Did these Alliance members know who they were dealing with?? She'd had many jobs in her time, including working with charms, and was able to defend herself rather easily. Of course, she was getting fatigued and wouldn't last forever. She was determined not to show it, and if she went down in this hallway...well, hopefully she was keeping them safe by distracting them...

Suddenly, she head them let out a collective laugh of victory and she watched as they started to storm into the office. Uh oh. THAT wasn't what she had expected to happen!

Not even thinking of the followers who were still in the hall, she ran past them and slipped into the group of followers who were trying to push their way into the office. It was relatively easy to sneak in there, as they weren't really paying attention to her as they stormed the room.

Ivy nodded at Apollo, wand still pointed at the main door, eyes on Phoebe now as the older girl tried to open the other doors in the room. Had those doors ever been opened in like...a hundred years? Would Alohomora really be enough? Or maybe the other spells Professor Peralta had mentioned would work...

But the blasts from the outside were sounding worse by the second, so she turned her attention fully to the door again. She attempted an "Avis!" as Professor Carton instructed, though the three dark grey little birds she conjured weren't all that much better than the ones she'd conjured in class. Conjuration was still hard, especially now. But it was something at least?

And then the door burst open.

With a squeak, she ducked and dropped to her knees in an attempt to avoid the initial stunning spells, ignoring the pain from her knees hitting the floor hard. "Oppugno!" she cast, hoping her pitiful little birds would attack the Alliance goons and be useful in some way. Then, aiming at the ground of the doorway as some of the goons were entering, she also cast, "Bombarda!"

Still feeling weak from being trapped in eternal darkness only less than a couple of minutes ago, Minjae knew that he was no use in battle. But if he could help get the younger students out, he would . This helplessness was worse than the Neo-Alliance cackling behind the door. Atlas idea of accio-ing brooms to fly away would be a good one if The Hoods had not destroyed half of them during flying class. Quinn’s words about there being a battle outside and that they couldn’t just fly away was right as well. They’d be easy targets for even stray spells.

But there had to be a way out SOMEWHERE in this stupid office! Wand still in his hand, the Hufflepuff still with blood covering his nose from that faithful day in potions class , stumbled through the room in search of any opening , any secret door passageway that could help them get out

His heart broke for Gemma as the Alliance shouted that they had one of the professors. He had always felt jealous that a lot of the students had at least some family around them in the castle, but this time, Minjae was glad that he had no family members in the school. ”They-they could be lying” he said but a part of him believed them. He believed that they had one of the professors and his hand trembled as he eyed the office door.

Professor Peralta did not need to tell him twice to keep away from the door and he nodded his head as he remembered the freezing spell. But the full body bind spell alone would not be enough if …when …the Alliance broke through the protective spells.

When the protective barrier failed and the group burst in to the room , Minjae could not help but let out a shriek in fright and he stumbled backwards. But his desire to protect the little ones was stronger than his desire to hide. He was a seventh year darn it. He could help out even in his current state! ”PROTEGO!” He shouted, casting a weak but successful shield charm in front of him as one of the stunning spells was send his way before he waved his wand again and send a "Petrificus Totalus" right back.

Hurrying down the set of stairs surrounded by a wall of Ravenclaws, her heart thudding like the wings of a humming bird as it hovered above a flower, Ingrid’s eyes darted from person to person in search of the only people that could possibly calm her at this moment. Her family. She wouldn’t change them for the world but why oh why did there have to be so many of them? It only multiplied her worry times four. Even as she entered the room, her eyes roamed around quickly calling for her brothers and sisters but the resounding silence that came from their absence was resounding. Choking, she covered the sobbing that threatened to leave her with her hand as a steady stream of tears started to trickle down her rosy cheeks. Even the words of her head of house, something that usually would have been listening to intently couldn’t cut through the existential dread that was now enveloping her.

The relived sounds of friends and family finally finding each other, the flashing of the protective enchantments, they all seemed so…so far away. Where was she really? If it weren’t for the sounds of the neo-alliance members bombarding the door with spell after spell sending shivers down her spine, she may just have dropped to the floor and wrapped her arms around her legs in a protective cocoon like she used to whenever she’d run away from her father at the park and then panic when he was out of sight. Unlike some of her friends however, this little bird did not give up, or rather, did not submit aimlessly by charging into battle in hopes of actually making a difference. The sound of yet another loud, echoing thud further confirmed how much she wished she was away from here. Backing up, she bumped into person after person as she did her best to get away from the insanity of the situation, her wand stuck to her side.

