Chapter 754: Let Them Run!!
Darren finished speaking.
The Great Hall fell into a strange silence.
Some faces showed fear. Some were determined. Some were uneasy, even resistant.
He didn't rush to comfort anyone.
His gaze moved—straight to Slytherin.
"You go first."
The words were simple, but firm.
Kassandra stepped forward immediately.
"I'm staying."
No hesitation.
"I'm seventeen. I'm an adult. I decide where I go."
Darren looked at her.
She met his eyes without backing down.
"I, Kassandra, have never run from anything."
He tried to say something.
"The Warley family—"
She cut him off.
"What my family does has nothing to do with me."
Her voice didn't waver.
"But what you do… that matters to me."
There was a brief pause, then she said it plainly.
"Everyone in Slytherin knows I like you."
The hall went quiet.
"I'm staying for the person I care about most. There's nothing wrong with that."
She stepped closer.
"And you don't get to stop me."
For a second, Darren didn't speak.
His eyes reddened slightly, and he turned away.
He was about to say something—
when a voice spread through the entire castle.
Cold. Heavy. Impossible to ignore.
Voldemort.
"I know you're trying to escape."
The voice echoed through every wall.
"We've sealed every exit."
A pause.
"But you still have a choice."
Another pause—longer this time.
"Hand over Harry Potter… and I will spare everyone in Hogwarts."
The air felt heavier.
"I will wait until midnight."
Silence.
"After that… we attack."
The voice vanished.
For a heartbeat, no one moved.
Then—
"Harry Potter is here! Give him to the Dark Lord!"
Crabbe.
Loud. Panicked.
Darren turned his head.
His wand rose without hesitation.
"Stupefy."
Crabbe dropped instantly.
The sound of his body hitting the floor echoed louder than it should have.
Darren looked at the students again.
"I don't care what you're thinking right now."
His voice wasn't loud—but it carried.
"My brother is under my protection."
A pause.
"As long as I'm alive—no one touches him."
[Ding, Father +100]
[Ding, Father +100]
[Ding, Father +100]
Something shifted in the room.
Wands lifted—
but not toward Harry.
They pointed at Slytherin.
Kassandra stepped forward again.
A few Slytherins followed her—moving toward Gryffindor, Ravenclaw.
The rest stood frozen, pale.
Darren didn't press them.
"Lower your wands."
They did.
"I trust that you're students… not executioners."
Then he turned.
"Mr. Filch. Take Slytherin and leave first."
Filch didn't argue.
He waved his hand sharply.
"Move! Don't make me repeat myself!"
The Slytherins filed out.
"Ravenclaw next."
Some left. Some stayed.
"Hufflepuff."
More than half left—but many remained.
"Gryffindor."
Only the youngest stepped forward.
Darren's tone hardened.
"Anyone below sixth year leaves."
A pause.
"If you don't… I'll knock you out myself."
No one doubted him.
[Ding, Father +100]
[Ding, Father +100]
[Ding, Father +100]
Some of the students who stayed looked frustrated.
Like they hated being too young.
Fred's voice cut through the tension.
"Darren, go do what you need to do."
George grinned beside him.
"We'll handle the rest."
Darren hesitated.
"They're still kids…"
His voice lowered slightly.
"Make sure they all leave."
[Ding, Father +100]
[Ding, Father +100]
[Ding, Father +100]
"Yeah, yeah, we've got it," Fred said, waving him off.
They practically pushed Darren and the others toward the doors.
---
Out in the corridors, Darren still looked uneasy.
But there was no time left.
"Half an hour before midnight," he said quickly. "We find the diadem."
Hermione frowned.
"Do you know where it is?"
Darren closed his eyes.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then suddenly—
"A place to hide things…"
He opened his eyes.
"Where would you hide something?"
Harry frowned, trying to think.
But Darren was already smiling.
"That's it."
"I've been overthinking."
"That's the key."
He turned, already moving.
"There's a place for hidden things in the Room of Requirement."
Realization hit Harry.
Before he could say anything—
the castle shook.
A deep, violent tremor.
"It's midnight."
Darren's expression tightened.
"They've started."
He didn't stop.
"Move."
---
They ran.
First floor—Hagrid charging outside, carrying a weapon, grinning like this was exactly what he'd been waiting for.
"Stay alive, boys!"
Second floor—McGonagall with Neville and others, arms full of enchanted defenses.
Third floor—an explosion overhead. Dust and debris rained down.
Darren swept it aside with a flick of his wand.
"Keep going!"
They didn't slow.
By the time they reached the Room of Requirement—
only three people were left inside.
Ginny. Tonks. Neville's grandmother.
Mrs. Longbottom stepped forward immediately, gripping Darren's hand.
"You know what's happening out there?"
"They've begun the attack. Neville's already fighting."
Her face lit up.
"Good! That's my grandson!"
She turned without hesitation.
"I'm going to help him."
And she left.
Tonks stepped closer next.
Her eyes scanned Darren quickly.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
She kept looking, like she didn't quite believe it.
When she was satisfied, she let out a small breath, a faint flush rising to her cheeks.
"I'm going too."
Then she hurried out.
Ron turned to Ginny.
"You should leave as well—"
Ginny had already started toward the door.
But Darren stopped her.
"Wait."
She turned.
"I forgot something," he said.
"The house-elves."
Ginny blinked.
"You want me to call them to fight?"
"No."
His voice sharpened.
"Tell them to run."
She frowned slightly.
"They have nothing to do with this."
He stepped closer.
"Let them leave. Take you with them."
"Ginny, listen to me—"
He didn't get to finish.
She grabbed him and kissed him.
Hard.