The battle on the stone bridge had already alarmed the staff and students within Hogwarts.
Professor McGonagall, acting as Deputy Headmistress, quickly ordered all students back to their dormitories, then led the other professors to the castle gates.
They initially believed that, by gathering together, they might offer Dumbledore at least a bit of assistance.
However, the shriek of the Ravenclaw house ghost, the Grey Lady, shattered their confidence entirely.
"Mother!"
The Grey Lady—known in life as Helena Ravenclaw, daughter of Rowena Ravenclaw—tried desperately to rush out through the castle doors.
The Bloody Baron intercepted her.
"Professors, it's not safe to go out right now," he warned.
The skeletal, bloodstained ghost held Helena firmly, his face tense with a rare look of anxiety. "One of the three wizards facing Dumbledore… is Rowena Ravenclaw herself!"
The news hit the professors like a thunderclap.
If one of Dumbledore's opponents was indeed Rowena Ravenclaw, then the identities of the other two skeletal wizards weren't hard to guess.
Three of Hogwarts' four founders had returned from beyond!
Though no one knew exactly what kind of dark magic had brought them back, it was clear they were now enemies of Hogwarts.
Professor McGonagall quickly made a decision: "Hold your ground; do not engage!"
She could see plainly that this was a battle far beyond what the assembled professors could handle.
To charge in unprepared would only worsen the situation, making them vulnerable to the ensuing chaos and distracting Dumbledore.
But—
"Can Dumbledore win?"
Professor Flitwick spoke up, his voice laced with worry. As a former dueling champion, he understood the art of battle well. Dumbledore was powerful, certainly, but one against three? And all three were legendary ancient wizards… Flitwick saw no path to victory.
"He will win!"
McGonagall responded almost without hesitation, her voice firm, though it was unclear if she was reassuring Flitwick or herself.
"Dumbledore is the strongest, after all!"
—
In the Hall of the Mirror of Erised.
"All scenarios have been considered,"
Kathoom exhaled as he removed the Crown of Wisdom, tucking it back into his feathers.
"If Jason did bring the Dionesium factor to this world, then he'd definitely be searching for the remains of powerful wizards from the past. I mean, honestly, I would do the same."
Bruce, his tears wiped away, was composed again.
Kathoom's explanation had made the situation painfully clear.
"So, what can we do?" Bruce asked, his voice tense. "If all four founders are revived, there's no way Hogwarts can withstand them!"
"There's no way Jason has found all four remains."
Kathoom scoffed before turning to Bruce. "You once told me to always have a backup plan. For a situation like this—did you prepare one?"
Bruce shook his head, unable to meet the owl's gaze.
There was no way he could have foreseen something like this.
But Kathoom didn't reprimand him. Instead, he said,
"You didn't, did you? No worries—I did."
Bruce's eyes widened, struggling to believe the owl's words.
Could a contingency plan really account for something on this scale?
"As I said before, I was looking forward to Jason giving Hogwarts a little taste of Gotham. I wouldn't say that unless I had some confidence."
Kathoom glanced up, gauging the time. "Dumbledore and the founders should be battling by now."
Three founders, Jason, and Quirrell.
Five individuals.
Kathoom nodded to himself. "I had initially planned for only four on our side, but given the current circumstances, we also have five."
Bruce couldn't help but ask, "Where did you find five people?"
—
Boom!
Dumbledore stumbled back, barely managing to steady himself.
Ahead, a massive green fireball hovered in the air, almost blocking out the sun.
The cursed fire twisted and writhed like a thousand writhing serpents, casting sparks as it descended on Dumbledore—a vision of annihilation summoned by Slytherin.
The once-solid stone bridge had softened into loose sand and gravel, which then morphed into an army of sand soldiers wielding gleaming blades, stepping out of the ground in precise formation as if marching from an ancient battlefield. Their queen was none other than the cold, unyielding Rowena Ravenclaw.
But the chaos didn't stop there.
Hogwarts itself began to stir.
All the statues and suits of armor within the castle leapt from their pedestals, swarming out to join the ranks of sand soldiers marching toward the battlefield.
Professor McGonagall, watching from afar, felt her heart stop.
The Stone Soldiers spell—a protective enchantment she herself could cast—had been devised by Rowena Ravenclaw, the very same Ravenclaw who now stood among their enemies!
And as each statue or suit of armor passed by Helga Hufflepuff, it received an ancient magical blessing.
Silver badgers settled on their shoulders, magic flowing like quicksilver, strengthening them with a new, formidable power.
Even within Salazar's inferno, a fiery badger darted back and forth, fueling the flames into a blinding torrent of shooting stars.
The meteors fell toward Dumbledore as a deadly assault while enhancing their own stone soldiers with powerful enchantments.
Dumbledore struggled to fend off the incoming firestorm, breathing heavily.
Faced with this onslaught, for the first time, he felt utterly powerless.
So strong… too strong…
The combined force of the three founders was overwhelming. Just defending himself had exhausted him.
Victory felt impossible—
The stone soldiers had already reached him.
—
"Our first of the five, of course, is Dumbledore,"
In the basement, Kathoom continued explaining to Bruce.
"And now, we have one additional player—Hogwarts' strongest."
Bruce frowned. "Isn't that still Dumbledore?"
"Is it?" Kathoom countered, a glint in his eye. "Then why do you think I insisted on visiting the Great Lake every day?"
Bruce fell silent, recalling a story Kathoom had told him when he first arrived.
"Though he's removed himself from the world, even if Voldemort invaded Hogwarts, he would view it as a mere wizarding conflict—a step in history, and would never intervene.
"But things are different now. When the past that should have stayed buried rises again, even those who swore to never interfere must step forward."
—
Just as Dumbledore was on the verge of collapsing, outmatched by the three founders, the lake behind Hogwarts suddenly began to bubble.
Glub… glub…
Like a pot reaching a boil, a dark shadow beneath the surface grew larger and larger.
Then, with an earth-shattering splash, a massive creature broke through the lake's surface, leaping high into the air.
It was the giant squid.
It soared out of the water, casting a vast shadow over Hogwarts as it arced toward the stone bridge.
The professors below gazed up, stunned by the sight, unable to comprehend what was happening.
The squid reached the bridge, and as it fell, its enormous form rapidly shrank until, by the time it touched down, it was no bigger than a man.
No—it was a man.
He was tall and broad, with thick hair and a beard, dressed in deep red robes. His eyes held a fierce glow, like a lion ready to strike.
Dumbledore had a hunch. "Are you—"
The man gave no answer. He simply raised his hand.
"Accio Sorting Hat!"
Crash!
The Sorting Hat smashed through the window of the Headmaster's Office, flying into the man's hand.
He reached inside the hat.
Schwing—
A gleaming silver sword, adorned with rubies, slid from the hat, ringing with a sound like a dragon's roar.
"My old friend!"
The man gripped the sword, turning his gaze toward Salazar Slytherin. "I never thought we'd meet again in this lifetime."
The flames in Salazar's eye sockets flickered.
"Godric Gryffindor… you're still alive?"
---
T/N: GAHAIRHIA I C ALLED IT BITCH also lmao hit them with the he's the strongest