because there truly were fewer lights burning in the sconces.
Harry could still see the faint golden lines tracing their way along the walls, the magical threads that had shown up after the adults disappeared, casting dancing patterns across the cold stone.
What are these lines? Why are there so many damned questions?Harry wondered, shaking his head to clear away both the mounting frustration and the exhaustion threatening to drag him down.
He hadn't slept properly since the day before coming to Hogwarts, and it was starting to take its toll.
Still, there was no time for rest—not with the library situation demanding immediate attention.
Every time they seemed to get a handle on a problem, three more popped up to take their place…
They reached the familiar oak doors of the library to find them wide open—and a tense standoff just inside.
The familiar group, mostly consisting of Ravenclaws, all wore determined expressions and faced off against Hermione's group.
Before Harry came with the rest of the older Gryffindors, the two groups were evenly matched in number.
The numbers now tilted heavily in favour of Gryffindor, though Harry wished it hadn't come to counting wands at all.
Still, he couldn't deny feeling relieved at having a backup as he assessed the tense scene before him.
"There's Harry!" Ginny exclaimed excitedly at their sudden entrance.
For a second, his gaze lingered on her hair—fiery strands glinting in the low torchlight—then travelled to the determination in her eyes, and he felt a flicker of warmth despite the tense standoff.
She smiled at him, the tension in her posture easing a fraction.
A curious mixture of relief and guilt twisted in his chest.
Relief, because he trusted Ginny's wandwork and her level-headedness more than almost anyone there.
Guilt, because he could barely remember the last time they'd had a spare moment to talk properly.
He couldn't recall if he'd even managed to ask how she was holding up under the strain of it all…
The Ravenclaw group wasn't as excited about them coming, though.
They whipped around, alarm flickering across their faces.
Harry recognised Terry Boot among them—he had always seemed levelheaded, but now his eyes were narrowed with an intensity that reminded Harry that desperation could bring out surprising sides in people.
"Harry," Hermione called relief mixing with urgency in her tone. "We've managed to keep them from sealing off the library, but they aren't backing down."
Terry Boot shifted, wand still raised but angled away from Hermione's group. "We're not trying to hog everything!" he protested. "But we can't let vital spellbooks fall into the wrong hands. People are forming groups all over the castle—you've seen it yourselves. If we don't secure the library, someone else will."
Harry was starting to get annoyed with the knowledge everyone seemed to possess.
Were we the only ones who went to sleep?
"And you think you should be the ones to claim it?" Ron retorted, stepping forward with a challenging glare. "Just because you got here first?"
"We never said that," shot back a Ravenclaw girl Harry vaguely recognised from Charms class but wasn't sure about her name.
Lisa something,he thought, wracking his brain to remember her last name.
Lisa Turpin—Harry suddenly remembered—stood her ground defiantly, her wand still raised.
"But it's no secret that Slytherins have a head start on everyone else. They might come here, too. Why shouldn't Ravenclaw ensure knowledge doesn't get misused?"
"Because knowledge belongs to all of us, not to a single house," Hermione said very fiercely.
Terry Boot's gaze flickered, and he exchanged uncertain looks with the others in his group.
For a moment, Harry thought they might just turn around and leave, considering their number disadvantage.
But then, a Ravenclaw girl, who Harry didn't know, straightened her shoulders.
"We have to ensure that no one side can weaponise this place," she said, her voice trembling slightly with conviction. "We only came to lock it up until everyone could agree on rules."
Not this shit again,Harry thought, barely resisting an eye roll.
How many more groups would he have to negotiate with before the night was over?
Harry glanced from one Ravenclaw face to another, then at Ron and Neville beside him.
Terry Boot, wand half-lowered but still ready for a fight, stood at the front of the Ravenclaw group.
Behind him, Lisa Turpin and a few other determined faces hovered in a tight semicircle, clearly unwilling to surrender the library.
Hermione, her wand still raised defensively, shot Harry a pleading look.
She wanted this resolved without hexes, and Harry could feel the burden of leadership settling heavily on his shoulders.
"We have to ensure that no one side can weaponise this place," the Ravenclaw girl reiterated, her voice trembling slightly with conviction. "We only came to lock it up until everyone could agree on rules."
A slight hush followed.
