A long time ago, on their first night after arriving at Hogwarts, Matthew had claimed that the comfy armchair by the roaring fire would forever be his own. Hermione hadn't believed him at the time, not truly understanding at that stage just how stubborn the boy could be. In the end, he'd been frustratingly correct in his assertion. There were very few people in Gryffindor who dared take his spot, lest Matthew arrived in a particularly foul mood.
It was where Hermione found him that evening, though he seemed more interested in the parchment laid across his lap rather than the flickering flames. She knew Matthew well enough to grasp that he was in a grump, brought on by Harry's surprise news that he had a date with Enola. She'd expected a full blown argument, in which both of her boys traded ill-thought-out comments until one or both of them were left insulted. She'd been pleasantly relieved when Matthew had graciously given their friend the go-ahead.
Now that she was dealing with the uncomfortable silence, Hermione reckoned she would have preferred the argument.
Walking up behind him and leaning over the chair, she placed her arms around his neck and placed a chaste kiss to his cheek. It was the sort of easy embrace and public display of affection that she once would have balked at, and now it felt like the most natural thing in the world. Matthew didn't jump at her touch nearly as much as she might have liked, which meant that he'd somehow known she was lurking nearby and had simply wanted to see what she would do.
"What are you looking at?" she murmured into his ear.
Spying the large piece of parchment that had caught his attention, Hermione realised that it was more recognisable than she'd originally expected. She'd always viewed the Marauder's Map with thinly veiled suspicion, wondering whether it was actually an act against people's privacy. But she had to admit that it had come in handy from time to time. It just didn't explain why Matthew was using it now, or why he'd taken it from Harry's trunk in the first place.
"Nothing in particular," he answered, far too easily in her opinion.
Hermione was never going to be dismissed so swiftly and so, realising that her boyfriend wasn't going to be forthcoming, she scanned the map for herself. Given what had happened earlier and the details that Harry had shared, she knew to focus her search towards the Astronomy Tower. Which, conveniently, the map had been folded to highlight. With a keen eye, she spotted the small names of Harry and Enola, with their footprints exceedingly close together.
She didn't want to ponder in too much detail what exactly that meant.
Matthew seemed to sense that Hermione had seen through his poorly-attempted lie. "I'm just checking up on him. Making sure everything's alright. Making sure he hasn't been carted off somewhere that we don't know about."
"He's on a date, Matthew," Hermione pointed out.
"The perfect time to strike. He'll be too worried about dribbling in front of Enola…or falling over his shoelaces…to focus on proper spellwork."
She smirked at his protectiveness. "You know you have your own girlfriend, right?"
He frowned. "...yes? Is this some kind of test? Or have you been hit with an Obliviate?"
"You have a girlfriend who you could be focusing on, rather than fretting about Harry having a late-night picnic."
"I'm talking to you right now, aren't I?"
She did well not to roll her eyes. "Yes. But you could be doing more, if you catch my drift. The sort of things that people believe store cupboards were designed for. And the best thing is that we have a Tardis for an added layer of privacy."
It took a couple of seconds before Matthew's eyes lit up. He might have been an incredibly smart student, but he was also endearingly dim-witted when he wanted to be. It was a part of his charm, or so she kept telling herself. But Hermione wasn't going to complain as he tucked the map away into his cloak, practically leaping over the chair to take her up on the offer of some much needed private time. If it helped to cheer him up and take his mind off things, then she was willing to go that extra mile.
There was no other ulterior motive, of course.
As had been the case many times over the years, it was when they were at their most excitable when life tended to bite them on the rear end. Matthew was in the middle of chasing after Hermione, ignoring the disgruntled looks from their fellow House members, when he was soon pausing by the far window. Hermione was slightly irritated that he was once again being distracted, but then she spotted the bright flash of light from outside, followed by a current of black mist billowing up to the sky.
An outside perspective would probably have found the change in their demeanour remarkable to witness. One second, they were two lovey dovey teenagers planning a serious snog session (or more, though those details didn't need sharing). The next moment, they were two seasoned fighters who'd dealt with more threats than they should have done at such a young age. They both shared a concerned look, ready to reach for their wands.
Hermione could feel her hands shaking, doing her best to clamp down on the show of nerves. "Is that…?"
"The Forbidden Forest, yeah," Matthew replied grimly. "Exactly where Enola's Tardis was left."
She could already sense the guilting bubbling away within the boy before her. He'd only just relented when it came to Enola, finally having the strength to give her the benefit of the doubt. It was as if she'd been waiting for that precise moment to make her true intentions known, so that it would be even more devastating for Matthew. Hermione was hoping that she'd be able to come across the other girl, so that she could hand out her own retribution for the torment she'd created.
"You can't have known."
"I should have been more wary. We should have kept a closer eye on her ship."
Hermione squinted through the glass. "What is it even doing?"
A shimmering dome had appeared over Hogwarts by that point, the protective wards being called into action. As the shield absorbed the power being generated by the other Tardis, it began to weaken. Scars could be seen amongst the latticework, holes that were growing the longer it was subjected to the onslaught. Further tendrils of smoke could be seen moving in the opposite direction, but Hermione couldn't tell whether it was a by-product of the attack or something else entirely.
"I think she's trying to bring down the wards."
"What for? To let someone else in?"
"A whole army?"
"They could step onto the grounds of the school without any sort of resistance."
"Well, we're not exactly going to make it easy for them."
"I really wish that I couldn't already tell what you're thinking."
"This is an urgent announcement," Dumbledore's voice boomed around the room, somehow making use of a tannoy system they hadn't realised was in place. "Hogwarts is under attack. For your safety, the House common rooms will be on lockdown until we can ascertain the full extent of the situation. Please follow my advice when I tell you to stay within that shelter, and make sure to lean on your peers at this trying time. Thank you for your cooperation."
Matthew looked at Hermione. "Harry's going to be trapped outside."
It was well established that the couple usually operated on the same wavelength, often sharing one brain cell. It meant neither of them had to say anything else before they were charging across the common room. Whilst Hermione more delicately navigated the obstacles blocking her path, Matthew was happy to vault over the occasional sofa, leaving the already panicked students shaking their heads in annoyance. He still had the composure to drag Hermione through the portrait hole, not willing to risk being disconnected at such a troubling time.
It was only once they were outside that they discovered that more people had followed their course of action. Ginny had been able to fit through the exit with little fuss, though Neville had tripped over the threshold and had done well not to fall flat on his face. The pair seemed completely oblivious to the scandalised glares being sent in their direction, despite the fact that neither Hermione or Matthew had a leg to stand on when it came to people not following the rules.
There was no chance of anyone else repeating the trick, seeing as the entrance was soon completely sealed. When Dumbledore had said that the common rooms would be locked down, he hadn't been playing about. The usual painting of the Fat Lady had been covered up by a shining sheet of metal, keeping the students inside away from any potential attackers. Hermione wanted to spend some time evaluating the defensive measures, working out the charms that were keeping it in place, but she reckoned there were more important things to focus on.
