great-warnovel Chapter 352 The Shocking Change in Malfoyburg
Chapter 352 The Shocking Change in Malfoyburg
Chapter 352 The Shocking Change in Malfoyburg
Lunchtime became very tight. After finishing their morning Charms class, Harry and the others didn't have any elective classes in the afternoon; they had to go to the pitch for training, while Hermione had to go to her math class. These "fun little puzzle games" were something that even great wizards needed to practice regularly.
"I heard Sirius and his crew are planning to spend a lot of money to buy a nuclear crossbow," Ron shared the news he'd heard from Bill.
"Didn't the nuclear crossbow already exceed the highest standard?" Harry asked, puzzled.
In order to accommodate smaller powers that do not have military-grade industries, the city council finally came up with a broom standard that was almost identical to the Nuclear Ring 2000 standard from a few years ago.
"He plans to take that broom apart, study its internal structure, and then modify our brooms himself," Ron shrugged.
"Isn't he afraid he won't be able to put it back? That's no small amount of money." Neville clicked his tongue in amazement.
"Think about their Marauder's Map and the dung production line they've set up in the Room of Requirement. The Pillagers are no pushovers," Harry said with confidence.
"Your father must be one of the 'addicts' too. Professor Lily would never let him spend money on such an expensive toy without a legitimate reason," Hilmi said confidently.
Actually, nuclear crossbow bolts are no longer the fastest or best brooms available today, but these are the most you can buy on the market; the more advanced ones are "cherished by the broom enthusiasts."
Several boys chattered amongst themselves, and even agreed not to tell Draco that they were rivals in the competition for a spot on the school team.
Inside the auditorium, four long tables were bustling with activity, but the students' lunch conversations mostly revolved around Quidditch, and it would probably remain the hottest topic until summer vacation.
But suddenly, the color of the flames in the huge fireplace on the side of the auditorium changed, and a person burst out—a child!
That wasn't the end of it. One after another, boys and girls of varying ages, ranging from a few years old to over ten, emerged from the fireplace flames like machine guns.
At first, no one noticed, but when a group of a dozen or so children stood dumbfounded by the fireplace, staring blankly at the hundreds of people in the chaotic auditorium, they gradually realized something was wrong.
The voices gradually subsided, and everyone gathered around to watch the group of richly dressed children with arrogant expressions.
"Who are they? Why are they coming from the fireplace?"
It's important to know that the fireplace in the auditorium is only turned on when students leave school; otherwise, it's closed. Only a very few special individuals have fireplaces that can be directly connected to this fireplace at any time.
Before the students could speak, one of the older girls standing at the front of the group suddenly looked them up and down and said, "This is Hogwarts? It's dilapidated and outdated everywhere."
Her face resembled that of a lion dog, fierce and sharp-tongued. She looked at the nearest table to the headmaster, where a variety of delicious foods were laid out. The little guinea pigs stared at her blankly, forgetting to eat.
"Hey you guys, clear out my seat, I want to eat."
This impolite attitude startled the Hufflepuff students, who instinctively wanted to stand up.
But the Gryphon students sitting behind them were not so easy to deal with. "Who do you think you are, ordering our students around?" Hermione narrowed her eyes. These children reminded her of some not-so-good adults.
"Pansy? Theodore? What are you doing here?" Draco walked over from the Slytherin table at the far end. He looked at the group of children, all of whom were children of noble families from Malfoy Castle, and all of whom were not attending Hogwarts.
"Draco?" Pansy's expression looked strange, a mixture of affection, disgust, and fear, and she seemed somewhat dazed and confused, her words incoherent.
"This is terrible, this place, and a guy like you, can't we go back?" The last part was what she said to Theodore Nott beside her.
"What's going on? What happened?" Lily and McGonagall walked into the auditorium and saw the students staring at a group of children dressed in a strange way.
"Professor, they are children from Malfoyburg, but for some reason, they came through the fireplace," Draco said.
When Lily saw the group of children, she recognized Pansy's striking appearance almost immediately; she knew he was a member of the Parkinson's family.
"They've been given a sedative." The Potions Master's face darkened; she could tell from the children's expressions and the smell on their bodies.
If used incorrectly, this soothing potion can dull the mind and make one easily swayed by others.
These words immediately put everyone present on edge. The sudden arrival of the noble offspring of Malfoy Castle at Hogwarts, all of whom had been fed potions, was no small matter.
"Go and call Dumbledore," McGonagall instructed, while telling the students to make room for the children.
"I've arrived." The white wizard appeared out of nowhere behind the teachers' table, though everyone knew he was a ghost.
I wouldn't be surprised.
"Something may have gone wrong inside Malfoy Castle, and these children—they're probably here to take refuge," Dumbledore said, trying to be vague, but McGonagall and Hermione clearly understood.
Since Lucius's imprisonment, the internal factional struggles among the purebloods have intensified. Coupled with rumors circulating about ancient magic and the Wizarding King, the infighting in their inner city has escalated to the point of bloodshed. This year, many families sent their children to Hogwarts for the start of the school year, and those remaining are probably all that are left.
The group exchanged glances and decided to settle the children first before heading back to Malfoy Castle to check on the situation.
But the next moment, the fireplace, which had been stable, suddenly burst into flames again, and a fat figure shot out like a cannonball.
It flew out of the flames.
"Watch out!" Dumbledore waved his hand, and a silent cushioning spell caught the person who was flying out.
"Horace, what's wrong?" Only then did people see clearly that the chubby figure was an old wolf-fox. His bald head, the few remaining strands of white hair that were messy, his walrus-like beard and huge belly made him look like a wealthy old man at first glance.
"Professor Slughorn, it's been a long time." Lily greeted her mentor immediately upon seeing him.
"Ouch, my back!" Slughorn straightened up with Lily's help.
"Thank God, Felix Felicis saved my life again." He looked at his chest with lingering fear, where a scorch mark had just burned through his clothes, but hadn't touched his fat.
"Pansy, quickly count the number of people," he ordered. The girl, who had been given a sedative, reluctantly began to count, though still in a daze.
"What on earth happened?" Seeing even the head of Slughorn's family fly out, Dumbledore realized that the situation might have completely spiraled out of control.
"It's Lucius—" the fat old man sighed.
These words made Draco's expression change, and he squeezed to the front: "My dad? What happened to him?"
The old man was about to speak when suddenly, the color of the fireplace flames behind him changed, turning into an eerie blood red. A terrifying suction force precisely targeted him, dragging him into the fireplace in an instant.
"Stop the spell!" Dumbledore decided immediately. Although it was a strange spell he had never seen before, Stop the spell had a wide range of applications.
Even with the White Wizard's personal intervention, he only managed to slow down Slughorn's absorption speed slightly. Half of his body had already been dragged into the flames, and he was only held back by the magic of the other professors.
"The other side is also a great wizard!" Hermione sensed the same powerful force from the blood-red light.
"You can't pull him like that, he can't take it!"
She raised her staff: "Professor, let's go first! Hilmi, you watch the house!"
She and Dumbledore exchanged a glance, each grabbing one of Slughorn's hands, and the next moment, the three of them were sucked into the fireplace together.