Godfather Owl: Guardian of Batman [156]

Several days had passed since the Feast of the God of War.

Everything had returned to normal, as calm as still water—just the usual campus life. It was as if that night's events had been nothing but a fleeting dream.

Yet, this made Bruce feel even more uneasy. He couldn't shake the thought that this was merely the calm before the storm.

Today, Bruce was heading to his first Care of Magical Creatures class.

Although, like Hermione, he had practically signed up for every possible course, that didn't mean their schedules were identical.

Many of the Hufflepuff classes were held jointly with Ravenclaw students.

Professor Newt held his class near the Forbidden Forest, in a small fenced enclosure. With The Monster Book of Monsters in his arms, Bruce followed the group as they made their way to the site.

As they walked, he overheard a few Ravenclaw girls whispering to one another.

"They still haven't found her…"

"The professor said not to tell anyone…"

"Ravenna always kept to herself…"

Bruce caught the name "Ravenna" and immediately focused his attention on their conversation. Leaning closer, he joined in.

"Were you talking about Ravenna?" Bruce asked. "What's going on with her?"

"Oh, hi, Bruce!" one of the young witches greeted him, her cheeks flushing red. "You know Ravenna? She's a second-year in Ravenclaw."

"Yes, I know her," Bruce replied with a nod. "What happened to her?"

"She's gone missing."

Another girl chimed in, "She disappeared just a few days into the term. We told Professor Flitwick about it, and he said he'd look into it, but we haven't heard anything since."

"Maybe she just went back home," the first girl speculated. "She didn't have many friends and was always alone. There could be a reason behind it."

Bruce didn't respond. He was still reeling from the news.

Ravenna is missing?

Impossible!

Bruce knew her identity better than anyone else. Others might not know, but he did—Ravenna was the Rowena Ravenclaw herself. What could have caused her to disappear without a trace?

"Kathoom, what's your take on this?" Bruce asked. "Do you think she left of her own accord, or did something happen to her?"

If it was an accident, then this was serious.

Anyone capable of silently overpowering Ravenclaw would have to be extraordinarily powerful.

"I can't draw any conclusions yet," Kathoom replied. "But you know Ravenclaw's last known destination—she said she was going to break Gryffindor's seal. If we want answers, we should start by checking out the room where Gryffindor's seal was kept."

"Good idea!"

At that moment, Bruce lost all interest in attending class.

"We can come back to this class later," he said. "Let's go find Ravenclaw first!"

After all, she was essentially one of his mentors.

Although he often called her an "old hag," Bruce didn't truly want anything bad to happen to her.

"Let's go!"

Kathoom didn't hesitate. He and Bruce immediately broke away from the group, heading back to the castle.

Care of Magical Creatures could wait.

Newt's first lesson was probably just about opening his suitcase and giving the students a chance to explore its wonders anyway.

Bruce knew exactly where Gryffindor's sealed room was—he had been there before.

When they reached the room, its doors were wide open, and the seal had long since been broken.

The room itself was empty, devoid of any signs of struggle.

"Ravenclaw and Gryffindor disappeared together?"

Bruce felt slightly less worried. If the two founders were working together, they wouldn't be taken down so easily, right?

If they had been, then the enemy's strength was truly terrifying.

"Someone's already investigated this room."

Kathoom cast a spell, revealing a series of highlighted footprints on the floor.

"These belong to Dumbledore—he always wears those soft-soled boots. These are Professor Gael's, and these are Professor McGonagall's…"

As Kathoom identified the tracks, Bruce realized that nearly all the Heads of Houses had been here.

"This doesn't feel right," Bruce said. "If Gryffindor were planning to leave the castle, he wouldn't just disappear without a word. He knows that would trouble Dumbledore."

The footprints clearly showed that the professors had conducted a thorough investigation here.

"Exactly."

The owl nodded. "It seems Gryffindor vanished suddenly, without any warning."

The same applied to Ravenclaw.

This left Bruce with no choice but to consider the worst-case scenario.

Perhaps Ravenclaw and Gryffindor really had been overpowered in an instant and spirited away.

"Who could've done this?"

Bruce couldn't fathom the level of power needed to accomplish such a feat.

Forget Gryffindor—Ravenclaw carried the Dionysian Factor in her veins. She was unkillable.

How could she vanish without a trace?

"Who else but Barbatos' hunters?"

Kathoom's expression was grim as he mentally sifted through potential suspects.

"Kathoom, what are you thinking—"

Bruce began to ask when he suddenly heard hurried footsteps approaching.

He quickly ducked into a hidden corner of the room, watching as Professor McGonagall ran past, a look of panic on her face.

