Albus had been assassinated—though Ron Weasley was the one who ultimately ended up in the hospital.
Before word of the incident spread through the school, Poppy Pomfrey had told Pomona that Albus did not seem inclined to pursue the identity of the real culprit, nor did he intend to pin the blame on Horace Slughorn.
He wanted to downplay the matter and make it vanish with Evanesco.
To achieve that, he needed the support of several Heads of House. Gryffindor was more troublesome, because the incident had begun with a girl secretly bringing Amortentia into the school. If it was not handled properly, that girl might be expelled.
Not everyone who was expelled was as fortunate as Scamander. Most would end up destitute, eventually drifting into places like Knockturn Alley.
Or worse. Even pure-blood wizards looking for mistresses would never choose Muggles. It was truly tragic for a witch to fall that low, but everyone had to bear the consequences of what they did.
Though Pomona understood that Albus hoped she could make the gossip-loving Hufflepuffs restrain themselves somewhat, she could not help going to see him.
Murder was no small matter, no matter how one looked at it. Even attempted murder—if Harry had not thought to use a bezoar to save Ron Weasley, Hogwarts would have had a death on its hands.
This would have been the school's first death since the Chamber of Secrets incident. And the "victim" would have been Ron, Harry's best friend.
Of course, Ron was still alive now. But as long as the culprit had not been caught, the danger remained. Albus could not simply let it go.
She hurried from the Hospital Wing to the Headmaster's office. After a token knock, she entered to find Albus bent over his desk, writing.
"I heard