How It All Goes Down
The Sacking of Severus Snape
- As soon as Alecto touches her Dark Mark, Harry can feel Voldemort approaching. Luna thinks fast and Stuns the Death Eater.
- Harry and Luna hide under the cloak as puzzled Ravenclaws emerge from their rooms, confused by the spectacle before them.
- Outside the common room, Harry can hear Amycus Carrow, Alecto's equally evil brother, demanding entrance. He's quarreling with Professor McGonagall, who calmly opens the door after giving him a hard time.
- Amycus doesn't know what to do – Voldemort is coming, but there's no sign of Harry. He and his sister are going to be in deep trouble.
- He decides to pass off the blame to the students, and say that they forced Alecto to summon Voldemort, then Stunned her.
- Professor McGonagall won't stand for this. She and Amycus face off, and he spits at her. (Third grade much?)
- This is too much for Harry, who rips off the Invisibility Cloak and inflicts the Cruciatus Curse upon Amycus – it's the first time he's successfully used it (or probably even thought to).
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- Professor McGonagall is shocked by the appearance of both Harry and Luna, and tells them to flee – Harry, however, wants only to know about the diadem. He knows it's too late to try and escape Voldemort, or to avoid him.
- Professor McGonagall neatly ties up the Carrows, and confronts Harry about his plan. He tells her that he's acting on Dumbledore's orders, and she immediately springs into action; the Hogwarts teachers will join forces to defend the castle and put up protective spells, and hold Voldemort off as Harry searches for the diadem. The only problem is Snape…
- As the three of them go off to discuss plans with the other Heads of House, Snape himself appears in the hallway. And he's ready for a fight.
- Snape and McGonagall have a brief, cold confrontation, before breaking into duel mode; McGonagall is soon joined by her backup – Professors Flitwick, Sprout, and Slughorn. Overwhelmed by this onslaught, Snape leaps out the window and magically flies away.
- Harry can see Voldemort at the Inferi-guarded island – in a moment he'll know that the locket Horcrux is gone, too. We can just see him puffing up now…
- Professor McGonagall fills her colleagues in on the situation, and they make plans to evacuate their students and defend the castle.
- As everyone hurries away to organize, Harry asks Professor Flitwick about the diadem, but he has no idea.
- Professors McGonagall and Slughorn have a brief but significant confrontation, in which McGonagall coldly tells her uncertain colleague that Slytherin has to choose its loyalty – to Hogwarts, or to Voldemort.
- The whole school is active as students move to the Great Hall, and Professor McGonagall rouses all of the castle's defenses, including some pretty awesome moving suits of armor.
- Back in the Room of Requirement, all of Dumbledore's Army is mobilized – with some extra members, including Harry's old Quidditch team, and the Order of the Phoenix.
- Harry tells them that the fight (or, should we say, Fight?) is on. There's a rush to get up to the Great Hall, where everyone is mobilizing. Only the Weasleys remain with Lupin in the Room of Requirement; Ginny wants to fight (and George and Fred are on her side), but everyone else thinks she's too young, including Harry. She resentfully agrees to stay.
- The argument is interrupted by a late arrival: Percy Weasley. He and his estranged family face each other awkwardly (Fleur and Lupin attempt desperately to break the ice by talking about Lupin and Tonks's baby – always a good topic). Percy apologizes profusely for being pigheaded and stubborn; he's come to realize what was going on in the Ministry, but didn't know how to get out without being imprisoned. The Weasleys are all reunited.
- Lupin suggests that Ginny should stay in the Room of Requirement so she can know what's going on, but not be endangered. Her parents agree to this plan.
- Harry asks where Ron and Hermione are, but nobody knows for sure. Ginny says they mentioned something about a bathroom. Huh.
- Harry's interrupted by a flash of pain from his scar – Voldemort is outside the castle, and he's ready to kill.