When the problem was dealt with, she'd definitely be checking 'Hogwarts: A History' to see if it mentioned the protocols.
"What the hell are you two doing?" Matthew seethed, squaring up to a nervous Neville. "Do you have any idea what you've just done?"
"We heard you talking," Ginny said in their defence. "About Harry. And how you were going to look for him."
"We decided that it wasn't safe for the two of you to be on your own right now," Neville added.
"It's not exactly safe for you, either," Matthew retorted.
"It was a rash choice, I admit."
Ginny folded her arms. "But not one we're going to go back on."
"You can't go back on it even if you wanted to," Hermione told them. "No one's coming in or out of that room until the danger's over with."
"So you think there is actually some danger?" Neville asked.
"Obviously enough to send Dumbledore into a panic," Matthew replied. "This is a planned attack. There's no telling who'll be looking to take advantage."
"Death Eaters?"
"It isn't a question of 'if' they're Death Eaters. It's a matter of just how many there are."
"You should hunker down here," Hermione proposed. "Hide away. If they are looking to break into the school, it'll be a while before they reach this high up in the castle. It's as safe as you can be now."
Ginny was already wielding her wand. "Fat chance of that happening. You might have more experience than us when it comes to this sort of thing, but we've been learning quite a lot of survival tactics from your sessions."
Matthew grimaced. "I always knew that that club would lead to trouble."
xxxxxxxxxx
"Enola…" Harry whispered.
It felt like his entire body was vibrating. It felt like his mind was about to finally give up. He was still reeling from the positive effects of their kiss, but he likely wouldn't have been able to process the situation even if he had his full cognitive abilities. As it was, there was a storm raging outside, threatening to throw the school into oblivion. And yet it didn't compare to the one brewing in front of him now, the one he had no idea as to how he was going to deal with.
Enola didn't look any different. She was still the gorgeous young woman he'd been falling for. But, having seen what she was like at Malfoy Manor, he could detect that influence of darkness in her gaze. He could sense that steeliness in her eyes and the resoluteness of her grip. The grip she was using to point her wand directly at him, as if he were some sort of enemy. When he should have been the boy she was falling for too. That's what she said. That's what made the betrayal sting even more.
"What have you done?" he asked.
"Everything's going to work out if you just listen to me," she said.
He waved a ragged arm at the torrent in the near distance. "Does this look like things are working out?"
"It's reasonable for you to be confused. I wouldn't be surprised if you're scared."
"I'm hurt, Enola. You used me."
She took a step backwards, her eyes briefly widening before she reclaimed her composure. It was the first chink in her armour, a sign of weakness that hadn't been present when they'd first met. Harry wanted to see that as evidence that she wasn't truly stabbing him in the back, that there was something else at play. But he was slowly learning that he'd already given her too much leeway, forever willing to think the best of her because of his irrational feelings.
"I…I wouldn't do that," she argued.
"Then tell me what's going on! It's your Tardis that's doing this, isn't it? That's why you kept it in the forest."
"Once Voldemort realised that you wanted me by your side, he came to the conclusion that it could work to his advantage. I told you to look out for someone working on the inside, Harry. I just didn't tell you that I was the one you should have been watching out for."
"What is the Tardis doing? What's the point of all this?"
"The defences around Hogwarts are practically impenetrable and it would be a death wish to attempt crossing them without precautions. As you can imagine, Voldemort was very keen in finding a loophole around that. Thanks to Matthew's antics, he's witnessed just how powerful a Tardis can be. Powerful enough to block the killing curse. Powerful enough to send him to a different continent. If he could harness that power for himself…then he'd finally have a chance of getting what he's always wanted."
"And you gave that up straight away? As the obedient, little servant you are."
"Do you think insults are going to cut away at me, Harry?"
"I'm just stating facts. It's up to you how you take them."
"The Tardis is a useful tool. I couldn't deny that once Voldemort set his sights on her. I was initially concerned that it wasn't going to work, given she had so much difficulty in landing originally. But then she broke through, creating that inner link that Voldemort so sorely needed. The wards will now crumble and those waiting on the other side will be able to sneak through the gaps."
"And kill everyone here."
"I'm not involved in whatever happens next, Harry. My role ends now."
"You can't just wash your hands of this! There wouldn't be a next part without you first getting involved. The fact that you can't see that just proves what sort of a person you are."
"You hardly know anything about me."
"You know what? You might be right about that. Because I truly started to think that you were a decent person, someone who was worth growing close to. Did you sense that? Did you realise I liked you and that you could use that to your advantage?"
"I haven't been using you, Harry. Never."
"You used me to get on the inside. You've dragged me up to the top of this tower now. For what? To keep me out of the way? To keep me from attacking Voldemort? Because, from personal experience, he won't be too happy about me being out of his reach. You wouldn't want to upset your master, would you?"
"He's not my master."
"It's easy for you to say that. But you've followed his plan to a tee. You skipped on down to Hogwarts, just so that he could tear down the walls. You'll get rewarded for this. He might treat you with a speck of decency, rather than the usual contempt he saves for his minions."
"You've got it all wrong, Harry."
"Oh, yeah, because you're claiming to not be involved anymore. Now that your part is done with. Yet you're the one pointing the wand at me. If you're not bothered about what happens now, you should be more than happy to get out of my way."
He knew it was a risk, but Harry was too irate and emotional to think about his safety. He made the bold decision to move from his spot, despite Enola's ongoing threat. He'd seen what she could do. He knew that she could turn him inside out within a matter of seconds. But, with the way his heart had been torn asunder and how he was worrying about the fate of everyone else in the castle, he'd gone past the point of caring. And that was always a dangerous place to find himself, both for his own safety and for that of the person antagonising him.
He was able to take a couple of steps, which made Harry believe that Enola was going to relent, despite her previous claims. But, with him growing in confidence and a panicked look forming in Enola's eyes, she fired a fizzing shot towards the stone floor. It collided with the surface right in front of Harry's feet, forcing him to jump back slightly. In one fell swoop, all the momentum he'd been building had been robbed from him, leaving him in exactly the same position as before.
"Can't you see that I'm trying to protect you?" Enola said angrily, her frustrations beginning to show.
Harry was sure he couldn't have possibly been hearing right. "Protecting me? You're the only reason that I'm in danger in the first place."
"You're not in danger. Not with me. Not up here. Why do you think I suggested the date? It was to get you away from the attack."
"If Voldemort is a part of this, then the attack will find me one way or another. I'm the reason he's coming here."
"You might not believe me right now, but I really like you, Harry. I'm going to do my part to keep you alive."
"You're insane. You might honestly be insane."
"For looking out for you?"
"For believing that you can stop me. My friends are down there, Enola. Do you really think that I'm going to leave them to find for themselves? I wouldn't be able to ever look myself in the eye again if I did that."
"I've met your friends Harry. I think you're massively underestimating just how capable they are at defending themselves."
He was going to respond. He was going to tell her how they were going to need all the help they could get, no matter what tricks they had up their sleeve. But then a new source of light flickered in the corner of his eye, bringing him back to the balcony to look at the chaos down below. Harry was sure that he could see tiny figures moving about, running from the trees towards the castle. But he couldn't focus on them when the fire was beginning to grow.
