Skirmish in a first-floor corridor

"They ran down the next staircase and found themselves in a corridor full of duelers. The portraits on either side of the fighters were crammed with figures screaming advice and encouragement, while Death Eaters, both masked and unmasked, dueled students and teachers."

- Description.

This conflict was fought as part of the Battle of Hogwarts, on 2 May, 1998. As Death Eaters fought students and teachers alike, Peeves intervened dropping Snargaluff pods over the heads of the Death Eaters. Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger sped through this skirmish while on their way to the Shrieking Shack.

Background
"But she broke off as yells and shouts and the unmistakable noises of dueling filled the corridor. Harry looked around and his heart seemed to fail: Death Eaters had penetrated Hogwarts."

- Description.

After Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters managed to break the protective enchantments around Hogwarts Castle, the Battle of Hogwarts began. Duels broke out in the grounds as the Death Eaters made their way toward the Castle. A while later, the Death Eaters had made it to the foot of the Castle, and used giants to breach into the north battlements. As Death Eaters penetrated its walls, duels started breaking out in the corridors.

The duel
"Even as they stood braced, looking for the opportunity to act, there came a great "Wheeeeee!" and looking up, Harry saw Peeves zooming over them, dropping Snargaluff pods down onto the Death Eaters, whose heads were suddenly engulfed in wriggling green tubers like fat worms."

- Description.

As Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger (all under Harry's Invisibility Cloak) made their way to the Shrieking Shack and to Lord Voldemort, who was keeping his last Horcrux, Nagini, in safety, they passed by Minerva McGonagall who was leading an army of betwitched galloping desks into Battle. A short while later, they found themselves in the middle of this skirmish. Portraits on the walls screamed a

EntranceHallSkirmish.jpg
dvice and encouragement to the Hogwarts defenders, as students and teachers alike struggled against Death Eaters.

Sometime in or prior to this duel Dean Thomas acquired a wand, presumably taken from a defeated fighter. Dean was face-to-face with Antonin Dolohov, Parvati Patil with Travers. Harry, Ron and Hermione had their wands at the ready under the cloak, but the fighters were moving around so much that there was a strong likelihood of hurting on of their own side if they cast curses. As they stood there, Peeves, the school Poltergeist, arrived at the scene, and started throwing Snargaluff pods on the Death Eaters' heads.

As Peeves did this, one of the pods hit the Invisibility Cloak, giving away Harry, Ron and Hermione's position to the Death Eaters. The fighters took advantage of this momentary distraction of the Death Eaters: Dean knocked out a masked Death Eater with a Stunning Spell and Parvati shot a Full Body-Bind Curse at Dolohov.

Aftermath
""LET'S GO!" Harry yelled, and he, Ron, and Hermione gathered the Cloak tightly around themselves and pelted, heads down, through the midst of the fighters, slipping a little in pools of Snargaluff juice, toward the top of the marble staircase into the entrance hall."

- Description.

It is unknown how this conflict turned out, although it is a fair assumption that it was won by the Order of the Phoenix side, as Peeves's intervention seemed to knock out several Death Eaters and the fighters seemed to take advantage of the Death Eaters' momentary distraction to floor some of them. The way towards the Marble Staircase landing above the Entrance Hall was left covered in slippery pools of Snargaluff juice.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows