"Something's here." Jin breathed out, and the five boys looked at each other in panic.
"We were too late with warning the teachers, weren't we?" Jimin said, gulping at the realization that something was here to attack the castle. Right now.
"We did what we could." Namjoon replied, before quickly grabbing Jimin and Jin's arms. "We have to go."
They started running just when the castle started shaking again, Hoseok and Yoongi right behind Namjoon. At that point, they weren't the only ones anymore who knew something was wrong. All around them, students started panicking. Something was on top of the castle. Either that, or something was being thrown at it with great force. How else could their firmly built school shake like this?
"What do we do? Where do we go??" Hoseok asked nervously. He had no idea where they were running to, and when Namjoon stopped running he realized that none of them actually knew what they were doing.
"I-I don't know, the teachers must know what to do, right?" the young Gryffindor said.
And at that point Professor McGonagall appeared in the corridors.
"Everyone! Go to the Great Hall! The castle is under attack, but we will make sure everyone is safe! Please remain calm and head to the Great Hall!"
Jimin let out a shaky breath and he looked at Yoongi, who gave him a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry, let's go to the Great Hall." the elder Slytherin said, to which Jimin nodded.
The five boys ran along with the other students, the shaking of the castle terrifying them. What if it would collapse? What if their school would actually be destroyed? This was their home...
When they heard a loud roar coming from outside, all of the students froze in the middle of the hallway.
That had sounded way too close, way too loud. Whatever was out there had to be near.
Jimin slowly turned his head to the left, where the large glass windows were. The others followed the movement and they gasped in shock when they stared straight into the eyes of a real-life dragon.
It was deadly quiet in the hallway, all the students frozen to the spot. That is, until one kid started screaming and the corridors were suddenly filled with panic as everyone started running around, hoping to get away from the dragon as fast as possible.
The dragon roared again and a blue glow started to appear around it. That, for sure, couldn't mean anything good.
Namjoon pulled Jimin's arm again, motioning at the others to run as well, but Jimin looked behind him to see Hoseok completely frozen in fear.
"Jimin, come on we have to go!!!" Namjoon yelled
"Wait, Joon! Hobi is..." he trailed off, freeing his arm from his friend's grip and hurrying towards Hoseok. "Hoseok, if you don't move now, you'll be in danger!"
Hoseok was pale and he stared at the eyes of the dragon, which's pupils were blown wide.
"Hoseok, c'mon!" Jimin yelled at him, before letting out a frustrated sound and grabbing his arm, pulling him with him.
The two of them joined Yoongi, Jin and Namjoon and together they ran through the hallway. Right on time, at that, because as soon as they turned the corner they heard a loud blast accompanied by the glass windows shattering.
Jimin gulped and looked at Yoongi, who was running on his right while he dragged Hoseok on his left. "It's really going to destroy the school, isn't it?"
Yoongi gritted his teeth and he glared at Jimin. "Don't say that! Everything will be fine! Have faith, Jimin-ah!"
Jimin knew Yoongi was in denial. It was obvious the dragon was strong enough to destroy the castle. They couldn't do anything about it.
They eventually arrived at the Great Hall, which was already packed with students. Teachers tried to calm everyone down, while prefects made sure all of the students from their houses were present. At some point, the familiar face of Uzuri – the Hufflepuff prefect Taehyung had had a crush on in their first year – popped up right in front of the group.
"Hoseok! Where have you been?!" she exclaimed, not angrily but mostly in worry. She looked around the group with her eyebrows furrowed in worry before locking eyes with the pale Hufflepuff. "Where is Taehyung? Isn't he with you? He isn't with Dan or the other second years either!"
Hoseok gulped and none of the five boys knew what to say. They knew Taehyung wasn't inside the castle. After all, he had to be the one to have sent the dragon.
"Dear god I'm missing a twelve-year-old." Uzuri breathed out, grabbing her hair in frustration. "What do I do?!"
"Just—" Namjoon spoke up, making Uzuri snap her head at him, "Just...leave him to the teachers. They already know he's missing."
"Oh god, did something happen to him?" Uzuri asked in worry.
"Y-Yeah, but...we can't do anything about it now. Focus on the Hufflepuffs that are here." Namjoon replied.
Uzuri nodded. She looked at Hoseok once again, as if to make sure he was really there and safe, before walking off to the other side of the Great Hall.
