This time's incident was not a small matter, so after briefly stating the reason, Link and the others were gathered in the Great Hall.
At this time, the Great Hall was brightly lit, but appeared somewhat empty, clearly showing that some people had not yet fully assembled.
Regarding this, Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape, and the other professors appeared particularly anxious.
Cedric and the others hadn't stayed long in the Great Hall before being urged again to go back and call more people to gather.
This was the simplest screening method.
Only less than half an hour had passed since the death incident occurred. As long as the culprit's movement speed wasn't as exaggerated as Link's, then it was possible that the culprit had not yet returned to the dormitory in time.
This way, as long as one checked whether the dormitory members were present, it would be easy to find the culprit.
But reality was cruel. Even after everyone was gathered in the Great Hall, no news of the culprit's capture came.
And while Professor McGonagall and the others were still gathering people, the news that four patrol team members had died tragically had already completely spread among the students.
This caused a kind of atmosphere named panic to spread among the students.
Some mentally fragile lower-grade students were already crying and shouting that they wanted to drop out and go home.
Even those upper-grade students, who had previously helped maintain order and comfort others during past attack incidents, were now silent.
Because this time, four upper-grade students, students just like them, had directly died.
For a time, the entire Great Hall fell into chaos.
And just at this moment, Professor McGonagall finally stepped forward.
"Everyone shut up!"
With one angry shout from Professor McGonagall, the entire Great Hall immediately fell silent.
The reason this scene occurred was not because Hogwarts students were especially disciplined, but because in this current chaotic environment, everyone hoped for a central figure to tell them what to do. And Professor McGonagall was exactly acting as that kind of person at this moment.
Professor McGonagall herself was also clearly aware of the importance of her position.
She looked around at those faces full of expectation below the stage, took a deep breath, and said, "Students, I believe you have already heard about the situation. A very serious and malicious incident did indeed just occur inside Hogwarts."
"Gathering you here is precisely to protect your personal safety and to investigate the culprit. At the same time, given the severity of the incident, we will soon distribute sleeping bags, and you will spend the night resting here in the Great Hall. No one is allowed to leave. We hope you can understand!"
After Professor McGonagall finished speaking, the crowd below the podium first fell into brief silence, but soon broke out into a wave of protests, even more chaotic than before.
Clearly, the answer Professor McGonagall gave was not what they wanted.
Seeing this, Professor McGonagall's expression instantly became even worse, and at the same time, the always-silent Professor Snape also took a step forward.
In the next moment, Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape both raised their wands.
Flames and fierce winds spurted respectively from the tips of Professor McGonagall's and Professor Snape's wands.
The two forces met in midair and instantly transformed above everyone's heads into a gigantic flaming dragon.
"ROAR!"
A terrifying dragon roar, mixed with heat waves, knocked everyone to the ground. The crowd stared fearfully at the ferocious dragon mouth above, surrounded by clusters of fire, and for a moment, forgot how to speak.
Thus, the Great Hall became silent again.
"Told you to stay quiet and rest. Can't you understand? What a bunch of pig brains!" Snape's indifferent voice rang out.
Even though it was obviously a personal insult, everyone still tacitly remained silent.
Seeing this, Professor McGonagall tightly pursed her lips twice, stepped forward, and said, "Students, don't worry. Please believe in our ability. We will definitely bring the culprit to justice. Now, patrol team members, step forward and follow me!"
After saying this, the patrol team members who had been maintaining order emerged from the crowd and from the sides of the Great Hall and followed Professor McGonagall to a small room behind the Hall.
At the same time, Professor Snape withdrew the fire dragon above everyone's heads, walked down the podium, and began patrolling among the crowd.
His main task was to assist the other professors in maintaining order at the scene.
And it had to be said, Professor Snape's intimidating presence over the students truly surpassed any other professor, especially since he had just played the villain.
At present, almost all students behaved very obediently.
But Professor Snape and the other professors were well aware that this situation was only temporary. As time passed, if there was still no progress, chaos would break out again.
"Link, here's your sleeping bag."
"Thanks."
Taking the sleeping bag Cedric handed over, Link sat back down in his original seat.
Cedric and the other prefects quickly went off elsewhere to distribute sleeping bags.
Meanwhile, John and the others who had received sleeping bags just like Link, also gathered around whispering to each other.
Their sleeping bags were simply placed under their butts.
Sleep? That was impossible.
An incident this big had occurred, anyone normal would definitely not be able to sleep.
Naturally, Link also had no intention of sleeping. But he didn't join in John and the others' conversation either, instead, he kept staring at that small door at the back of the Great Hall.
Professor McGonagall had taken the patrol team members inside to do what, Link knew.
Since checking the dormitories yielded nothing, the next round of screening naturally fell upon the patrol team members.
After all, during the time when the incident occurred, they were the few people in Hogwarts who had freedom of movement.
But Link felt pessimistic about this. Because he had personally watched that mysterious black-robed figure turn into black mist and escape the scene.
With that kind of strange movement ability, the black-robed person could easily return to their dormitory in a short time, or blend back into their original patrol group.
Which meant, Professor McGonagall's screening right now was basically meaningless.
And indeed, just as Link had expected, as the sky outside gradually brightened, the patrol team members returned to the Great Hall under Professor McGonagall's lead, and were dismissed on the spot, returning to their respective house groups.
At this moment, their expressions had become even worse, especially Professor McGonagall, Link felt like her lips were nearly pressed into a thin line.
And returning to the Great Hall with them were six middle-aged people dressed in varied clothing. Each of them had grief-filled expressions, and a few were even silently sobbing.
"Are those the victims' families?" Link asked without even turning his head.
Hearing this, Cedric replied, "Yes, that's them."
Then Cedric's eyes turned a little red. He pointed at a white-haired woman in front and said, "See her? That's Senior Jess's mother. Her husband died early, and she has no steady job. Usually she could only take some part-time work in the shops on Diagon Alley to support herself and Senior Jess."
"This was all told to me by Senior Jess himself. He was a really cheerful and hardworking person. Even though he suffered so much, he never once complained about his background."
"I still clearly remember how excited he was when he was selected by the Auror Office. He kept saying that once he officially became an Auror, his mother could hold her head high and live a few good days. But now…" Cedric choked up.
Hearing this, Link also let out a long sigh. All along, Link had seen himself as a "refined egoist." Things like sacrificing oneself to save others, he believed he would never do.
He also felt no guilt for the deaths of those four patrol team members. After all, though he might have been able to save them had he run faster, in the end, their deaths were the fault of Tom Riddle and that mysterious black-robed man.
This point, Link understood very clearly. But after all, he was still human.
In the face of such a tragedy, he still felt a heavy weight in his chest, as if a giant stone was pressing down, making him feel miserable.
"Ai!~" Letting out a long sigh, Link sincerely said in chinese language, "Heaven, why are you so unfair..."
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