Following closely behind her was Professor Newt.

Newt!?

Why wasn't he teaching class?

"Something else has happened," Kathoom muttered, poking his head out. "Bruce, let me go check it out. You'll stick out too much if you follow."

With that, the owl flew out of the room, trailing the two professors. He listened in on their conversation.

"…Is it true, Minerva? This isn't something to joke about!"

"I'm not joking!" McGonagall cried, tears streaming down her face. "It's true—Harry… He was just hanging there…"

Harry!?

Kathoom understood immediately.

"Was this a spur-of-the-moment decision, or something premeditated?"

He murmured, images from the feast flashing through his mind.

---

The owl followed the professors to a cluttered storeroom.

The area had been sealed off, with students strictly forbidden from entering. Only the professors were allowed inside.

Even before getting close, Kathoom could hear Snape's anguished cries.

"Harry, no, you can't…"

Peering in, the owl caught a single glance, and the crimson flood of blood overwhelmed his vision.

Harry lay lifeless in a pool of blood, all vitality drained from his body.

The entire storeroom was soaked in red, blood painting every surface.

Snape knelt in the middle of the bloodstained floor, howling in despair. His spirit had been utterly shattered.

Harry was dead—truly, irreversibly dead.

"Sigh."

Kathoom turned his head away. Just as he had told Bruce earlier, such things were bound to happen.

But it didn't matter. They would fix everything in the end.

Still, for those unaware of the bigger picture, this would be a time of unbearable pain.

A black shadow sped toward the scene—it was Sirius Black in his animagus form, a large black dog. He had just received the devastating news.

At this point, there was no way to contain the fallout.

"Harry!!!"

Sirius let out a heart-wrenching howl, his body morphing back into human form in an instant.

He lunged forward, desperate to hold Harry's cold, lifeless body in his arms.

Dumbledore suddenly rose to his feet.

The elderly man had been sitting slumped on a chair, his face pale and expressionless.

Harry's death was a blow even he could not bear.

"Sirius Black, so it's you," Dumbledore said, his voice heavy with sorrow as he closed his eyes. "Have you come to avenge your master at last?"

"Out of my way, Dumbledore! Let me see Harry!"

Sirius, half-crazed, shouted, "He can't be dead! He can't!"

Dumbledore flicked his wand, sending Sirius flying into the wall. The wall seemed to liquefy, pulling Sirius in as though it were quicksand, trapping him in place.

"I'll give you a chance to explain yourself," Dumbledore said. "But first, you must tell me—how did you get into the school?"

"Dumbledore!"

Professor Snape rose from the pool of blood, his bloodshot eyes filled with rage and grief.

"I have something to tell you!"

"Is it important?" Dumbledore asked. "Can it be discussed here?"

Snape looked around at the other professors, their expressions a mix of anguish and curiosity.

"No, not here," Snape said flatly, his voice devoid of emotion. "We should discuss this in your office."

"Very well."

Dumbledore nodded and waved his wand. A stone sphere emerged from the wall, enveloping Sirius.

"Let's go now."

The news of Harry's death could not be contained.

It wasn't long before the entire castle was in chaos, students and staff alike overwhelmed by panic and despair.

"The school is in utter turmoil right now," Bruce remarked. "I wonder if Ares anticipated this. The death of even one student is an unbearable blow to the school."

Bruce didn't dwell on Harry's death with too much sorrow—it was only a temporary death, after all.

A lost life could still be restored. A broken soul could still be rebuilt.

At times like this, staying calm was paramount.

He had to be fully prepared to reverse the situation completely.

"If more deaths follow, the school will be forced to shut down under the pressure," Kathoom said. "If I'm not mistaken, Ares will realize this as well and accelerate the feast's timeline."

Otherwise, there would never be another chance to hold it.

Time was running out for Ares.

"Let him do as he pleases," Bruce said, his voice cold now.

He wasn't mourning—he was furious.

"Whether it's the hunters or Ares, I won't let a single one of them go!"

As he spoke, the familiar sound of a gong suddenly echoed through the castle.

The sound reverberated through every hall and chamber.

It heralded the second feast, set to take place tonight.

"So it's tonight after all. That was fast—it's only been a few days," Kathoom muttered, shaking his head. "Ares must have realized the flaws in his own rules and decided to make adjustments."

"I'm curious to see how he plans to address the biggest loophole in his rules," Bruce said, his tone sharp.

---

T/N: Damn... I'm tempted to end the updates here just for the cliffhanger... AMUAHUFRAUFHAUHA YES ILL END IT HERE! HAHAHAHAHA (ill post 9 chapters tomorrow just because ;3) (thats only for patreon bros :(( )

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