After parting ways with the Hufflepuff students, the Slytherin students finally could not hold back on their way back to the Slytherin Common Room and began whispering among themselves.
"The Dark Lord has returned!" said a sixth-year student, his voice excited and even trembling slightly. "Even Dumbledore can't completely shut out the Dark Lord's voice!"
"But he still couldn't enter Hogwarts immediately," a second-year student countered. "I even feel like... Headmaster Dumbledore had the upper hand over him."
"And the Dark Lord now... how should I put it?" another fifth-year student said hesitantly. "He doesn't seem to be quite as..."
"You'd better not say that!" a seventh-year student cut in. "Don't forget! He can know what we've done!"
Upon hearing this, several students who had been about to speak instinctively pressed their lips together. They looked at one another, their eyes carrying a little more apprehension.
Some students did not care at all and said eagerly, "He told us not to resist, to submit to him. Could this be our opportunity?"
"I don't think it's an opportunity," another sixth-year student warned. "Don't forget the Five Champions Tournament. He was going to announce his return back then. You should all know what happened."
"What if that was part of some plan?" a seventh-year student said, somewhat unconvinced. "The Dark Lord has returned this time because he has already made all the preparations. Would you rather believe Dumbledore?"
"I'd rather believe Vizet!" a fifth-year student said. "At the very least, we've all seen what he has done with our own eyes."
A seventh-year student immediately corrected him. "But the Dark Lord said it! He's already dead!"
"Did He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named provide any proof?" a fourth-year student retorted. "I didn't believe it at first either—that someone could deal with a fire dragon alone—but Vizet did