After the Headmaster and the Heads of House departed, the Great Hall erupted into a frenzy of whispers and speculation.
Everyone's attention was drawn to the fact that the Headmaster's group was heading straight for the Slytherin dungeons—the subterranean home of Slytherin House beneath the castle.
The Slytherin students looked especially uneasy, their faces pale and tense.
All around the Hall, students speculated wildly about what could possibly be happening.
Harry and Ron were stuffing food into their mouths, trying to talk through mouthfuls about their own recent ordeal, while Hermione pressed for details on what had transpired.
But all anyone really knew was that after the alarm had sounded, Professor Holmes had dashed out of the Hall in a hurry.
Theories abounded: someone must have broken into Professor Holmes's office and triggered a Sneakoscope or some other magical alarm.
Most believed the culprit was likely a Slytherin student...
The Weasley twins exchanged nervous glances at this.
Aside from Douglas himself, they were probably the two students most familiar with the Defense Against the Dark Arts office.
They knew it contained plenty of fascinating magical gadgets—but what they cared about most was the Marauder's Map.
The Professor had promised to return it once they'd redeemed themselves through good behavior.
Lately, they'd been on their best behavior—not only avoiding any lost points, but together earning nearly a hundred.
If nothing went wrong, they'd soon pay off their "point debt."
But if the Marauder's Map was stolen now...
It wasn't long before others began eyeing the twins suspiciously. After all, they visited the Professor's office almost daily—surely they knew something.
Determined to stay in everyone's good graces, the twins clammed up, refusing to say a word.
When the Ravenclaw female prefect came over to investigate, Percy quickly stepped in to shield his brothers.
"Oh, don't trouble them—they don't know anything," he said, waving off the crowd.
"I doubt it's anything to do with the Professor's office...
Evening, Penelope.
How's your night?"
Almost no one noticed the odd looks exchanged between Percy and Penelope—except Ginny, who ducked her head and stuffed her mouth with pumpkin pasties to keep from laughing.
The others, hoping for more details, watched as Percy led the Ravenclaw prefect aside, as if to discuss some great secret.
A few tried to eavesdrop, but Percy dismissed them with all the gravity of someone entrusted with confidential school business.
George and Fred sighed in relief as curiosity shifted away from them.
"Percy's a good bloke!" whispered George.
"First time I've ever thought so!" Fred agreed.
Standing nearby, Penelope asked in a low voice,
"Is it Moaning Myrtle's bathroom?"
Percy's eyes widened in surprise.
Penelope gave a smug little smile.
"Knew I guessed right. Want to know how?
When we first started dating, we picked that bathroom because no one ever went there.
But after our first date, you made excuses about it being unsafe and insisted we switch to an empty classroom.
You even told me never to go back there again.
After that, every time we walked by, you'd sneak a glance inside...
I don't think Myrtle is more attractive than me, you know.
And when I saw Professor Holmes's reaction tonight, it reminded me of yours.
So—are you going to tell me what's really going on?"
Watching her long lashes flutter, Percy felt his heart skip a beat.
After a deep breath to steady himself, he admitted,
"Penelope, you're too clever—truly a Ravenclaw.
Alright, I'll tell you, but you must promise not to spread it around.
Honestly, I don't know much.
That day—well, the first time—we were there, my brother somehow found out and pulled me aside.
He told me never to go back to that bathroom, and if he was ever away and anything happened there, I was to fetch the Headmaster immediately.
That's all I know. Normally, he'd explain everything, but this time he just kept saying it was dangerous.
Given what happened last year, and the footprint comparison just now, I have my suspicions..."
Penelope frowned, looking more worried than triumphant.
Very few knew the real story about what had happened to Harry Potter the previous year—but as a Weasley, Percy had learned the truth from Ron, and had shared it with Penelope when they started dating.
"You think the Dark Lord's managed to get in..."
Percy quickly hushed her.
"My brother must have his reasons for keeping things quiet—don't dig any deeper.
Now that Dumbledore is handling it, there's nothing to worry about."
While Gryffindor's conversation was full of friendly speculation,
the Hufflepuffs were even more "harmonious"—if by harmonious you meant completely confused.
