The sky outside the castle was no longer clear, but had turned a murky dark blue.
On the school grounds, there was a commotion around the Beauxbatons carriage. The Pegasus pulling it had suddenly thrown a tantrum and were struggling against Hagrid, who was feeding them.
"What's going on, Hagrid?"
Sensing the disturbance, Madame Maxime hurried down from the carriage to investigate.
"Oh, just a small problem, Olympe. I'll sort it out soon!"
Hagrid held a barrel in one hand and strained to pull on a rein with the other, puffing out his chest as he made the promise. But under Madame Maxime's suspicious gaze, Hagrid quickly caved in.
He released the rein and said breathlessly,
"Your carriage-pulling fellows are too clever, Olympe. I only added a bit of water to the malt whisky—oh, don't be angry, Olympe, I swear I only added a tiny bit!"
Hagrid's voice weakened. The four young wizards standing in the fourth-floor corridor could no longer hear anything, so they gradually pulled their heads back.
They looked at one another. Under ordinary circumstances, it would have been quite amusing, but thinking of Hogwarts's current predicament, none of them could laugh.
"Let's go—"
Gloom weighed on the children worrying about Hogwarts's future. Hermione muttered the words and took the lead in walking away.
To get to the bottom of the 'love-hate relationship' between the Board of Governors and Hogwarts, they had rushed to the library as soon as classes ended that afternoon. They still needed to have dinner and attend evening exercises.
The Great Hall's ceiling reflected the murky night sky. The young wizards at the four long tables were all whispering among themselves, and the atmosphere here was no longer as cheerful as usual.
Harry glanced over the food on the table. Whether in quantity