Because of the earlier explosion, and because they had heard that Potter had been taken away by Filch, everyone was curious about what the toad was up to.
Hadn't she said she was going to drive out Peeves? There had just been an explosion, so why had everything suddenly gone quiet? Everyone had been looking forward to an Auror battle against Peeves.
What a letdown.
However, they soon found a new source of amusement.
As they passed through the Entrance Hall, everyone could smell a foul stench, and their attention was drawn to something covered by a black cloth.
Someone, curious and unable to keep their hands to themselves, reached out and lifted the black cloth, wanting to see what was hidden beneath it.
The toad statue hidden under the cloth instantly stunned the passing students. Whispers surged in like a tide, and it became the hottest topic of discussion.
The toad statue looked far too much like... no, it was practically a living likeness of Umbridge.
The news spread through the school on wings. Before long, the Entrance Hall was packed with people, and even the professors came running over to take a look.
The only problem was that the toad statue smelled rather bad, and it was positioned beside the Great Hall, where it would likely affect the students' appetites.
At first, everyone had wanted to move the statue somewhere else. But not only did their spells fail, they were actually bounced away. They finally understood why the statue had been left there.
Otherwise, with Umbridge's temperament, she would probably have smashed the statue outright rather than covering it with a black cloth. The toad trash's spellwork was clearly useless against it.
That said, where had the toad gone? Something like this had happened, yet she had not