“V..VvVii? she croaked in between sobs as she took in as many faces of the new arrivals, one after another.

Thess? L...leIGHt-On? adAM???? Has anyone seen my f-family?”

Nothing.

“They’ll be here. They’ve got to be here. Got to be…” she whispered, more to herself now than to anyone else in particular she blocked out the noise around her. Sure, she should be casting Salvio Hexia or were they supposed to be unlocking the doors to escape? Whatever it was that was supposed to be protecting them but what did it really matter. They were done for. Caput. Part of her almost wanted to throw her wand towards whoever it was that had lost their wand (Ashley) because she sure wasn’t going to use it but even in the black hole that was her fear, she knew that that was a stupid idea, mainly because the protection spells had finally given way and the neo-alliance were not actually in the room.

Falling further into the room, away from the door and any perceivable exit, Ingrid dropped to the door and brought her arms quickly over her head in a futile attempt to protect herself as a stampede of legs bumped into her, nudging her this way and that, no doubt leaving several bruises in their wake. But that didn’t matter.

Violet had been thinking from the minute the Alliance goons started shouting from the other side of the door that gathering everyone into a room with only one exit was probably a mistake, and now she was sure of it. She had heard someone shout about unlocking other doors and had been trying to make her way further into the room to try to help unlocking them (though couldn't they just blast them open? It's not like they were trying to be subtle at this point). But the press of people in the room was too tight and Violet remained trapped against a wall toward the front of the room.

So when the Alliance members broke through, she was stuck up there with the fighters. Violet didn't think of herself as a fighter, but if she had to, she definitely would, and it looked like now she had to. She had been casting 'Protego' over and over to try to reinforce the warding charms, so when the initial barrage of spells started coming in, she was already well-protected. She jerked up her wand hand and in the stress of the moment cast the first spell that came to mind, which was "Avis!", followed quickly by "Oppugno!". And what came out of her wand was not a playful little flock of magpies like in class, but a squadron of angry blue jays like she'd seen in America. Because Violet was very scared, and that made her very angry, and those jays were the angriest, most aggressive birds Violet had ever seen. And for a miracle, this time (maybe fueled by the concentration of fear and anger) they didn't play around, but all shot forward directly at the faces of the nearest Alliance members.

Remembering the advice of her teacher, Violet began casting "Immobilus!" whenever a gap opened in the crowd, alternating it with "Protego!", hoping that some of it would work. Duelling in real life was a lot more confusing that practising spells in class, and Violet doubted she was ready for this, but ready or not, she had to do it, and so she would do her best.

Mamie was fairly confident in her shield charms. After all, she'd had lots of practice. The Avis+Oppugno combination that Carton wanted them to try, though? Mamie would have laughed if she wasn't so terrified. She could barely conjure a competent bird in class, when things were not so stressful. There was absolutely no way she'd waste time trying that now, with the Neo-Alliance banging on the door. Peralta's suggestion of the freezing charm they'd learned recently seemed a little more likely, but still questionable. She'd only been able to practice it in class, after all. Still, she was much better at charms than conjuring birds, so it seemed like a good alternative.

She glanced sideways as Phoebe James started trying to open doors. Maybe she'd be more helpful there? What good was a second year Muggle-born against the Neo-Alliance?

Before she had time to switch gears from defense to door-opening, though, the one door was open and the big mean adults were coming in. Mamie squealed in terror, reaching for the non-wand hand of the closest person to her.

"Immobulus!" she cried with a flick of her wand at a goon in the front of the group. Followed up quickly with the spell taught to them by none other than the head of the Neo-Alliance himself at the start of the term, "Bombarda!" And then, because she didn't want to be hit by one of the Neo-Alliance spells, whatever they were, she cast a shield charm for herself too. And then repeated her trio of charms, for good measure.

