It was official: Harry LOVES jumping headfirst into the lion's den, performing a triple somersault into danger while flipping it off with both hands.
The susuwatari showed me how Harry, along with Ron and Granger, had returned to Hogwarts through the same passage Aberforth used to smuggle secret supplies, behind the portrait of Ariana, his deceased sister.
"The place is crawling with Death Eaters and students who either follow them or are being threatened—what could possibly go wrong?" I spat out, my morning completely ruined even before tasting the delicious breakfast Lily and Sanshi had made.
Chocolate crepes. Lots of chocolate.
Harry's absence from Hogwarts hadn't gone unnoticed by the Death Eaters, which wasn't good news for him. It meant that Voldemort seemed to have taken an interest in his friends.
Whether due to luck or skill, many students had hidden in the Room of Requirement, avoiding what could only be described as a dictatorship carried out by the Carrow siblings.
"Harry went back to Hogwarts?" Tonks interrupted, pausing mid-bite from another piece of chocolate crepe. "But he said he had no intention of returning this year!"
"It seems he's looking for something that belonged to Ravenclaw," the susuwatari quickly relayed after overhearing Harry's conversation with the others. Apparently, they were headed to the Ravenclaw Tower, guided by Cho Chang and accompanied by Luna.
"Could it be that strange diadem we destroyed years ago?" Calcifer suddenly chimed in.
Although his fireplace wasn't in the kitchen, the fire demon could listen and speak to everyone if he shouted loud enough.
It took Barnaby a moment to recall what Calcifer was talking about.
"You mean the diadem filled with dark magic that you ate right before my graduation?" he asked, trying to remember. "Actually, now that I think about it, it was quite similar to the diary…"
Shortly before his graduation from Hogwarts, during one of his visits to Ravenclaw Tower to help repair a window broken by an old owl that had crashed into it, Barnaby had noticed something odd about the diadem. Upon examining it closely, he realized something was wrong.
It was clearly a later imitation, not the original.
Remembering he had seen something similar in the Room of Requirement weeks earlier while rummaging through various items, Barnaby returned there to check if it was the same diadem. He discovered that the original had indeed been hidden there but had somehow turned into a dark artifact.
He didn't even touch it; he had to lift it with kitchen tongs and wrap it in a thick leather cloak to avoid accidents. He then waited for his father to go on patrol in the Forbidden Forest and fed it to Calcifer, who greatly enjoyed consuming the dark artifact.
Along with the tongs, which he really didn't want to use again after they touched something so evil.
His father loved those tongs for barbecues, so Barnaby had to secretly buy him a new pair under the excuse that the old ones were worn out...
"If they're after that diadem, then they're risking their lives for nothing," Tonks said, wiping chocolate off her lips with a napkin, familiar with that story. "Although if Harry had shared what he was up to, none of this would be happening."
Tonks wasn't happy with Harry's secrecy either.
"The question now is whether I should warn them," Barnaby's index finger began tapping the table rhythmically. "I don't want to get on Voldemort's radar unnecessarily, but letting them wander around like headless flies seems irresponsible."
"I think we have no choice but to go," Tonks shook her head. "I doubt you can send an owl, and those tiny dark things you left in the castle can't talk. And even if they try to scribble something on parchment, Harry might not pay attention—he seems to be in a big rush, according to what you said."
"…The situation seems to have escalated," Barnaby frowned as he continued receiving real-time updates from the susuwatari.
"How bad can it be?" Tonks asked, rolling her eyes. "The castle's already occupied by those guys; not much else can go wrong."
"Alecto Carrow caught them in Ravenclaw Tower and alerted Voldemort of their presence," Barnaby summarized for his wife. "Everyone's raising their wands, and it looks like they'll have a big battle soon. Aunt Minerva managed to drive Uncle Snape away. Now, the Slytherin students, along with the underage ones, are being evacuated from the castle."
"Ah, I guess I jinxed it," Tonks slapped her forehead. "If they're really going up against Voldemort's entire group, they're going to need our help!"
Barnaby remained silent for a moment, then nodded with a sigh.
"Let's grab the things I've prepared and head out," he said, standing up from the table and turning to Lily. "Would you mind making me some sandwiches? Looks like I'll have to eat breakfast on the go."
Lily nodded seriously, quickly heading to the kitchen to prepare them.
"Come on," he urged, waving his hands at Tonks. "You know where everything is; go gear up while I help Sanshi put on her equipment."
Having so many idle days was driving Barnaby crazy, so he had prepared a few things just in case they were needed.
"What do we tell your father?"
"I'll handle it," he assured her, taking out a small vial from a hidden cabinet.
Twenty minutes later…
After using the Draught of Living Death on his father, Barnaby and the girls finished preparing for the imminent battle.
You might think it was cruel to leave his father sleeping with everything going on, but he wasn't willing to risk his dad—being the prime target he was, with a penchant for throwing punches—against what would likely be a horde of dark creatures alongside a pack of vicious dark wizards.
His excuse? Hagrid caught a nasty cold and fell asleep in bed.
Lily already had instructions to administer the antidote within a day, so the sleep would seem more realistic, avoiding any suspicion or questions later.
"Where did you say you got these things?" Tonks asked while admiring herself in the mirror, wearing the light leather armor with steel mail patches densely inscribed with runes.
"I healed someone a while back, and in gratitude, they gave me the blueprints for these armors," Barnaby replied as he donned a heavier version with scales instead of mail. "I think the blueprints mentioned something about Schools of the… I don't quite remember. It had something to do with animals: Cat, Wolf, and Bear, I believe."
The female creature he healed in the past had small horns on her head and goat-like legs, with nasty cuts on her back and right arm. She was, in fact, the first creature he healed on his own.
She patted his head and said with pity that he was too young to enjoy the reward she intended to give him, so he'd have to settle for the blueprints she found in various ruins.
Naturally, Barnaby didn't understand the implications of that "reward" at the time, so he happily took the blueprints. He only remembered them months ago while looking for something to kill time.
Using the blueprints as templates, he made customized versions during all the time he wasn't attending Hogwarts.
The light armor, tailored to emphasize feminine curves, was for Tonks, who liked to prioritize speed and favored dodging over using shields.
The medium armor was what he helped equip Sanshi with; although uncomfortable due to the added weight, she quickly adapted since it didn't hinder her movements.
Lastly, the heavy armor was for him. He had wanted to make a similar set for his father but had barely started treating the leather when this situation erupted.
Each set of armor had its own set of runes to enhance various aspects, but all of them had multiple layers of defense to guarantee safety up to the limit they could withstand.
It might be a complete headache to repair them later—it might even be easier to throw them away and make new ones—but he preferred the armor to take the damage rather than his loved ones.
"Hey, the sandwiches are ready!" Tonks reminded him as Lily walked in with the food packed and ready to go.