harry potter book of crimes

Nothing has changed, nothing has changed.

Whether it was the funeral in the snowstorm or Voldemort's arrival from the sky, nothing had changed. Even the actions of all the guests retreating back to the castle were exactly the same as someone remembered.

And Draco was one of the people who retreated in a hurry.

"...Please enter the castle in order to temporarily avoid the invading enemies...Don't panic, please trust us...Please trust that Hogwarts can handle it..."

Professor McGonagall had just directed the professors to cast protective spells, and then quickly turned back to greet the panicked guests to calm down.

But when faced with Voldemort's attack, how many people can truly remain calm?

Draco was squeezed into the crowd and struggled to look back. A translucent magic barrier had appeared over Hogwarts Castle, and just outside the barrier, there were several huge black streaks in the air.

The magic mark hangs high, indicating the disaster that is about to happen next.

"Voldemort is coming!"

Like everyone else, Draco only had this idea in his mind. But unlike others, his idea seemed purer.

Because besides him, who else had just met Voldemort?

Draco didn't know what kind of mood he was feeling now. He couldn't figure it out. If someone had asked him before, he might have said that he would be angry, or he might have said that he would be scared... But now, in his heart

But it seemed like a mess, so complicated that even he himself could not understand it.

Not long after, Draco, who looked confused, was pushed through the castle gate in a daze by the crowd and came to the huge foyer.

"Please don't linger in the foyer, everyone go down to the ground... please go to the stairs..."

Professor McGonagall continued to issue instructions, and most of the guests were confused. After hearing her words, they seemed to have a goal and continued to move.

When he was so stunned outside the door before, Draco was actually one step slower than many people, but now he could only squeeze into the last group of people and move forward together.

It has to be said that the order of the wizards is actually pretty good. Although everyone just wanted to escape at first, under someone's command, the actions were not as chaotic as expected. It didn't take long before Draco discovered

He had already arrived at the stairs.

"Shidun is dispatched!"

A clear voice suddenly came from the hall behind him. Draco paused and looked back. At this moment, he saw that astonishing scene.

I saw all the sculptures and armors on the towering walls around the foyer jumping down from their original positions. For a while, a heavy rumbling sound could be heard. Draco could still hear it vaguely, as if he was on the castle floor.

The same sound sounded in the corridor, and it seemed that the statues and armors in the whole castle came alive!

And right in the center of the foyer, Professor McGonagall was holding a wand, and her whole body was radiant with energy. Draco could hardly imagine how such a spell could be mastered.

"Hogwarts is under attack by an enemy! You will obey the orders, defend the castle, and resist powerful enemies! You will perform your duty and responsibility to protect the school!"

Following Professor McGonagall's loud shouts, all the knight statues held their swords upside down in both hands, stamped them on the ground uniformly, then turned over the stone swords in their hands, and lined up in an orderly manner and walked out the door.

.

At this time, Minerva McGonagall had truly shown her courage as the principal of Hogwarts. But she was seen standing in the center of the knights' square, like an imposing military general.

But at this moment, there was a sudden roar outside the castle, as if something hit the ground in the vestibule heavily, and Draco even felt a sudden jolt under his feet.

Professor McGonagall, who was standing in the foyer, suddenly changed his expression, and immediately after that, the professors who had cast spells outside to prop up the barrier all ran back from the gate one after another.

"Did Voldemort break in?" Draco was startled and subconsciously wanted to turn around.

"...It's too late, close the castle gate immediately!"

When Professor McGonagall saw that everyone had returned to the foyer, she waved her wand decisively. After a clicking sound of hinges, the heavy door rumbled shut.

The remaining stone statues of knights that had not yet had time to get out, as well as the stone sculptures of various strange animals that were still moving downstairs, were all locked up in the castle.

The professors did not go to the basement. They cared about the castle and the entire campus. For them, this place was more than just a place to work. It was actually more like their other home.

Among them, most of them have been working at Hogwarts for a long time, and some, like Professor Binns, are still teaching even after their death. It is conceivable that the charm of Hogwarts is not only for students.

Generally speaking, in the hearts of most faculty and staff, this is also the most important place.

