...
About half an hour later…
After Slytherin's shameless entreaties and Gryffindor's, shall we say, involuntary signing of Tom's 'unequal treaty,' the great wizard and valiant lion of Hogwarts was spared from becoming alchemical fuel.
Congratulations, I suppose…!
Gryffindor, sensing the crisis was over, chatted with Slytherin about old times. According to the 'unequal treaty,' everything Gryffindor possessed now belonged to Tom, including alchemical materials like the mithril in the room. Even Gryffindor's ancient magic, alchemy, and blacksmithing skills were forfeit.
Still, Gryffindor considered it a win. Tom could have easily plundered everything by simply searching his soul. Besides, the transfer of these skills wasn't something to rush; both Gryffindor and Tom were in agreement on that point. For Tom, Gryffindor's knowledge was merely icing on the cake.
Gryffindor, for his part, planned to leave the Room of Requirement for a while—a key reason he'd agreed to Tom's terms.
Whether Gryffindor will simply run away once he leaves… that is something Tom Riddle has likely already accounted for.
...
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
The Forbidden Forest.
Having gathered their forces, Harry and Malfoy, along with their serpentine cohort, had effectively blockaded the entrance to the Forbidden Forest and all nearby paths. It resembled a vast, dark cloud gathering. Twenty or thirty students from other houses swelled their ranks. Harry and Malfoy deemed it sufficient to deal with a mere Sirius Black.
Besides, even though classes were canceled, Albus Dumbledore would surely accuse them of inciting a rebellion if they mobilized the entire student body.
...
Eighth floor of the castle, Headmaster's Office.
"Are they planning a rebellion?!" Severus Snape, having observed the scene, stormed in to make his report. Albus Dumbledore, looking rather resigned, remained silent, but Snape, as Head of Slytherin, was livid.
"Calm yourself, Severus," Dumbledore said, unperturbed, as he popped a cockroach-flavored Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Bean into his mouth.
Snape stared, incredulous. "How can I remain calm? They are about to tear down the Forbidden Forest, and do you really think those savage centaurs and ferocious beasts will simply stand by and watch?"
Despite his abrasive manner, Snape was a good professor. His primary concern was the safety of his students.
Dumbledore seemed unfazed. "Don't worry, I'll have Hagrid keep an eye on them."
"Hagrid? That giant? Ha!" Snape had lost count of how many times he'd laughed in exasperation that day. He would have suspected Dumbledore was suffering from Muggle dementia if the thought hadn't been so absurd.
Taking a deep breath to regain his composure, Snape said, "Do as you wish, but I won't let anything happen to her… to the child," and he turned and slammed the door as he left the Headmaster's Office.
Bang!
Dumbledore watched him go, a wry smile on his face. He then took out a pen and parchment, wrote a few lines, and handed them to Fawkes, perched on a nearby stand.
"Thank you, Fawkes."
With that, Fawkes vanished in a burst of flames.
The letter was addressed to an unexpected recipient.
...
Back at the Forbidden Forest.
Malfoy confidently gazed into the shadowy depths. Leading such a large group into what amounted to a brawl filled him with an intoxicating sense of power.
"Scarhead! What are you waiting for?! Let's charge in!"
Malfoy, seeing Harry deep in conversation with Hagrid, urged him forward.
"Alright, alright, I'm coming!"
Harry rejoined the self-proclaimed Death Eaters. Looking at the assembled students, he felt a surge of pride.
Everything is finally in place!
He, Harry Potter, had made his intentions clear. Even if Sirius Black managed to commandeer a flying Broomstick, he would not escape!
And if Sirius did escape… Harry Potter would wash Draco Malfoy's smelly socks for a month!
With that grim motivation firmly in mind, Harry gave the order, and the assembled students surged into the Forbidden Forest, shouting, "For Tom Riddle!" and "Long live the Death Eaters!"
Harry and Malfoy were the loudest. If they were alone, they probably would have hollered something absurd like "Demacia!"
Hagrid, though, was worried.
"Didn't we agree to go together?!"
How did they all scatter like that?
Hagrid felt exasperated. He shouldn't have let them enter the forest, which was strictly off-limits to students. But the Death Eaters were so relentless that he doubted he could have stopped them; he might even have gotten roughed up. While he was tough, there were simply too many of them.
So, he had no choice but to reason with Harry, to no avail.
"Sigh..."
Feeling he had no other option, and deeply worried about the students' safety, Hagrid picked up his little pink umbrella and followed them into the Forbidden Forest.
...
Inside the Forbidden Forest, the self-proclaimed Death Eaters weren't stupid. They knew the dangers within the Forbidden Forest. Therefore, they divided themselves into groups of ten to twenty, with at least five older students in each group. That configuration ought to be enough to deal with most magical creatures of moderate threat.
For example, one group of Death Eaters encountered a problem.
When a slight rustling appeared in the nearby bushes, over twenty Stun spells were immediately fired! After a quick barrage of additional spells, a few older students cautiously approached to investigate. "Ahem… it's just a hare. Let's move on."
If a simple hare could be targeted by over twenty Stun spells, one can only imagine what horrors awaited the rest of the Forbidden Forest's inhabitants.
---