Slytherin's salvation is nothingness

Harry, Hermione, Ron, Cedric and Sirius set out for Hodsmoode first. Tonks and other members of the Order of the Phoenix and the French Auror appeared near the Black mansion to attract the attention of the Death Eaters.

Several people wearing black robes and white masks walked beside the Death Eaters. Ron whispered to Hermione, "Will this really work? It's better to use Harry's invisibility cloak." Hermione turned her head away and looked at the Death Eaters who looked down on her. It seemed that no one wanted to get close to them, and her uneasy heart was relieved. "I observed in Slytherin Mansion that these Death Eaters wearing white masks are actually only Cyrus's men. They are all werewolves. The other Death Eaters despise them but dare not interfere too much."

"What is the last thing that Headmaster Dumbledore left behind? Why don't we know it?" Seeing that there were fewer Death Eaters around, Harry asked the question in his mind, but did not wait for Hermione's answer.

Sirius looked up and pointed to a dilapidated house with a pig's head hanging on it. "It's right there. Come on."

Boom, boom, boom.

The door they knocked on for a long time was still closed, and some Death Eaters were already walking towards them. Sirius sighed and shouted inside in a low voice, "We are following the orders of Lord Cyrus..."

Before Sirius could finish, there was a noise behind the door. The door of the wooden house was violently opened, and Aberforth shouted at everyone with an angry face, "Get out!"

Sirius stuck his foot in the door that was about to close. He held the door tightly with both hands, took off his mask and squeezed his head into the room. "It's me! It's me! Aberforth!"

The force of closing the door was a little weaker, and Aberforth spat, "You drunk kid, don't stay here, get out now!" Although he said so, he still opened the door when he saw the Death Eaters not far behind them. "You better be in trouble!"

Harry and his friends stared blankly at Aberforth, who looked very similar to Dumbledore, and whispered to each other, "What do you think?"

"Very similar, so similar..."

“But some of them are scruffy.”

"Shh! Don't say that in front of him!" Sirius patted Harry and the others heavily to prevent Aberforth from kicking them out again.

Sirius looked at Aberforth, who had a bad look on his face, and then at the painting behind him. "We need to return to Hogwarts, and we need your help. This is our last chance."

"You go back? What's the point? She's right there. I saw her before. Just like that white-haired guy, she ruined other people's lives!" Aberforth slammed his fist on the bar. "What's the point of doing this now? There's no other way."

Harry and his friends' hearts sank to the bottom. Cyrus had already returned to Hogwarts. They might not have a chance to get Dumbledore's relics and fight her. Hermione stepped forward and shook her head at Aberforth, "Then we have to do it, even if it's a gamble, even if it's useless. As long as we return to Hogwarts, there will be a way. Mr. Aberforth, believe us, believe in Headmaster Dumbledore."

Aberforth obviously didn't want to hear Dumbledore being mentioned. He turned and looked at the painting. "How can I believe him? He's dead, and was killed by his own daughter..." After thinking for a long time, Aberforth stepped aside. A road appeared in the painting. "If you can stop her, go with you."

Several people looked at each other and walked into the door. Hermione, who was the last one to leave, looked at Aberforth who was about to go upstairs.

"She is not a Death Eater. I believe her. There may be something fishy about the death of Headmaster Dumbledore. But perhaps her family is the only one who can keep her. Please help us to keep Professor Slytherin."

Aberforth walked up the stairs without stopping.

Harry was immediately hugged by a figure after passing through the door, and they came to the Gryffindor common room. Ginny hugged Harry tightly, "I'm glad you're okay!" Harry buried his head in Ginny's shoulder, "Yeah, I'm fine."

Ron behind them was dumbfounded, "After being away for so long, she actually left me, her brother, aside?" Looking at the other people hugging, they were Cedric and Zhang Qiu, and Ron's face became even worse.

Hermione finally emerged from the door and looked at her former classmates with tears in her eyes. Since Harry and the others left, Neville had taken on the responsibility of the DA Club, and his temperament had become much tougher.

"The Death Eaters have taken control of this place. We have been trying to find a solution, but there are too many Death Eaters' spies and we are unable to move forward. Now that you are back, what should we do next?"

"We need to find something, something that Dumbledore left behind. Where is Cyrus? She is Voldemort's last Horcrux. If we kill her, Voldemort will die too."

