Chapter 323 — Bad News
"Go for it! Watch out on the right! That's a Quaffle!"
"The Golden Snitch is right next to the doorframe! Grab it!"
The crowd around them grew larger and larger. Everyone was cheering and encouraging them, with some even shouting advice. They were having such a good time that they didn't notice when Professor McGonagall pushed open the door and entered.
A miniature flying broom swung its tail violently, striking the fleeing Golden Snitch with pinpoint accuracy. The Snitch flew in an elegant arc past everyone. One student quickly ducked, and the Golden Snitch grazed his face.
It then struck Professor McGonagall's tall, pointed hat, which was standing not far away on the sidelines. The hat bent to one side and nearly fell off, but she reacted quickly and steadied it before it hit the ground.
"Ron Weasley, come out with me for a moment."
Her expression was unreadable.
However, anyone with a sound mind could guess what Professor McGonagall must be feeling.
Ron immediately looked dejected. It seemed he had gotten into trouble again.
He had been the one who delivered that blow.
"You two are here too?" Professor McGonagall glanced at the twins out of the corner of her eye. "Then come along as well."
The twins exchanged a glance and shrugged helplessly in unison.
Their eyes were full of innocence.
They were already thinking about how to plead for leniency.
It was probably another banned-sports incident.
But they never expected what actually happened.
"Ron Weasley, come out with me for a moment."
"You two are here too?" Professor McGonagall glanced at them again. "Come on, let's go together."
She sighed.
The twins exchanged another glance and shrugged helplessly in unison.
Their eyes were full of innocence.
They were already thinking about how to play the victim and beg for mercy.
But what exactly had happened?
Professor McGonagall did not leave immediately. Instead, she stopped and lingered for a while, watching Harry and Hermione.
Her eyebrows twitched.
She sighed and said, "You two come as well."
Professor McGonagall sighed several times. She rarely showed so much emotion.
Hermione felt completely innocent at this point, even though she had tried to stop the twins earlier.
The other students nearby all breathed a sigh of relief.
They felt as though they had escaped a terrible ordeal.
"What bad luck! We haven't even been playing for ten minutes yet."
They looked disappointed and began whispering among themselves, only raising their voices after Professor McGonagall had left.
The atmosphere outside the lounge was equally oppressive.
Several students followed closely behind Professor McGonagall. Ron was somewhat absent-minded and afraid of being criticized again, so he could only follow step by step, almost stepping on the hem of Professor McGonagall's emerald-green robes.
He had received quite a few punishments over the past few days.
They followed Professor McGonagall all the way to the second floor of the castle, where her office was located.
She held several positions, serving as both Deputy Headmistress and Professor of Transfiguration. Perhaps having multiple roles also saved the school from needing to provide her with several offices.
"Ginny? You're here too?"
The twins had been silently joking around with each other all the way there, but the moment they opened the door, they saw Ginny standing beside an old wooden table.
Their smiles vanished instantly.
Now they knew that this had nothing to do with their indoor Quidditch project.
Ginny hadn't been there when they were playing, so there had been no reason to call her over.
All the Weasley family members currently at Hogwarts were now gathered here, giving them a vague sense of foreboding.
"I hope you can all remain calm."
Professor McGonagall glanced at her students and spoke in a serious tone.
"Your father, Arthur Weasley, was attacked while on duty at the Ministry of Magic. He was seriously injured and has been taken to St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries."
Professor McGonagall had deliberately separated Harry and Hermione from the Weasleys when she entered, so it was clear that these words were primarily directed at them.
"That joke isn't very funny."
The twins' faces stiffened instantly.
"He works at the Ministry of Magic, but he does a lot of Auror work," George muttered softly, his eyes reddening slightly.
He had actually begun to believe Professor McGonagall's words.
"Professor McGonagall wouldn't be so bored as to joke about something like this," Hermione interrupted.
"However, he is not in immediate danger. The call for help came in time. There was another person present when it happened, and that person called for help immediately. Dumbledore rushed over very quickly."
Everyone inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief at the same time.
Harry was inexplicably relieved that Professor Dumbledore was not at Hogwarts.
Professor McGonagall then picked up a letter from the top of a thick stack of books on her desk and handed it to them.
It was a letter from Mrs. Weasley, telling them not to worry too much and to focus on their studies.
The Weasley family possessed a magical object: a nine-handed clock enchanted to indicate the location and condition of each member of the family.
It did not display the time. Instead, each hand corresponded to a member of the Weasley family and showed where they were and what situation they were in.
Harry guessed that Mr. Weasley's hand had probably been pointing toward "mortal peril" not long ago, and Mrs. Weasley might have been the first person to discover it.
Seeing her husband on the verge of death, she might have subconsciously suspected that the clock was broken. She probably couldn't even imagine what had happened.
Mrs. Weasley explained a great deal in the letter as well, especially when it came to Ron. She repeatedly emphasized that his father was being taken care of for the time being and that Ron should focus on preparing for his exams.
Ron was the last to read the letter.
Then he crumpled it into a ball and threw it onto the floor.
"Who did this?" he asked through gritted teeth.
"The Aurors are investigating, but the memories of the people who were there have been altered. There are almost no leads."
Professor McGonagall shook her head.
"Professor McGonagall, when did it happen?" Hermione stepped forward and asked quietly.
"It was probably around noon."
Professor McGonagall touched her temple as she recalled the time.
Hermione and Harry exchanged a quick, private glance.
Hermione immediately began to wonder whether this had been Lord Voldemort's doing.
The timing was simply too coincidental. It was enough to raise suspicion.
"He is not in immediate danger, and he doesn't want you to take leave from school to visit him. I will arrange for you to temporarily leave the school once you are able to go to Hogsmeade," Professor McGonagall said proactively.
"Your brother Bill has already taken leave to visit him, so don't worry too much."
Professor McGonagall reassured them.
At that moment, she even reflected on whether she had been too strict with Ron before and felt a little regretful.
In truth, she was an emotional person at heart, but she was also very principled.
She had her vulnerable moments too. She had cried when she heard about the Potters' deaths.
Professor McGonagall had called Harry and Hermione over because she believed it was necessary for them to know what had happened.
They had a very good relationship with the Weasley family.
Harry had also often received care from them.