Hagrid's hut, the half giant's home in which Harry had spent so much time, was ablaze. Whilst the stonework was just about surviving, the flames were already poking through holes that had once been the windows. Watching the scene play out, too far away to be of any service, Harry was consumed by a level of anger he'd thought had been taken from him along with the horcrux. Whilst he wanted to ball his hands into fists, he had another need that took precedence.
Pointing his wand at Enola.
xxxxxxxxxx
That common phrase, in which people grew worried that a location was too quiet, was one that Hermione was finally grasping for herself. Whilst their small group skulked around the corridors of Hogwarts, they were yet to come across any other living soul. She knew that they should have been thankful for that state of affairs, understanding that chaos would have been waiting for them the more they descended through the school.
"Is this what your school year is normally like?" Ginny asked quietly.
Hermione might have reminded the other girl that talking wasn't the best policy when they were trying to be sneaky. But she had to admit that having a conversation, particularly an innocuous one, was the easiest way to keep them all relaxed. As long as they were talking, it meant they weren't having to deal with any sort of attack. As long as they were talking, they could almost believe that such an attack was waiting for them around every corner.
"It's normally how it ends, yeah," Hermione replied. "It's a miracle that we have the time to focus on exams, given the distractions that usually rear their ugly heads at the most inopportune moments."
"Only you would be thinking about exams right now," Matthew muttered, leading the pack.
"It's better than thinking about what the intruders want."
"The school, I presume. Or Dumbledore. Get him out of the way."
"The headmaster was always the one thing keeping Voldemort away from Hogwarts. It begs the question as to what has changed."
"They didn't have someone working inside the walls up until now."
"Do we get to know who that is?" Neville wondered.
"The new girl you've been hanging out with," Ginny surmised. "The one who Harry wanted to go on a date with. I'm right, aren't I? Oh Merlin, I told them to go to the Astronomy Tower! I'm an inadvertent accomplice!"
"We can't jump to any conclusions," Hermione reassured her.
"Even if there's no doubt about it," Matthew argued.
She gave him a stern look. "I'm trying to be level headed."
"Which is a good thing. You get to be sensible, which then gives me the freedom to be irrational. It's why we work so well together."
It would have done Hermione some good to remind her boyfriend that he needed to be taking the situation more seriously, but then she was soon getting her wish. His brow furrowed and he brought a finger to his lips, keeping them quiet as they approached the next turn. The fact that it had been so quiet up to that point meant that any sort of disturbance could be detected more quickly. So the sound of approaching footsteps had them all on guard, ready to fire.
Having expected a bunch of Death Eaters to be waiting for them, it was understandable that they all shouted out in fright when they were met with more students. This time, however, they were sporting the green snake of Slytherin. Draco was clutching his chest, despite his obvious attempts to remain cool, whilst Daphne Greengrass had done well to keep her wand trained on the potential targets. Hermione was quick to settle when she realised who it was, though the same couldn't be said for her Gryffindor comrades.
"What are you doing?" Matthew complained, sounding fed up that he'd now been forced to ask that question twice in quick succession.
"Isn't it obvious?" Ginny answered on their behalf. "If Death Eaters are circling about, it'd stand to reason that the young blood would be helping them."
"Seriously?" Draco retorted. "That's your first assumption?"
"Can you blame me?"
"I thought the whole point of those defence classes was to promote House harmony," Daphne reminded them. "It's nice to know that certain prejudices still remain."
"Ginny didn't mean it," Hermione said, hoping to defuse the growing tension. "She's just on edge, which she can be forgiven for."
"I slightly meant it," Ginny murmured, though she promptly shut her mouth when the other girl was glaring darkly at her.
Matthew slowly lowered his wand, even if it looked like a reluctant decision. "It doesn't stop us wondering what's gotten into your head."
"The same thing that's gotten into yours, presumably," Draco fired back at him. "We weren't about to be locked in our dorm. We'd be sitting ducks."
"So you raced for the door before it closed for good?" Hermione concluded.
"Exactly. I tried to talk Daphne out of it…"
"...but it'd be easier to make Snape smile," the girl in question finished for him.
"Have you come across anyone yet?" Neville asked.
Draco shook his head. "Not so far. At least no one who wants us dead. We caught some of the professors heading towards the main entrances, so we thought it was wise to keep out of their way."
"We just wanted to help," Daphne said, narrowing her eyes as she looked at Ginny. "Believe it or not."
The redhead wasn't one to back down easily. "I'm yet to make up my mind."
"We can't keep collecting people along the way," Matthew sighed. "You're slowing us down."
"What are you even trying to do?" Draco wondered. "Fight on the front line?"
"There shouldn't be any need for that, with the plans I've put in place."
It was Hermione's turn to be confused, a mental state that she'd grown to detest. Not knowing something was always a situation she preferred to avoid. The fact that her boyfriend was the one who'd kept certain details from her on this occasion made it even worse. Judging from the way he was nervously looking in her direction, Matthew was already picking up on her growing suspicions. He'd looked more willing to take on a horde of dark wizards rather than deal with his girlfriend being angry.
"Plans?" Hermione echoed.
"Precautionary measures."
"Involving?"
"The Tardis. Both mine and Enola's. I might have been more willing to believe what she was selling, but that didn't mean I was going to take any chances."
"Is that why you were so happy to connect the two ships? Harry and I were taken aback at the time."
"Enola gave me the opportunity I'd been looking for. Both Tardises are now linked. Which means I should be able to reverse whatever chaos she's causing. As long as I can get to my Tardis."
"And as long as you don't run into anyone you wouldn't want to. But we're going in completely blind."
Matthew's eyes lit up as he reached into his cloak. "The map! Thanks for reminding me!"
It was to be expected that their fellow students would be at a loss with the quick discussion that had just taken place. That was only made worse once Matthew was unfurling the thick parchment, quietly muttering the desired passcode. But, despite their bemusement, they were still trying to be involved, crowding around the couple so that they could get a look at the charmed creation. Hermione had to thank Matthew's protectiveness for once, seeing as his surveillance of Harry had now presented them with this advantage.
Daphne was looking at the map with obvious wonderment. "Do I want to know how you got your hands on something like this?"
"It's complicated," Matthew quickly replied. "But as you can see, this gives us a full view of the castle. There's Harry, still with Enola at the tower. I don't know whether that's a good thing."
"It means he's still alive," Hermione pointed out.
"It's something to cling onto, at least."
"All those names outside the school," Neville said anxiously. "They're getting closer."
"Coming together to form one larger group. Something for the professors to focus on."
Hermione scanned the document. "There's no Tom Riddle. No Voldemort. If this was a full blown attack, wouldn't he be leading the charge."
"Or maybe he's letting his cronies do the heavy lifting. They can take the brunt force of the first response. They can tire out the professors. Then he arrives to finish the job. He won't want to show his face until victory is certain. He's lost too many times to risk having it happen again."
