Crash!
The several seconds of silence were abruptly shattered as Harry sprang from his chair.
"No suspicious person entered."
"The Fat Lady did not see Mr. Malfoy or Pansy Parkinson enter their House common room, Mr. Potter—"
Professor McGonagall looked at Harry anxiously.
"Not only that, she did not see any student outside Gryffindor enter the Gryffindor Common Room—"
Harry took a step back, his eyes blank.
What did that mean?
The theft from his and Hermione's dormitories had been committed by Gryffindor students themselves!
Professor McGonagall's worried gaze suddenly sent a chill through Harry.
She... suspected that Ron and Pansy had taken their things and broken into Professor Breen's office. No, that wasn't it!
Professor McGonagall might be strict, but she always stood for fairness. She could not possibly be so absurd as to think Ron and Lavender had stolen his and Hermione's things, then broken into Professor Breen's office.
Then...
Harry looked toward Professor Dumbledore and Professor Breen, considering a possibility that Professor McGonagall had clearly thought of as well.
"Amosta—"
Professor McGonagall said quietly.
"Could Mr. Weasley and Miss Brown have been put under the Cruciatus Curse?"
Professor Breen's response disappointed Harry.
"I don't think we need to be confused about how Mr. Weasley and Miss Brown appeared in Amosta's office, Minerva—"
Professor Dumbledore rested both arms on the chair's armrests, his fingers interlaced.
"Once they awaken tomorrow morning, the truth will become clear. Right now, what we should be most concerned about is where that wand is."
After a brief silence, Professor McGonagall nodded.
After Professor Snape led Draco and Pansy into the office, he moved off to one side himself, arms folded, with no intention whatsoever of defending his students. He merely watched coldly.
Harry could read nothing but coldness in Malfoy's gaze when he