Harry exhaled tiredly, bracing himself.
"Listen," he began, taking a careful step forward. "We're on the same side here—believe it or not. Iagreewe can't let one group—and that includesmygroup—take over the library. We can't defend it all on our own, not every bloody hour of the day. If we start fighting amongst ourselves, we'll lose this place to the first outside threat that comes along. That's no good foranyof us."
A murmur spread through the Ravenclaws as they exchanged uncertain looks.
Lisa Turpin frowned, her brow creased. "But if we stand down now, what's to stop you from setting up your own guard behind our backs?"
Ron shifted, his voice full of annoyance. "We're not scheming to take over. We're too busy just trying everything to—"
Before he could finish, a tall sixth-year Gryffindor with a perpetually anxious look—Damon Rutherford—snapped his wand arm upward.
He'd been keeping close to Ron's side all this time, his knuckles white against the wood.
The tension in the room, crackling with fear and suspicion, seemed to coalesce around him all at once.
A jolt of panic shot through Harry—he could see Damon's intentions as clear as daylight.
"Damon,stop!" Harry barked.
But Damon's wand was already rising, pointed directly at Terry Boot.
A faint red shimmer flickered at the tip of the wand, as though he was about to cast a Blasting Curse or a Stunner.
Harry immediately darted forward and clamped a hand around Damon's wrist, forcing the wand arm upward.
"We're not cursing anyone tonight!" he hissed through clenched teeth.
Damon's eyes were wild, adrenaline fuelling his grip.
"They threatened us first!" he insisted, voice shaking.
Harry took a second, steadying breath—feeling very much like he was back at the Department of Mysteries, trying to keep chaos at bay.
He met Damon's gaze and forced a calm into his tone that he didn't feel.
"They're not the bad guys, Damon. We settle this without hexes."
Gradually, Damon's breathing slowed; he relaxed his grip enough for Harry to gently but firmly lower the wand.
Nearby, Ron and Neville exhaled in relief.
On the other side, the Ravenclaws had tensed, forming tighter ranks with wands at the ready.
Terry Boot's expression flashed between shock and anger, but he hadn't launched a counterattack.
The library had come perilously close to becoming a duelling ground.
And that's just the first night,Harry thought grimly.
If they'd nearly come to blows this quickly, what would happen when real fear and desperation set in? The prospect was chilling.
Hermione strode forward, her voice loud enough to cut through the tension.
"Look, everyone. All of us want the library safe. All of us want to make sure no one house can exploit these books for the wrong reasons. So let's do that—together."
Terry pressed his lips into a thin line. "And you really think that can work?" he asked quietly, making it clear he wasn't convinced.
Harry let Damon step behind him. "Yeah," he said, giving Terry a measured nod. "We establishjoint control. Ravenclaws, Gryffindors… maybe even Hufflepuffs if they'll volunteer. We take shifts guarding the doors. We set basic rules—maybe we don't let younger students just waltz in and pick up advanced curses. And if Slytherin tries anything, at least we have a lot more wands working together to fend them off."
A ripple of cautious relief and curiosity spread through both sides.
Terry Boot seemed to weigh Harry's words carefully, glancing over at Lisa Turpin.
She offered a slow nod and they both lowered their wands another fraction.
Thank God,Harry thought, watching the tension slowly drain from both groups.
The library was still a powder keg, but at least it wouldn't explode tonight.
Hermione, eyes alight with purpose, seized the moment. "And about the books themselves… maybe we keep the Restricted Section extra secure. We can have anOpen Logfor anyone who wants to check out a more advanced text. They'd have to put down their name, House, and reason for reading it."
"Don't forget rotating guards," suggested Neville, clearing his throat. "Even if we trust each other, nobody's going to want to stand watch twenty-four hours a day."
Terry's eyes flickered in thought. "A handful of Ravenclaws, Gryffindors, maybe some Hufflepuffs. That way, no single group claims ownership."
Damon Rutherford, standing sheepishly behind Harry, finally tucked his wand into his pocket and murmured, "Sounds… logical."
He still looked unsettled, but Harry was glad to see the immediate threat of a curse was gone.
That confrontation was way too close.
Lisa Turpin took a tentative step forward. "If we do this, we have to be sure everyone sticks to it. We've already known about the Slytherins on the seventh floor and the Puffs in the kitchen."