"It doesn't make any tactical sense, though," Daphne reasoned. "There are so many spots across Hogwarts that could be used to get inside, once you're past the wards. Why would they go for the main gates? It's a more easily defendable spot. And it allows the teachers to fight as one unit, rather than being dragged apart."
Matthew gave her an appraising look. "I didn't consider that."
"If there's such a large group, we should be looking for anyone who isn't with them," Draco put forward. "The main attack might just be a distraction."
Hermione knew that Matthew wouldn't have wanted to be working alongside the Malfoy boy, but he was putting past grudges to one side in order to give them the best shot at surviving. Following Draco's advice, they perused the map, scanning the castle for any names that popped out. With most of the students coalescing into large masses in their common rooms, it meant any wanderers were much more noticeable than they would have been normally.
Until Hermione prodded the parchment with her finger. "Is that…?"
Neville's face had gone pale. "Bellatrix Lestrange."
The others in the group probably wouldn't have understood the cause for Neville's sudden fear, but Hermione had been given the chance to learn about the boy's close connection to the Death Eater. During Harry's absence earlier in the school year, Neville had come forward to share his experiences, divulging how Lestrange had tortured his parents to the brink of insanity. The fact that he was still remaining composed, despite the fact that the woman responsible for his heartbreak was in the vicinity, was a testament to the steely demeanour most people didn't give Neville credit for.
Hermione had her own reasons for hating the name. Lestrange was the person who'd struck the final blow, the person who'd killed Matthew in Diagon Alley. The fact that the boy was still standing didn't take away that torment, not when Hermione knew that it was still to come. She glanced at her boyfriend, who seemed to be sensing her thoughts, and there was a wariness in her gaze. Not out of fear over the Death Eater, but for what Hermione might have been planning. Because, if she were able to remove Lestrange from the playing board, would that keep Matthew alive forevermore?
"She's the only one not taking on the professors," Ginny said. "But why? Isn't she like…one of Voldemort's biggest supporters?"
"Big enough to be given a more important task," Matthew surmised. "She might be going after Harry."
"Then we have to go after her and stop that from happening. It's technically my fault that Harry's cut off from the rest of us. It's only right that I help him. He saved my life in my first year, so it's long overdue that I repaid the favour."
"Except Lestrange is heading in exactly the opposite direction to where I need to go. The Tardis can stop all this from spiralling out of control."
"Then we split up," Hermione proposed. "There's enough of us now to make that viable. Three and three. Three go to the Tardis and three head for Lestrange."
"Hermione…"
"You know it's our only option."
"It's a poor option."
"That's normally what we have to work with."
Matthew gritted his teeth. "Malfoy, Greengrass…with me."
Draco frowned. "How've you reached that decision?"
"Because I trust Ginny and Neville to keep Hermione alive. They'll understand that, if anything happens to her, they'll be the ones to pay. I'd much rather keep my eye on the two of you."
"We don't need babysitting."
"Then stop spitting out your dummy."
Hermione grabbed the map, pausing to kiss Matthew on the cheek. "I know it's pointless asking, but be safe, won't you?"
He smirked. "Always. And don't do anything rash."
"I never thought I'd see the day when you were saying that to me. How times have changed."
xxxxxxxxxx
"Will you stop leading the way?"
Matthew was growing irritated, and that wasn't just down to the fact that the invading Death Eaters had interrupted his chances of having some time alone with Hermione. He was now separated from his girlfriend, who was chasing someone she had a personal vendetta against, and he'd been lumped with two people he didn't usually have much time for. Malfoy constantly rushing ahead, apparently doing his best to get killed, was only souring his mood even further.
"Who put you in charge?" the other boy snapped.
"It's the only logical assumption to make."
"Hardly, seeing as you're the most immature person out of all of us."
"Immature? People are always saying that I should act my age more often, relax a little bit. Not the other way around."
"Maybe you've taken their comments the wrong way. Maybe those people have been telling you to grow up all this time."
"Are you going to be like this the whole time?"
"If you didn't want to work with me, why did you group us together?"
"It's not as if you're being very receptive to the idea, either."
"I'm the one who's been trying to maintain the peace ever since I came back to Hogwarts. You're the one who's still holding onto your grudges."
"For good reason, it seems. You're just as petty as you've always been. You haven't changed."
"Do you think I would have willingly left the safety of my common room to help protect the school if this had happened a few years ago? Do you think I'd be doing my bit to help Harry? Or you, for that matter?"
Matthew didn't want to give Malfoy any credit whatsoever. But the Slytherin was right. The petulant and selfish brat who'd originally been at the school would have been the first to hide away during an attack, even if that meant using other people as a shield. From what Harry had said, Malfoy had also hunkered down during the battle at his family home, so his involvement now suggested a level of growth that Matthew wasn't ready to attack.
That wasn't to mention the way Malfoy had used Harry's first name, which felt completely unnatural to hear.
He was prevented from having to contend with those growing doubts when the stonework beside them was exploding. A spell had collided with the wall at a spot just above their heads, with debris falling down onto them. They were quickly retreating, falling back around the previous corner. Matthew cursed himself for his carelessness, knowing that they'd been lucky that the nearby Death Eaters had been inaccurate, knowing that he couldn't afford to let Malfoy into his head when there were so many other things to think about.
"Will both of you stop being such massive idiots?" Greengrass shouted. "Your pointless bickering almost got us killed! It probably still will do, now that we've been caught off guard."
Matthew didn't know a lot about the girl he was now working alongside. She'd grown closer to Hermione in recent months, with the two of them bonding over a passion of learning everything that books had to offer. Whilst Greengrass might have naturally drifted towards darker topics, the same hunger for information was there to see. And the fire with which she spoke, hurling her disapproval at the two boys, was remarkably like Hermione whenever she had to keep Matthew and Harry in line.
"I spied two attackers," he said, willing to make a momentary peace until they were out of the woods. "And they're blocking the very corridor we need to go down. The Tardis is in this wing of the school. It'd take too long to go around."
"There's three of us," Malfoy pointed out. "We have the advantage."
"They're aiming to kill."
"Aren't we? I won't lose much sleep over getting rid of a few Death Eaters."
It was the sort of declaration that Matthew would have never have expected to hear from his Slytherin counterpart. He couldn't even put it down to a performance, seeing as Malfoy's hatred for the group was clear to see. You couldn't fake that sort of vengeful passion. For the first time, he was willing to question what sort of experiences Malfoy had been put through during his time with Voldemort. But the time to change his entire worldview and perspective on the other boy wasn't being given to him.
"Are you willing to trust me? At least until the end of the day?"
"I trust that you're a good wizard. A powerful one at that."
"Then stay behind me."
With Malfoy reluctantly nodding his head, Matthew composed himself for the onslaught to come. Repeating the Death Eaters' trick, he sent an innocuous hex down the hallway just before showing himself, so that their new opponents were momentarily distracted. As they recovered from the surprise, Matthew erected a dazzling shield, large enough to cover all three of them. It was a good job too because, with their silver masks protecting them from the worst of the rubble, the dark wizards were quickly looking to go on the offensive once again.
