987 Years

Hello, my lovely readers, 

First of all, thank you so much for supporting my idea of the new original magical book. I have already started writing it and am super excited to share the story. I will post updates soon.

Thanks again.

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"It's Chris!"

"What's happening to her?"

"It's Chris, right? Not something that looks like her?"

"Chris! Chris!"

Colin, Ron, and Hermione all spoke at the same time as soon as they realized it was indeed Chris floating in the air looking anything but human. Luna, however, was having a different feeling altogether. There was no warmth or recognition in Chris's glowing eyes even when people screamed her name, Luna tried calling her through the talisman, something she had done countless times since Chris disappeared but there was no reply. Luna knew instantly that Chris wasn't herself, she wasn't even sure if Chris had any idea what was happening. 

However, oblivious to it, the crowd looked at her in awe and fear as her floating figure started to move. She walked on air and every eye started to follow her, she stopped just above them facing Maligno straight on and he looked frozen . . . and a bit terrified as if he saw a ghost.

Stormy tried to come close to Maligno to help him but Chris just tilted her head slightly in her direction and she was thrown back with such force that a few Death Eaters gasped and looked scared looking at the glowing monstrous figure of Chris. 

As they watched, Dementors swarmed above her, circling her protectively, however, the close proximity of the Dementors started to affect the Hogwarts people more than the Death Eaters and Maligno's Minions. As soon as Luna and some people raised their wands to cast their Patronus charm, a bright big Eagle Patronus came out of Chris and hovered over the people of Hogwarts, shielding them from the Dementors effect. Luna also felt as if the immense power coming from Chris was washing them over.

"What's happening to her?" Colin whispered, staring at Chris's floating figure.

"Christina has turned herself into the Power that created and held Hogwarts," A familiar voice told them. Luna turned and saw the Grey Lady watching Chris with admiration and a bit of envy. "She is channeling all the power that was left to strengthen the school for years by the founders and each and every Headmaster this school had. Now she is not your friend Christina Norton, she is the pure and complete embodiment of Magic itself . . . which also means she is giving powers to all of you . . . to defend Hogwarts and win. You can win now. Hogwarts can. Because now all of you possess an additional 30% power of your potential, making each of your powers 130% at this moment."

"You mean she is boosting our powers more than our potential?" Hermione asked completely shocked.

"Yes," The Grey Lady nodded.

"But will she be okay after channeling so much power?" Colin asked worried.

"I don't know," The Grey Lady replied and started to float away.

"But listen –" Colin tried to call after Grey Lady when multiple things happened simultaneously.

"HARRY! WHERE'S HARRY?" Hagrid shouted alarming everyone.

Luna along with everyone looked where Harry's body was lying a few moments ago and found the spot empty.

"Is he alive?" Hermione whispered, shaking. "Please let him be alive."

"I don't know," said Ron searching the crowd to see his friend.

But they weren't the only confused ones, Voldemort looked around wildly and the Death Eaters and Maligno's Minions looked worried and some looked outright terrified when they couldn't find Harry.

"Find him!" Voldemort cried. "Find his body and bring it back to him!"

However, Voldemort's orders fell on deaf ears as many Death Eaters tried to back away and flee. The tables had suddenly turned and they knew it. Not only that, there was a powerful floating figure of Chris in front of them but their escape route was blocked by a group of Centaurs, who drew their wands together, ready to strike. At the same time, Grawp came lumbering around the side of the castle and yelled, "HAGGER!" His cry was answered by roars from Voldemort's giants: They ran at Grawp like bull elephants making an earthquake. But Grawp wasn't alone, a sharp cry came from the skies, and the next moment, the cries multiplied and the skies filled with large winged creatures, Dragons. Charlie and Leyla were riding a Hungarian Horntail and were leading their friends, who were on the other Dragons. The Dragons attacked the Giants and the chaos reigned.

This was the real distraction. The distraction Neville needed. In one swift, fluid motion, Neville broke free of the Body-Bind Curse upon him; he drew from the depths of the sorting hat something silver, with a glittering, rubied handle –

The slash of the silver blade could not be heard over the roar of the oncoming crowd or the sounds of the clashing giants or of the stampeding centaurs, and yet, it seemed to draw every eye. With a single stroke, Neville sliced off the great snake's head, which spun high into the air, gleaming in the light flooding from the entrance hall, Voldemort's mouth was open in a scream of fury that nobody could hear, and the snake's body thudded to the ground at his feet.

And then everything broke loose . . . quite literally. The Centaurs started firing bows at the Death Eaters and Maligno's people, while they tried to flee but were unsuccessful. All of their routes were blocked, and the Death Eaters were surrounded.

"Towards the castle," said Aurelia suddenly pulling Hermione and Colin back. She must have gained consciousness during this time. "Fall back towards the castle, or you will get caught in the crossfire. Make others follow you to the castle. Come on, I need to be with Sirius."

Aurelia glanced at Sirius, who was breaking free from those bindings with the help of Kingsley, and by the look of it, he still looked pissed. As Aurelia rushed to him, Hermione and Ron ushered the Weasleys and the others toward the castle. 

"Ginny, fall back towards the castle," Luna said through her talisman when she saw Draco freeing Ginny from her body-binding curse in this chaos.

"On it," Ginny replied and quickly changed back to her normal form before she and Draco along with Neville made their way to Luna as she helped Colin.

"That was incredible, Neville," Luna said when Neville reached her and took over helping Colin. She turned to Draco next, "You too, Draco. Thanks for saving and helping Ginny and us."

"Ah . . . no worries," Draco, who looked extremely startled by Luna, and tried to nod or shrug at the same time and ended up looking awkward.

"Thanks, Luna, anyway what are we doing?" Neville asked as they climbed the steps towards the Great Hall.

"We are going to win," said Luna looking back outside where Chris was facing Maligno. Those two were the only people who hadn't moved even slightly in the chaos. "Chris made sure, we win."

***

Dragons breathed fire, Centaurs rained arrows and wizards threw spells upon spells on the Death Eaters and Maligno's people, yet Maligno stood still staring at the floating figure in front of the Hogwarts castle. His mouth was hanging open and his ancient blood became colder and colder but nothing, not a single word came out of his mouth. No spells, no magic, nothing. He had no idea what was happening around him because it didn't matter anymore. Nothing did. Except for the fact that he was finally seeing something he had not in more than 987 years. 

It wasn't the Dementors swarming around her or the extremely strong and large Patronus, which was protecting her people from her Dementors, it wasn't even the unimaginable power the founders' keys gave her – or whatever she unlocked with those – something Maligno had chased after for hundreds and hundreds of years. But it was the shadow of a man he was seeing standing behind Christina Norton. At first, Maligno thought it was a trick or something he was definitely seeing wrong. There was no way he was here. There was no way Fergus Dragozera-Gryffindor was there in Hogwarts.

". . . Gus?" Maligno breathed his name as if he was afraid to utter it and truly he was.

But his fear and curiosity made the impossible possible. As soon as he said Fergus's name, everything around them vanished and Maligno stood in front of a boy. A boy he left in the depths of the blood temple in Titian.

"Yes, Mal. How are you?"

[To be continued]