June 24, Cloudy (3)

The battle inside Hogwarts had reached a fever pitch. Bellatrix Lestrange and her fellow Death Eaters had broken through the professors' initial line of defense, spreading out to engage the adult wizards who had just arrived. Despite their efforts, the Death Eaters outnumbered the defenders and were slowly gaining the upper hand.

Sirius Black and Bellatrix were locked in a fierce duel on the stairs, each trying to land a killing blow on the other.

"Azkaban made you slow, sister!" Sirius taunted, narrowly missing Bellatrix with a spell that shaved off a chunk of her hair. "Still licking Voldemort's boots, are you?"

Bellatrix's face twisted in rage, her yellowed teeth bared as she screamed, "Don't you dare speak of my master like that, you traitor! You think you can hurt me?"

Joey, who had just arrived with Fred, caught a glimpse of Bellatrix. The woman's face was covered in pustules, and her half-singed hair made her look even more deranged.

"Look at her feet!" Fred laughed, hurling a Petrificus Totalus at a Death Eater fighting Mr. Diggory. "Our mini swamp did that! Her shoes are ruined!"

"That's right!" Joey added a Stinging Hex to the petrified Death Eater, causing his head to swell like a balloon. Mr. Diggory shouted his thanks to the pair.

"Any customers here? Hahaha!" Fred grinned proudly.

"So it was you!" A man with a bleeding nose charged at them. Fred quickly cast a Levicorpus, sending the man dangling upside down.

"Filch?" Joey tilted her head, recognizing the former caretaker. "Didn't you take Ravenclaw's diadem? Why haven't you gotten smarter?"

Filch nearly choked on his own blood at her words. "I fixed the Vanishing Cabinet! What did you put in there? Werewolves and pustules! They blamed me, and that madwoman almost killed me!"

Fred glanced at Joey, suspecting her involvement, but she shook her head innocently. "I don't know what he's talking about…"

"You just mentioned the mini swamp!" Filch accused, pointing at Fred.

Fred spun Filch in the air a few times before dropping him unceremoniously. Filch collapsed, vomiting blood and cursing under his breath.

"Why are these two little troublemakers alone? Let me deal with you!" Professor Moody appeared on the stairs, his wand raised. "Bone Breaker!"

Fred and Joey dodged in opposite directions, the spell hitting Filch instead. His scream sent shivers down Joey's spine. She tried to counter the curse, but her magic was no match for Moody's.

"Impossible!" Fred stared at Moody in disbelief. He couldn't bring himself to attack the man he'd trusted for so long.

Moody's smile was unnerving. "Fred, do you really want to fight me?"

Joey saw Fred's wand waver and leapt in front of him. Moody's wand flashed green, but before the spell could hit, a loud "crack" echoed through the corridor. Joey and Fred vanished, reappearing on the other side of Moody with Kreacher, the Black family house-elf.

"Kreacher!" Moody snarled. "You dare defy me?"

"Kreacher serves the true master of the Black family," the elf said calmly. "Not you, impostor."

Moody's face twisted, his skin shifting and his body elongating. The real Alastor Moody emerged from behind the imposter, his prosthetic eye rolling on the floor. "Don't throw my things around, especially not my eye!" he growled, picking it up and shoving it back into place.

Joey gagged at the sight, but Fred's face lit up with relief. "I knew Moody wasn't a Death Eater!"

"Sorry, but I have to know—what does that eye taste like?" Joey asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

Fred groaned. "Please, don't remind me!"

Moody ignored their banter, diving back into the fray. Joey and Fred, with Kreacher's help, took on two Death Eaters, their spells flying in tandem.

Filch cowered in a corner, clutching the diadem in his pocket. Voldemort had tasked him with returning it to the Room of Requirement, but the chaos made it impossible to move. He remembered Shafiq's words: "The Dark Lord will destroy Hogwarts. Do you want to see your home ruined?"

His hand brushed against the snake tooth Shafiq had given him. "This will destroy the diadem," Shafiq had said. "Use it if you must."

Filch hesitated, too afraid to act. But as he watched the destruction around him, his anger grew. Hogwarts was his home, and he couldn't let it fall.

---

Meanwhile, Sirius and Bellatrix's duel reached its climax. Bellatrix's movements were hampered by her ruined shoes and the pustules spreading up her legs. "I'll kill you!" she screeched, her spells growing wilder.

"In your dreams!" Sirius retorted, his wand hand steady despite the strain.

Bellatrix unleashed a barrage of spells. Sirius dodged the first two, but the third struck him in the chest. At the same time, his spells hit Bellatrix in the forehead. Both froze, then tumbled down the stairs.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" a voice shouted, halting their fall.

---

Elsewhere, Harry struggled to his feet, coughing and clutching his head. Voldemort loomed over him, his red eyes gleaming with malice. "What's so funny, boy?" he hissed, pressing his fingers into Harry's temple.

Harry's vision blurred, but he managed to think, "Your bald head."

Voldemort's laughter echoed through the graveyard. "No one can save you now, Harry Potter!"

The Death Eaters joined in, their laughter cruel and mocking. Cedric, hidden nearby, clenched his fists. He couldn't stand by any longer. But before he could act, Dumbledore appeared, his hand on Cedric's shoulder.

"Stay down," Dumbledore whispered, stepping forward to face Voldemort.

"Who's there?" Voldemort snarled, hurling a curse at Dumbledore.

Dumbledore deflected it effortlessly. "It's me, Voldemort."

The Death Eaters stirred uneasily as Dumbledore raised his wand. "You won't leave here tonight."

Voldemort sneered, dragging Harry toward Dumbledore. "Here to save the boy? Let's see if he's still alive!"

Harry stumbled, blood dripping from fresh cuts. Cedric, unable to hold back, stood and cast a spell at Voldemort's hand. The Dark Lord's grip loosened, and Harry rolled away. Dumbledore seized the moment, launching a counterattack.

The graveyard erupted into chaos as the Order of the Phoenix clashed with the Death Eaters. Spells lit up the night, and Cedric found himself in the midst of his first real wizarding war. The sounds of battle—shouts, explosions, and the clash of magic—filled the air, and Cedric realized this was only the beginning.