Phoebe heard the suggestions, Alohomora from Apollo and Aberto and Liberare from the professor, all of which were more helpful than trying to force it down physically. She gave Atlas a nod and gestured toward the next door. "Try Alohomora over there. And then... Aberto. Liberare. Bombarda. Anything you can think of. We need to find a way out before..."

Nope. Too late. The doors were opened in spite of all the charms being thrown up by the staff, which was EXACTLY WHAT SHE WAS SURE WOULD HAPPEN. Phoebe wanted to turn and throw herself into the fray, but she figured this was a better use of her efforts.

She grabbed Cece's hand when she appeared at her side. "I need you to find Kiz and Emm, ok? I don't... I don't want to be a jerk and turn my back on every little in this room, but right now, I want to make sure that no one touches them. How's Kaley doing?"

Right. The door. "Alohomora! Liberare! Aberto!" She grabbed the knob and shook it vigorously.

Adam Luck had been here the whole time - hiding behind a bookcase, but he had been HERE. Now that he had no choice but the face the chaos, he came out of hiding and pulled out his wand, but he didn't know WHAT good he'd be. Sure, he could probably do an Expelliarmus but....what good would THAT stupid spell do against someone trying to kill you??

It was too hectic in here and he didn't know where any of his siblings had gone to now. Biting his lip and trying to push back tears, he dipped and dodged the spells as they came at them, before he heard a familiar voice. "INGRID!" he cried, running up to his twin and grabbing her hand.

Gemma didn't have to wait any longer it seemed the party was coming to them and she hoped that her mum was right behind them. Pulling her wand she got ready, she would fight along with anyone that was going to fight. She didn't know if her magic would be strong enough, but she would do her best.

"Protego" She threw up a shield as the alliance goons seemed to be coming in. She had practiced in DADA, she did those horrible lessons, now she hoped it would work on the headmasters idiots and they could take them down.

"Expelliarmous" She tried to disarm one of them as they came into the door.

Claudine’s insides felt hollow. It came as no surprise to her that the Alliance wanted to make a trade. Or so they said. Her shrewd mind told her the members of the Alliance would most likely harm Reccard even if they {those hidden in this Room} opened the door. She also knew that there would be more attempts to crash through said door, and that was why Claudine kept her wand pointed at it while some of the others searched for an open door that would be proper for their escape.

As Peralta instructed, the fifth year stayed away from the door that possibly would give away soon but stayed somewhat to the front as she was willing to fight. And then it gave away… that door, as Claudine knew it would. Her heart pounded so loudly, she thought that everyone could hear it over all the chaos. Stunning spells began to fly but the girl did not freeze up in terror. The determination to survive, the same determination that had washed over her during the Acromantula attack in the Forest back in her second year, took control.

“Protego! Protego!’’ With two vertical wand movements, Claudine threw up a Shield Charm between the Alliance and herself and Heath and another for those close to her. Then copying others, from Carton’s lead, a flock of nine macaws were conjured. “Oppugno!’’ Another incantation sent the birds hurtling at the Alliance members.

Without wasting a second, Claudine followed up her attack with the Charm she was best with: “Immobulus! Immobulus!”

They're getting in... Curtis backed away slowly as the door kept budging to open. He was conflicted between forming more barriers or actually trying to get out of here. There were locked doors but only a handful were even trying to open them. It was either keep the barrier up forever or risk it lowering for an exit... That was it. He made the decision.

Turning away, Curtis began with casting Alohomora wordlessly with the backward S motion on each door. Something had to open. Something. His brows furrowed in apparent concentration. We need to leave, Come on. He used it over and over as the budging door behind him kept sounding louder in between the protection spells everyone else was attempting..

BANG

It all happened so fast. Curtis's face contorted to a mix of offended and shock as he turned to see them pour in. He felt a wave of fury. They did this. He threw up a "Protego" in front of himself and then another towards the crying kids nearby (Quinn and Atlas) backing up next to the fireplace before shooting "Impedimenta!", his heartbeat began to accelerate at the events before him.

Not that he would admit it even now for probably the first time in his life Christian Culloden was scared. Even for a gryffindor. Yes, even gryffindors got scared sometimes. He was new to this feeling obviously. It was the fear, that feeling he didn’t like that was keeping him going. He nodded at Gemma and squeezed her shoulder. Continued casting the protective charms at the door. ”But what if it’s a trap?” Glancing over at Gemma, that reassuring smile was gone now.

