421 Wait is Over

It was Harry, who threw away the cloak as Amycus spun around at his voice. His eyes locked with Harry and Chris and widened.

"I should have killed you brother-sister last year, it would have saved us a lot of trouble," Chris said coldly and felt good when she saw Amycus stagger back at the threat. But he quickly came to his senses and similar to his sister, he also raised his fingers to the dark mark.

"Crucio!" Chris shouted and to her surprise so did Harry.

The Death Eater was lifted off his feet. He writhed through the air like a drowning man, thrashing and howling in pain, and with a crunch and a shattering of glass, he smashed into the front of a bookcase and crumpled, insensible, to the floor.

"Miss Norton! Potter!" whispered Professor McGonagall, clutching her heart. "Potter--- you're here! Christina! What---? How---?" She struggled to pull herself together. "That was foolish!"

"He spat at you," said Harry seething.

"Potter, I --- that was very --- gallant of you two --- but don't you realize --?"

"Yeah, we do," Harry assured her.

"And he deserved it," said Chris shooting another glare at Amycus, who lay beside his sister.

"You must flee," whispered Professor McGonagall, "Now you two as quickly as you can! If anyone finds you -- Christina, they are torturing the muggle-borns in a horrible-horrible way, you absolutely can not get caught!"

Chris was surprised to see Professor McGonagall so worried and panicked, a warmth spread inside her at her caring voice.

"But we can't leave yet, Professor," Chris said calmly.

"We need to find something first. We are looking for the Grey Lady," Harry informed. "Have you seen her, Professor?"

"The Grey Lady? As in the Ravenclaw House Ghost?" Professor McGonagall stood a little straighter. 

"Yes," Chris nodded. "I was just looking for her in the Ravenclaw Library when she -" Chris gestured at unconscious Alecto. "- found us."

Right at that moment, Amycus was coming around. But before Harry or Chris could act, Professor McGonagall pointed her wand at the groggy Death Eater, and said, "Imperio."

Amycus got up, shuffled obediently to Professor McGonagall, and handed over his wand. Then he lay down on the floor beside Alecto. Professor McGonagall waved her wand again, and a length of shimmering silver rope appeared out of thin air and snaked around the Carrows, binding them tightly together.

"So have you checked the library?" said Professor McGonagall, turning to face them again with superb indifference to the Carrows' predicament. "If she isn't here, we have to go find Professor Flitwick, who might have a better idea about their House Ghost."

"I will go and check," Chris said promptly. 

She walked back to the statue of Rowena Ravenclaw and crossed it to reach the hidden library. The library was the same as she remembered, with blue and silver curtains, and bookshelves full of ancient and current books.

"Helena?" Chris called, she knew Helena will hear her if she was there but she didn't, which meant she wasn't there. But just to be sure, Chris looked around and called again, "Helena?"

"She isn't here, Christina." 

A voice came from behind Chris, and she quickly turned around to find Fergus standing there, looking grim.

"Did my emotions call you again?" Chris asked.

"No," Fergus said looking down at the ground, which made Chris worried. Fergus was usually a polite smile-first kind of person, and Chris didn't think she saw him this grim even when he was talking about his past.

"Fergus, what's wrong?" 

"He knows." Fergus looked up and met Chris's eyes straight. His angry and helpless eyes scared Chris.

"What do you mean he-?" Chris started to ask but stopped because she knew. "Maligno."

Fergus just pressed his lips in a thin line to confirm.

"How did you know?" Chris asked but then answered her own question. "You know because of the bond."

"Yes," Fergus gave a bitter smile. "I can feel his energy better when he is strong with life forces and he just consumed a lot of it. I can feel his satisfaction. He is thinking . . . 'the wait is finally over'. He is planning to come to Hogwarts."

"But he can't enter the grounds, right?" Chris was panicking now. "And how did he find out?"

"He finally got control of Hogwarts, did you really think he will not enforce extra protection?" Fergus looked around the library. "He sent his men to put many protective and alarming charms around the school. So to answer your first question, Christina, even if he fails to enter, his people won't do any less destruction."

"Yes, but where is -" Chris began but was interrupted by a muffled scream outside the library.

"What the -" Chris bolted out of the library and muttered. "Fergus, please stay around."

In the common room, Harry was sitting on the armchair clutching his head, and Professor McGonagall hovering over him with a troubled expression.

"What happened?" Chris kneeled in front of Harry and tried to look at him. "Harry?"

"Christina, Potter was talking to me and suddenly screamed in pain, what's going on?" Professor McGonagall said.

"I think it's -" 

Chris stopped as Harry looked up at her very suddenly.

"Chris, he knows. He knows I'm here. That we are here."

"I know," Chris sighed. "It was Malgino. He probably told Riddle."

"How do you -"

"Potter, are you alright?" Professor McGonagall asked and Harry nodded.

"But Professor, Voldemort knows that I'm here," Harry informed Professor McGonagall. "But I need to - I must find - something before I leave."

The expression quickly changed on Professor McGonagall's face hearing the news, from worry to confusion but soon pure determination. She drew herself to her complete height.

"In that case, we shall secure the school against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named while you search for this --- this object."

"Is that possible?" Harry asked surprised.

"I think so," said Professor McGonagall dryly, "we teachers are rather good at magic, you know. I am sure we will be able to hold him off for a while if we all put our best efforts into it. Of course, something will have to be done about Professor Snape---"

"Let me --" Chris tried at the mention of Snape but Professor McGonagall didn't stop to listen to her.

"---and if Hogwarts is about to enter a state of siege, with the Dark Lord at the gates, it would indeed be advisable to take as many innocent people out of the way as possible. With the Floo Network under observation, and Apparition impossible within the grounds---"

"There's a way," said Harry quickly, and he explained about the passageway leading into the Hog's Head.

"Potter, we're talking about hundreds of students---"

"I know, Professor, but it will be the safest way," Chris assured. "They will be concentrating on the school boundaries, so they won't be interested in anyone who's Disapparating out of Hog's Head."

"There's something in that," she agreed. She pointed her wand at the Carrows, and a silver net fell upon their bound bodies, tied itself around them, and hoisted them into the air, where they dangled beneath the blue-and-gold ceiling like two large, ugly sea creatures. "Come. We must alert the other Heads of the House and look for the whereabouts of the Grey Lady. You two can put on the cloak."

Chris and Harry exchanged a look before doing as Professor McGonagall asked. She marched toward the door, and as she did so she raised her wand. From the tip burst three silver cats with spectacle markings around their eyes. the Patronuses ran sleekly ahead, filling the spiral staircase with silvery light, as Professor McGonagall, Harry, and Chris hurried back down.

[To be continued]