Chapter 401: She Escaped?
Chapter 401: She Escaped?
Penelope explained the causes and dangers of the Silent Ones, and the room fell silent. Perhaps due to their relatively peaceful lives and lack of exposure to significant dangers, the young witches and wizards had very different thoughts from the adults.
While many adult witches and wizards worried about the potential casualties and exposure of the magical world caused by the out-of-control Silent Ones, the young witches and wizards were more concerned about what the child who had become a Silent One had gone through.
"How pitiful," someone whispered, "She must be in so much pain."
"What will happen if she's caught? Will she be killed?"
"Probably... I heard she killed many Muggles."
"But those Muggles deserved it! They got what they deserved!"
"Voldemort might not see it that way..."
The students murmured among themselves. Percy coughed loudly twice, and when everyone looked at him, he spoke with an air of authority:
"Now you all know that among the Muggles, there are people who target young witches and wizards. Those who are taken away can be said to be worse off than dead."
A hand was raised, and someone asked, "How do those people choose their targets?"
Percy explained, "It's said that the young witches and witches who are taken away almost always have Muggle blood. Because before they enter school, they expose their magical abilities, and certain people in the Muggle society notice them and take them away."
Another student asked, "Don't they resist? They have magic!"
"Yes," another girl said in confusion, "Even if they haven't learned spells yet, if their magic goes wild when they're forcefully taken away, it should attract the attention of the Ministry of Magic, right?"
"Of course, it's not a forced abduction!"
Percy was eager to show off his knowledge and continued, "Those people might say it's demonic possession, an illness, or the awakening of supernatural powers—they use all sorts of ridiculous reasons to take children away from their parents."
"Muggles lack discernment, and they are easily deceived by lies. Then, those people use the Forgetfulness Charm to make the parents forget their existence, and from then on, they become miserable test subjects."
"The Forgetfulness Charm?" A Ravenclaw student frowned and asked, "You just said it was a Muggle organization, but they have the Forgetfulness Charm?"
"That's right. It can be confirmed that a small number of witches and wizards are being used by those people."
Percy shared his speculation:
"Perhaps some young witches and wizards grew up under the control of those people from a young age, and even if they learn magic, they become puppets manipulated by them."
Seeing that everyone's faces turned pale and they seemed scared, Percy quickly added:
"Of course, you don't need to worry if you're already in school. In reality, the number of children who have been harmed across the entire UK is very, very small, probably just a handful."
Percy puffed out his chest proudly and said,
"Even the Dark Lord fears Dumbledore, so the Muggle criminal organization is even less of a concern."
A soft sigh filled the room, and some of the frightened children's faces improved.
--- Indeed... we are protected, unlike those children who were deceived and taken away...
In reality, Percy didn't have much sense of crisis either. He hadn't witnessed the terrible situation on that island, nor did he have very complicated experiences. To him, it was just a story that happened somewhere far away, a set of numbers, without any real feeling.
As he was about to emphasize his concern and contribution to everyone, he suddenly met Penelope's gaze and suddenly remembered the main point they had gathered the students for.
"But remember, to ensure the safety of all of us, we must strictly abide by the rules and keep the magical world completely hidden. Only then can we avoid persecution from the Muggles."
"Most of you here have Muggle relatives or Muggle friends, and some of you like to show off your magic in front of Muggles..."
As Percy spoke, he glared at his twin brothers.
Although students were not allowed to perform magic outside of school, the twins sometimes used small props under the guise of performing magic tricks to show off in front of Muggles.
Despite their good intentions of wanting to make more friends and receive praise and applause, Percy despised their rule-breaking behavior.
Under his watchful eye, the twins, for once, refrained from causing trouble and instead wore thoughtful expressions.
Percy continued:
"This is extremely, extremely, extremely dangerous behavior. Perhaps your aunt or a distant cousin might talk about your magic, and it could attract the attention of dangerous individuals.
"During school, you are undoubtedly safe, but what about when you return home for the holidays? Or when you travel? Or visit relatives? If someone has ill intentions, danger could strike at any moment!"
"So, adhering to the Statute of Secrecy isn't about restricting our freedom, but about protecting ourselves!"
...
The lunch break was actually quite short, and Percy felt like he hadn't quite delivered his first speech to the best of his ability before the assembly had to end.
The young wizards left the Student Council President's Lounge in twos and threes, inevitably discussing the news they had just heard on their way out.
"I still feel like it's a bit unreal," someone whispered to their friend, "You see, there's nothing in the newspapers, and the professors haven't said anything either. We don't even know if this news is true or not!"
"It's true," his friend replied. "Susan's aunt works at the Ministry of Magic, and she heard about it too. But I think it's a bit exaggerated to say that so many people have been killed."
"Yeah. It's like the fairy tale my grandmother used to tell—the little red-riding hood who didn't listen would be eaten by the big bad wolf."
The two laughed dismissively.
"Just wait until they encounter those people, then they'll know!" Ron glared at the backs of the two, angry. "My father would never lie!"
"It's enough that you know the truth, little Ronnie. But it's best if no one ever encounters them."
Fred walked up from behind and playfully ruffled Ron's hair.
"That guy is definitely a nuisance!" George nodded at his younger brother, affirming, "You're right about that."
Ron brushed Fred's hand away, unsure whether to be angry or happy about his brothers' words, as they quickly caught up with Vold ahead of them.
"Hey, Vold, we have an idea..."
"We might need your support..."
"Can we meet after dinner? Are you free?"
"Sure," Vold agreed readily. "Let's meet at the usual spot."
"Okay."
The two brothers walked away, their shoulders touching, deep in quiet conversation.