Their spells collided against Matthew's defences and he gritted his teeth to ensure it maintained its strength. With him taking on the defensive responsibility, it was down to his partners to compliment his efforts. Greengrass ducked to the left, giving her the space to get three spells off in quick succession. Malfoy, meanwhile, was busy removing more bricks from their surroundings, sending them as daunting projectiles that occupied much of the attackers' time.
Looking to build on the opportunity, Matthew made the chance to drop the shield, using the pent up magical energy as a shockwave that left the Death Eaters scrambling to stay on two feet. With one of them almost falling over, Greengrass pounced, sending a pulsating spell in their direction that collided with their chest and saw them promptly flying through the air. They were sent tumbling down the nearby staircase, though they didn't waste any time in wincing at the resulting crashing sounds.
"Nice work, Greengrass!" Matthew yelled, happy to give her credit where it was due.
She huffed. "Don't sound too surprised!"
Matthew and Malfoy were busy dealing with the remaining attacker, who was likely wishing that they'd gone down a different hallway by now. The problem the students were facing was that, with a lack of communication, they were both firing spells at the same time, which gave the Death Eater enough of a chance to block the attacks. But, as they continued, stepping ever closer to their opponent, they began to trade blows. Matthew would use a slashing spell at their ankles, then Malfoy would aim for their head, until an effective cycle was being conducted.
It was nearly impossible for the dark wizard to keep up. If they were planning on retreating, then they weren't given the chance to. Greengrass was on hand to compliment the boys' work by timing an accurate stunning spell in one of the momentary gaps, leaving the Death Eater as a heap on the floor. Matthew crouched down, taking their wand and snapping it for good measure, whilst also giving the unconscious person a rough kick just because he felt like it.
He looked back at the other two, who were panting heavily. There was every evidence that they'd just taken part in their first proper duel. But they'd survived to tell the tale. They'd done more than that. They'd thrived. And what perplexed Matthew most of all that he and Malfoy, after an understandably rocky start, had come together as a fairly decent partnership. A fact that his reputation wouldn't survive if word got out in the Hogwarts rumour mill.
"We're never telling anyone just how well we worked together."
Malfoy quickly nodded his head. "Deal."
xxxxxxxxxx
Hermione was used to working as a trio. Just not the one she was currently a member of. Every so often, she would look to her side, expecting to see the reassuring presence of Matthew and Harry. It wasn't that Neville and Ginny were putting her on edge. It was just different. And it felt like there was an added pressure on her shoulders to keep her comrades alive. Though, saying that, she'd often been in that position with her boys too.
"You and Neville seem to spend a lot of time together," she said, filling the void of silence.
Ginny, someone who was normally so composed, blushed. "Are you really bringing this up now?"
"It felt like the best time."
"When we're hunting a Death Eater?"
"That spike of adrenaline could be exactly what you've been looking for to get everything out in the open."
"We gravitated towards each other. It felt…like we were both outsiders. I've got a massive family, which means all my siblings have achieved all that there is to achieve. And Neville…"
"...I've never really been one to stand out," he admitted. "Just ask my gran about that. When you're in the same House as Harry and Matthew…well, you can't compete, can you?"
"It's not about competing," Hermione interjected. "And they'd be the first to tell you that. Not to mention how no one else thought to race after us. Right now, you're being braver than the majority of Gryffindors."
"Or stupider."
"They normally go hand in hand."
"It was Ginny who dragged me out of the common, really. Once I realised what she was doing, I wasn't going to let her go on her own."
Hermione smirked. It might have been a potentially deadly situation. A mass murderer might have been waiting for them. But she could still appreciate the simple freshness of burgeoning love. Neville's face had practically turned into a tomato, whilst Ginny was looking anywhere but the boy beside her. Hermione had never thought that she'd been in a position to be a matchmaker. But she also wouldn't have imagined that she'd have a boyfriend of her own, so she was constantly surprising herself.
"How very gallant."
"Do you want to tell us more about Enola?" Ginny asked, a clear attempt to change the conversation's direction. "We hardly know anything about her. It's like she just turned up one day and we had to accept that she was a part of the group."
"That's because she did just turn up one day. Rather unexpectedly. It's too much of a tangled web to go into right now. All you need to know is that she's someone from Matthew's past. Someone with connections to Voldemort. Someone we'd assumed had moved past those darker links."
"So she is responsible for what's going on?"
"All the evidence points in that direction."
"You don't sound so sure."
"I want to believe that something else is going on, if just for Matthew's sake. If Enola has been working against us, it might break his heart all over again."
"Then it's a good job that he has you to pick up the pieces," Neville said.
"You don't understand the pressure we're working under," Ginny added. "I'm fine with taking on some of Voldemort's servants. But if I have to tell Matthew that we didn't protect you well enough…I'll be running for the hills."
Hermione smiled, despite the thought of something happening to her. "His bark is worse than his bite."
"I've seen his bite in action," Neville argued. "It's lethal."
"I won't do anything to put myself in harm's way."
"Says the person who's leading us right to Bellatrix Lestrange."
The reminder was enough to knock Neville off course once again, tripping over the joining of the floor underfoot. Hermione could only sympathise with him. She was having to deal with her own grievances against Lestrange, and yet she was still able to see and talk to Matthew every day. Neville had been robbed of that thanks to the cruelty of one person. The very person whose name they were tracking on the map.
"Are you going to be okay?" she asked him carefully. "Because I'd understand if this is too much for you."
Neville's grip on his wand tightened. "I'm not turning back around, if that's what you're suggesting. Retreating would be betraying everything my parents stood for."
"Just…don't do anything reckless when she shows her face."
"Which we don't have much longer to wait for," Ginny pointed out.
Hermione glanced back down at the map, confirming Ginny's assumption. Lestrange's name was scrawled at a point just ahead of them in the next corridor along. She couldn't understand what the witch was attempting to do, seeing as that part of the castle bore nothing of note. It wasn't close to where Harry was seemingly trapped. It was at the other end of the school to Dumbledore's office, if Lestrange had been tasked to take out the headmaster. Yet she was standing perfectly still.
Almost as if she were waiting for them.
Lestrange couldn't have known that they were coming. It wasn't as if she possessed a similar map. From what they could tell, the Death Eater was aiming to operate under the cover of secrecy, which accounted for the large attack ensuing outside. Surely she wouldn't have wanted to be found. Unless the entire scheme revolved around drawing Harry's friends to a secluded part of the castle, knowing that they wouldn't be able to resist the temptation of saving the day.
For once, Hermione was beginning to feel like an idiot.
"What's the plan?" Neville asked.
"Let me scope out the scene first."
"We haven't come here to be sidelined," Ginny argued.
"I'm just going to poke my head around the corner. That's all."
Her tone of voice brokered no argument, resembling the sharp words she'd often have to deploy whenever her boys' essays were being pushed to one side. It meant Ginny and Neville stayed put, obediently following the orders of someone who had greater experience in the field. She edged towards the corner, still focusing on the map, ensuring that Lestrange was still in the same position. Once that was clarified, she slowly and tentatively inched her head into view. And frowned.
