HP • 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 ─ 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐒𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐱 𝐎𝐂

The Lightning Struck At Hogwarts

"How's my godson? And why did you come?" Cassi asked with a stern look.

"He's with my mum," confessed Dora, her nervousness evident. "He'll be alright, but I couldn't just stand by while Lupin put himself in danger."

"I tried to dissuade her, but stubbornness seems to be a family trait," Lupin grumbled with a tinge of concern.

Once again, a crack shattered the silence, and a man resembling Dumbledore appeared, summoning them to the back of the bar. Irritated, he muttered something like "Just wanted to sleep, and now a mob of wizards is invading my blasted house." Dumbledore's brother, it seemed, had one of the passages leading directly from Hogsmeade to Hogwarts. He asked a woman in a painting to alert the other side and opened the passage.

They waited anxiously as a blonde figure approached with the girl.

When the passage in the portrait opened, Cassi beamed a wide smile.

"Ferret!"

"Hey there, fox," Draco chuckled as he descended and gave her a hug. "You're late. You-Know-Who heard that Harry's at Hogwarts and sent the Carrows after him."

"Malfoy?" Lupin was wide-eyed, looking at Draco as if expecting him to pull out his wand or something.

"You two are always so surprised. Guess it's my own fault," Draco muttered, then extended his hand. "Good to see you, professor. Hello to you too, cousin. How's your baby and my aunt?"

Dora hugged him tightly. "They're fine. You'll meet him once this is all over."

Lupin blinked a few times before responding. "Good to have you with us, lad," he said, patting Draco's shoulder.

"Alright, let's help Scarhead," he said, heading back to the passage, the trio following closely behind.

"How's it been here?" Dora asked.

"It's been... well, doesn't really feel like Hogwarts anymore," Draco sighed.

"The Carrows have done more than just teach. They're in charge of discipline and enjoy punishing. Amycus likes to make us practice the Cruciatus Curse on students who get detention. It's barbaric."

He shuddered. "Neville's their public enemy number one, I swear! He's worse than Potter, openly defies them to give others hope. He's brave, just a bit daft."

Cassiopeia widened her eyes, but then felt a smile forming as Draco pulled out the coin.

"The Carrows never figured out how we communicated and it drove them mad. We used to sneak out at night and graffiti the walls: 'Dumbledore's Army: Still Recruiting,' and such, Snape hated it. But then they started punishing other students, and we stopped being so reckless."

"Neville ran away because the Carrows are trying to kill him. He really gave those two a trauma."

He paused as they approached the door. Draco opened it and ascended the stairs. As Cassi followed, she observed the room - colorful things hung in a jumble, along with lanterns.
She didn't recognize the place. It was vast, resembling the interior of a grand treehouse or perhaps the inside of a ship's cabin on a gigantic scale. Multicolored hammocks hung from the ceiling, extending to a gallery that circled the room. The windowless walls were adorned with dark wood panels and vibrant tapestries in various colors.

The black badger of Hufflepuff against a yellow background was depicted, as was the bronze eagle of Ravenclaw against a blue background.

Her eyes scanned the room, searching for something representing her own house, and then she broke into a radiant smile, moved by the sight of the green and silver serpent next to Gryffindor: the proud golden lion hanging on a red background.