Harry gave a short nod, wondering once again how everyone—but them—seemed to know the happenings in the castle.
Ron let out a slow breath, with *tension still evident in the line of his shoulders. "So that's that, then? We're… working together?"
A tentative, relieved chuckle rose from somewhere in the Ravenclaw ranks.
Terry Boot extended a hand—slightly sweaty, definitely shaky.
Harry reached out and grasped it in a firm handshake that felt momentous in the hush of the library.
In the grand scheme of things, it was just another temporary alliance. But as Hermione started dictating the details of a schedule—rotating guards set at four-hour intervals, an Open Log for accessing advanced texts, and a protective set of wards at each entrance—Harry couldn't help but feel a little lighter.
He surveyed the ancient shelves stretching into the distance, the glow of the floating lamps glinting off rows of carefully bound volumes.
This is Hogwarts' repository of knowledge—the place that could hold answers about our escape.
They'd need it.
"Right then," Harry murmured, catching Hermione's relieved smile. "This is a start. Let's hope it's enough."
To his surprise, Terry Boot echoed the sentiment.
"It'll have to be… because if we lose the library, we lose a major way to get ourselves out of this mess."
And with that shaky but crucial accord, both groups dispersed, leaving four members from each group behind…
As they approached the towering oak doors of the Gryffindor common room, Harry felt a surge of exhaustion wash over him.
But something felt off even before he reached the entrance.
The familiar, animated portraits flanking the doorway now appeared dull and lifeless, their once vibrant colours muted as if drained of magic.
"Do you guys see this?" Harry asked, his voice tinged with disbelief as he gestured toward the portraits.
Dean and Seamus, who were ahead of their little group, glanced over, their expressions mirroring his concern.
"What the hell? They were perfectly normal earlier!" Seamus exclaimed, running his fingers along the portrait frame.
The paint felt cold and oddly brittle beneath his touch.
"Pig Snout," Dean spoke the password to the Fat Lady, not expecting anything to happen.
However, the portrait swung open with its usual swing, revealing the darkened common room within.
Just another thing to add to the growing pile of mysteries,Harry thought grimly.
The familiar warmth of the common room should have been comforting, but the sight that greeted them only deepened Harry's unease.
More portraits adorned the walls, each one as mundane and lifeless as the ones at the entrance
Is there anything left besides us students? Harry wondered, a frown marring his face.
The castle's magic seemed to be failing one by one.
Even the usually warm, crackling fireplace remained cold and silent.
That's probably from the absence of the house elves though,he deduced, thankful that there was at least one explanation he could find in this mess.
Still, the eerie stillness of the common room made his skin crawl.
He turned around, meeting his fellow Gryffindors' gazes.
The events of the night had clearly taken their toll on all of them.
"Thanks, everyone. I don't know if we could have moved as fast without you," Harry said, forcing a tired smile. "You should all get some rest now… we don't know what tomorrow morning will bring."
The remaining sixth and seventh-year Gryffindors nodded wearily before trudging up the spiral staircases, their footsteps echoing in the unnaturally quiet tower…
Ron and Ginny were overseeing the kitchen defences, while Neville, Hermione, and two sixth-year girls had just started their first four-hour shift guarding the library entrances
Sigh.
I suppose I should also go catch some sleep. Who knows when I'll be able to do so again…Harry thought, dragging his feet toward the boys' dormitory.
As he pushed open the dormitory door, the familiar sight of his four-poster bed beckoned like a sanctuary in the midst of all this chaos.
His eyes landed on the two occupied beds, their occupants fast asleep despite the night's events.
They are working quickly,Harry thought, slightly amused.
Dean and Seamus didn't even bother to take off their clothes, probably having collapsed onto their beds the moment they reached the dormitory.
Harry couldn't blame them—the night's events were exhausting.
He doubted that he'd fall asleep as soon as his dorm mates.
Nevertheless, Harry took a step towards the tantalising bed, his muscles aching from the evening's events.
The moonlight filtering through the tower windows cast long shadows across the dormitory floor, making the familiar room feel oddly foreign.
As he changed into his pyjamas, his mind couldn't help but drift to his friends stationed throughout the castle, hoping they were staying safe.