Because no one was there.
The others hissed at her to be careful when Hermione boldly emerged into the hallway, and they were quickly following to be her back-up. Not that it was needed. The entire corridor was empty. Hermione looked back at the map, checking to see if they'd somehow misread it, but there the name was. Still by the far wall. Hermione cast a quick spell, hoping to uncover any disillusionment charms that were in effect, but she was left disappointed for a second time.
"Maybe the map got it wrong," Neville suggested.
"It never gets it wrong," she replied with a bit too much heat, borne out of her growing frustrations. "At least it's never got it wrong before."
Shaking her head as she worked through the sheer perplexion, Hermione made the choice to hand the parchment to Ginny and walk towards the wall, despite how much of a risk it still represented. There was nothing of any interest. Nothing that should have confused the Marauder's Map. The only addition that made the corridor look any different to any other in the school was the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy and a horde of trolls apparently learning to dance.
"It doesn't make sense," she muttered to herself. "She's here. She should be here."
"We've got something else to worry about," Ginny frantically told her as she and Neville raced to join their current leader. "Five names I've never heard of. On the map. Definitely not other students. Heading straight for us."
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It was often the case that Matthew didn't give the professors a lot of credit for the magic they were capable of. When you possessed certain skills of your own, it gave you the naïve worldview that even a bunch of adults couldn't compare. But they were proving him wrong as he and his new Slytherin chums watched a heated battle unfold, giving them enough time for a much needed breather. Though Matthew was sure that the sheer adrenaline coursing through their veins would have kept them going regardless.
Plenty of stories had already been shared about Flitwick's prowess when it came to duelling, but it was another thing entirely to witness the diminutive Charm's Professor take on three people at a time. McGonagall, too, was more than holding her own, occasionally bringing stone carvings to life to act as her bodyguards. Snape, forever a proponent of dark magic, was probably best placed to take on the Death Eaters, further cementing his spot on their side of the war. And Dumbledore was a beacon of light, making sure that most of the invaders were kept outside the school's walls.
"Should we help them?" Greengrass wondered.
"They'd probably expel us for being out of our common rooms," Malfoy reminded her. "Even if we did save their lives."
"I think they've got this covered," Matthew said. "I've seen a lot of Death Eaters up close. As you must have done, Malfoy. Tell me, are any of these the so-called big hitters?"
"It's hard to make out. But none are exactly jumping out at me."
"If Voldemort was looking to finally take down Hogwarts, why would he be relying on his lesser servants? They're hardly a match for the staff."
"It's almost like they're being sacrificed," Greengrass proposed. "But to what end?"
"I always love a mystery. But whatever they're trying to accomplish, it doesn't change the plan. The Tardis is our priority."
"You're yet to actually explain to me what a Tardis even is."
"Just wait until you see it. Then you'll understand why no words can do it justice."
"Didn't you say you left it just down here?" Malfoy asked. "As in, right across the current battlefield?"
"We could always make a run for it and do our best not to get hit in the crossfire."
"I've always said you were mad."
"And I've never done anything to argue against that. All we have to do is get to the other side. They won't even notice us."
"And if you're wrong?"
"Then I won't have to spend a lot of time putting up with you gloating, if you catch my drift."
Matthew steadied himself, knowing that he was going to have to lead by example. Hermione was going to kill him when she found out about what he'd put himself though, as long as someone else didn't kill him first. Resisting the urge to close his eyes, he charged across the open space, covering his head and ducking as best he could, before he made it to the sanctuary of the other wall. An urgent wave of the wand forced the other two to follow suit, with Matthew causing some rubble to fall down from the ceiling to obscure their progress as much as he could manage.
"See, easy!" he exclaimed, patting Greengrass on the back as she panted. "The Tardis is just in one of these classrooms now, and then we'll be good to go."
"Couldn't you have left it somewhere closer?" Malfoy grumbled.
"Perhaps. But if I'd parked her by Gryffindor Tower, we never would have bumped into you. And there's no telling what would have happened to you without my expert guidance."
It was entirely possible that they both had some choice words about that opinion, but Matthew was too busy carrying on with their pursuit to care. Everything would be right as long as he was back in his ship. He was even willing to pay the price of having the two Slytherins step over the threshold, which proved that he was truly focused on helping save the day. But, as he came to the door of the classroom in question, he came to a quick stop as soon as he opened it.
Seeing as four Death Eaters, all sporting the same black cloaks and silver masks, were standing guard around the blue box.
"Ah…"
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They traded blows at first. Having seen what Enola was capable of, Harry expected himself to be on the backfoot, even if he wanted to prove to her just how strong he could be. Whilst she was swatting away his attacks up to that point, he got the sense that she wasn't performing to her potential. At first, he'd imagined that she was taking it easy on him, which didn't make a lot of sense, given the fact that she'd caused the mess they were now dealing with. As the fight wore on, it almost seemed like her frustrations and boiling emotions were diluting the fierceness of her own spells.
Harry stayed on the move, dancing across the tower's circular space so that Enola could never get a clean shot at him. Despite his efforts, she was stubbornly staying in the same spot, making sure that he couldn't get near to the exit. The resoluteness of her efforts might have suggested that she was telling the truth, that she was trying to keep him away from the battle. But there was also a chance that she was simply keeping him there to make him an easier target for the big boys, which kept him fighting with a vengeance.
With their duel seeing no true victor emerge, Harry considered changing his tactics. Whilst his wandwork was skilled, he knew that he had another trick up his sleeve. And so he ignored his wand for the time being, focused on the magic bubbling underneath the surface, and hurled a dazzling orb of energy at Enola that she was only just able to dodge. It may have finally put her on the backfoot, but it had also resulted in the flaring of her nostrils, her anger now properly taking hold.
"You think you can use pure magic against me?" she yelled in disbelief.
"You kept bringing up how much potential I have, so I thought I may as well use it."
"I'm doing this for your own good, Harry!"
"So you keep telling me. And yet you're the one who's still trying to kill me."
"If I wanted to kill you, I could have done that a long time ago."
"So, what? Are you waiting for your master to do the job for you?"
"When are you going to realise that Voldemort isn't coming? That he was never meant to come?"
He paused. "What do you mean?"
For the first time, it was Harry's turn to be caught off guard, and it hadn't come from any hex. The night wasn't making any sense. He had to believe that Enola was lying. There was no other reason for her to have gone to so much effort. There was no other reason for the people down below to be put in danger if Voldemort wasn't looking to take advantage. There was no other reason for Hagrid's home to have still been alight, with Harry doing well not to think too much about whether the half giant had still been inside.
If Enola was lying, then that was supported by the fact that she quickly took advantage of his confused stupor. It was only because Harry was able to conjure a hasty shield that he wasn't thrown off the edge, a potential fate that forced him to concentrate once more. Having been on the offensive before, he was now being made to retreat, deflecting the myriad spells that Enola was using, her silent casting leaving him with no chance at predicting what was coming next each time.
