When Filch nailed Mrs. Norris's frozen warning sign to the doors of the Great Hall, panic coiled around Hogwarts' ankles like icy vines. Written on the sign in scarlet paint were:
> Beware the cold within the walls! The purge has begun!
> —Heir's Will
"Purge... he means Muggle-borns!" Lavender Brown's voice trembled at the Gryffindor breakfast table as she poked at the fried egg on her plate without any appetite.
"Filch goes on every day about expelling us, and now we're the ones being 'purged'?" Ron scoffed, but unease lurked in his eyes as he glanced toward the other end of the long table—Ginny had her head lowered, mechanically stirring her oatmeal. Her wrist was tucked inside her sleeve, and that battered diary seemed practically fused to her chest.
A steady warmth spread from the Starlight Bracelet around Hermione's wrist, driving away the chill in her heart. She casually placed a slice of bread spread with orange marmalade onto Lynn's plate. "Sugar replenishment. The protocol requires it." Ever since the Potions Class incident, she had enforced the Warmth Protocol even more strictly.
Lynn picked up the bread, but his gaze passed over the noisy hall and settled on the Slytherin table. Malfoy was loudly holding forth to Pansy Parkinson, his gray-blue eyes glittering with malicious delight. His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for those nearby to hear:
"...I said long ago that the castle needed a thorough 'cleaning.' Some people, with the... smell they carry, shouldn't be here at all. Now the true guardians have begun to act, haven't they?" He cast a meaningful glance toward Gryffindor, lingering especially on Hermione and Lynn.
"He's talking about us!" Harry clenched his fists in anger.
"Don't mind him, Harry," Hermione said calmly, though her brow was