The Hogwarts Emerald

Chapter 23: Halloween with Trouble

A thousand bats flew and circled on the walls and ceiling, causing the candle flame in the pumpkin's belly to flicker.

Insert a bamboo stick into the apple, and then rotate the apple in the toffee syrup. Some of them will stick to the kernels, and then a toffee apple is ready. This is the food that has always made Ada curious, and it reminds Ada of the oriental candied haws.

There are also some dried pumpkin seeds for pumpkin pie on the golden tray, and drinks include iced pumpkin juice and hot apple cider.

The professors in the classroom were also enjoying the food, and Dumbledore was happily chatting with Professor McGonagall. This should have been a perfect Halloween dinner, at least until Filch arrived.

When the school administrator Filch rushed into the auditorium, Ada was drinking hot apple cider. This fruity wine was very popular, and Ada also thought that this cider was quite delicious.

Filch's face was full of horror. He walked up to Dumbledore and gasped, "In the dungeon... a student is lying in the dungeon... he has been attacked!"

After saying that, Filch bent down, supported his knees with his hands, and ran all the way from the dungeon to the auditorium. He was really tired.

As he spoke, the originally noisy auditorium suddenly became quiet. Some students even thought it was a Halloween joke, but this was Halloween, not April Fools' Day!
Filch would not dare to joke about such a thing! So after a brief silence, there were screams of fear from the students. Everyone was in chaos, and the sound they made seemed to be able to blow off the magical roof of the entire hall.

The professors in the teaching seats stood up one after another to comfort the anxious students, but the panic did not ease.

Professor Dumbledore shouted loudly: "Silence!" The headmaster's appearance made everyone quiet down temporarily, but fear and anxiety still spread among the students.

"Students from all colleges, under the leadership of their respective prefects, must return to the common room and are not allowed to go out. Senior students should remember to take good care of their junior companions," Dumbledore announced.

Charlie Weasley stood up and raised his wand. A burst of light shone from the tip of the wand. He said loudly: "Everyone, follow me! Don't get separated and take care of your companions. First-year students, don't be afraid, follow me closely!"

Charlie methodically organized the Gryffindor students to leave in an orderly manner. The sixth and seventh grade seniors sandwiched the students of other ages in the middle of the team for easier protection.

Students from other colleges, led by their respective prefects, began to leave the hall and return to the common rooms of their own colleges.

At Dumbledore's instruction, several teachers followed the student group and protected the students as they returned to the dormitory safely.

Watching the students leave the hall one after another, Dumbledore led the remaining professors and followed Filch to the scene of the incident.

Dumbledore did not blame Filch for his reckless behavior, even though it caused the students to feel uneasy. He followed Filch. Students were attacked, which had not happened in Hogwarts for many years.

The eyes hidden behind the half-moon glasses were filled with anger. Dumbledore was very angry, but he could not be angry. He needed to stay rational at all times because he was the headmaster of Hogwarts, he was Dumbledore.

Filch led the professors to the scene of the incident, which was in an abandoned underground classroom, which was originally discovered by Mrs. Norris. When Filch arrived there, he saw the student lying on the ground. Filch's mind went blank, and he quickly went to the auditorium and did those brainless actions just now.

A group of people arrived at the underground classroom. This classroom had not been used for a long time and was located in a remote area. Usually, few people passed by here, let alone today.

The student who had been attacked was lying on the cold floor of the empty classroom. Dumbledore waved his hand and the torches in the classroom began to burn, illuminating the dark classroom.

The boy lying on the ground looked pale, his eyes were closed, but he didn't seem to have any external injuries. When the light came on, Professor Sprout, the head of Hufflepuff, suddenly discovered that the boy lying on the ground was actually a student of his own house.

Sprout rushed forward to the student's side and called softly: "Daniel, Daniel..."

The student lying on the ground did not respond to her call, but Dumbledore, who was checking the student's condition, spoke to her to comfort her: "Pomona, he's fine, he just fainted."

After saying that, Dumbledore took out his wand and cast a spell on Daniel. Under the effect of the spell, the student named Daniel slowly woke up.

Daniel woke up with a look of fear and uneasiness on his face. He broke away from Professor Sprout and backed away with his hands and feet, as if he was afraid of being hurt again. He retreated to the corner of the wall and then stopped, curling up with his hands on his knees.

