The Four Swords of Hogwarts

Chapter 32: Confrontation

"You really want to confront Dumbledore in the Great Hall?" Draco said, raising an eyebrow at Harry.

"It's the best place. We need an audience," Harry said.

"How are you going to get him there?" Ron asked.

"Has to be something that gets his attention, but there's not much left in the Great Hall," Draco said.

Harry looked up at the Founders in their frame. "Can you cause specific damage to a specific part of the castle?"

"To an extent," Gryffindor said.

"What do you require?" Ravenclaw asked.

"A crack down the Great Hall and through the headmaster's podium and the Staff Table. It'll send a message that we know and we're coming for him," Harry said.

"Is that a good idea?" Hermione said, clearly nervous.

Harry looked up from the blueprint of Hogwarts, zoomed in on the tower housing the headmaster's office. "Good idea? No. Effective? Yes. It will help get more people on our side. You can all only talk to so many students and the professors will be hard to get through to."

"You really think the professors will turn against him?" Ron said, cocking his head to the side in interest.

"Not without a lot of prodding and proof," Harry said. "They've all been under his Mind Magic longer than anyone. Like McGonagall. He was her professor, like Tom, only Tom got away. We need them though. Even with Dad and Tom and the swords, we can't beat him alone."

"Guess he is powerful, even without Hogwarts' magic," Ron said.

"Which brings up the one thing we really haven't considered," Harry said, getting questioning looks from the others. "The fallout of me showing him I'm alive."

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.

"When Dumbledore finds out I'm alive, he's going to be angry and desperate," Harry said. "He's also going to realize that Severus knows everything. Dumbledore will go after him. Tom, too, more than likely."

"You're breaking the hourglass, though, so he can't take their magic," Draco said.

"No, but he can hurt them through their marks," Harry said.

"What mark does Tom have?" Ron said. "I didn't know Dumbledore had given him any kind of mark."

"I don't know," Harry said, shaking his head slightly. "I've never seen anything, but there's obviously something or Dumbledore wouldn't have been able to take his magic."

"I think you need to talk to him before we do any of this," Hermione said. "He needs to be prepared and maybe he can protect himself."

"Plus, he needs to know the plan," Draco said.

Harry rubbed his eyes under his glasses before looking up at the clock. Nearing dinner. "Okay, I'll go see him. All of you, go to dinner. We do this tomorrow no matter what."

His friends nodded and left the Library to leave the Chamber while he headed out a path to Hogsmeade, sending a message to Tom through the bracelets. He pushed into the Bronze Dragon and headed upstairs when he found the pub empty of both Tom and Kingsley. The door to one of the upstairs flats was open and he knocked lightly, stepping in just far enough to spot Tom crouched in front of the chest that sat on the floor. At his knocking, Tom turned to look at Harry over his shoulder.

"Ah, Harry, hello," Tom said, dropping what Harry realized was Hufflepuff's goblet into the chest and standing. "Has something happened? Your message and arrival seem quite urgent."