Neville and the others were stunned. Let's not talk about what a Horcrux is. Cyrus? They didn't see Cyrus in Hogwarts...

The expressions of several people have given the answer. Harry frowned, "She must be there, maybe hiding in... the Chamber of Secrets!" He looked at Hermione, "Where is the thing left by Headmaster Dumbledore? Since she won't appear in front of us now, we still have time!"

Countless eyes turned to Hermione, but they were interrupted by a voice. A Gryffindor student walked in, "Snape, he called all the students to gather in the hall."

As soon as he finished speaking, various voices appeared, "They must have discovered Harry and the others!"

"Another student will be punished by Carlo, what should we do?!"

"Don't worry, they can't know where they are so quickly, just hide them."

Sirius secretly pulled Hermione from behind and whispered while everyone was in a panic, "Is there nothing left by Dumbledore at all? What did Cyrus tell you that day? Since Remus did not leave with Tonks, there must be a reason."

Hermione had no choice but to nod. She held Sirius down and said, "You can't be impulsive now, otherwise it will ruin Cyrus's plan. Although I don't know the details, she must want us to return to Hogwarts. Maybe she wants to protect the students here, or maybe she needs us here."

"Is that all you know? Nothing else?" Sirius looked into Hermione's eyes. He felt something was wrong, and the bad premonition in his heart became stronger.

"No, this is the only way we can do now. If you are worried about her, Cyrus must have a way to deal with the fragments of Voldemort's soul in his body. You go to meet Mr. Arthur and the others. There is still one doubt left, and I need to verify it." She avoided Sirius's sight and pulled Harry over, "Let's go too. We can't hide now."

The center of the Hogwarts Great Hall was filled with students. The Carrows stood in front of Professor McGonagall. Snape walked up to the platform from the center, dragging his robes. He looked at the students and spoke in a steady and long tone. He stood in front of the Death Eaters like a walking corpse, "Many of you must be very curious about why I gathered everyone here. I noticed that some suspicious people appeared in Hogsmeade earlier tonight."

The Death Eaters in Hogsmeade had already passed the message to him. Although he did not see their faces, Snape was sure that it must be Harry and the others. It was undoubtedly dangerous to come to Hogwarts at this time. Cyrus was still in the Chamber of Secrets. When Voldemort knew about it, he would definitely lead a large group of Death Eaters. He needed to find them first.

"Anyone, whether teacher or student, who dares to help Porter and the others will be punished with a punishment of similar severity. Anyone who knows the situation but conceals it will be punished in the same way."

Professor McGonagall hid her hands in her robes, holding her wand tightly, and she looked at the students with great concern. In the corner, Slughorn was holding a bottle of wine, which contained the Felicis Potion he had recently brewed.

Snape walked down the platform and glanced among the students. In the suffocating silence, Harry, wearing Gryffindor robes, walked out, and Snape's eyes sank.

"The defenses here are not half as good as Slytherin House. Getting in here is a breeze." Harry stood alone in front of Snape, and the Carrow siblings had already drawn their wands.

The door was pushed open, and all the members of the Order of the Phoenix walked in. Arthur, Moody, Tonks, Sirius, the twins, and the French Aurors followed behind them. The field immediately became a battle between two forces, and the other professors immediately urged the students to hide behind them.

"There is always a loophole, Headmaster!" Harry almost bit out the word "Headmaster" between his teeth. He picked up the wand and pointed it at Snape, "How dare you stand in his position!"

"I will be angry if you insult your headmaster like this." A cloud of black mist appeared in front of Snape, and Cyrus' figure appeared. She had nothing in her hands, but she brought a great sense of threat to everyone in the Order of the Phoenix. As she appeared, a spell flew towards Harry, so fast that Harry didn't even react.

Bang!

Two powerful spells collided, and Professor McGonagall stood in front of Harry. At this time, the students hiding behind their professors also picked up their wands. They were very scared, but they remembered that their headmaster was killed before, and they were still trembling in the corner. Wands were raised one by one, trembling but firm.

Snape looked at Cyrus who was standing in front of him. Wasn't her magic sealed? How could she still use spells? He picked up the wand, "No need for Lord Cyrus to do anything."

But when facing Professor McGonagall, the extended wand was retracted for a moment.