He was about to close his trunk when suddenly—
I'm such an idiot. How could I forget all about the Map and the cloak?he thought, mentally berating himself over and over again.
Harry yanked his trunk open again and rummaged through his belongings until his fingers brushed against the familiar silky texture of his Invisibility Cloak and the worn parchment of the Marauder's Map.
These two will be invaluable in monitoring the castle's activity, especially with our numbers spread so thin.
Harry carefully laid the Cloak aside, then unfolded the Map on his trunk.
He tapped his wand against the surface of the parchment and breathed, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."
At first, nothing happened.
No webs of ink, no curling lines identifying hidden passageways.
No. Not the Map too…Harry's fingers tightened around his wand as he stared at the blank parchment, willing it to work properly.
His heart skipped a few beats before the Map finally revealed itself, though not in its usual crisp detail.
The lines were fainter, flickering like firelight in a draughty corridor.
There were smudged markings; places on the Map that looked as if they had been scuffed by something dark and oily.
And then, as he scanned for dots of life around the castle, he saw something else…
Two Seamus Finnigans hovered next to his name.
You've got to be fucking me.
Harry felt his blood run cold, his gaze darting between the two dots marked 'Seamus Finnigan' and the sleeping form of his classmate.
Harry blinked and looked closer.
Another pair of duplicates appeared to be Padma Patil—both in the Astronomy Tower.
Huh. What's she doing there?he wondered curiously as his eyes moved elsewhere.
Some names were absent entirely.
Ron's dot blinked in and out like a dying light bulb, making it impossible to track his exact position.
Whatever had happened to the magic of Hogwarts seemed to be affecting the Map's enchantment too.
Great, just great. What else did the wards fuck up?
He frowned, looking at the other object he'd pulled from his trunk: the silvery folds of his Invisibility Cloak.
By contrast, it felt whole beneath his fingertips, its magic intact.
Taking care not to wake Dean or Seamus, Harry stood and threw the Cloak over his shoulders.
At once, the moonlight no longer glinted on his hair.
His arms vanished before his eyes, his shadow disappeared from the dormitory floor.
He let out a slow breath, relief washing through him.
At least the Cloak is okay,Harry thought relieved.
He pulled it off again, the material slipping like water between his fingers as he folded it neatly and placed it next to the still-open Map.
Unlike the portraits and the Map, its power is untouched by whatever force messed up the castle's magic. I suppose the wards only affected things that are tied to Hogwarts itself. The Cloak's magic is independent, tied to its own ancient enchantments—just like our wands.
Harry sighed, running a hand through his messy hair as his thoughts raced.
He gently tapped the Map once more, muttering the usual phrase to clear it. The lines faded, leaving nothing but aged parchment.
No good counting on the Map entirely,he thought, rolling it up.
He tucked it safely in his trunk next to the Cloak, carefully latching the lid and muttering a locking charm.
"Colloportus Duo."
The trunk gave a soft squelching noise as the lid sealed shut.
Harry tugged it lightly to test the charm, and the lid held firm.
It was a simple spell that could stop anAlohomora.
This is definitely not enough, but I don't know any better locking charms…he thought, planning on asking Hermione for something more advanced.
Raising his wand again, Harry took a breath and cast a few more spells.
The first spell was theImperturbable Charm, which would prevent anyone from tampering with the trunk physically.
The rest were the same as those he cast on the door of the kitchens.
Satisfied for the moment, Harry finally allowed himself to collapse onto his bed.
Despite his earlier doubts, sleep claimed him almost instantly.
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IMPORTANT: COMMENT DOWN WHAT SHIPS YOU WANT OR DON'T WANT TO SEE IN THIS FIC. GO WILD. IF WE GO WITH HARRY/GINNY, I WON'T WRITE A GINNY WE'LL ALL HATE. KEEP IN MIND SOME OTHER CHARACTERS AS WELL: RON, HERMIONE, TERRY BOOT, NEVILLE, ERNIE MACMILLAN, LUNA, SUSAN BONES, HANNAH ABBOT, MALFOY, ETC.
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[p=atreon=.=c=o=m/Mr_0ne] : Chapter 10 - It's starting
Or do a Google search of 'p=atreon Fake Violinist'.
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