Hogwarts Wasteland: The Witch from the Borderlands

Because of the tight schedule, everyone packed their things and rushed back to their dormitory without delay.

When Harry and his friends, wearing invisibility cloaks, met up with Daphne, it was almost dinnertime.

"We need to hurry, we don't know when the people coming to pick up Draco will arrive," Hermione said, noticing Daphne's unease.

They donned invisibility cloaks in a secluded spot, with Daphne leading the way and giving the command to open the door to the Slytherin common room.

At this moment, most students have gone to the auditorium for lunch, and there are hardly any people in the lounge.

"We can brag about being Gryffindors who were once in Slytherin," Harry said excitedly, leaving Ron and Neville squatting outside the door, watching them go in.

The Slytherin common room was decorated with silver-green snakes everywhere. Daphne was carrying a plate with some pies and fries, which she had specially retrieved from the Great Hall to bring to Draco and the others for dinner.

Her palms were sweaty, and she couldn't see Hermione and Harry who were invisible. She could only force herself to walk down the long corridor, stop in front of a door, take a deep breath, and then knock on the door.

"It's me, I've come to deliver dinner."

Footsteps came from inside the door, and a tall boy opened it, grumbling, "Why are you so late? Come in."

He turned and walked back.

"A magical weapon." Harry's slightly suppressed voice rang out, and then a metal rod that shimmered with a faint magical glow struck the boy heavily on the back of the head.

The other person fell to the ground, but Harry didn't use the spiked flail head; he only struck with the handle, so it wasn't fatal.

Inside the room, another boy was sitting in a chair. When he saw his companion suddenly fall to the ground, he was stunned at first, and then immediately reacted. He reached out to touch the magic wand at his waist, which was a dagger-shaped short sword.

But the next moment a beam of red light struck him precisely, followed by a clear female voice: "He collapsed unconscious."

Hermione's ability to reveal herself and become invisible is not as powerful as the Invisibility Cloak. Attacks will be redirected from her invisible state, unlike Harry, who can only reveal the flail handle and nothing else.

The two older Slytherin boys were taken down in a single encounter, while Harry, still unsatisfied, shook the flail in his hand, wanting to try again. Daphne quickly closed the door and leaned against it, panting heavily.

Inside the room, Draco stood up from beside his luxurious bed, a mixture of excitement and nervousness in his voice: "Hermione, I knew you'd help me!"

"You should thank Harry; without the Invisibility Cloak, you wouldn't have escaped either," Hermione shrugged.

Draco nodded and said to Harry, "I owe you a favor."

Harry curled his lip indifferently. He didn't think he would need Draco's favor. Besides giving Hermione face, he mainly wanted to visit the interior of Slytherin and unlock some Gryphon achievements.

"Alright, let's hurry up and go. It's not safe yet." Hermione tucked Draco and Harry under the Invisibility Cloak.

Daphne hesitated for a moment: "Should I just stay in the lounge? I won't be needed for anything else."

Hermione pointed to the two boys who had fainted in the room: "What will you say when old Malfoy asks about them?"

Daphne was responsible for delivering their meals, a fact she couldn't deny, so she could only grimace, realizing she was on a sinking ship and couldn't get off.

"Same as always, you go first, and we'll follow behind you." Hermione cast the Invisibility spell on herself again.

The four of them hurriedly left the dormitory and headed outside.

But as soon as they reached the door of the lounge, they saw the door open from the outside, and two adult male wizards dressed in black silk robes were standing outside, while Ron and Neville were holding onto their clothes tightly.

"Who are you people? Why are you allowed to come and go in the Slytherin common room so freely?!" Ron yelled.

"If you don't tell us, we'll call Dumbledore!" Neville said, his eyes closed and clinging to the other person's leg.

"Two Gryffindors! What are you doing guarding the Slytherin gate? We are from Malfoy Castle, here to take Draco back." One of the wizards frowned, and with a wave of his wand, an invisible force pulled the two apart.

"How can you prove you're from Malfoyburg!" Ron continued to yell, displaying a persistent and relentless attitude.

The two wizards were both annoyed and amused: "Redhead, you're a Weasley, aren't you? What do we have to do with you? Do you think you can stop us?"

Just then, the door opened, and Daphne stared blankly at the scene before her, while the wizard also noticed Daphne, who was "alone".

"You are... Miss Greengrass, aren't you? I think I've seen you before?" one of the wizards recalled.

"You've lost a lot of weight since you were kidnapped. What are you doing here?"

Daphne's mind went blank with nervousness, and she stammered, "I... I just delivered food to Draco and the others."

Hermione, Harry, and Draco stood quietly by the door, not daring to breathe. If Daphne gave herself away at this moment and glanced in their direction, trouble would surely follow.

Fortunately, the wizards didn't notice Daphne's abnormality: "Still as timid as ever, Miss Greengrass can't be like this," one of the wizards laughed.

"Perfect timing, now that Master Draco has finished his meal, we can set off."

Daphne stood there, at a loss, but if she delayed any longer, and the two wizards discovered the situation in the bedroom, she might not be able to leave.

Neville, quick-witted as ever, said, "Daphne, didn't you tell us to wait here for you so we could go to the library together?"

Daphne suddenly realized, "Oh right, after delivering food to Draco, I still have to do my homework."

One of the wizards glanced at the two Gryffindors: "It's best for you to avoid spending time with Gryffindors, Miss. It's not good for you."

After saying that, the two headed towards the dormitory, while Hermione and the other two took the opportunity to slip out of the lounge.

"That was really close!" Only after they had run a long way and stopped in an empty classroom did they have a chance to catch their breath.

"Ron and Neville did a great job this time. If it weren't for their quick thinking, we might have run right into those guys." Harry patted his chest, but judging from his appearance, excitement outweighed fear, and he seemed to want more.

This adventure, which only involved a surprise attack, was somewhat limiting for the little lion.

Daphne almost collapsed to the ground. All of this was too intense and exciting for her. After running all this way, she had no strength left.

Ron and Neville, meanwhile, pulled Harry aside and asked him about the details of the Slytherin common room.

Draco peered through the crack in the door, and seeing nothing amiss, turned to the others and said, "Thank you all this time. I... as long as I don't get expelled, from now on..."

Before he could finish speaking, a loud bang suddenly came from outside the window.

"boom!"

Hermione rushed to the window and saw a large hole billowing black smoke appear in the magical barrier of Hogwarts, through which several wizards dressed in black robes were filing in one after another.

In the sky, a dark green cloud formed the shape of a skull, its forked tongue flicking out at Hogwarts. Green lightning tumbled within the cloud, emanating an ominous aura.

On the ground, even more dark green fireballs, tracing in sharp arcs, hurtled towards the magical barrier.

"The Death Mark! It's the Green Flame Party!" Draco cried out.

"It's Voldemort! He really couldn't let himself get away with something before Christmas!"

"Good heavens, he's actually attacking Hogwarts!"

Everyone was stunned. This was the first time in decades that Hogwarts had been attacked. Even when Voldemort came to steal the Pen of Acceptance last time, he came stealthily. Unlike this time, they made a big show of it, and it seemed that all the dark wizards of the Green Flame Party had come out in force.