Chapter 757: Are You Crazy?!!
Harry came back to himself with a sharp breath, like he'd just been dragged out of deep water. For a moment he didn't speak—just stood there, steadying himself—then he looked straight at Darren.
"He's at the Shrieking Shack," he said, voice low but urgent. "Nagini's there with him… protected. I saw Lucius too. Voldemort sent him to bring Snape."
Hermione's expression changed immediately. "The Shrieking Shack?"
Harry nodded. "He's not even in the battle. He's waiting. He thinks I'll go to him."
Ron frowned. "Why would he—"
"Because he knows," Darren said quietly.
They all turned to him.
"He knows we're hunting Horcruxes," Darren continued, his tone calm but certain. "So he doesn't need to chase us. He just waits… and we come to him on our own."
Ron crossed his arms. "Then we don't go. Let him wait forever."
Darren shook his head without hesitation.
"We have to go."
That stopped them.
"If we find him, we can end it," Darren said. "If we destroy Nagini, it's over."
He paused for a fraction of a second, then added,
"And… he's going to kill Snape."
The silence that followed felt heavier than before.
Harry's face hardened. "So what?"
Darren looked at him, and for the first time there was something uncertain in his expression.
"I'm going to save him."
That landed harder than any spell.
"Are you serious?" Harry snapped, his voice rising. "You won't even fight him properly, and now you want to save him? After everything he's done? He nearly killed you—and he did kill Dumbledore!"
Darren's face went pale, but he didn't look away.
"I've thought about it," he said quietly. "Again and again. I still don't understand why he would betray us."
His voice wavered slightly, but he forced himself to continue.
"You don't know this… but he loved my mother. That's why he treated me differently."
He swallowed.
"And somewhere along the way… I started seeing him as a father."
No one interrupted him now.
"I can't just accept that he's a traitor," Darren said. "Not without understanding. Not like this."
His hands tightened at his sides.
"I want to save him."
A breath.
"I don't even know why. But if I don't try… I know I'll regret it."
He looked at Harry again.
"Even if it gets me killed—I'm still going."
[[Ding: father value error error crash]
[ father value overlord, host please stop ,thats enough]]
For a few seconds, no one spoke.
It wasn't that they didn't understand him.
It was that they did—and that made it harder to argue.
Harry dragged a hand through his hair, clearly frustrated, torn between anger and something else he couldn't quite put into words.
"…Fine," he muttered at last.
Darren looked up.
"I'm coming with you," Harry said. "But if he's done anything—anything at all—I won't hesitate."
His voice dropped.
"I'll kill him."
Darren held his gaze for a moment, then nodded.
"…Alright."
Hermione let out a breath. "Then I'm coming too—"
"No," Harry cut in quickly. "I'm going with him."
Ron threw his hands up. "Oh, brilliant. Perfect timing for this argument—"
He didn't get to finish.
The wall beside them exploded inward.
Two Death Eaters burst through the smoke, wands already raised.
Darren reacted instantly.
With a sharp flick of his wand, the stone floor beneath them twisted and dropped into a steep slope.
Both attackers lost their footing and went sliding down hard.
"Stupefy!"
Hermione's spell hit one of them mid-fall. The other scrambled up, disoriented, and ran blindly—
straight into Lavender Brown.
She stumbled back in surprise—
and a crystal ball came flying down from above, smashing directly into his head.
He dropped where he stood.
From somewhere upstairs, Professor Trelawney shouted triumphantly,
"I told you they'd be useful! I have more!"
None of them stayed to watch.
---
They rushed down the staircase, taking the steps two at a time.
Halfway down, Professor McGonagall charged past them, her wand raised high as a line of desks and chairs marched behind her like soldiers. There was a cut across her cheek, blood still fresh, but she didn't slow down or even seem to notice them.
"Forward!" she commanded, voice sharp as ever, before disappearing into the fighting.
The hall beyond was chaos.
Spells flashed in every direction, lighting up the shadows. Students and teachers stood shoulder to shoulder, fighting back. Overhead, Peeves swooped and cackled, hurling enchanted fruit that burst into vines the moment they struck, tangling Death Eaters where they stood.
Parvati and Luna fought side by side, their spells coming fast and precise, not giving their opponent a second to breathe.
Darren didn't stop moving.
A flick of his wand sent one Death Eater crashing into a pillar. Another wave came—he swept his arm again, and they were thrown backward up the stairs as if hit by an invisible force.
"Keep moving!" Hermione urged. "We can't stay here!"
They pushed forward.
---
Near the entrance hall, a familiar voice broke through the noise.
"Wait!"
Malfoy.
He was backing away from two Death Eaters, hands half-raised.
"I'm Draco Malfoy—I'm on your side—"
They didn't hesitate.
They attacked anyway.
Malfoy's hand moved quickly—he threw a handful of powder straight into their faces. Both men cried out, clutching their eyes.
Malfoy didn't pause—he lunged forward and slammed one to the ground, then the other.
Darren stepped in, binding them with a quick spell.
Malfoy looked up at him, uncertain.
Darren said nothing.
Ron snorted. "Lost your wand too, did you?"
Without a word, Darren flicked his wand again. Two wands flew from the fallen Death Eaters and landed at Malfoy's feet.
He stared at them, stunned.
"Let's go," Hermione said sharply.
Darren didn't linger.
---
They ran deeper into the castle.
Ahead, Ted Tonks was thrown backward by two attackers, hitting the ground hard.
"Stupefy!"
Harry and Hermione dropped both Death Eaters instantly.
They didn't stop.
They couldn't.
---
Then two dark shapes dropped in front of them.
Werewolves.
One lunged toward Ernie—
but before it could reach him, Hagrid's massive foot slammed into its side, sending it flying.
"Hagrid!" Harry shouted.
More werewolves poured in, surrounding him.
Darren reached into his robes, pulled out a vial, and threw it straight into the center of the pack.
The potion shattered—
and the effect was immediate.
The creatures staggered, their forms twisting as they shifted back into human shape.
"Well done!" Hagrid roared, still swinging wildly.
But the fight didn't slow.
A deeper, heavier roar shook the ground.
Giants.
Real ones.
Towering over everything.
They moved toward Grawp, their massive hands reaching.
Compared to them, he looked small.
Hagrid didn't hesitate. He charged straight toward them.
"No—!" Darren stepped forward, wand rising—
But suddenly—
the temperature dropped.
A cold, unnatural chill spread through the hall, sinking into bones.
Voices around them faltered.
"Dementors…!"
They flooded in from every direction.
Harry raised his wand.
"Expecto Patronum—"
Nothing came.
His mind wouldn't settle. Too much fear, too much chaos, too many things happening at once.
He tried again.
Still nothing.
"Hagrid…" he muttered, panic creeping in.
"Go!" Darren snapped. "Save Hagrid—I'll handle this!"
Before anyone could argue—
a massive shadow swept across the sky above the castle.
A dragon.
It circled once, then again—
and the Dementors recoiled, scattering away from its presence.
The suffocating cold lifted slightly.
"Hagrid!" Hermione suddenly screamed again—
and this time, something in her voice made it clear—
this wasn't over yet.