He caught a momentary respite by hiding behind a pillar and the lack of any further spellfire suggested that Enola was making the most of the break too. Taking the girl on in straight magic probably wasn't going to end well, which meant Harry was now searching for a different approach. His eyes landed on the magnificent telescope that was often used in their stargazing lessons, and he wondered whether Professor Sinistra was going to forgive him for what happened next.
Harry acted slowly, focusing his wands on the steel bolts keeping the large object in place. Their squeaks as they turned and loosened were painful, given how quiet the setting largely was. If Enola was able to hear the disturbance and pick up on what he was trying to accomplish, then she wasn't able to react in time before the telescope was falling downwards. Spells she could counter, but her impromptu shield wasn't enough to stop the artefact from landing on her and pinning her to the ground.
Seizing the opportunity, Harry scrambled for the door. He remembered being so nervous, yet excited, when he'd first walked through the entrance earlier that night. Now, the nerves had definitely taken precedence, though he was no longer anxious about himself. Enola had stalled him and there was no telling what sort of damage had been done in his absence. Dumbledore's ominous instructions had reached them in the tower, but Harry was still clueless as to whether they'd been effective.
"Harry," Enola murmured, choking through the pain.
He shouldn't have looked back. It would have been easier if he hadn't looked back. She was still on the ground, doing her best to wriggle out of the suffocating embrace of the telescope. Harry thought back to the way those eyes had shined at him before they'd kissed, and how they were now looking at him with an unashamed desperation. He looked back to the door, his brain shouting at him for even dawdling as his hand reached out to push it open.
He hesitated.
xxxxxxxxxx
"She said to meet here. Definitely here. I made sure to write the route on my hand, just in case."
"Well, she isn't here, is she?"
"Maybe she was playing a trick. Messing with us."
"Or maybe she's just insane and we were stupid for following her."
Hermione watched the Death Eaters whilst holding her breath. Inspired by her inspection of the corridor, Ginny's warning had prompted her to cast her own version of a disillusionment charm, keeping them out of view once the assailants made themselves known. The only downside was that she, herself, couldn't see her friends and couldn't keep up with where they were hiding. As long as they remained still and quiet, they'd be alright. As long as they didn't do anything stupid.
It was confusing, though. When the Death Eaters had shown up on the map, Hermione had naturally assumed that they'd been following the young students who were out in the open. Yet they'd made no move to search for them. They'd shown no surprise at their hasty disappearance. They were instead preoccupied by whatever it was that they were looking for. It was that burning sense of curiosity that kept her within earshot, hoping to find out more about the plans currently in play.
"There were instructions, right?" one of the Death Eaters said. "To find the room."
"I thought she was purposefully being obtuse," another replied. "It was a bunch of garbled nonsense."
"But you didn't say that to her face."
"Of course not. I don't have a death wish."
"So you don't know what we're supposed to do?" a separate member of the group asked.
"Do you?"
"...no."
One of the Death Eaters fell to the floor all of a sudden, clutching their nose as it doubled in size at an alarming rate. It immediately brought the others into a panic as they looked around, searching for the perpetrator. Hermione knew to look for that subtle disturbance in the air, the shimmering effect of the disillusionment charm as a wand disappeared from view. If she had to guess, then she would have assumed that Ginny had taken matters into her own hands in a rather outlandish fashion.
In truth, Hermione wasn't too pleased about the course of action. With the intruders being so talkative, she might have been on the verge of discovering what Lestrange was up to and why her presence was confusing the map so completely. But, now that Ginny had acted, Hermione had no other alternative but to get involved too, before the Death Eaters cottoned onto what was happening. Which was why she was quickly moving behind one attacker, freezing his body completely until he was falling face first onto the floor.
Another was soon throwing up slugs, such a hideous sight that Hermione almost gave her position away by moaning in disgust. The last remaining pair spun around, but not by their own volition. They looked at one another in fright, still unable to tell what forces were controlling them, and then became embroiled in a scrap. Ginny finally made herself known, having been puppeteering the squabbling wizards alongside Neville. It was down to Hermione to be the logical person, stunning the individuals that were still conscious, just in case they finally came to their senses.
"That was…brilliant!" Neville said happily. "Ginny, you were brilliant!"
She smiled at the exuberant praise. "What can I say? I've got too many brothers to count. It means I've learnt a fair few hexes that no textbook will cover."
"You could have got yourself seriously hurt," Hermione reminded her.
"But I didn't! We didn't! Five Death Eaters? Piece of cake! Maybe mum will take notice of me now."
"I'm worried that she will, and I'll have to deal with her pointed questions about why you were involved in the first place."
"Oh, come on…you enjoyed it. Admit it."
Hermione risked a smirk. "...just don't tell Matthew about this. He'll have a fit. Or, worse, expect me to do this sort of thing more often."
xxxxxxxxxx
The Tardis doors opened, with the console room lighting up to greet the new arrivals. Matthew looked down at himself, wincing at what he saw. One of the blows had left a hole in his cloak and Hermione was no doubt going to complain about the lack of respect for his uniform. Let alone the few scratches that were now decorating his face, though he was hopeful that those war wounds would only serve to increase his glorified reputation in the school.
He didn't wait for the others to follow before he was racing up the steps keen to kick things into action. Malfoy had experienced the grandeur of the Tardis before, though he'd been in a haggard state at the time. Matthew supposed that the same could be said now, seeing as they'd just been made to cut through a group of guards standing in their way. But they were all standing, which hadn't been a guarantee when they'd first seen the storm raging outside.
"Welcome to the Tardis, Greengrass," he said, making his way to the controls. "Yes, she's amazing. You can have a few moments to take it all in. But, for goodness sake, close the doors behind you. We don't want those lot to wake up and get any ideas."
Numbly following his advice, the Slytherin girl shut them off from the rest of the world, separating them from the prone bodies now littering the floor outside. Despite the fact that they'd evidently been told to wait for Matthew, they'd been caught unaware by the arrival. Perhaps they hadn't envisaged him to be accompanied by other people. Or maybe they hadn't expected a trio of students to shoot first and ask questions later.
"It's…gorgeous," Greengrass managed to say, having the common sense to join him on the raised platform.
"She says thank you."
"Are you actually going to tell us why we had to come here now?" Malfoy asked.
Matthew cranked a lever, with that comforting groaning soon filling the air as the Tardis took flight. Maybe he was showing off in front of his new audience. Maybe he just enjoyed the way Malfoy was kept off balance as the chamber rocked from side to side, with the Tardis struggling against the magical tumult happening around them. Maybe he just wasn't fully explaining the situation because he was having to hold onto the controls with all his might to prevent the ship from taking evasive measures.
"The person responsible for all this…for the ward failure…she has a Tardis of her own," he told them once they had a moment of relative calm. "She's brought down the wards by using that as a source of disruption from within the school grounds."
"Someone must have been properly stupid to invite her in the first place."
Matthew glared at Malfoy. "I can admit that it was a mistake. But I'm also in a position to admit that because I can stop this. Theoretically."
