Harry and the others had reacted quickly enough.
But by the time they rushed back down from the fourth floor to the first, the entrance hall of St Mungo's was already packed with the families of the victims, the lightly wounded, and St Mungo's healers.
They had only left a small space for Minister Bones, dressed in solemn black, along with Mad-Eye, whose head was wrapped in a bloodstained bandage.
There was not even room to set foot on the first floor, so they had no choice but to stand on the stairs and watch Minister Bones shake hands with the injured one by one. The hubbub was so loud that they could not hear what she was saying.
"Why is Professor Moody with Minister Bones?"
Harry muttered.
During the month at Grimmauld Place, whenever they called Mad-Eye Professor, he would furiously yell at them, reminding them that he had never taught at Hogwarts for even a single day.
But Harry and the others still habitually called him Professor.
"My circumstances mean I can only take leave for now—"
Sirius's voice suddenly came from behind them.
"But the Minister's safety is the most important thing, so I asked Alastor to cover for me for a few days."
"What is Minister Bones doing here, Sirius?"
Hermione lifted her chin.
"Offering condolences, of course,"
Sirius said.
"We suffered heavy losses, didn't we?"
Many people were waving at Minister Bones, while Harry merely watched the scene in silence.
If Cornelius Fudge had been the one offering condolences, Harry would certainly have thought he was merely putting on a show.
But Minister Bones, surrounded by the crowd below, had a steadfast look in her brows and eyes. When she faced the wounded and their families, the grief and anger in her eyes were plain