"What happens when they find out?" Yoongi asked.
"Find out what?" Hoseok questioned, looking at his hyung. Jimin, too, looked at Yoongi questioningly.
"That Taehyung sent the dragon." Yoongi muttered, keeping his voice low.
Jimin tensed and his throat felt dry. He didn't want to think about that. He couldn't think about that. Taehyung wouldn't be held responsible. This...this wasn't his fault!
"Longbottom heard the truth from Abigail. I'm sure her confession should be enough, right?" Jin said. "She told us Taehyung was being controlled. She admitted that he had no idea what he was doing."
The four boys nodded at that. Jin was right. Taehyung didn't have a choice, so how could he be blamed for what happened?
Another roar sounded from outside and the students in the Great Hall screamed, all huddling close together and as far away from the sound as possible.
"It's coming closer!" a girl yelled.
"Everybody stay away from the windows!" the boys heard Uzuri yell.
Then, Professor McGonagall hurried into the Great Hall and she cleared her throat, gaining everyone's attention.
"Everyone, listen carefully. At the moment your teachers are outside the castle, trying to stop the dragon, but I fear it won't be enough. We'll have to leave the castle, for your safety."
"W-What?! How is it safer outside than in here!?"
Jimin rolled his eyes at the stupid question of his fellow Slytherin.
"Maybe, Zachary, because if the castle collapses we'll all be flattened to pancakes!" he yelled, losing his cool due to the nerve-wracking situation.
Zachary knew how scary Jimin could get when he was angry, so he immediately shut his mouth.
"Mister Park is right," McGonagall said, having heard the frustrated yelling of Jimin, "if we stay here, we might be in even more danger if the castle can't withstand the dragon's attacks."
Soon enough the teachers who had remained inside to watch after the students all joined McGonagall in leading the children outside. The prefects of the four houses tried to keep order, but it was almost impossible for them to keep the students calm.
Especially when, once they were all running through the corridors, they could hear more glass shattering coming from the Great Hall.
The five boys stayed together as they were rushed outside. They watched each other, made sure none of them were left behind. Every time the dragon would burst windows or let parts of the towers collapse, Hoseok froze, but they never left him behind. They carefully helped him to keep going and even Jin and Jimin, who were both terrified as well, had their minds set on getting them all safely outside.
Never before had it taken so long for them to get out of the castle. Yoongi knew all kinds of secret passageways and they usually ran way faster if they were up to something. Right now, it was different. Not only was it impossible to get out as fast as usual with all the panicking students around them, but the dragon's attacks also stopped them dead in their tracks every once in a while.
Once they were finally outside, the prefects led them towards the edge of the forest, where they would wait for their professors' orders on what to do next.
Jimin gulped as he and the others watched the destruction the dragon was causing. With tears in his eyes he witnessed how the enormous blue beast started glowing each and every time it would spit hot blue flames at the castle.
Multiple teachers were shooting stunning spells and whatnot at the dragon, but not even half of it seemed to work on the dragon. It slowed down a few times, that's for sure, but Jimin believed it was just regaining its strength.
All of their hearts clenched when they saw a huge flock of owls flee the Owlery at the top of one of the towers. Only seconds later the dragon smashed its tail against the tower, causing it to collapse altogether.
"We need to find Taehyung."
Jimin snapped his head to his right. Yoongi was there, and he was looking Jimin straight in the eyes, before looking past him at Namjoon.
"He's the key to stopping that dragon." Yoongi added.
"We can't leave, they'll notice!" Jin whisper-yelled, shaking his head in disbelief at the thirteen year old's proposal.
Yoongi clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. Jimin knew he'd realized that already. Yoongi wasn't stupid, it was obvious that they couldn't leave right now without being seen. He just didn't care about having to run from the prefects or teachers.
Turned out they didn't have to, because at that point, Jimin heard another one of his friends from behind him.
"I think I've already found him." Hoseok breathed out.
The four boys turned around to look at Hoseok and saw the Hufflepuff pointing at someplace in the distance. Looking forward, Jimin squinted his eyes to see what Hoseok was pointing at.
Sure enough, to the right side of the castle stood a figure. It was a boy they knew all too well, and he had his hand stretched out in the direction the dragon was destroying their beloved castle. Jimin couldn't see whether or not the boy was okay, but one thing was sure.
Taehyung was right there.