A School That Shelters from the Storm

"I sincerely hope you'll all enjoy the feast with hearty appetites, so before lunch officially begins, I must say a few words..."

Dumbledore stood at the center of the High Table, speaking at an unhurried pace, his voice gentle yet firm. "For certain special reasons, I cannot reveal the whole truth to you. But I can tell you with certainty—so long as Hogwarts has its professors, Death Eaters' spells will not fall upon the Castle; so long as I am here, Voldemort will not set foot through the school gates..."

The headmaster's expression and tone were utterly calm, and it was precisely that composed calmness that made people feel safe.

"Now, enjoy your lunch with peace of mind!"

As his words fell, the previously stifled Great Hall became lively once more.

In a school under closed management, news spread quickly. Susan Bones had received a letter from home that morning, and by the break after first period, every young wizard in the school already knew of the earth-shattering events of the previous night.

The spreading panic had, to some extent, disrupted the order of teaching.

"In less than half a lesson, seven Crucibles exploded in the Dungeon Classroom. Wormwood Essence went everywhere. If Professor Slughorn hadn't reacted quickly and used magic to contain the splashing potion, an entire class would have been sent to the Hospital Wing for burn treatment...

"The Transfiguration classroom was filled with smoke, and Professor McGonagall's face was blackened by it...

"In the Potions classroom, all sorts of thick books were flying around. Lots of people got huge bumps on their heads...

"Professor Bashat temporarily stopped practical lessons, so nothing went wrong in Defense Against the Dark Arts."

After Seamus finished, he smacked his lips as though he had not had enough, then looked expectantly at