The Prisoners of Hogwarts

Chapter 91 The Return of the Ministry of Magic Officials

Chapter 91 The Return of the Ministry of Magic Officials

But Harry knew perfectly well that this was an illusion; he was indeed still in the dangerous Forbidden Forest. The only reason he felt safe at this moment was because of the magical stone path beneath his feet and because of the man walking in front of him—Professor Lynch.

He once again deeply felt the dog-eat-dog nature of the magical world, and the reassuring sense of security that absolute power brought.

A complex yet resolute light shone in Harry's eyes.

Soon, as Harry was lost in thought, they had reached the end of the stone path.

The journey that took so long to navigate through the forbidden forest was covered in just a few moments on this stone path.

Just as they stepped onto the familiar, open ground in front of Hogwarts Castle, Harry suddenly saw in the distance that the castle's heavy gates were wide open, and a group of figures rushed out from inside, heading straight towards them.

Soon, the group of people arrived in front of Harry and his friends.

Professor McGonagall was accompanied by Professor Flitwick, Professor Sprout, and several other professors.

They were all holding wands, and their faces revealed a hint of worry and anxiety.

Clearly, the eerie blue flames shooting into the sky from the direction of the Forbidden Forest could be seen even from Hogwarts Castle.

Seeing that the four young wizards were all safely standing behind Lynch, Professor McGonagall breathed a sigh of relief, put away her wand, and the worried expression on her face faded.

But then she noticed Harry being helped by Hermione, and her heart, which had just settled, jumped again.

Professor McGonagall hurried to Harry's side, bent down, and asked with concern, "Mr. Potter, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, thank you for your concern, Professor McGonagall."

Since Professor Lynch rescued him and Hermione, Harry's condition has improved considerably. He gently pulled his arm away from Hermione's grasp and replied to Professor McGonagall.

"No! Harry! Something's wrong! You were almost unconscious!" Hermione bluntly exposed Harry's predicament.

"Hermione..." Harry looked at Hermione helplessly. She had already begun to tell Professor McGonagall about what had just happened to Harry.

Harry suddenly caught a glimpse of a figure running past him out of the corner of his eye.

Harry turned his head and saw that the figure was Malfoy.

Following the direction Malfoy was heading, he saw Professor Snape standing at the edge of the crowd, staring coldly at him. His black robes billowed in the night wind, and his face was even more gloomy than usual.

Malfoy ran toward Snape as if he had found his pillar of support.

Harry saw Malfoy, his voice trembling with tears, incoherently telling Snape something, while repeatedly pointing in Hagrid's direction.

Snape listened intently, his gaze sharp as a knife, sweeping over the three wolf-fox first-year students before finally settling on Harry. His eyes were icy cold, filled with undisguised disgust.

Harry's heart sank. Malfoy must be complaining about Hagrid's insistence on him entering the Forbidden Forest tonight, and he couldn't help but worry about Hagrid.

Just then, a calm voice rang out, instantly drowning out Malfoy's sobs and the professors' hushed conversation:

"Professor McGonagall."

All eyes turned to the source of the sound—Professor Lynch.

He stood in the center of the crowd, still wearing that sharp suit, as if the cold of the winter night had no effect on him.

"Tonight," Lynch's voice clearly reached everyone's ears, "sending several first-year students into the depths of the Forbidden Forest on a mission is, in my opinion, a very ill-considered decision."

His words were like a stone thrown into water.

The air froze instantly.

Professor McGonagall's body stiffened abruptly, her lips pressed into a pale line, and her jawline taut.

Professor Flitwick opened his mouth in surprise, while Professor Sprout looked at McGonagall with concern.

Snape also stopped whispering with Malfoy, narrowed his dark eyes, and looked at Lynch scrutinizingly.

Harry's heart leaped into his throat. Professor Lynch... was publicly criticizing Professor McGonagall?

Although I had heard the twins say that they didn't get along, I never imagined it had gotten to this point.

Professor McGonagall is the Head of Gryffindor and has always been very kind to him, even gifting him the precious Nimbus 2000 flying broomstick. So if someone opposes Professor McGonagall, he should stand by her side.

But Professor Lynch just saved his and Hermione's lives, and to oppose him now would be incredibly ungrateful.

Harry's feelings were very complicated at that moment.

Professor McGonagall's expression shifted, her fingers unconsciously tightening. She opened her mouth as if to say something—perhaps about Hagrid's trust, about Dumbledore's permission—but in the end, all the words stuck in her throat.

As the vice-principal of Hogwarts, she certainly had an inescapable responsibility.

Under Harry's astonished gaze, Professor McGonagall, unusually and almost with difficulty, avoided Lynch's eyes.

She didn't refute or explain, but simply turned her gaze to Harry, Hermione, and Neville, her eyes filled with complex emotions, including lingering fear and a hint of barely perceptible guilt.

Lynch's gaze swept over the several still-shaken young wizards before finally settling on Professor McGonagall. His voice remained steady, yet carried a heavy weight: "The Forbidden Forest is not a playground, especially during such a critical time. And these are just first-year students. I personally believe that in the future, when assigning confinement tasks to students, we, as professors, must fully consider their abilities and assign them tasks within their capabilities."

No one spoke again.

Lynch's words brought a chilling end to this chaotic night patrol.

Professor McGonagall silently directed the professors to escort the students back to the castle; the atmosphere was as heavy as lead.

The next day, Harry opened his eyes in the school infirmary.

Despite his repeated explanations that he was fine, Professor McGonagall, who had heard Hermione's description, forcibly took him to the school infirmary, where Madam Pomfrey examined him before he lay down.

Hearing him wake up, Mrs. Pomfrey came over again, did some simple checks on him, and then let him leave the school infirmary.

It was breakfast time, and Harry wasn't planning on going back to his dorm.

He planned to go to the auditorium for dinner first. After all the commotion last night, he only managed to drink some pumpkin juice in the school clinic, and he was starving.

But as soon as he entered the auditorium, he found that there was an unusually tense atmosphere.

The students whispered among themselves, their eyes constantly glancing toward the teachers' table.

Has word spread about what happened in the Forbidden Forest last night?

Harry thought to himself.

He followed his classmates' gaze to the long table of teachers.

Several people dressed in uniform robes and with serious expressions were standing in front of the long table.

They're from the Ministry of Magic!

Harry recognized the man talking to Dumbledore as the middle-aged man who had recently announced the Hogwarts ban.