"Theoretically?" Greengrass echoed.
"I wouldn't want to get your hopes up." He turned a small, golden wheel in an anticlockwise direction twice. "You see, the thing that's really bothering me is that Enola, by involving her Tardis, is invoking Mormont family magic. She's using my family magic to try to bring down the school. And, frankly, I'm not going to stand for that. The thing she's forgotten, the very crucial thing that has slipped her mind, is the fact that I also have a Tardis. And not just any Tardis. The Tardis. The original. She might be older and she might be a bit battered and bruised around the edges, but she's still the blueprint for every single one that was made after her. Which means, with a little bit of tinkering beforehand…I can do this."
Forever a showman, he finished his short and impassioned speech by giving the Tardis full rein to unleash what she'd been working on. Instead of the magic billowing around the console as had been seen in the past, the central column glowed a brilliant and blinding white. The energy being built up seemed to gurgle up from the console and crawl up the column, until it was working its way to the top in a constant pulse of power. It was only when the ship started shaking that Malfoy and Greengrass showed their understandable nerves.
"Are we supposed to know what 'this' is?" Greengrass wondered.
With a smile, Matthew gestured for them to follow and he led them towards the doors once more. He pulled them open in a grand fashion, unveiling the scene beyond of the mighty castle at night. Since the other pair hadn't even known that they'd moved, they could be forgiven for their shouts of surprise, especially with Malfoy being close to walking straight outside. It would have been a significant drop if Matthew hadn't pulled on the back of his cloak, with the Gryffindor boy unwilling to see that happen to his counterpart. Which was perhaps the nicest thing he'd ever said about Malfoy.
"You could have warned me!"
Matthew shrugged innocently. "Where would the fun be in that?"
"We've moved!" Greengrass gasped.
"No flies on you. That's not even the interesting part."
It was a precarious task to lean their heads out of the Tardis, fearful of the daunting drop that a simple slip would have greeted them with. But it was worth the element of danger to see the spectacle unfolding. The white light that had been unleashed within the console had reached the light on top of the Tardis, and was now erupting into the sky in a very similar fashion to what could be seen from the Forbidden Forest. It was a battle between light and dark in every sense of the word, as the Tardis' energy channelled itself into the struggling wards.
If one Tardis could break down the barriers, then a second could reverse the process. The wards shined just as they'd done before, but it felt like they were singing on this occasion, rather than screeching in agony. The gaps that had formed and burned away slowly began to restore themselves, all the while the Tardis shuddered in the night sky, doing its part to support the castle that had proven to be its home for so many years. Matthew wasn't looking for praise, but he was fully expecting a pat on the back from the two people gawking at the sight.
Since the Tardises shared the same power source, the next step of Matthew's plans were played out shortly after. Thanks to the extra links he'd fortified whilst working alongside Enola, the same energy that was being used to repair the defences began to surge out from the wards and down the black storm that had initially corrupted them. The silver light twisted around and within the smoky onslaught until the black turned to grey. Until it began to lose some of its energy, falling lower and lower until it was only billowing above the trees of the forest.
When it finally came to a stop, the grand finale was an explosion of the same white light from the Tardis, with the ship and the wards celebrating in unison. The sudden flash took them all by surprise, as if the night was being reset to what it had been like just a few short hours beforehand. Again, Matthew made sure to subtly hold onto his temporary partners, in case the crescendo caused them to lose their bearings. The two of them falling out of the box would have really put a damper on the victory.
Greengrass was shaking her head. "You actually did it."
"Don't sound too surprised," Matthew retorted, sounding slightly insulted at the insinuation.
"There's still the small matter of the Death Eaters who already got past the wards," Draco brought up.
Matthew hummed, slowly turning on his heel to return to the console. "I wonder…"
"...wonder what?"
"Whether this ship is even greater than I give her credit for. And whether those wards are cleverer than Voldemort expected."
xxxxxxxxxx
When the sky had been engulfed by light, Hermione had pressed herself up against the closest window, trying to figure out whether the development was a good sign or not. She watched as the wards grew in strength once more, knitting back together. The forest was no longer poisoning the surrounding grounds. And she smirked as she spotted that tiny blue box floating high above, something that would have been missed in all the chaos if she hadn't instinctively known to look for it.
Ginny's help of surprise brought her back to the present situation, with Hermione first assuming that she was just taking in the magnificent sight. But, as she turned around, she realised that the Death Eaters they'd felled were fading from existence. They were being engulfed by a similar black smoke that had been used to start the attack. It was very much like their ugly form of apparition, which she'd seen more often than she would have liked, a point that was proven by the fact that their bodies were no longer there once things settled again.
"Was…was that supposed to happen?" Neville asked fearfully.
"They couldn't have apparated, right?" Ginny mused. "The wards would stop that sort of thing."
"Not to mention how they were knocked out."
Instead of joining in with their theories, a decision that was taking all of Hermione's strength, she took the map back for herself and scanned the surrounding area. The most notable thing to see - or, more accurately, not see - was Lestrange's name. Whether she'd been there or not to begin with, the map no longer believed that she was inside the castle. The same could be said for the other attackers, whose names were disappearing from the parchment as if they'd been rubbed out.
Hermione could only shake her head in disbelief. "He did it. Matthew did it."
"Did what?"
"I have no idea. I just know that he's going to be incredibly smug when he tells me about it."
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It was strange to feel guilty when it came to someone who'd been attacking you, but Harry still winced as he levitated the telescope away from Enola. He wasn't going to worry about putting it back in its original casing, knowing he'd no doubt do it wrong. And the Astronomy professor was already going to be angry enough with him as it was. For now, he was focusing on the wounded girl before him, who he believed for once wasn't putting on any sort of performance.
She was clutching her arm and, if its swollen appearance was anything to go by, it had been broken thanks to Harry's evasive manoeuvres. Added to that was a leg that had a clear gash down the side, leaving Harry worried about what form of retribution Enola was going to take. She didn't look to be too angry with him, though that might have stemmed from the pain currently distracting her. Or maybe she had to begrudgingly admit that his hand had been forced.
The night sky igniting above them was something else that would have taken her mind off the discomfort. A trip to the hospital wing and Madam Pomfrey was the least of her worries as they watched the scene unfold. Harry risked leaving her side, potentially giving her the chance to sneak up on him, so that he could get a better grasp of what was happening. Thanks to their position in the tower, he almost felt like he could touch the mesmerising magic as it weaved across the stars.
"It worked," Enola said breathlessly. "Matthew figured it out."
Any joy Harry had been feeling for that split second dissipated just as quickly. He spun on the spot, his wand primed to do even more damage if his counterpart said the wrong thing. There was still too much up in the air, still too many variables for him to learn about. There was no telling what damage had been or what losses would need totting up. And yet, despite all that uncertainty, Enola was apparently celebrating the fact her plans had been foiled. He was tired of not knowing things.
"Choose your next words very carefully," Harry muttered darkly.
"I can explain…"
"That's the bare minimum you're going to do."