They were trapped in this office and those goons were bearing down on them. What if this was it? What if something happened to someone he cared about, maybe it had already happened. He might never get to see his family again. No no he couldn’t think about that.

It seemed to all happened in an instant. That was all it took too. The neo-goons had gotten in. Well now it was now or never. His friends and cousins were in this room and that was the only thing on his mind right now. Pointing at one of the goons. ”Everte Statum!” It was the first thing that came to mind. Then a quick protective shield. ”Protego!” Those goons spells were coming in hot on them.

Oh no. Oh no. Oh no no no no no. Despite their efforts the door burst open and members of the Neo-Alliance came flooding into the room. Alexandre momentarily froze. No, it definitely was not the best thing to do. But Alexandre had never claimed to be a fighter. Or that he would actually be able to keep his cool in a fight. There were spells flying, and for a second it was almost as if he had been petrified. And then his brain kicked into gear and he started moving.

He positioned himself in front of a group of younger students. His grip on his wand was tight as he he held it in front of him. "Protego!" His brain was still catching up and he could barely think of other spells. But he knew how to block, and that was the most important thing for now. Protect the younger ones, and himself, from the spells coming their way.

Of course they'd found them. Morgan knew that it couldn't be as easy as a handful of professors breaking them out and leading them to safety. Or whatever false sense of security this had been. He wasn't really sure he had any fight left in him as his spirit was broken. But with the noises outside growing louder, Morgan looked over at Kale and Flynn, who'd since joined them, then over at Phoebe and Cece and Yoyo struggling to get some other doors open, then at the professors and some of his classmates trying to fortify the room.

He took a deep breath and tightened his grip on his wand. Figuring Flynn could look after Kale now, Morgan resolved to help defend the room and everyone in it. But just as he got to his feet to cast some shield charms, the Neo Alliance jerks found their way in. He paused in surprise only a moment before swinging his wand toward them doing his best to aim in the center of the alliance, his built up fury only beginning to emerge. "Bombarda! Reducto!"

Kinsay never answered his question. No one really had. He was still coming too, but if left to his devises long enough it wouldn't take long for Moose to come to the conclusion that everything was coming to a head at Hogwarts. The rug...the room. This wasn't that room. Kinsay's words the Professors are going to save us. The she said something that made him react. I promise. How many promises had they made this year? Two, Three, Four? He wrapped his pinky around Kinsay's. He was too lonely for too long. So he was going to take that promise and hold onto it.

He attempted to stand up. His forehead was still throbbing but he couldn't lay down anymore. Some fresh blood trickled out of the wound. He sort of pulled Kinsay into himself as he tried to stand. Any onlooking eye would say it looked like a tender hug but he was really trying to find purchase to stand up and fight the pain. "Kinsay help me stand up." He spoke through gritted teeth. "please."

Then he heard Ashley start to freak out about her Wand. His wand...did he have his? He felt into his robe's pockets and found it. He had his wand. It never did leave him. In all that time alone he never once thought about it. "Ash. You should still have it." Did she drop it on her rush out of...where did they even come from, actually? Ugh that didn't matter. He had his wand and that mattered.

Especially at this very moment.

Wherever they were now was horribly compromised, and he was still on his butt trying to stand up. "Up...up. Help me up!" Spells were being flung at them from the other end of the room and Moose didn't know how to defend himself! Back to the floor it was! Give a smaller target to hit...maybe get behind Professor Peralta?

Hogwarts...he hated this place. He thought he was dead before but now he might very well be dead again. Save him...save them. someone please!

The alliance had found them. Kaira could not say she was surprised, because she had dreaded that this would happen.
Chaos. Chaos everywhere. The sound of various spells being fired buzzed in her ears, but she felt numb. She couldn't bring herself to raise her wand and cast a spell. When she closed her eyes, she could see death and that terrified her.

That is when she heard a boy whom she had seen around the castle struggling to get up. She offered her hand and pulled him up. 'Here..,'she whispered in her softest voice, barely audible.

