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𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐂𝐄𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓 𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐋 still mirrored the clear sky above the castle even though some actual sunlight fell through the gaping cracks; the illusion around the ruptures flickered in an attempt to keep hold but it was in vain as the sunshine effortlessly broke through it.

Debris of the collapsed ceiling lay scattered over the wooden floor and the walls were etched with dark, burned shadows where deadly curses had collided with the stones.

Only a few nights ago, the floor had not only been full with rubble but with the bodies of those killed during the Battle of Hogwarts as well. The Daily Prophet referred to them as the Fallen Fifty, but Elodie Belmont had called some of them her friends.

Her electric blue eyes immediately flew in the direction where Susan Bones had lain with open and glazed over eyes as they stared into nothingness.

Elodie's heart still ached by the realization she'd never see her fellow Hufflepuff again, and she had to force herself to look away before she slipped into another cycle of grief. Today should be filled with hopeful thoughts, so, instead, Elodie looked to her side, crossing eyes with Elizabeth Rosberg.

The two of them ─ and dozens of other students and alumni ─ had volunteered to help rebuild Hogwarts. The castle suffered from some serious damage after the final conflict of the Second Wizarding War, but if everyone helped, they could bring back Hogwarts to its former state in just a matter of days; well in time before the first semester would start again in September.

The new Headmaster, professor McGonagall, stood on the elevated platform at the end of the hall, her green robes shimmering like emeralds as she waited patiently for the volunteers to arrive.

Elizabeth ─ more commonly known as Ella ─ tugged at Elodie's denim jacket and then pointed at Daisy Wayland, not standing too far away from them. They quickly closed the distance between them and Daisy's face lit up when she spotted them as well, pulling her friends in a group hug.

'Ready to cast some mending charms all over the place?' Elodie asked them, her French accent still audible even though she had been surrounded by Brits for almost three years. Elodie had transferred from Beauxbatons to Hogwarts in her fourth year, but returned to France every summer.

'Definitely,' Daisy answered with a dreamy expression. 'Maybe we can even add some flowers and plants throughout the corridors in the process. To brighten it up.'

'Flowers and plants?' a male voice repeated behind them, the words thick with a Scottish accent and Oliver Wood squeezed in between Ella and Elodie. The two year older Gryffindor alumnus put an arm around Ella's shoulders, pulling her gently closer for a quick kiss.

'Hi, love,' he murmured against her lips with a smile before turning his gaze back at Daisy.

'The castle is gigantic. Who is going to take care of the flowers? Filch?' Oliver continued, barely suppressing a chuckle, and Daisy pulled a disappointed face as she hadn't thought of that yet.

'Maybe we can create a flower garden nearby the greenhouses,' Elodie said, trying to cheer up Daisy. 'I'm sure professor Sprout would love that.'

Daisy's amber coloured eyes sparkled with excitement, but their conversation faded away when professor McGonagall addressed them all.

'Attention, please,' she said, her amplified voice bouncing between the walls of the now crowded Great Hall. 'I am pleased to see so many of you have agreed to help. Please divide yourself in groups since none of you should wander through the castle alone. Some floors are unstable, on the verge of collapsing, and I don't want anyone to enter those areas without assistance. We will gather back here at the end of the day, and the kitchen is open to all who get hungry. Stay safe and let us make Hogwarts great again.'

Applause erupted and groups were formed while Daisy frantically waved over Harry Potter, her boyfriend. The Boy Who Lived had dark circles under his eyes, obviously still exhausted from the hunt on Voldemort's horcruxes and the final showdown between the two of them, but Hogwarts was his home and he'd help wherever he could.

Fernrose Foxglove and Ron Weasley followed on his heels, their hands tightly intertwined, and to say Elodie dreaded to be the only single person in their group, would be an understatement. If only Hermione Granger had been here as well. . . but she was currently looking for her parents in the hopes of restoring their memories that she had erased.

'Mina! Mina!' Elodie shouted over the heads of the others when she spotted Minakshi Bhosale, and the former Hufflepuff frowned as she tried to find out where the voice was coming from.

Fred Weasley, to whom Mina had been talking, pointed over her shoulder in Elodie's direction and they both smiled when their eyes crossed.

Mina had shown Elodie around the castle the year she had transferred and the two of them had quickly become friends as well.

'Please join our group?' Elodie pleaded the one year older girl, and Mina pushed some short dark hairs out of her face while she exchanged a look with Fred. He half-shrugged and Mina answered in agreement.

Fred, however, could rarely be seen without his twin, and he plucked the other redhead out of the crowd ─ who dragged Vittoria Fossette with him ─ and the four of them walked towards Elodie.

'Whoa, okay,' Ella said. 'I think our group is big enough now.' She chuckled as her eyes traveled over their group of eleven persons.

'Where shall we start?' Elodie asked.

'The Quidditch Pitch,' Oliver answered without hesitation, and Ella couldn't help but to smile up to him. She should've known.

'I was thinking something maybe a bit more in the castle itself,' Elodie said, and Oliver huffed as he crossed his arms.

'Maybe the library?' Vittoria spoke up with a soft voice after an encouraging nod from George. She uneasily shifted from one foot to another, feeling a bit uncomfortable when everyone turned their attention on her, but she relaxed when George softly brushed with his thumb over the back of her hand.

'I vote for the library as well,' George said, and the others agreed to that too; feeling that rebuilding the library would be an essential part.

The group walked out of the Great Hall, but lingered in their pace for a moment to look at Phoenix Taylor and Giulia Abara who used their magic to lift the massive oak doors back in their hinges; cutting off abruptly the rays of sunshine that had fallen through the destroyed main gate and the hallway grew a few shades darker.

A few feet away from the duo stood Willa Brooks and Wanda Wells with their backs against each other. Both had their eyes half-closed as they visualized what should happen and then with a flick of their wands, large boulders and smaller stones with sharp edges due to the explosions flew back towards the Grand Staircase.

Nevada Snape repaired the torches and harnesses, which shot back together with clangs and softer jingles.

Slowly but steady, the Entrance Hall looked exactly as it had been before the Battle.

'Let's go,' Elodie said to the others with a grin, she wanted to use mending charms on such a scale as well.

The group ascended the no longer destroyed Grand Staircase and they entered the first floor corridor. Parts of the ceiling were blasted away, and their jaws slightly dropped as they gathered under a huge hole. They could see the second floor ceiling from down here.

Elodie took out her wand and focussed on the debris of the ceiling all around them. She flicked her wand, saying the incantation in her mind and the marble stones flew back to where they belonged; merging with the rest of the ceiling as if it had never been broken.

'Cool,' she said, and they continued to make their way over to the library, occasionally stopping to repair some heavy damage that couldn't wait until later.

However, before they could reach the library, something strange caught the twins eyes.

'George. . .'

'I see it too, Fred.'

'Harry,' both twins said in unison, turning to the raven-haired Gryffindor. 'Do you still have the Marauders Map?'

'Ehm, yes?' Harry pulled out a piece of parchment out of his jacket and gave it to Fred and George.

'I solemnly swear I am up to no good,' Fred said, pressing the tip of his wand on the empty parchment and most of the others raised some confused eyebrows.

Mina peeked over Fred's shoulder and blinked a few times when dark lines appeared all over the parchment.

'Is that a map of Hogwarts?' she wondered, and her eyes grew even wider when she noticed dark dots wandered over the parchment as well; all carrying names of students and professors. Suddenly she understood how the twins had pulled so many pranks without being caught by Filch or professors in the process.

'It is,' Fred said, opening the parchment a bit further until he found what he was looking for. 'But this corridor on our left isn't on it. . .'

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𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓:

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