Of course, there are still some people who are not that concerned about Hogwarts. Among all the wizards who serve as Hogwarts professors, Slughorn is one of them.

Just now, he had participated in the action of holding up the magic barrier, but when he saw that the door was closed, he hurriedly ran towards the stairs.

"Oh, um... kid, are you also a student of Hogwarts?"

Of course, Slughorn immediately ran into Draco, who was still watching blankly at the top of the stairs. The old man was dressed very brightly today, and his bald hair was still meticulously combed. If someone didn't know,

Maybe you thought he was here to attend some kind of ballroom dance!

"Ah! Hello, sir..." Draco raised his chin subconsciously. This was his habitual action. Even if he wanted to keep a low profile, he has not been able to change it in the past few years. "I am Draco.

Co——Draco Malfoy, you are right, I am a student of Slytherin House."

"Oh - Malfoy? Are you Lucius's son?" Slughorn raised his eyebrows, smiled and nodded, "Your father once mentioned you to me, yes...Slytherin,

good!"

He paused for a moment, but then said with high spirits: "As you may know, most of your Malfoy family are Slytherins - this is an excellent college, isn't it?"

"I think you are right," Draco nodded reservedly, "Sir... please forgive me for being rude and not asking for your identity right away. Who are you -"

From a young age, Draco received the most orthodox pure-blood wizard education, and he was certainly not lacking in etiquette. However, his parents' love and protection made him always a little domineering, and he often appeared to be a bit domineering when getting along with his peers.

Somewhat arrogant and domineering.

"Oh, I'm Horace Slughorn, I'm sure you've heard of me."

Slughorn's face is extremely thick-skinned, but in fact he is not lying. After all, what he is best at is managing various interpersonal relationships, and there are quite a few people who know him.

"Are you Mr. Slughorn?" Draco said in surprise, "I do know you. You taught my father back then! Today you are... Oh, of course you are here to attend the funeral..."

When Slughorn heard this, he just smiled subtly and did not immediately say that he would come back to teach in the next school year.

It was natural for him to hide this matter. After all, Voldemort is outside now! Who knows whether there will be "next school year" in Hogwarts?

If Hogwarts is occupied by Voldemort, he will run away immediately. No matter how vain Slughorn is, he does not want to work under Voldemort, he knows very well what that means.

"Okay, let's not stand here chatting. Let's go down first!" Slughorn suddenly put his arm around Draco's shoulders and said seriously, "This place is too dangerous for you. Come on, I'll take you there."

You go down...as long as I'm here, you have nothing to worry about, right?"

He obviously wanted to sneak away to a safe place to avoid this unnecessary disaster, but he made it sound like he was here to help the students. To be honest, this bald old man was so thick-skinned that no one in the world could compare to him.

.

However, at this moment, everyone in the castle suddenly felt an indescribable sense of coolness, which spread from top to bottom. Draco, Slughorn, and the professors in the foyer,

Apparently they all felt it, with doubtful expressions on their faces.

This feeling was very strange, as if someone poured a basin of cool spring water from above their heads, which instantly calmed down their originally nervous minds.

"What's going on? What happened just now?" Draco said with a confused look on his face.

"It seems to be some kind of magic." Slughorn is worthy of being a veteran wizard who taught at the same time as Dumbledore. Although he is usually obsessed with managing reputation, his talent in magic is actually no less than that of Professor McGonagall.

and others, "Although it is not certain yet, it is probably not the magic cast by Voldemort."

"Why?" Draco heard this and immediately looked at the old man beside him.

"Because I didn't feel cruel or ferocious in the power of that magic... Yes, there wasn't any negative spirit," Slughorn said with a frown, "That's not the type of magic that Voldemort is interested in.

"

"...Is this so?"

Hearing what Slughorn said, Draco couldn't help but feel that it made sense. Although he couldn't feel anything at all, at least he was positive about this statement. Draco, who had spent a few days with Voldemort,

Rakko knew very well that Voldemort and his Death Eaters favored those vicious curses the most.

While he was thinking, he subconsciously looked up at the top of his head, because the coolness just now came from above. This glance didn't matter, but he saw a figure that seemed familiar!