WAS he, in fact, being absurdly sensitive to no professor acknowledging his suggestion. No, not at all absolutely he was, but it seemed ancient history when QUINN shot it down. Now that blow hurt a bit but even the Gryffindor could see the logic in his friend's words. He wished dad were here...dad was always full of amazing ideas and surely would have a better solution. Or Phoebe James would and Quinn seemed to think so as well because Atlas was now being tugged along in that direction. It was a good thing the first year was distracted and therefore missed the moment™ between HIS brother and Kinsay James.

He DID, however, see two students KISSING in the middle of all this and that was...well...that just was.

And for the record, Curtis Full-of-himself-Thompson, Atlas was NOT crying anymore.

Because apparently now he had a task and that was to try and blow up some doors. Bombarda was, perhaps, the only spell he had had ANY real success in this term so... this much he could do. He was not confident in his conjuration and, if any bird, he would likely produce hummingbirds and not vultures like the professor so...there was no way Atlas could follow the man's lead.

Standing beside Quinn while he tapped the inside of the fireplace, the blonde looked around for his brother and instead witnessed Phoebe James charge into a door...and then the angelic veela herself was speaking directly to him. But like...honestly...why Alohomora when Bombarda was included in the list. So...may as well just GO for IT.

"O-Okay!" he replied a little louder than anticipated - he just wanted to make sure SHE heard HIM and how he was a GOOD listener and sometimes hung on her every word. "Quinn...stand back...I'm gonna blow this door off the hinges!" Or Quinn could help him since two blasts were better than one. Three would be even BETTER if Aries joined.

Just putting that out into the universe.

Spells and shouts coming in every which direction, it was a LOT for the first year to take in and focus. Not to mention his own heart racing so violently that he was kind of forgetting to breathe and gasped breathes as he adjusted his grip on his wand. Then, just as he had done in Anti-Muggle Studies Defense Against the Dark Arts earlier on in the term, he flourished his wand at the door and channeled all of his aggression into the movement and voice as he proclaimed, "BOMBARDA!"

This HAD to work. They had to get out of here. He had to see dad again. They had to be a family again. This wasn't the world he wanted to grow up in and he was afraid of the person he would become if forced to. Because he had seen glimpses of it, lived it, made choices and...this just HAD to do something. Please?

A burst of light the size of a young dragon (and he even had seen a dragon in person this term to know the comparison) erupted from his wand and soar against the door with a mighty force. The kickback from the spell caught Atlas off guard and shot HIM back a yard or two...which would only be super embarrassing if absolutely nothing happened on the receiving end of his blast.

So...could the handle at least blow off or melt or something?

Fiona was seething as the Neo-Alliance gained access so she aimed her wand at them and yelled, "Bombarda! Flipendo Maxima!" As soon as she cast those two spells, the Snakette cast, "Protego Horribilis! Fianto Duri!" This was to hopefully protect those that needed and deserved protecting and to destroy anyone associated with the Alliance.

WHAT. WAS. THAT?

Kaira had to cover her mouth to control a shriek as she noticed a boy fly past her, almost knocking her over, falling near her with a thud. 'Oh my god,' she said as she offered to help him up his feet. 'You okay?,' she asked, hoping the boy had not fractured a bone or two.

The breaking of the door and the storming of the room by the Neo-Alliance really should have awoken the little Ravenclaw but covering her head with her arms, bringing her legs in towards her slight frame on the floor and crying silent tears of despair was all she could do to hold herself together as her world crumbled around her. The loud shouting, the crying, the screams and incessant incantations and enchantments that were being tossed around, they all just faded into non-being, blocked out by the harsh reality that she was alone. Even the slight tugging of her hand that was tightly interlaced with her other around the back of her head and neck did little to really pull her from her inner pit.


But…


It was rather annoying. Could this person not see that she wanted to be left alone to wallow? Eyes dilated, she gingerly pulled her hands from around her neck and looked up slowly as though she was awakening from a long slumber and then froze in awe.


“ADAM!” she squeaked as she jumped up, only to stumble and fall again from the soreness in her stiff legs. “Where. Have. You. Been?!” her tears now flowing freely down her face like a monsoon. She had found one of them! Or rather, he had found her but what did it matter really! She wasn’t alone. The weight that had been drowning her a few moments ago had been lifted, not completely but just enough so that she could get her head just above the water to look around properly for what felt like the first time in hours. Blinking away the loudness of it all, she did her best to focus on his face and then asked him the only thing that really mattered. Or rather, her most pressing question.

