To ensure the school's safety, the stone of unknown origin was moved to a greenhouse outside the castle.
Pomona had once made ice flowers by freezing flowers in water, preserving their beauty for longer. But the low temperature produced by the stone did not merely turn the vibrant flowers in the greenhouse into "ice flowers"; it also robbed them of life, making for a thoroughly depressing sight.
"Specialis Revelio." Minerva raised her wand at the stone, but nothing happened.
"It really does seem to be just a stone," Pomona said.
"Obviously," Severus said, in a tone that sounded mocking.
"It doesn't look as though it was enchanted," Minerva said. "It looks more like it was cursed."
"When will Dumbledore return?" Severus asked.
"I cannot control the headmaster's whereabouts," Minerva said.
Though Pomona dearly wanted to know what had happened, they could not learn anything more before the others returned, so they left the greenhouse.
The next day, when Pomona went to check on the greenhouse again, she found that it had returned to normal temperature. The stone no longer gave off that dreadful chill, and even the frozen door in the castle had thawed. It seemed to have been only a minor accident, much like how a Bludger occasionally went mad.
On the third day, Flitwick returned. Severus spoke with him about the stone, and they inspected it together. They found nothing unusual, except for the lingering aura of dark magic on the stone, proving that something ominous had indeed occurred.
To prevent another incident like the Portrait Curse, patrols continued as normal even during the holidays, and the students remaining at school were required to return to their dormitories before nine o'clock.
With Dumbledore gone, trouble immediately arose at the school. The Muggle disaster at Chernobyl caused considerable panic