While thinking about how to stop Cyrus, Snape saw the girl in front of him running back behind him, with her hands on his shoulders, hiding behind him with only her head showing. She raised her finger and pointed at Professor McGonagall who was standing in the front, "Lucius has gone to inform that boiled egg. Go, Severus, and protect me who is powerless!"

Cyrus's actions stunned everyone. He first attracted a wave of hatred, but then retreated when the battle was about to begin. Moody was the first to see the clues in her and shouted to the people of the Order of the Phoenix: "Her magic power is sealed. Now is the best time. Hurry!"

Countless spells attacked the two of them, and the Carrow brothers and sisters behind Snape were unfortunately hit by the flying spells. Snape's face seemed to be dripping with ink, and he felt like he was being played with again. Facing the attacks of everyone, Snape resisted them one by one. He turned his head to look at Cyrus who was watching the battle behind him, "Let's get out of here first!"

He put his arm around the girl's waist, and as the black mist emerged, the two of them quickly rose into the air and escaped through the window. Behind them, they heard Professor McGonagall's roar.

"coward!"

The girl's gentle voice came from below, "Whether you are a coward or not is not for them to decide."

"So Lord Cyrus's appearance just now was just to protect me? Or did he put me in danger of being besieged?"

The two landed at Hodmaud and joined other Death Eaters. Compared to Harry and the others, Snape had more information. He didn't think Cyrus was Voldemort's last Horcrux. Voldemort dared to put her in danger at Hogwarts, so there must be another layer of protection. The dog that had been following Cyrus had been well protected since it was resurrected. Voldemort would definitely come, and as the most important Horcrux, the dog would be beside him.

Only he can take the opportunity to kill them. Should he do it during the battle?... He will die too. Snape doesn't think he can survive under the hands of Voldemort and Cyrus.

"What are you thinking about?" Cyrus' words interrupted Snape's thoughts. He looked at Voldemort who was walking slowly in the distance, his eyes fixed on the hound beside him.

"nothing."

The bright lights in the Hogwarts Great Hall were rekindled, and everyone was cheering for the short-lived victory. A hoarse voice came, covering everyone,

"Hand over Harry Potter, and I will keep the school safe. Hand over Harry Potter, and you will be rewarded." Everyone was filled with fear after hearing this voice, and there seemed to be some noise behind this voice.

"It's just to destroy your Horcrux, you petty-minded person. What's the point of handing it over? Of course, I'll destroy it with the whole thing."

"Lucius....You take her away."

The hall fell silent again, but the Dementors approaching from the sky gave everyone a sense of urgency. A voice came from the Slytherin students, "Catch him! Didn't you hear what the Dark Lord said? As long as we hand him over, we will be safe!"

"Shut up." Before Professor McGonagall could speak again, Draco pulled Pansy over and commanded all the Slytherin students, "Those who don't want to die, follow me." Goyle and Crabbe beside him led everyone to the secret room in the cellar. Draco looked at Harry, "Slytherin students will not interfere with you, but I have to say this, if you want to kill Cyrus, you should give up as soon as possible."

There were still a few Slytherin students standing there, looking at Harry, as if ready to make a move. Draco stepped forward to block them, threatening them to leave with the flashing wand in his hand. Draco was the only Slytherin student left in the entire hall. He walked to the corner and leaned against the wall, seemingly with no intention of leaving. He was still indignant and said, "A Slytherin doesn't even know how to protect himself."

Professor McGonagall looked at Harry and the others again, and Hermione spoke first, "We need time, Professor McGonagall. There is something in the castle that can completely destroy Voldemort. We must do our best to protect the castle!"

"Do what you have to do, and I will protect the castle."

After saying that, Hermione looked at Sirius, "I'm not sure where that thing is. Let's go to the headmaster's office. Harry, you go look for it somewhere else."

She seemed to be puzzled by Hermione's decision, but the two had already run away.

Sirius and Hermione ran quickly in the corridor. "Didn't you say there is nothing left by Dumbledore here? Then why are we going to the headmaster's office?"

"Indeed not, but we can't rely on others for everything, right? I roughly guessed Cyrus's purpose. If that's the case, no matter who shows up, no one can stop her."

Hermione took out the Pensieve from the headmaster's office. Strands of silver light were drawn out and mixed into the Pensieve, then gathered together again. "Perhaps only she can save her!"