Sanshi looked at Greyback's corpse with indifferent eyes.
He didn't stand a chance against her. He was born human and only acquired his animal instincts later due to the "infection." Even with the age difference between them, it was clear he'd only dealt with weak and frightened targets, while she often trained with many of the creatures that came through her home.
Ninetales had once asked her why she engaged in so many Pokémon battles, leaving her slightly confused by the term…
Anyway, after learning more about this world, there was no more important reason than to get stronger and help Barnaby as much as possible. Just like she learned more recipes.
Besides, she was a nyokai; she couldn't even contract something as crude and flawed as lycanthropy to begin with. It was like thinking that someone could shoot an arrow at the sun and make a hole in it.
The barrier around her body was more because Barnaby didn't want her getting hurt unnecessarily. He could protect her, so why not do it?
A Bubble-Head Charm appeared over her head, as well as Barnaby's, before he said, "Bombarda Maxima."
Barnaby blew up the rune door without hesitation, and soon a thick smell of burnt dragon manure spread around.
Sanshi was VERY grateful he had used the Bubble-Head Charm as a preventive measure. Her sharp sense of smell was also suffering more and more as they got closer, and only after making sure there was no more immediate danger did she sink into Barnaby's shadow.
If a frightened student saw her at this moment, covered in blood contrasting with her pale skin and standing beside Barnaby, who knew what kinds of thoughts they'd have.
Not that she cared much about what others thought, but if it spared Barnaby trouble and explanations, she didn't mind being a bit cautious.
"Scourgify," Barnaby cast on himself in passing, clearing off any dirt or odor clinging to him.
New information came from a tonberry on the fifth floor.
"It seems the Order of the Phoenix has arrived."
Although their arrival happened within ten minutes of the attack, it was still a slow response in her opinion. Also, it didn't seem like Dumbledore had arrived with them.
"I think something fell from the Astronomy Tower," Sanshi told him.
"Are you sure?" Barnaby lifted his head, but all he could see in the night was the Dark Mark, which was beginning to fade.
That was a good sign.
"Yes," Sanshi reaffirmed. "I saw a green light and I'm pretty sure someone was pushed from the tower, though I only saw it for a moment."
"Probably another Death Eater," Barnaby dismissed without giving it more thought. "Not even Sinistra would be in the Astronomy Tower tonight, not with the number of exams she has to correct lately."
Who in their right mind would hold exams for three different years simultaneously, just because the stars were "interesting" on those dates?
"Do you think a couple snuck away in the night to use the tower for a secret make-out session?" Sanshi suddenly asked. "It wouldn't be the first time…"
Barnaby paused for a moment, frowning at the possibility, though as she said, it wouldn't be the first time it had happened.
"Even if so, we can't do anything about it now," Barnaby shook his head before beginning to move toward the seventh floor. "If the spell that hit them didn't kill them, the fall surely did."
And given that it was the highest tower in the castle, Barnaby wasn't even sure if there would be an intact or identifiable body left…
Ugh, great, he'd just lost his appetite at the mental image.
Unless they managed to cushion or slow their fall somehow?
"Maybe by using Wingardium Leviosa on their underwear or something," he thought, remembering one of the first spells learned in magic school.
There was plenty of magic that could safeguard against the situation, but whether it could or would be used in time was a different story altogether.
Barnaby shook his head, discarding the random thought. Whatever had happened, he'd find out sooner or later.
Good news was that, thanks to the teachers, some seventh-year students who'd had the courage to use their wands to protect the younger ones, and Barnaby's creatures, apart from a few unfortunates who would need a couple of weeks at St. Mungo's due to some nasty wounds that Poppy couldn't treat on the spot due to a lack of medical supplies, the rest were safe.
Relatively speaking. Plenty of scratches, tears, and hearts still racing in fear, but "safe" would be the term he'd use, without a doubt.
The full Order of the Phoenix even managed to rescue two students amidst the chaos!
That is, Tokage did a tremendous job rescuing people and getting them to safety with his clones, but there were also some students helping the Death Eaters (with sick enthusiasm) who mysteriously disappeared along with Voldemort's followers.
As an unrelated curiosity, Tokage's stomach appeared to have swollen for unknown reasons. Mental note: give him a digestive later.
Turns out, they didn't really need Dumbledore after all!
Barnaby was definitely going to use this event to poke fun at the headmaster at the first opportunity. At least, that was the plan until Harry burst in, crying out, "Dumbledore is dead!"
The silence, tinged with growing panic and disbelief, reverberated around them.
Barnaby felt his eye twitch; his plan to mess with Dumbledore had gone down the drain.
That old man had the most creative ways of souring people's moods!
I sensed a silent question from Tokage as he hissed with his tongue.
"No, you can't eat the headmaster of Hogwarts," I responded mentally.
The mood had already dropped to rock bottom and hit bedrock between the attack on Hogwarts and Dumbledore's death; all it needed was a spark for that sadness to turn into anger.
An anger that would look for a target.
"Hmm?" Barnaby thought it over again.
Actually, that didn't sound too bad. It could turn into a sort of life-or-death crusade against the Death Eaters; maybe they'd even abandon that nonsense about just stunning their enemies.
A kind of final purpose, so to speak.
But… the "good" side was running low on capable personnel. The darn prophecy basically made Harry and Voldemort immortal until they decided to kill each other, and as much as he despised Dumbledore, he wouldn't go so far as to deny him a funeral.
"I suppose dinner is cold by now," he sighed. "By the way, where did Uncle Snape go?"