The Weasley Brothers' Trap

The battle had reached a fever pitch. The castle had become a new battlefield, and spells and flying rubble filled the place where young witches and wizards had once studied.

Piercing shouts rang throughout the castle, along with the screams of the portraits. A knight on a pony rode through every frame that was still intact, loudly cursing every Death Eater he saw.

"Stand right there, you mongrel dogs! You filthy rats! You scoundrels even goblins would be ashamed of!"

His voice carried far, and when he got worked up, he even threw stones out of his portrait.

The stones were part of the painting, too. They vanished whenever they reached the edge and could do no real harm. But by the same token, the Death Eaters could do nothing to a portrait.

And Sir Cadogan's voice was shrill and loud, like an iron sword scraping back and forth across armor. Just hearing it was irritating, let alone having it ring beside their heads nonstop.

So the nearby Death Eaters turned and headed for parts of the castle without portraits.

Just then, Silvan climbed into the castle through a shattered window. He looked down the empty corridor ahead and blinked in confusion.

"Strange. Why is it so quiet here?"

He looked around again. He was near the second-floor library, hardly an out-of-the-way spot. So where was everyone?

Was it a trap?

Silvan hesitated for only a moment before putting the question aside. Or rather, he trusted Felix Felicis not to lead him somewhere dangerous.

What mattered most now was finding McGonagall or Mad-Eye.

With that in mind, Silvan immediately turned and went downstairs, heading toward the Great Hall.

He didn't know why he was going there, but he was sure it was the right way.

Along the way, the Death