The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 362 The Student Dies Again After Fifty Years

Faced with the sudden deadly curse, Ino immediately hid in the shelter.

It wasn't that he didn't trust Fawkes, but having just fought Voldemort, he had an instinctive reaction to this green magic that carried an aura of death.

However, in the instant he was about to leave, he saw a beautiful figure appear in front of him, but by then it was too late.

Less than a moment, or even less.

When Ino came out, he saw that the green beam of light had already hit Hermione.

Everything changed in the blink of an eye.

It was too fast; so fast that he didn't even have time to call upon his two phoenixes.

……

Those once bright, star-like brown eyes lost their luster as the Killing Curse struck.

"Frost Shot!"

A sharp sound rang out, followed by dozens or even hundreds of arrows shooting towards Crabbe.

Under Crabbe's puzzled gaze, he was riddled with holes, but even as he fell to the ground, his left hand remained in his pocket the entire time.

Blood mixed with ice shards spread out of the corridor.

Ignoring Crabbe, Enoch looked at Hermione immediately after casting the spell.

"Healed as before... Healed as before..."

The powerful magic and the continuous release of healing spells filled the entire ward with a holy and bright white light.

"Ah..." Mrs. Pomfrey screamed.

With Crabbe's death, the Imperius Curse was lifted.

Upon seeing Hermione lying on the ground and Crabbe riddled with holes, Madam Pomfrey, after realizing what had happened, immediately checked on the injured.

At the same time.

The entire castle seemed to be shrouded in a somber atmosphere, from the underground corridors, the first floor, the second floor, the third floor... the professor's office, the independent tower... without exception.

And many sentimental portraits began to weep silently at this moment.

Transformation Class Office.

Professor McGonagall stood up abruptly, her usual calm gaze vanishing in an instant, replaced by a chilling aura of authority.

Others may not understand what the sadness of the castle represents, but fifty years ago she was a soon-to-be graduate.

The castle of that time, too, one day fell into the same sorrow as it does now.

That afternoon, everyone learned that a student named Myrtle had died unexpectedly in the castle.

……

The school hospital is located on the second floor.

After undergoing a thorough examination, Mrs. Pomfrey reluctantly accepted the reality.

The two students who fell to the ground were completely dead.

Upon receiving this result, Mrs. Pomfrey slumped onto the floor in despair.

Hogwarts has not had a student die in over fifty years.

Today, not only did two students die, but they died at the same time, and what's even more outrageous is that they died right in front of the school hospital.

As a doctor, she was consumed by regret and self-blame.

Perhaps because she was only under control for a short time, Madame Pomfrey gradually remembered what had happened after regaining consciousness, but this only intensified her self-blame. If only she had been more careful, if only she had discovered it sooner…

Mrs. Pomfrey leaned against the wall and sadly closed her eyes.

Inside the ward, the magic representing healing continued to flicker on and off.

……

Time has passed, I don't know how much.

Ino continued casting healing spells until her arm was grasped by another pale hand.

He suddenly looked up, and what he saw was a pair of empty, lifeless eyes.

"Stop..." Snape's voice was calmer than usual, and there wasn't a trace of emotion in it.

Hearing the dissuasion, Ino looked around blankly: Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, Professor Sprout...

It seems a lot of people have come...

But what puzzled him was why so many people had suddenly arrived...

"This is good for you." A calm voice sounded in my ear.

Seeing the potion Snape offered, Ino drank it all in one gulp.

The bitter, sour, and rotten smell instantly filled the air, and at the same time, he gradually came to his senses.

Hermione, it seems, blocked the Killing Curse to save herself.

……

Hogwarts, this castle that has stood for a thousand years, always seems calm and serene.

Just like its school motto—"Sleeping dragon, do not disturb."

However, a sudden and devastating piece of news, like a thunderclap in winter, not only awakened the sleeping dragon but also shattered the peace of the past.

Fifty years later, two more students have died in the castle: Vincent Crabbe of Slytherin and Hermione Granger of Gryffindor.

Just two days after the Hogsmeade incident, another student who was killed was Sven Bourne's girlfriend, one of the main figures in the incident.

A storm arose out of nowhere.

The news spread like wildfire throughout the castle, as if by magic, shaking the hearts of every young wizard.

After the entire castle was ravaged, the news, thanks to the owl's efforts, began to spread throughout the magical world.

As a result, the Daily Prophet once again had to print an extra page.

……

Rocky islands in northern England.

Voldemort looked at the newspaper in his hand and felt uneasy.

The fragile alliance that had just been reached, only two days, or even just a day and a half later, someone presented him with such a great gift.

He roughly knew who the gift-giver was, especially after seeing Vincent Crabbe's name.

"Foolish! Damn it..."

Voldemort's furious voice echoed through the abandoned lighthouse.

He now regrets it; he shouldn't have chosen to hide for the sake of safety. Even if it meant enduring the backlash of the raging fire, he should have notified Little Barty immediately.

But now, no amount of regret can undo the damage. This incident will inevitably provoke Swinburne's retaliation, which is exactly what he wanted to avoid. And the cause of all this...

Hogsmeade's battle seemed effortless, but he knew very well that if he dragged it out, he would surely lose, even if he used the Killing Curse.

It was quite obvious that the other side had some reservations, only allowing the black mist to shroud the sky, without spreading it throughout Hogsmeade. And the magic that had vanished in an instant earlier also failed to work.

The latter, in particular, seems to be naturally resistant to the Killing Curse.

As for the fierce fire he used at the end, it was merely a way to avoid harming the enemy, to pause the endless offensive and give him a chance to speak.

Winning by relying on Fiery Blaze? He hadn't even considered that.

The opponent has a special teleportation ability, so even the Death Curse can't hit, and relying on Fiery Blaze is futile.

That's why.

Voldemort never believed that he could easily succeed with just two half-baked men.

There must have been people he overlooked, or someone else was stirring things up.

"Fudge...Dumbledore..."

The images of these two people flashed through Voldemort's mind.

But rationally, he leaned more towards the latter; otherwise, he didn't think he could succeed with just Barty Jr. and that foolish student.

……

While Voldemort was puzzled.

Hogwarts was also shrouded in gloom.

In the corridors and the auditorium, everyone remained silent, even the sound of footsteps was much lighter than usual.

The Gryffindor dormitory was no longer as noisy as before.

Ginny buried her face in Harry's arms and cried, her eyes brimming with tears. She never imagined that the person she had just chatted with that morning would die in the castle in just a few hours.

Everything happened so suddenly.

……

Slytherin, as one of the houses involved.

In contrast to Gryffindor, the common room located beneath the castle was eerily silent.

Draco was gripped by anxiety and fear; Crabbe was his henchman, always had been.

Old Crabbe was also on good terms with the Malfoys...

Unlike Draco's panic, Daphne's expression was more complex.

There was fear, dread, and a touch of disbelief.

Daphne glanced at Pansy cautiously, then quickly looked away.

She didn't know if this matter had anything to do with Pansy, but her upbringing taught her that when something happens, the first thing to do is to look at who benefits from it.

Pansy is undoubtedly among the beneficiaries.

(End of this chapter)