Volume 1 Chapter 23: Inside the Carriage
The sky suddenly flashed with a dazzling red light, which penetrated the window glass of the carriage and shone on the faces of every student. It was followed by a thunderous roar that could only be produced by an explosion spell.
No one was making a loud noise, but a few timid girls from the lower grades were sobbing quietly. Beside them were some sixth and seventh graders who had obviously experienced a lot of ups and downs and were comforting them softly.
Jon, Neville and the other four people huddled together in a corner of the restaurant. The freshmen were all in a relatively stable mood, and the only girl among them, Lavender, was not a weak character.
Besides them, Ron's two older brothers, George and Fred, and the dark-skinned boy in their grade, Lee Jordan, were also with them .
The usually bold twins did not seem nervous or afraid at all about the situation and talked freely about their life in the carriage.
“This is also the first time we have encountered such a situation.”
I don't know whether he is George or Fred's boy, and his tone is even mixed with some excitement that he wants to create chaos in the world.
"Even Percy has never experienced this. Only Bill and Charlie had several dangerous experiences of being chased by Aurors when they were in school. I heard that since Dumbledore cast a powerful spell on the carriage, the Aurors can no longer determine the location of Hogwarts."
After hearing his words, Jon, who had been silent on the side, finally understood something.
Just now, when he saw the reactions of those senior students, he felt a little strange. He thought that being chased by Aurors was the norm in this school, but now it seems that is not the case.
"There's no need to worry at all." The other twin said, "As long as Professor Dumbledore is in the car, our safety will be safe, unless... that person comes in person!"
When Ron heard his last words, his face, which had not been nervous at first, turned pale in an instant, and his body shuddered subconsciously.
"Don't say such things! He is in a high position now, it is impossible for him to focus on people like us..."
Justin asked curiously, looking at Ron's sudden change of expression, and Neville and Lavender who had obviously fallen silent.
"who's that person?"
The twins looked at each other and sneered in a flattering and exaggerated tone.
"Of course it's the 'great gentleman'!"
Lee Jordan looked around with a panicked look on his face. He swallowed and spoke to the twins in an almost pleading voice.
"Okay, George Fred, I know you're not afraid of him, but you should at least be careful."
The twins looked disdainful.
"That's nothing. We have all heard Professor Dumbledore call him by his former name."
"Professor Dumbledore is Professor Dumbledore and we are us."
While they were arguing about this, Jon suddenly said something.
"Where's Professor Slughorn?"
Everyone around fell silent. They began to look around the restaurant, but couldn't find the professor.
But Neville said hesitantly.
"I just heard someone report to Professor Slughorn that Filch is missing. Professor Slughorn asked the Head Student to stay here while he went to look for Filch."
"It seems that Filch has never come to the restaurant from the beginning?" Lavender asked puzzledly.
Both George and Fred looked at the carriage manager with disdain.
"He might be planning some plan to punish students in his room. We have heard more than once that he often suggested to Professor Dumbledore that in this special period, the corporal punishment system in Hogwarts should be restored so that students can be better disciplined."
While they were talking, the sky had already become quiet again.
The galloping Night Thestrals and the carriage quickly left the battlefield, but the professors had not returned yet, so the students had no choice but to stay in the restaurant.
Some students were so frightened and physically exhausted that they fell asleep on the dining table. It was at this time that Slughorn walked in with Filch, who had an ugly look on his face.
They seemed to be still communicating about something when they came in, and the administrator didn't seem to be in a very good mood.
Slughorn now knew that even if he couldn't go back to the dormitory to sleep for the time being, he had to arrange for the students to rest.
He waved his wand and cleared all the tables and chairs in the restaurant, then conjured up dozens of sleeping bags so that the students could spend the night there.
The dim light in the restaurant swayed gently as the carriage rocked.
Beside Jon, Neville, Ron and the others were already breathing evenly, and occasionally there were a few not-so-loud snoring sounds not far away.
Maybe it was because he had slept enough yesterday, but even though it was already past two in the morning, Jon still didn't feel sleepy.
He was lying close to the window, and when he looked up he could just see the bright moon in the night sky.
What happened tonight made the sense of crisis in his heart even stronger.
Now they are under the protection of Dumbledore, so there is no need to worry about their safety. However, Dumbledore cannot be with them forever, and his identity is definitely not just the headmaster of Hogwarts.
Besides, although we don’t know what happened in the past, since the entire wizarding world has fallen into Voldemort’s hands, it means that Dumbledore may not necessarily have any advantage over him.
While thinking about this, Jon reached into the pocket of his robe and touched the ring which always felt cold.
However, he had to resolve the issue of the ring first tomorrow, and then find ways to improve his strength. He didn't expect to become too strong, but at least he couldn't be like he is now, without even the ability to raise his wand to cast a spell.
In this turbulent night, time passed by little by little.
As a hint of paleness appeared in the eastern sky and the stars gradually disappeared, while the students were still fast asleep, Dumbledore brought Lily, McGonagall and Flitwick back to the carriage.
Dumbledore looked a little tired, and even his robe had few wrinkles. Lily and McGonagall's hair was a little messy due to the wind, but they didn't seem to be injured. Only Flitwick was supported and limped into the carriage. His left leg was already stained with bright red blood, and there was a faint smell of burning.
Slughorn looked at the injury on Flitwick's leg with a grim expression, and he took the short professor from Lily.
"I have some white fresh essence here, it will be very effective for your injury."
