Meanwhile, in the dim little house at the end of Knockturn Alley, the tension had reached its limit.
The oil lamp cast flickering shadows across the walls. More than three times as many people sat around the wooden table as last time, and over a dozen black-cloaked figures crowded every corner of the house.
The leader stood in the very center of the room. Behind him, the Vanishing Cabinet that had been covered with an old cloth was now fully exposed, its doors shut tight, the inscription on its brass plate faintly visible in the candlelight.
"Everyone's here," he began slowly, his voice low and hoarse. "Before we act, I'll go over the plan again, so no one does anything stupid when the time comes."
He raised a hand and pointed at the Vanishing Cabinet behind him.
"The space inside this cabinet connects to an old cabinet in a ground-floor corridor at Hogwarts Castle."
"Passing through it won't trigger the protective magic around the castle, nor will the castle's detection spells pick us up. We can appear directly inside the castle."
A few Death Eaters seated among the group exchanged a few quiet words, but no one objected.
The black-robed man continued, "There are seventeen of us in total. Getting everyone through the Vanishing Cabinet will take about two minutes."
"After those two minutes, we'll all be standing inside Hogwarts Castle. From the ground-floor corridor, we pass through two archways and reach the side entrance to the Great Hall."
He paused, pulled a small leather pouch from inside his robes, and set it on the table with a dull metallic clunk.
"The first thing we do once we're inside is cut off Hogwarts' Floo Network."
"This pouch contains specially prepared Grey Smoke Powder. Once it's scattered into any fireplace connected to the Floo Network, the powder will rapidly spread through the network's junctions to every fireplace in the school, blocking the passages completely."
"The effect will last about four hours. During that time, Hogwarts' fireplaces won't be able to establish any Floo connections with the outside world. Even the fireplace in the Headmaster's Office won't be able to connect to the Ministry of Magic."
Another Death Eater put in, "Once the Floo Network is cut off, Dumbledore and those professors won't be able to come straight back from the Ministry of Magic."
The black-robed man nodded. "Exactly."
"Their only options then will be broomsticks or Fantastic Beasts, but that takes time-at least half an hour. We'll have completed the entire operation in that time."
A somewhat younger voice behind him muttered, "Then... won't that cause quite a commotion?"
"So what if it does?" the leader said coldly. "Once the Floo Network is cut off, even if Dumbledore leaves the Ministry of Magic immediately, he won't be able to come straight back."
"Second," he put the pouch away and held up two fingers, "once the Floo Network is down, everyone moves together to raid the Great Hall."
"It's morning now. All the students are eating breakfast in the Great Hall. Everyone is gathered in one place. This is our ideal opportunity to act."
His gaze swept over every face, most of each hidden beneath a hood. "Use Smokescreen Spells and Impediment Jinxes to seal off the exits first, then use Stunning Spells to create chaos and rush inside in the confusion."
"Secure Potter. He's the most important target."
A low murmur of agreement rose from the group.
"And," the black-robed man raised a hand and traced a circle in the air, "the Weasley children, the Malfoy family's only son, the Longbottom family's heir, and the descendants of the other pure-blood families. Take as many as you can."
"Especially the Malfoy boy." His voice grew colder. "You've all seen that statement Lucius Malfoy issued a couple of days ago, haven't you?"
A wave of stifled snickers came from the group.
"He took the lead in declaring his support for Dumbledore, making it clear he wanted to cut ties with us." The leader's voice grew colder still.
"His son is at Hogwarts right now. He'll make a ready example to show those wavering fence-sitters what happens when they betray the master."
He paused, then warned the others, "As for the rest, take whoever you find convenient."
"Remember, we're not here to slaughter people. We want leverage, not corpses."
A slightly younger Death Eater opposite him asked quietly, "What if Potter puts up too much of a fight?"
The black-robed man waited a few seconds before answering. "You can hit him hard, as long as you leave him breathing."
"His death does us no good. But if he's half-dead, he'll be very useful to us."
The Death Eaters seated around him exchanged glances, then nodded one after another.
The black-robed man turned, walked over to the Vanishing Cabinet, and grasped its brass door handle.
"We move now." He did not look back, his voice sounding as though he were speaking both to himself and to everyone in the room.
"We'll enter the Vanishing Cabinet one at a time. Once you arrive, don't linger inside. Go straight into the ground-floor corridor and wait there until everyone has arrived."
"Once everyone's there, follow the plan. No improvising. Understood?"
Over a dozen people rose at once, their black robes rustling.
"Understood."
The black-robed man pulled the handle, opening the door onto a thick darkness, as though something were breathing slowly within.
He drew a deep breath and stepped into that darkness without looking back.
The Death Eaters behind him followed in order, disappearing one after another into the depths of the cabinet.
The little house soon emptied, leaving only the oil lamp flickering away on the table, its flame casting shifting light over the cover of the copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone lying open on the wooden tabletop.
Meanwhile, an ominous silence hung over Hogwarts Castle.
The corridors were empty, with only a few portraits occasionally whispering among themselves.
No one noticed the standing cabinet in the castle's ground-floor corridor trembling slightly.
A dark purple glow rose over the brass plate on the inside of the door, then the door swung silently outward.
The leader surveyed his surroundings. After making sure no suspicious people were present, he tilted his head slightly and gestured behind him.
A second, a third, a fourth... the Death Eaters squeezed out of the Vanishing Cabinet one after another.
The last person out casually pulled the door shut behind him. The purple light on the brass plate quickly faded, restoring its old, rust-speckled appearance.
The leader glanced around at the black-robed figures standing nearby and spoke in a lowered voice. "Move out."
He led the way. As he passed a corner, he flicked a Sleeping Charm at a dozing portrait on the wall. The old wizard in the painting immediately slumped back against the frame, snoring thunderously.
They moved silently along the corridor. Over a dozen pairs of boots stepped on the flagstones without making much sound at all; clearly, everyone had cast a Silencing Charm beforehand.
The leader stopped in front of a small chamber with a brass plaque on its door.
A stone fireplace was set into the center of the chamber, its hearth still holding the ashes of last night's fire, not yet completely extinguished.
"This one," he said quietly. Taking the leather pouch from his robes again, he untied it and poured the entire pouch of Grey Smoke Powder into the hearth.
The instant the Grey Smoke Powder touched the lingering heat, it gave a muffled, hoarse hiss, like some living creature being burned.
A cloud of dark grey smoke surged from the hearth. Unlike the thick smoke of an ordinary fire, the grey mist churned and spread through the cracks between the bricks lining the fireplace, swallowing the entire hearth in the blink of an eye.
The leader stepped back and raised a hand to cover his nose and mouth, a satisfied expression appearing on his face.
He could feel a violent tremor beneath his feet, as though some enormous system of pipes were being blocked.
In less than ten seconds, the Floo Network throughout Hogwarts was completely paralyzed.
"Good! Next, raid the Great Hall."