Maybe it was because they still believed Dumbledore could keep them safe, or maybe it just didn't feel real without having witnessed the petrification firsthand.
Whatever the reason, by the next morning, most of the younger students behaved as if nothing had happened, showing up for breakfast in the Great Hall right on time...
Still, many of their eyes would occasionally drift toward the Gryffindor table—like they were watching some kind of rare magical creature.
If you looked closely, whether it was the Weasley twins or Ginny Weasley—who had only just started her first year—their faces were clouded with both sadness and anger.
It was the worry one had for family, and the fury one felt toward whoever was responsible.
Among them, Ginny's tear-streaked face was especially pitiful—her red, puffy eyes made her look like a frightened little rabbit. Hermione, worried about her clearly worn-out state, quickly went over to comfort her.
In contrast, Ron Weasley's reaction seemed... too calm.
He sat there eating breakfast like nothing had happened, his eyes blank and devoid of emotion. Though something clearly seemed off about him, it didn't look like it had anything to do with Percy being attacked.
That cold, detached expression sent a chill down the spine...
...
No one really noticed Ron's strange behavior though, because all attention was on the Weasley twins.
After all, they were more popular than most students.
Ron Weasley?
To most, he was simply known as "Harry Potter's friend."
"I really didn't expect something like this to happen."
Watching Hermione comfort Ginny, Harry took a bite of toast and sighed in Ron's direction.
Truth be told, Harry had never been particularly fond of Percy—he always seemed self-important and bossy—but even so, Percy was still Ron's older brother. Naturally, Harry couldn't help but feel a bit concerned.
With that thought, he shifted his gaze toward Ron.
"Ron, I'm sure Professor Dumbledore will figure something out. They're already working on a cure for the petrification—Professor Sprout's brewing it with Mandrakes. It shouldn't take long for Percy to recover."
"What cure?"
"Huh? You didn't know? It's called a powerful restorative—Sprout's using Mandrakes to make it."
"Oh... that's great. Thanks for the info..."
"?"
Harry couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about Ron's expression—but he didn't press. After all, Percy was still lying unconscious in the hospital wing. Ron was probably just dealing with the stress in his own way.
Because of that, Harry also dropped the question he'd originally wanted to ask—why Ron had been missing so often lately...
...
Putting aside how the Weasleys felt about their family member being attacked, Draco found himself more puzzled by how the professors were handling the situation.
Especially Dumbledore—who hadn't made any significant moves at all.
"Is this supposed to be giving the culprit another opportunity?"
Standing before the towering hourglasses that tracked House points, Draco pinched his chin thoughtfully and muttered to himself.
With no suspect in custody, no explanation offered, and not even a suspension of classes, Draco couldn't help but question Dumbledore's motives.
Sure, petrification wasn't fatal, and a cure was being prepared—but who could guarantee the next victim would be just petrified?
As Draco fell deeper into thought, an excited voice suddenly rang out beside him.
"I found it—a clue!"
He looked up to see Pansy snatch a small object from Goyle's hand and dash over, waving it proudly in front of him. Her eager, triumphant look made Goyle open his mouth, speechless. He clearly wasn't fussed about taking credit, but seeing his now-empty hand, he couldn't help but glance sideways at Pansy, who was acting like she'd just uncovered a priceless treasure.
If Draco hadn't seen it happen with his own eyes, he might've actually believed she'd found it herself.
Chuckling, he shook his head, then leaned in to look at the small item in Pansy's outstretched hand.
"What's this?"
"Looks like a Prefect badge?"
"Then this must be the original scene of the attack."
"Mhm!"
Curious, Draco took the badge from her hand. According to the information he'd gathered, this was indeed where Percy had been found petrified. But...
"Something's off."
Frowning, Draco brought the badge closer for inspection.
From the state of the scene, it looked like Percy had been petrified instantly—without even a moment to react. There were no signs of a struggle, no evidence of magic having been cast.
Huh?
"Wait... how could there be no magical residue?"
Draco's innate sensitivity to magic had always been strong—it came with his affinity for it.
If it were an ordinary spell, maybe the traces would've faded after a day. But this was a petrification spell even Dumbledore couldn't lift. There was no way it was something simple.
In other words, not leaving any trace of magical energy behind should've been impossible—unless the caster had intentionally concealed it. But a culprit trying to flee quickly wouldn't have had time to cover their tracks. And any other wizard with that kind of skill wouldn't have a reason to do so...
"An accomplice?"
"No, covering up like that under Dumbledore's nose would be far too risky."
"Unless... they didn't use magic at all?"
As Draco murmured through his reasoning, absentmindedly toying with the Prefect badge in his hand, Pansy suddenly piped up.
"Whoever owns this badge must really treasure it—look, I can see my face in it!"
Startled, Draco glanced down at the badge in his hand.
Its polished surface gleamed brightly—reflecting his own gray eyes right back at him...