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Severus Snape stood tall, his back as straight as a stick and his head was held high. His beady eyes were scanning the great hall for a glimpse of Potter, searching cautiously for him. He leered down at the students over his hooked nose.
It was all wrong.
He was not meant to be standing where the previous headmasters of Hogwarts stood, it was unnatural. Snape was not a leader. If anything, Snape would lead these children to an unmerciful death.
The bones beneath Chae's skin rattled as she caught sight of the Death Eaters stood behind him, they were on their guards. Goosebumps formed on her arms, the fear was really sinking in now. Reality slammed itself into her face at full speed, this was a life or death situation and here every Hogwarts student stood, practically shaking in their boots.
They were a walking target, each and every one of them were like a beacon, screaming for Voldemort to come and kill them. It was so obvious. This was going to end in a bloodbath.
Snape's voice began to echo off the high walls, the sky outside was dark and stormy, the clouds filled with rain that were ready to burst and shower the Earth. His voice was calm and steady, but there was no mistaking the malice in his tone. He meant every word.
His words sunk into the students of Hogwarts like venom, spreading throughout their nervous system, anxiety beginning to paralyse them. If they knew the whereabouts of Harry Potter or conspired with him in any way, they'd all meet the same fate as him. He was giving them no choice, they would have to die or become a traitor.
The Dark Arts professor walked slowly in between the houses, his footsteps pounding against the tiled floor. His dark beady eyes stared down at the different houses, his eyes were testing them, trying to spot someone who could give the act away. But the students did not look at him, their eyes were still trained nervously on the floor.
"It seems despite your exhaustive defensive strategies, you still have a bit of a security problem headmaster."
Chae - who was stood next to Luna in disguise - turned her head rapidly to see Harry standing in the middle of the great hall, her soft lips were parted in shock. The beautiful oak doors behind Harry opened, revealing who was behind them.
The Order of the Phoenix walked in slowly, their shoulders back and heads held high. They would not back down from their predators, the prey had become the predator and the previous predator would pay the price for his crimes. Chae's heart leaped with joy when she spotted her cousin Sora amongst them.
"How dare you stand where he stood? Tell them how it happened that night! Tell them how you looked him in the eye, a man who trusted you, and killed him! Tell them!" Harry bellowed furiously, ignoring the gasps and shocked sounds that the surrounding crowd let out.
The cowardly headmaster said nothing, instead, he reached for his wand and whipped it out to threaten the boy. Before he could utter a spell, McGonagall had moved in front of Harry protectively, shooting offensive spells at Snape.
He deflected each spell smoothly, the ongoing crowd watching with amazement as their professors duelled one another. Chae couldn't take her eyes off the moving figures, bursts of orange and blue leaving the tips of their wands as Snape edged closer to the window that McGonagall was backing him into with her long strides.
In a blink of an eye, Snape had stopped shooting spells and took off out of the window, smashing through it as if it were simply a door. A batlike figure took off into the night, leaving Hogwarts with a new headmistress.
"COWARD!" McGonagall shouted after him.
All of a sudden, a piercing scream ripped through the Great Hall. It was followed by two others, each one a shrill cry that sent shivers down Chae's spine and she instantly moved so that she was stood next to Fred again. He said nothing but swept her hand up in his, pressing his mouth to it gently.
"I know that many of you want to fight, some of you may even think that to fight is wise but this is foolish. Give me Harry Potter. Do this and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter and I shall leave Hogwarts untouched."
His voice was like flames of fire licking at their ears, waiting to swallow them whole and burn them to a crisp. It was menacing. His message alone was enough to make people question their allegiances.
"What are you waiting for? Someone grab him!" shouted Pansy Parkinson, pointing a finger in Harry's direction.
Ginny stepped in front of him, leading others to guard Harry. Chaerin stepped forward boldly, a protective hand placed on Harry's forearm as she glared angrily at the Slytherin girl.
"Fancy a repeat of my fist punching your nose again Pansy?" Chae barked, reminding the girl of what happened between the two of them.
McGonagall shook her head, a ghost smile tracing her lips. Filch ran into the room frantically, his greasy hair sprawled out on his back, his arms wrapped tightly around his precious cat Mrs. Norris.
"Students out of bed! Students in the corridor!"
"They are supposed to be out of bed you blithering idiot!"
"Oh, sorry, Ma'am."
"However, your arrival is most opportune," McGonagall stepped forward, her wand still clutched in her hand. "If you would, I would like you to lead Miss Parkinson and the rest of Slytherin house from the hall."
"Exactly where to?"
"The dungeons."
Cheers erupted from the other students, all of them watching in a delighted manner when the Slytherins were lead out of the great hall. After that, no time was wasted in preparing plans to defend the castle. Harry was off in an instant, leaving Chae no room to question him.
Chaerin was about to take off again but Fred's large hands cupped her face, his brilliant eyes staring down at her, silently checking for any marks or bruises that could have been left on her.
"Chaerin, you promise me on-"
"Fred it's fine, shh nothing will-"
"No Chaerin, you listen to me," his tone was authoritative and Chae backed down immediately.
There was no mistaking the look in his eyes, this was something important. He needed her to listen, he needed her to hear everything he had to say and he needed her to understand what it meant. He could not lose her now.
"Chae, I don't care what happens next, but I need you to promise me that no matter what, you will not put yourself in any type of situation that could get you killed."
"Fred, sweetpea, be realistic. A war is about to happen."
"No Chaerin, I need you to promise me this. If something happens to anyone, even me, you run. You run and you find safety. I cannot go into this knowing that you might not survive."
"Fred you can't ask that of me."
"I have to."
Chae bit her lip, she could not promise him anything. She'd sacrifice herself in an instant if it meant someone she loved could continue with their life, Chaerin Chang would take away her own future to give someone else theirs.
"I can see what you're thinking, don't say it, Chae, please."
Fred's forehead rested on Chae's, the two of them struggled to look anywhere else and Chae could feel herself giving in to him. She could fill her will slowly dying out, it was like she was a flame and he was the cool water trying to put her out.
"Okay. Okay, Fred, I promise. But you cannot make me promise this and not ask the same of you."
"I'll do it. If staying alive means staying with you, I'll do it. You don't even need to ask that of me."
Chae nodded her head, leaning upwards to capture his lips in hers. It was short and sweet, and even if Chae didn't want to admit it. She knew that this might be their last moment together.