“Have you seen the others?”

Ash was like 2 seconds away from having a massive meltdown in corner somewhere. But then Moose was very, very helpful at like a very important time. "Oh. Thanks Moose." She patted in her robe pockets. No wand. She could feel herself start to panic again. Then her face cleared. She bent down, reached into her sock, and pulled out her wand. Of course. That was where she must have put it. Made sense. SHe took a deep breath. It was okay. But she was on a battlefield here, and if she wanted to still be alright in two seconds, she needed to move. She dragged herself over to a corner. Did her legs work? Maybe, but they sure didn't right now. Propping herself up, she pointed her wand at the hoods closest to the door. "Bombarda." Please work. Please. This was taking too much energy! She could barely keep her eyes open or her head straight, and it was even harder to successfully cast a powerful spell that she had not practiced in a long time and learned in a very traumatizing way! She remembered it all. She thought about it so much. Getting dragged by the hair. Blowing up dummies that looked just like her. She needed something different. Safe spell. Safe spell. Safe... oooooh. When she was a first year at Hogwarts, she learned a cutting spell in herbology. That one might be a fun one. And easy and didn't bring up bad memories. She mustered up what little strength she had to point her wand at a hood and cast the spell. "Diffindo. Diffindo. Diffindo." Then she paused for a breather, willing herself to not pass out. It was a losing battle, but she was trying. SHE WAS TRYING. If it took literal blood, sweat and tears, she would still try. Whatever it took.
Anything, anything, I'll do anything... please universe, I NEED this.
I don't want to die here like this. Not here. Not now. Not like this.

For what felt like hours, Dahlia just stood there with her wand gripped tightly in her trembling hand. Her heart was hammering in her chest and she felt like she couldn't breath, her feet frozen in place and her mind felt all fuzzy while her vision was blurry. This wasn't the time to panic and it wasn't the time for tears. She knew that and yet she couldn't help it. At only eleven years old, what else was she supposed to do? How was she supposed to do anything else?

Blinking allowed several tears to slide down her cheeks making it even harder to see and yet she didn't even bother wipe them away. All of the sounds from everywhere seemed to blend together into one and Lia really couldn't make sense of it anymore. Who was she supposed to be listening to? Did they all realize they were giving different orders? Attack the Neo-Alliance, bust open doors, set up protection spells... it was all too confusing... all to much...

Was it possible that everything just stop for a second? Only a second. That's all she needed. One measly second to get her bearings together. That's all she asked. Apparently not cause not only did the Neo-Alliance continue their attack on their on shield charms placed on the room, they got through...

And all chaos happened...

Taking a step backwards and with tears still slipping down her cheeks, Lia gripped her wand in her trembling hand and aimed it at the Neo-Alliance. It was time to fight. The professor were right. It was okay to be scared. She should be scared. She could do this, she had to.

With a deep breath she tried to focus as much as she could, really envisioning what she needed in her mind before giving the spells a try. "A-avis." Nope. "Avis!" On the second try several blue jay burst from her wand with a loud BANG ready to attack. "Oppugno!" Lia, directed them at the Neo-Alliance with a sense of pride she had never felt before. For once she had managed it when she needed to. No time to celebrate though. "Bombarda!"

Please work. Just please, please work. It was a repeated silent chant over and over again between charms and silent blinding tears.

Norman took his place at the front of the group, standing in front of even the other professors. He wasn’t afraid to die - he’d nearly died in battle once before. His only worry was what would become of the students if that happened, what might become of Normandie. Once again his thoughts turned to his daughter thousands of miles away at Ilvermorny. She’d be alright. Normandie was strong, and besides, she’d lived most of her life without him. She could do it again if she had to. He knew she would want him to fight, and fight he would!

His blue-green eyes stayed locked on the office door as he expected the goons on the other side to breach the protective spells at any moment. Despite his intense concentration and lack of reaction, he heard all the voices around him… Culloden’s unwanted guests comment that voice exactly what he himself was thinking, Stover complaining of a headache, Fox panicking about her wand, but the voice that stuck with him most was that of Kinsay James. He looked back for a fraction of a second, giving the young Gryffindor a reassuring nod. Yes, he and the other professors would do everything in their power to save the students.

