However, what Hermione and Ron did not expect was that when the Hogwarts students were flipping through the newspaper, they didn't feel any panic. Their reactions were quite calm, as if they were reading news unrelated to them.
"Don't they have any sense of crisis?" Hermione asked in a low voice.
"Sense of crisis about what?" Harry asked, chewing on a sausage.
"The Death Eaters have escaped!" Hermione said, holding her forehead. "Isn't this a big deal? Just think about it, so many dangerous Death Eaters have broken out of Azkaban. I can't imagine what kind of danger the Magic World will face this semester!"
"But it has nothing to do with the students, does it?" Ron said from the side. "Look, they are in Hogwarts, protected by the school. Even You-Know-Who can't get in here to harm any student, right?"
"No, we need to make them aware of the urgency, realize the danger!" Hermione said quietly.
"You're always so responsible, Hermione." Ron waved dismissively. "This kind of effort won't get you any thanks, mate—listen to me, I suggest you give up on this dangerous idea and don't ruin your reputation among the students."
"How can you think like that?" Hermione looked at Ron in disbelief. "Harry, what do you think..."
"I think Ron's right," Harry shrugged. "Besides, even if everyone considers this as nothing out of the ordinary, it's an MP, not a YP."
"MP? YP?" Hermione raised an eyebrow.
"Minister's Problem, abbreviated as MP," Harry said.
"Then YP would be your problem, right?" Hermione sneered coldly.
"I don't think students should feel any urgency because of this, Hermione." Harry lightly tapped the table with his fingers. "Don't you think it's the Ministry of Magic that should feel the urgency first?"
"Uh—" Hermione suddenly found herself unable to argue, as this was indeed quite reasonable.
"You see, students really shouldn't be bothered by this; it's quite distant from them." Harry shrugged. "And even if they've escaped, do you think they'd dare break into Hogwarts to attack students?"
"True." Hermione rubbed her temple. "You're right, Harry. I overreacted."
He glanced over at the staff table, where another scene unfolded: Pabi and Professor McGonagall were in a deep conversation, both looking exceptionally stern.
Professor Sprout leaned the Prophet Daily against a ketchup bottle, engrossed in reading the front page, her spoon hanging in the air, not even noticing the yolk dripping onto her lap.
At the other end of the table, Professor Umbridge was gulping down porridge, her toad-like eyes for the first time not scanning the dining hall for misbehaving students.
She ate with a frown, occasionally casting a malicious glance toward Pabi and Professor McGonagall.
"It's obvious." Hermione whispered, "Umbridge isn't interested in this either. For her, getting Miss Swedding and Professor McGonagall out of the school is her utmost concern."
"However," Hermione added, "Harry, after carefully considering what you just said, I still disagree... I think we should make the students aware of the seriousness of this matter."
Harry looked up.
"You really think so?" he asked.
"Yes." Hermione said firmly.
"Let's wait for the word to get out." Harry smiled. "You don't need to do anything, Hermione. Let the news spread, and then spread some rumors—for instance, sightings of the escapees in Hogsmeade. That would be much more effective than you standing up to announce how terrifying they are."
"Huh?" Hermione was stunned, clearly not expecting this solution.
"You see," Harry said with a smile, "every problem can be approached from different angles, Hermione—if you can't solve it head-on, then we switch our approach, don't you agree?"
"You always get it." Hermione genuinely admired, giving Harry a thumbs up.
Soon, the students would talk of one thing during mealtimes: the ten escaped Death Eaters.
The news finally seeped into the campus through those few students who read the papers, with rumors circulating that some had been recognized in Hogsmeade and that they might be hiding in the Screaming Shack, possibly breaking into Hogwarts like Little Sirius once did.
"I feel like the school isn't safe anymore!" said Abercrombie, a first-year who shivered and quaked as he spoke.
Sigh, such young children.
Harry pondered, recalling how he felt the same way as Abercrombie when he first entered Hogwarts and heard about Dark Wizards as a first-year student.
Cassandra often mocked him for it.
For those from magical families, the tales of the Death Eaters were something they heard about from a young age. Their names were almost as terrifying as Voldemort's, and the crimes they committed under his reign of terror were well known.
Sometimes, when they cried as children, their parents would say, "Stop crying! Bellatrix Lestrange is coming," which was remarkably effective in scaring them.
The stories of Mad Bellatrix had been heard from young, her name thunderous in their ears.
The news of her escape wasn't remarkable, but if she appeared in Hogwarts, that truly was frightening.
And among the Hogwarts students were victims' families, unwillingly becoming the focus of attention in the corridors: Susan Bones, whose uncle, aunt, and cousins died at the hands of an escapee, painfully expressed during Herbology class that she deeply understood how Harry felt now.