HP : No way out of Hogwarts

Harry stirred awake, feeling groggy and slow to respond.

He blinked against the faint golden glow of the enchanted ceiling above his four-poster bed.

The Gryffindor dormitory was quiet, save for the sound of hurried footsteps approaching.

Before he could fully process what was happening, the curtain around his bed was yanked open.

"Harry!" Ron's voice was urgent, his face pale in the dim light. "Wake up, mate. It's Malfoy. He's making his move."

"What?" he muttered, befuddled, and rubbed his eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"It's the Room of Requirement," Ron said, his words tumbling out in a rush.

"A Slytherin came to our dorm just now—a first-year I think—and said Malfoy's in there with a bunch of his lot and they are trying to lock the place down."

Harry swung his legs over the edge of the bed, his brain catching up with Ron's words. "Lock it down? How?"

As his consciousness came, the feeling of trepidation rose in his chest.

"I don't know," Ron admitted, running a hand through his messy hair. "But the Slytherin said Malfoy is planning to use it as a base."

Harry frowned, reaching for his wand. "This is bad."

"I know," his friend replied, his voice tight. "And I don't like it. Why would a Slytherin come to us with this, though? Feels like a trap."

Harry hesitated, considering the possibility. "It might be. Or it might be someone who doesn't agree with Malfoy but doesn't want to openly defy him. Imagine what he'd do to a disobedient firsty. Either way, we can't ignore this."

He stood up, quickly throwing on his robes and keeping his wand in hand. "Go wake Hermione. We need to check this out now."

Ron nodded and dashed out of the dormitory.

I guess we could use some help, Harry thought and grabbed his boots.

"Clamoroso," he murmured and performed a simple swish with his wand.

The spell created a loud, resonating noise like a gong, and woke up his dorm mates.

Neville was the first to stir, fumbling for his wand in confusion. "What's happening?" he asked groggily, while Dean and Seamus also began to sit up in their beds.

"Listen up," Harry said quickly. "Malfoy's up to something in the Room of Requirement. We need to move fast. Anyone who wants to help, get dressed and meet us in the common room in two minutes."

Within moments, all three boys were hurriedly pulling on their robes.

Harry turned to find Hermione already waiting at their dormitory's entrance, her wand at the ready.

"I heard," she said immediately and blushed when her gaze moved deeper into the room.

"Hermione!" Seamus exclaimed.

"I'm not looking," she said quickly and turned around.

Dean quickly pulled on a shirt while Neville finished lacing his boots.

The urgency of the situation seemed to override any embarrassment as they all gathered their wands.

Within moments, they were ready to move.

"If Malfoy's taken control of the Room of Requirement, we need to act fast. That place could give him an enormous advantage."

"I know. Let's go," Harry said grimly. "We'll figure out what he's doing and put a stop to it."

.

The corridors of Hogwarts were eerily quiet as the six Gryffindors made their way towards the Room of Requirement.

The golden threads that had appeared after the adults vanished still pulsed faintly along the walls, a constant reminder of their predicament.

As they rounded the final corner, they saw a small group of students gathered near the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy.

A mix of Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, and even two Gryffindors stood there, their expressions ranging from nervous to curious.

Why are there no Slytherins and why are half of them Ravenclaws? Harry wondered.

"What's going on here?" he asked as they approached.

One of the students, a tall girl wearing a blue tie, turned to face him.

"Malfoy's inside with his lot guarding the room," she said, gesturing toward the closed door behind her.

"We tried to get in, but the door isn't opening. We tried all kinds of unlocking charms but so far we came up with nothing."

Harry exchanged a grim look with Hermione and Ron. "Do you know who's inside with him?"

"Mostly Slytherins," a younger Hufflepuff boy said. "I know that one of my housemates went in with them, though. I don't know about Ravenclaw or Gryffindor though."

Hermione frowned. "That means he's already forming alliances outside of his house."

"Great," Harry said and stepped forward, scanning the door.

He tried giving it a good push but it remained firmly closed.

"Back up," Harry called out, waiting for them to move.

Thankfully, the rogue group heeded his command and did as asked.

"Bombarda Maxima!" he cast, pointing his wand at the door.

The spell hit the door with a thunderous crash, but instead of breaking, it simply absorbed the magical energy with a strange shimmer.

Harry frowned—that wasn't normal, even for the Room of Requirement.

Someone warded the door well, Harry thought, surprised that there was someone among them who was skilled enough to create such a powerful ward.

Before they could decide their next move, the door to the Room of Requirement suddenly opened.

The gathered students gasped, and Harry tensed, raising his wand.

The door creaked open, and a familiar figure stepped out: Pansy Parkinson.

She took one look at the group outside and smirked. "Well, well," she drawled. "Come to beg for a spot in Malfoy's fortress, Potter?"

"What's your lot doing in there, Parkinson?" Harry demanded, his voice cold.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" she said with a sneer. "Let's just say we've got everything we need, and you're not invited."

"What's Malfoy planning, Parkinson?" Harry snapped.

"Come in yourself and find out," she taunted.

Before Harry could respond, the door slammed shut again, and Harry noticed a faint shimmer of magic rippling across the door's surface.

"We need a plan," Hermione said immediately. "If Malfoy's consolidating power already, we can't let him keep the upper hand."

Harry nodded, his mind already racing.

"We'll find a way to disrupt whatever he's doing in there. But first, we need to make sure the rest of the castle doesn't suffer from the same kind of attacks."

As they turned to address the other group, they came up empty.

"You've got to be kidding," Ron muttered and Harry felt like banging his head on the nearest wall.

I hope we weren't staring at the Ravenclaws faction, he thought with growing dread.

Because, if there was another faction forming outside their notice, there could be more.

And the more groups there are, the bigger the competition for resources will be…

"Hermione, go back to the Gryffindor tower and wake up the sixth-years and the remaining seventh-years. When you round them up, get them and go to the library. Make sure that no one protects it in any way, and send me a Patronus," Harry said so seriously that the others had to do a double-take.

"The library—we can't let anyone have it," she responded and quickly turned around, jogging towards their house.

"What about us?" Neville asked, his wand still raised and ready.

"We will go straight to the kitchens and whatever happens, we need to secure food, because if we don't…" Harry finished ominously before he started jogging himself.

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