Godfather Owl: Guardian of Batman [157]
He couldn't let her face this alone.
After what felt like an eternity, Hermione finally emerged, her head bowed. Bruce immediately noticed something was wrong.
"Hermione…"
Hermione's trembling figure approached him, tears streaming down her face.
"Her—"
Before Bruce could finish, Hermione interrupted him.
"Let's run away!"
Her eyes had lost their usual brightness. Even though she had tried to prepare herself, Harry's death had hit her harder than she ever imagined.
"I didn't even dare talk to anyone today!" Hermione sobbed. "I don't trust anyone anymore! Bruce, why did you take so long to come find me?"
This…
Bruce stood frozen in place, at a loss for words.
After Harry's death, his mind had been consumed with too many thoughts—about their pursuers, the mysterious purpose of the War God's Banquet—but he hadn't considered how terrified Hermione might be.
After all, she could very well be next.
"I'm sorry." Bruce lowered his head, refusing to offer any excuses.
This was a wake-up call for him.
Which was more important: protecting his loved ones, or finding the murderer?
He needed to seriously think this through.
"Bruce, let's run away!" Hermione wiped her tears. "Forget the War God's Banquet! I've been wracking my brain all day, trying to figure out who could've killed Harry, but I can't find the culprit! I can't imagine who could be cruel enough to kill him!"
"Ares must be lying! He must've killed Harry himself and then framed us, trying to make us suspect one another!"
"End this madness, Bruce! Let's leave! Leave Hogwarts!"
Hermione was on the verge of breaking down.
She had tried to think of ways to avenge Harry, but how could she do that without knowing who the murderer was?
And all the suspects were her classmates, her friends. She couldn't bear to suspect them.
If Hermione kept going down this path, she would surely lose her sanity.
Bruce stared silently at her for a moment.
Then, he nodded firmly.
"Alright."
He looked into Hermione's eyes. "I'll take you home, back to London. The War God's Banquet will have nothing to do with us anymore."
"Really?" Hermione looked at him, her face lighting up with hope.
"Really."
Bruce nodded, taking her hand and preparing to leave.
At the same time, he spoke to Kathoom in his mind:
"Is the Polyjuice Potion ready?"
"It's been ready," Kathoom replied. "Let's get Hermione home."
Bruce had made his decision earlier that day.
Even if Hermione hadn't suggested running away, he would've knocked her out and sent her back home himself. Then, he would take her place at the banquet.
There was no way he would let her participate in this deadly game.
---
They moved quickly, slipping out of the Hogwarts castle in no time.
Ahead of them lay the dark waters of the Black Lake, once home to the giant squid.
And beyond that, the massive stone bridge where Dumbledore had once fought alongside the three founders.
"Once we cross the bridge, we'll be free!" Bruce said. "When we're on the other side, close your eyes. When you open them again, we'll be home."
"Really?"
Hermione looked at him skeptically. But with Bruce by her side, she wasn't as frightened as before.
"I promise." Bruce's voice was firm.
With a quick Apparition spell, they would be back in London in an instant.
Bruce turned to Kathoom, signaling him to be ready.
Just cross the bridge, and we're free, he thought to himself.
But in the next second, his hand was suddenly empty.
He spun around, only to find that Hermione had vanished without a trace.
"What the—"
Bruce's eyes widened in shock. This turn of events had caught him completely off guard.
He had been holding her hand just moments ago.
How had she disappeared without him noticing anything?
"Just like the hall's enchantment," Kathoom said suddenly. "No trace of magic left behind."
Bruce clenched his fists. "So you're saying…"
"Yes." Kathoom nodded. "Hermione is most likely already in the banquet hall."
With that, Kathoom spread his wings and took off toward the castle.
"I'll go to her side," he said. "You stay here and figure out how this was done."
At that moment, Bruce fully understood the gravity of Kathoom's earlier warnings.
To have a living person vanish right in front of him without leaving a single clue—it was terrifying.
If they couldn't solve this mystery, they didn't stand a chance.
…
Hermione swore she hadn't even blinked.
And yet, it had happened.
One moment, she was standing on the stone bridge.
The next, she was seated in the banquet hall.
Not just her—everyone else was here too, except for Harry.
No, wait.
Hermione scanned the room again, realizing someone else was missing.
Peter Pettigrew.
The last time, he hadn't sat at the table either, which was why she hadn't noticed his absence right away.
The reactions of those present varied widely.
Neville and Malfoy were trembling, their eyes squeezed shut as if refusing to acknowledge the situation.
Fred had his lips pressed tightly together, his gaze darting from one person to another.
Cedric's expression was grim, his eyes fixed straight ahead.
Sirius and Snape, surprisingly, wore identical expressions—dark and resolute, as if they had come to some grim conclusion.
Stay calm, stay calm… Hermione told herself. Don't panic. Bruce will be outside waiting for me!
He had to be…
Even as she tried to reassure herself, a wave of helplessness surged through her. Her eyes turned red, and tears threatened to spill.
Damn you, Bruce! You lied to me!
You said you'd take me away!
Liar!
You're leaving me to face this alone!
Her heart filled with despair and anger as she silently cursed Bruce. Her emotions teetered on the edge of collapse.
But then, she felt something soft and feathery against her ear.
