A Glimpse Beyond - Echoes of a different star

Prologue ( Part 2)

The Great Hall was thick with tension as the last echoes of the mysterious booming laughter faded into an uneasy silence. Everyone was looking around wildly, trying to locate the source of the voice, but there was no visible figure-just that oppressive, heavy magic that seemed to pulse through the very air around them.

Ministry members, along with the Aurors, quickly took defensive stances, their wands raised and eyes scanning the room, ready for an attack. The students huddled together in fear, some of the younger ones trembling in their seats. The teachers, too, had sprung into action, stepping between the students and the area where the voice seemed to emanate, their wands drawn, eyes flickering with uncertainty and dread.

Harry felt his heart pounding in his chest, his hand gripping his wand so tightly his knuckles were white. His head spun with confusion. What is this magic? What is happening? He had faced a lot of dark magic in his life, but this felt different-ancient, untouchable. Even Dumbledore, who stood tall and calm, seemed tense.

The Slytherin table had grown quieter, though not everyone was subdued. Draco Malfoy, sneering through his uncertainty, leaned toward Pansy Parkinson.

"Potter's done it now," Draco whispered mockingly, though his voice was lower than before, unsure. "He's gone and summoned some ancient horror to make him the center of attention again."

Pansy, though visibly rattled, giggled half-heartedly. "Probably thinks he can show off and be a hero again. Look at him standing there-acting all noble."

But not all the Slytherins were participating in the mocking. Theo Nott, sitting across from Draco, narrowed his eyes at his friend, frustrated by Draco's inability to see the gravity of the situation. "Will you shut up for once, Draco?" he hissed. "There's something bigger going on here than your petty obsession with Potter."

Draco shot him a glare. "Oh, don't tell me you're falling for this nonsense too, Theo. You sound like a-"

"Enough, Draco," Daphne Greengrass interrupted, standing protectively beside her younger sister, Astoria. Her voice was sharp, eyes flickering with both fear and caution. "This is not the time."

Before Draco could retort, the loud voice spoke again, booming through the hall, sending another pulse of raw magic through the air.

"I am the one who has summoned you all here," the voice declared, echoing off the stone walls. It was impossible to tell where it was coming from, as if the very hall itself was speaking. "And it does not surprise me that even now, faced with something beyond your comprehension, the people of Wizarding Britain are already turning on one another. Blame, resentment, fear-these are the tools you wield, rather than seeking a solution. How predictable."

The hall filled with panicked whispers. Parents were clutching their children, many trying to stand but too frightened to move. Ministry officials, now visibly shaken, exchanged anxious glances.

"Who is this?" someone from the Ministry shouted, their voice tinged with fear. "Show yourself!"

"Who dares to mock us like this?" Fudge demanded, his voice high-pitched with barely concealed panic.

The voice ignored them, continuing its scathing monologue. "I have watched for a long time. I have seen how the threads of fate weave the future of this world. And I have seen how every action, every choice made by each person in this room is leading to the destruction of Wizarding Britain-and of magic itself."

A cold silence followed the voice's proclamation. The room was still, though everyone's minds were racing. Destruction of magic? Even Draco, who had been sneering just moments before, fell silent. Blaise Zabini leaned back in his chair, his sharp eyes betraying a rare flicker of unease.