There was no sign of tension about their upcoming O.W.L. exams, but their eyes sparkled with excitement, indicating they had come up with another brilliant idea.
Michael asked Vold, "Do you think Percy's speech was true? Were there really that many victims?"
Vold paused for a moment before replying, "The actual number of victims might be even higher... That legendary island could just be a small part of the darkness."
Several images flashed through his mind.
Vold had initially thought the island was hidden from maps, but in the archives, he discovered it wasn't that simple.
The island belonged to a private company, officially registered with the Muggle government for various fish and meat operations, and they had normal tax records.
The island also frequently sent out fishing boats to the nearby waters, making the boat traffic seem normal.
The records they could find were just a small part, and the remains they could locate were also just a fraction of the whole.
The ocean was a natural graveyard, easily burying everything that needed to remain hidden.
Michael looked at Vold seriously, nudged him with his elbow, and said, "I knew you must have some inside information. Come on, tell me. What were you doing during that Quidditch match? Where did you get that strange cloak?"
"Sorry, I can't tell you."
Vold spoke frankly without feeling guilty about keeping secrets from his friends.
Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape were both concerned about his safety and wanted to keep his presence on the island a complete secret. Professor Snape even escorted him back to school despite being injured himself.
Vold, of course, wouldn't spoil their good intentions by blabbing about everything.
Read the error-free version at 69 Book Bar! 6=9+Book_Bar, the first to publish this novel.
"Alright... I understand... I guess I sort of figured it out anyway." Michael nodded.
Vold smiled, and Michael, being very smart, never had to worry about being misunderstood.
Perhaps this was why Michael had so many friends.
The afternoon consisted of a double period of Herbology with Professor Sprout, so the two hurried down the stairs towards her greenhouse.
Behind them, Ron couldn't help but slow down as he watched the two disappear down the staircase.
"Back to the lounge, or to the library?"
"Harry asked.
They also had Herbology class in the afternoon, but it wasn't for another two hours. These two hours were a rare time for relaxation.
As for Hermione, she rushed off to class as soon as she left.
Ron hesitated for a moment and said, "Let's find an empty space... and practice some spells."
Harry was surprised at this suggestion.
Among their group, Ron had always been the more laid-back one. There was a time when he followed Harry in learning spells, but it didn't take long for his attention to be diverted by other things.
Despite Ron's lackadaisical attitude towards homework and studying, neither being particularly diligent nor putting in much effort, and often completing his essays on the last night, his grades were still quite decent. This made Ron even more content to slack off and simply go through the motions.
In reality, Harry also wanted to slack off and choose a more relaxed lifestyle. However, every time he went to the Umbrella House, he was motivated by the atmosphere of the SSC to put in effort.
Even so, he often felt a sense of inadequacy, such as his notes always appearing messy, and he frequently felt that he had remembered the wrong knowledge points.
Fortunately, Defense Against the Dark Arts always helped him regain his confidence.
Seeing Ron's renewed interest in effort, Harry was naturally delighted, and the two of them found an empty classroom to practice spells.
However, learning spells was not something that could be achieved overnight.
For example, they had learned the Levitation Charm in their first year, and now, in their third year, they still needed to review and write essays about it.
By the time they graduated, some people could use the Levitation Charm to lift cars, while others could only manage to move a table slightly.
Most of the school's courses were like this. Sometimes, they needed two or three classes, or even half a month, to learn a single spell.
However, during SSC gatherings, Harry felt that learning spells was incredibly easy. In most cases, he only needed around ten minutes to successfully cast a spell. For particularly difficult ones, a day or two was sufficient.
Most of their practice time was spent on familiarizing themselves with the spells and increasing their power.
At this moment, Ron, just like the last time he studied with Harry, demonstrated the pace of a normal student in normal learning—
They spent over an hour practicing the Obstacle Spell, but Ron's "obstacles" were easily broken by Harry's simple Repelling Charm.
"Great job!" Harry tried to hide his disappointment and said, "That was amazing! Your spell blocked me for a moment!"
However, after spending so much time together, Ron naturally noticed his insincerity and couldn't help but feel a strong sense of defeat.
"Don't comfort me, I know I'm far from good enough," Ron said, looking down at his wand with a discouraged expression.
"You're actually doing really well!" Harry tried to reassure him. "This should be my problem... I'm not as good as Vid at teaching, he can always tell at a glance what the problem is..."
"Vid Grey..."
Ron hesitated, wanting to say something but stopping himself.
Harry didn't notice this and, looking at the time, urged, "We should go to Herbology class now, let's go!"
...
Vid's Herbology class had just ended.
The students put away their dragon hide gloves and shovels, leaving with exhaustion and the smell of dragon droppings on their bodies. Vid was the last to leave.
"Wait a moment," he said to Michael. "I have something I want to ask Professor Sprout about."
"Then I'll wait for you at the door," Michael said, patting the dirt off his clothes. "I need to breathe some sweet, fresh air."
Vid walked to the other end of the greenhouse, where Professor Sprout was inspecting the transplanted plants.
The weather was getting colder, and even in the greenhouse, some plants were not in the best condition.
Professor Sprout tended to these magical plants with a gentle touch, as if they were her own children.
"Professor," Vid approached and said.
"Oh, Vid," Professor Sprout wiped her hands on her apron and asked with a smile, "Is there a problem?"
"I wanted to ask if Professor Dumbledore hasn't returned yet?" Vid said, "I haven't seen him at all."
Professor Sprout sighed, "Professor Dumbledore has been very busy lately, because of..."
She hesitated, thinking that Vid was also involved in the matter, and said, "Because of the placement of those children."
"Those children?" Vid paused and said, "I heard Mabel... I mean, the Tranquilizer has escaped?"
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