Turning her head, Hermione saw Kathoom perched on her shoulder.
The owl looked into her eyes and gently tapped her head with his wing.
In that moment, Hermione understood his message: Don't be afraid. I'm here.
---
"Welcome, everyone!"
A sudden voice broke the tense silence as Ares appeared at the head of the table.
His face bore a cheerful smile, as though everything was progressing precisely as he intended.
"Good evening, everyone," Ares said, his tone light and almost casual. "I'm delighted to see you all in such fine form, and I must thank my chosen representatives. Our banquet has moved successfully to the second stage."
That smug expression made everyone feel an instinctive unease.
What "successful progression"?
It had come at the cost of Harry's life.
"Ares, is it? I'm still not used to that name. How about I just call you Lupin instead?"
Sirius Black suddenly lifted his head, his face etched with grief as he glared at the man who had once been his friend.
"And you can still smile? Harry is dead!"
"It's the rule of the banquet," Ares replied coldly, his smile vanishing.
"To hell with your rules!" Sirius snarled, his voice breaking. "I hate myself for not killing you the moment I had the chance!"
"Sirius, play your part properly," Ares said icily.
"Why don't you play your part?"
Before anyone could react, someone else sprang to their feet, wand outstretched.
"Avada Kedavra!"
It was Snape.
The former Death Eater, who had spent decades at Hogwarts restraining his darker impulses, had finally snapped.
He wasn't willing to continue this farce for another moment.
The green light of the Killing Curse surged toward Ares. Just as it was about to strike, Ares's figure vanished without a sound.
And with him, Snape disappeared as well.
It happened in less than a fraction of a second, so quickly it was as though Snape had been erased from existence.
When Ares reappeared, his expression was tinged with mock regret.
"What a pity," he said with a sigh. "Snape broke the rules. Let's count that as his forfeit."
He spoke so nonchalantly, as though nothing of consequence had just occurred.
"Where is Snape?" Sirius growled through clenched teeth. "What did you do to him?"
"Don't waste your breath asking about Snape," Ares replied with an unsettling smile. "You'll never see him again. That's the price of breaking the rules.
"And if anyone here wishes to join him, I won't stop you. But think carefully—when you disappear, no one else at Hogwarts will escape unscathed either."
With that, Ares casually tossed something onto the long table.
The object rolled a few times before coming to a stop.
It was a wand.
A wand made of elder wood.
"I've already warned you not to inform others about the banquet," Ares said coldly. "But someone decided not to listen and tried to cause trouble for me. Well, this is the result. Your beloved headmaster has now permanently left you."
The news hit like a thunderclap.
That wand—was it Dumbledore's?
"Impossible…"
Sirius murmured, his voice hollow. "Impossible!"
Could it be true? Had Dumbledore fallen victim to Ares as well?
How could that be?
Sirius's mind reeled, flashing back to earlier in the day when Snape had disclosed everything about the War God's Banquet to Dumbledore.
He had been there.
Dumbledore had promised them, with unprecedented seriousness, that he would put an end to this nightmare.
And now—
Dumbledore's wand lay before them as undeniable proof.
"Dumbledore is the strongest wizard," Sirius muttered, dazed. "He couldn't have been defeated without a sound."
Yet no matter how much Sirius wanted to deny it, the elder wand's presence was irrefutable.
"We've had enough interruptions," Ares said suddenly, shaking his head. "Our banquet must continue. Now, let me announce—"
"Mr. Ares."
A voice interrupted him.
One hand shot into the air.
"Don't you think you owe us an explanation as to why this banquet was called ahead of schedule?"
"Because I wanted it to be," Ares said with a smile, turning his gaze to the speaker. "Does that suffice, Mr. Weasley?"
It was Fred.
Fred and his twin brother George were known throughout Hogwarts as mischievous pranksters, always full of schemes.
But in this moment of dire crisis, Fred stood tall, boldly voicing the question on everyone's minds.
"No, that doesn't suffice," Fred retorted, unyielding.
"You set the rules, yet you're the first to break them. What credibility do you have left?
"If you want to kill us, just do it. But if you're going to impose rules, then follow them."
Ares regarded him with a calm expression. "And what do you propose?"
The second stage of the War God's Banquet was already underway.
"Simple."
Fred snapped his fingers.
"You broke a rule, and Professor Snape broke a rule. Let's call it even.
"To show good faith, you must bring Professor Snape back—if you can, that is."
Ares's lips curled into a faint smile. "Are you sure? Snape might not be on your side."
"I don't care," Fred said, shrugging. "He's the professor I hate most. But from another angle, he's also the professor I like the most.
"If he's gone, George and I will be bored to tears."
Ares was silent for a moment before nodding.
"Very well," he said. "Snape has learned his lesson anyway."
With those words, Snape reappeared in his seat.
He reappeared as suddenly as he had vanished.
But something was different.
In the short span of his absence—barely a minute or two—Snape seemed to have aged a century.
He looked around in terror, his eyes wide with disbelief.
"Sirius?" Snape stammered. "You're alive?"
"What are you talking about?" Sirius demanded, frowning. "Where were you just now?"
"Just now…"
Snape collapsed weakly into his seat.
"I've been wandering in an empty castle for over a hundred years…"
---
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