Not long after Professor McGonagall left, the entirety of Hogwarts sprang into action.
Even though it was already night, all the professors rushed in from every direction as quickly as they could.
"Oh... Minerva..." Horace Slughorn panted as he ran downstairs, his heavy footsteps and wheezing breaths accompanying him as he reached Professor McGonagall's side.
"Minerva... could you explain why we're suddenly waking the students when it's already so late?"
"For their safety," Professor McGonagall said.
"Safety... all right." Slughorn rubbed at his exquisite silk pajamas and looked around. "Does Severus know? Why haven't I seen him?"
"There's no need to trouble our headmaster over such a minor matter," Professor McGonagall said.
Whether intentionally or not, the silver tabby cat Patronus had burst into every professor's office—except for the most important one, the Headmaster's Office.
"I'm sorry to have called everyone up." Professor McGonagall held her wand in hand. "I believe that You-Know-Who may be coming soon. Before then, we must ensure that every student is safely evacuated from the castle."
Sprout sucked in a sharp breath and instinctively took two steps back. Her foot caught on something, and she nearly tripped.
"Sorry, Filius," she said hastily.
Professor Flitwick rubbed his shoulder. He was equally shocked by the news Professor McGonagall had brought and had not noticed the movements around him at all. Otherwise, he would have been able to dodge.
But Flitwick did not mind.
"What should we do?" he asked in his high-pitched voice. "You surely know that no matter what we do, we can't keep Voldemort out, can we?"
"That used to be the case." Professor McGonagall's eyes flickered. "But Kyle has just brought us some good news. That man is injured."
"Injured?" Professor Flitwick cried. "Can you be sure?"
"Of course, Professor." At that moment, Kyle