"Didn't you say you felt sick?"
"Didn't you say you regretted missing the feast?"
"Listen, let me explain—hot pot can cure a cold, honestly..."
"Really! Look, I'm fine now..."
—
Meanwhile, Professor Snape led the staff through the twisting corridors of the dungeons, his face thunderous.
He spoke the password at a stone wall, and they entered the Slytherin common room.
Inside, two young wizards from the attendance list were sipping tea and playing wizard chess.
At the sight of the professors, both boys jumped so violently that their cups and chess pieces crashed to the floor.
A fallen knight piece wailed,
"Merlin's beard! You've dropped me in front of the bishop—move me, quick, or he'll have my head!"
Snape strode over, grabbed each boy by the collar, and dropped them before the assembled staff.
"Besides these two, there should be three girls in the dormitory," he said coldly.
Professor McGonagall quickly helped the boys to their feet, muttering a quiet complaint about Snape's methods, and then she and Professor Sprout headed into the girls' dormitory.
Douglas compared footprints, then gently reassured the boys,
"Don't be afraid—this is just routine questioning.
Have you been in the common room the whole time?"
Both nodded vigorously.
"Did you see anyone leave or enter?" Douglas pressed.
Everyone noticed the boys hesitate before quickly shaking their heads.
Snape sneered,
"You may choose silence, but you should know there are plenty of spells that can force the truth out of you."
Dumbledore blinked and intervened,
"Oh, Severus, don't frighten the children.
You needn't be afraid, boys. Whether you speak or not is your choice—no one will force you here."
Snape gave a cold snort.
"Hmph! I'm not frightening anyone."
Douglas had to admit, he believed it. Snape's reputation as a double agent was legendary, but he was hardly gentle—sometimes, only a firm hand could command the respect of those purebloods who fancied themselves superior.
Just his presence was enough to make the two boys tremble.
At that moment, Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout returned with three girls.
Douglas noticed that when a seventh-year girl emerged, the two boys shot her a look of obvious fear.
Without comment, Douglas stepped forward and had all three girls compare their footprints to the magical print.
Since the print could belong to any teenager, it was impossible to be certain of the culprit's gender.
In the interest of fairness, he compared them all.
Even the eldest girl's footprint was clearly smaller than the mysterious print.
Of course, there was always the possibility of Polyjuice Potion.
When he finished, Douglas didn't say a word.
Snape had noticed the boys' reaction as well. He lifted his chin slightly.
"Miss Smithley, were you not in the common room earlier?"
The seventh-year, Smithley, shot the boys a furious glare.
Seeing them shake their heads weakly, she finally replied,
"No, Professor, I was in the dormitory the whole time."
Snape's eyes narrowed, and the air seemed to grow colder.
Douglas interjected calmly,
"Miss Smithley, you may not have noticed, but there's a dust mark on your back—something you wouldn't normally find in the Slytherin dungeons..."
At that, Smithley's face changed and she quickly tried to brush the "dirt" away.
The other professors looked alarmed and stepped forward to stop her, but Douglas held them back.
In truth, he'd been bluffing—there was no dust mark at all.
But he was sure she'd react somehow; after all, how calm could anyone be under the scrutiny of so many top professors?
Sure enough, after a bit of fidgeting, she finally admitted she'd just come back from outside.
Her boyfriend had broken up with her, and she'd been out for a walk. She hadn't run into anyone on her way back.
This was easy to verify—her Ravenclaw boyfriend was also on the list, and their stories could be cross-checked.
At last, Snape's expression eased, though tinged with regret.
His tone was lighter as he said,
"Well then, next is Hufflepuff.
There are still two students in their common room.
Of course, I do hope they're actually there."
Professor Sprout looked annoyed—what did he mean, "actually there"? The ones from the kitchen had already been rounded up, thank you very much.
Still, she led the group toward the Hufflepuff common room.
The five Slytherin students were brought back to the Great Hall.
Until the culprit's whereabouts were confirmed, it was safer to keep everyone together where the professors could keep an eye on them.
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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