"Daniel, Daniel Bell, it's me..." Sprout looked at his frightened student and comforted him.

After seeing Dumbledore and Sprout clearly, Daniel Bell felt better and was no longer so scared. He started to cry softly. Under the gaze of a group of teachers, he cried like a child. At Dumbledore's signal, Snape walked up and handed a bottle of potion to Professor Sprout. Sprout took the potion and quickly fed it to Daniel. After taking a bottle of potion, Daniel's condition finally improved.

"Thank you, Severus," Sprout said gratefully.

Snape waved his hand to indicate that he didn't need to take it to heart, and then retreated to where the other professors were.

"Child, tell me, why are you here?" Dumbledore squatted on the ground, keeping his eyes level with Daniel, and asked softly.

"I don't know... I don't remember..." Daniel's eyes were full of fear. He was trying to recall why he was here, but the more he thought about it, the more fear appeared in his eyes.

"Then can you tell me what you did today?" Dumbledore continued to ask. He stretched out his hand and gently stroked Daniel's back to comfort Daniel.

"I don't remember... I don't remember anything..." Daniel replied, his voice became more panicked, and he had no idea what he had done today.

Daniel's memory was obviously flawed, and further questioning would lead to no results. Dumbledore waved his hand in front of Daniel, and Daniel fell softly into Professor Sprout's arms.

Dumbledore first looked at McGonagall and Snape behind him, then asked Sprout, "Pomona, he is a student of your college. Has he behaved strangely recently?"

Sprout frowned and recalled carefully, then said, "No. Daniel is a kid who doesn't like to show off, and there hasn't been anything strange about him recently. I'll go to the common room later to find students who are familiar with him and ask about the situation."

"Pomona, you and Poppy should take Daniel to the school infirmary first! He needs rest and treatment now." Dumbledore said. He looked back at all the professors present and continued, "Go back first and calm the students down."

Professor Sprout and Madam Pomfrey left the dungeon first, carrying the sleeping Daniel Bell, and after them, the other professors also left.

Snape also looked at Dumbledore before leaving, but he did not return to the Slytherin common room immediately. Instead, he walked towards Benedict Foley's office.

Professor McGonagall also did not leave. She asked, "Albus, that child..."

"The physical injuries he suffered are not serious. I think they are more psychological and spiritual. The most obvious thing is that there is a problem with his memory." Dumbledore answered McGonagall's questions while looking around the classroom.

"Such a brutal attack happened. If Filch hadn't discovered him by chance, Daniel wouldn't know how long he would have had to lie in the cold dungeon!" Professor McGonagall said angrily.

Professor McGonagall had an impression of Daniel Bell. Although he was not outstanding, he would not do anything out of the ordinary. Daniel was just an ordinary student in Hogwarts.

"Yes, this is obviously the reason why the attacker chose this place. This place is remote enough and not easy to be discovered. The later the attacker is discovered, the less likely it is to be discovered." Dumbledore had finished observing the classroom and took the lead to leave.

"Do you think this was done by the professors, or did someone from outside the school enter the school?" Professor McGonagall followed behind Dumbledore. She did not doubt the students, she did not believe that the students would do such a thing, nor did she think they were capable of doing such a thing.

"I don't know yet. I have some suspicions, but they haven't been verified yet." Dumbledore's eyes sparkled with wisdom. "Minerva, what do you think?"

"All the teachers were at their seats, and because it was Halloween, everyone came early. I am more inclined to believe that someone 'invaded' Hogwarts..."

"Minerva, don't forget that the attack could have happened long before the banquet," Dumbledore said. "I know you don't want this to be done by other professors."

"If this is really..." Professor McGonagall hesitated. She really didn't want this to be done by someone in the school. "Albus. If it is true, I will definitely catch him with my own hands!"

"I don't want that either." Dumbledore said, "Okay, Minerva, go back to Gryffindor first. I heard that three first-year students in Gryffindor have been very disobedient recently."

The three students mentioned by Dumbledore naturally refer to the trio of deducted points, headed by Ada and supplemented by Fred and George. Professor McGonagall is helpless with these three students, and she loves and hates them.

"I hope the three of them can behave themselves today and not cause any more trouble." Professor McGonagall said helplessly.

(End of this chapter)