Before the Dawn | George Weasley

57

At dusk, I joined Bellatrix, both Carrows, Fenrir Greyback, Thorfinn Rowle, and a few others. Neither Lucian nor Miles were anywhere in sight.

I moved to stand next to Bellatrix, awaiting orders.

She cast me a sideways glance. "Fancy a little trip down memory lane?"

I tried not to look overly confused. I was sure I'd never been to wherever it was Dumbledore was headed, but I was suddenly wondering if we were going someplace else altogether.

I felt eyes on me, then, and I looked up to meet the gaze of Greyback. The werewolf looked ravenous, and rather frightening despite being only partially transformed.  I narrowed my eyes at him, watching as he ran his tongue over his teeth.

Corban Yaxley walked in next, his square face stony.

"That's everyone," said Bellatrix, sweeping her dark gaze over the room. "Time to go!"

We moved in silence to the edge of the property, disappearing one by one as we disapparated.

"See you there," said Bellatrix with a crooked smile.

"I still don't know where we're going!" I said quickly.

"Knockturn Alley, love," she whispered, then disapparated away.

I was the last to leave, my mind racing. I disapparated, but made a quick stop to Diagon Alley first, landing just outside Fred and George's shop.

"Finestra!" I hissed, and the window of their flat shattered. A heartbeat later, Fred's pale face appeared in the broken window. I cast an uneasy look around, then spoke as loud as I would allow myself to in the quiet nighttime, praying that my intuition was correct. "Get the Order to Hogwarts, now!"

Before he could respond, I disapparated to Knockturn Alley, joining the others outside Borgin and Burkes.

"Get lost?" Alecto Carrow sneered, glancing over at me.

I shot her an icy glare, but said nothing, instead following the others inside. Bellatrix was standing in front of the vanishing cabinet. Her eyes landed on me. "You first."

Rowle grabbed my arm to push me ahead, but I snatched my arm away with a steely glare in his direction. Then I climbed into the cabinet and tried to stay calm as Bellatrix closed the door with a click.

It felt like I was standing in a wind tunnel, my stomach doing a small flip as I was transported.

Then, as quickly as it began, it ended. The door opened.

But I wasn't in Borgin and Burkes anymore.

I was in the Room of Requirement, meeting Draco's hopeful gaze.

He let out a breathless laugh of glee, pulling me from the cabinet and throwing his arms around me.

"I did it, Doyle!" he whispered. "I fixed it!"

He let go of me as the cabinet emitted a hissing noise, and Bellatrix stepped out. One by one the rest of the Death Eaters travelled through the cabinet.

We'd done it. We'd broken into Hogwarts.

As we left the Room of Requirement, Draco took off running. The rest of us followed more slowly, demolishing the school as we went. We smashed windows, we shot holes through walls—as we reached the main stairwell, Bellatrix fired the Dark Mark into the night sky, illuminating the grounds in a pale shade of green.

When we reached the Great Hall, shouts split the air—the Order was here. I caught sight of Bill Weasley firing a spell at Rowle, and ducked behind a pillar as a jinx was shot in my direction. I returned fire, sending a stinging jinx back at Remus but high enough to where he could dodge under it. Professor McGonagall strode in, sending spells in every direction and squarely hitting a couple of Death Eaters.