The elder Miss James's words also stood out to him, but he had nothing to add to Finneas and Neva's instructions. It wasn't a bad idea, certainly worth a try. If the kids could get those doors open, maybe he and his colleagues could hold off the Neo-Alliance long enough for them to escape… assuming any of those doors led anywhere.

Speaking of the Neo-Alliance, Norman paid barely any mind to their taunts. He wasn’t giving them the satisfaction of getting inside his head! Somewhere deep down in his battle-hardened heart, he did feel for Miss Kitridge, but he had to agree with the two boys (Yoon & Culloden) who pointed out that it could be a lie or a trap. “They most likely are lying,” he said, nodding. If they weren’t lying about having a professor, they were certainly lying about giving them back. People like that would never give you what you want… not that it mattered now. They were here.

“Oppugno!” Norman aimed his wand, directing his flock of bearded vultures at the Neo-Alliance. If all went according to plan, his birds would start attacking the opponents’ wand hands - it was no accident that he’d conjured a bird capable of breaking bones - but he didn’t wait to find out. He deflected one of their stunning spells with a nonverbal Protego, then aimed at the nearest opponent, “Migalifors!”


Heath had no idea how Claudine would react to his hopefully-not-parting words, but the kiss came as a surprise to him. He tilted his head down to make up for some of the height difference, but he had barely enough time to return the kiss before all Hades broke loose. What? The Neo-Alliance had a professor? He looked toward the door with a worried expression. He hadn’t forgotten the months of being locked away in The Room and still felt betrayed by every adult who’d allowed it to happen for as long as it did, but to his own surprise, he didn’t wish harm on them. So were they going to help or…?

Overhearing some of his classmates, another thought occurred to him. What if they were lying? That’s practically all the Neo-Alliance ever did! Always lies, always false hope… The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. His hands trembled, balling into fists. Somehow in his jumble of emotions, he registered Professor Peralta’s instructions, but he filed that information away for later use. For now, he needed all his concentration to keep his conjured crows in existence until the right moment came - and it was HERE!

Heath’s dark eyes widened as the Neo-Alliance followers barged in. Spells were flying everywhere, and everything was happening too fast for him to process it all! Before he could react, Claudine already had a shield charm up. He gave her a quick look of gratitude, but there was no time for hesitation. Don’t think, just act, he reminded himself. “Oppugno!” he cast, hoping his spell would succeed in sending his crows to attack the Neo-Alliance. “Immobulus! Petrificus Totalus!”

Did any of his spells work? If not, what should he try next? Shame he couldn’t just vanish the Neo-Alliance followers out of existence - Wait, that gave him an idea! Still not leaving Claudine’s side, he looked to Phoebe, Cece, Curtis, Atlas, and whoever else was working on the doors. “Guys!” He called to them. “If unlocking or blasting the doors doesn’t work, you could try vanishing them!”

She glanced at Christian knowing he was probably right, but what if she was out there. What if she needed their help. Gemma felt so conflicted but right now she couldn't think she had to act. The alliance were coming in and they had to either fight or find a way to run.

Glancing to the back to see if the doors were opened she grabbed Christian's hand and stepped back towards them. Once those things were open they were running. She needed to get out of there and find her mother and they had to not be sitting ducks in this room.

"Protego" she sent out again before "Bombarda"

Her hand shook. Her knuckles turning white from how tight she held that wand in her hand. Sure, she used it before for classes and what not, but this was serious. Her heart was racing, blood pumping. For a moment, everything slowed down for her. Her eyes closed for only a quick moment as she kinda needed to hype herself up, Remember who you are. REMEMBER AIBHI. You are a bloody Draven-O'Hanlan! Protect, Defend...FIGHT!! FIGHT BACK!! Her eye shoot open and her rage builds finally taking a few steps forward and holding her wand out in front of her yelling out with just a feeling of tiredness and anger "BOMBARDA!!!" pointing it towards the Neo-Alliance and she lowers her hand as she begins to move following them keeping her wand out in front of her ready to protect herself.