Assault

Linley and Cedric both heard the piercing scream.

They exchanged a glance.

"Downstairs," Linley said quickly.

Without delay, the two of them hurried to where the sound had come from.

There, a girl in a Slytherin robe sat slumped, trembling all over as if paralyzed by fear, her face pale as she stared at the corner of the corridor.

A young wizard lay there, still and silent, as if dead.

Linley and Cedric were the first two to arrive at the scene. They quickly divided their tasks: Cedric stayed to comfort the frightened girl, while Linley went to examine the "corpse" to see if there was any chance of saving him.

Upon seeing the face of the person lying on the ground, Linley's pupils suddenly constricted.

He recognized the person – it was his roommate, Hubert Maclean, who had only pretended to apologize and reconcile with him yesterday.

Although he lay motionless on the ground, he appeared to be alive, his chest rising and falling, his eyes open.

However, his gaze was vacant, devoid of any spirit. He looked no different from a dead person.

"What's wrong, Linley?" Cedric asked anxiously, seeing Linley frozen there for so long.

Linley didn't dare to touch Hubert's body. Some curses in the wizarding world were insidious, and a single misstep could lead to trouble.

"This situation is beyond our ability to handle. We need to wait for the professors."

Linley retreated to Cedric's side, intending to ask the Slytherin girl if she knew anything.

But the poor girl still hadn't recovered, burying her head in her knees and sobbing quietly.

It was already quite late, and many young wizards preparing to go to the Great Hall for breakfast had been drawn by the scream, including Slytherin's two prefects.

Betty approached Linley.

"What happened to Maclean?"

"I only came here after hearing the sound. I don't know what happened," Linley shook his head.

More and more young wizards gathered, and soon the first professor arrived.

It was Professor McGonagall.

"Disperse! All of you, disperse! Those with classes, hurry and get to class! Do you want your House to lose points!"

The area was already surrounded by young wizards, so Professor McGonagall had to drive them away first.

When Professor McGonagall pushed her way to the scene and saw Hubert's condition, she was stunned. Her face quickly turned pale, and she shouted with a trembling voice.

"What are you standing around for? Hurry and take him to the school hospital to see Madam Pomfrey!"

Slytherin's male prefect, Raphael, and female prefect, Judy, immediately each took one of Hubert's arms and helped him towards the school hospital.

Professor McGonagall looked at the group of young wizards still remaining at the scene and asked with a grim expression.

"Who was the first to find him?"

All eyes turned to Linley and Cedric. Linley had to step forward to explain.

"Professor, the first person to find him was likely this girl. Cedric and I followed her voice to get here."

Perhaps due to the professor's presence, the girl had also recovered. However, she stammered that she had just come out of the Slytherin common room to go to the Great Hall for breakfast when she found Hubert lying on the ground here. She couldn't provide any useful information.

The whole incident was baffling, and Professor McGonagall couldn't figure anything out. She could only say to the remaining young wizards.

"Hubert will be alright. I will investigate this matter thoroughly. Everyone, you may leave now."

Professor McGonagall was the second most authoritative person at Hogwarts after Headmaster Dumbledore. The young wizards dared not disobey her orders and dispersed from the scene.

Linley and Cedric also walked towards the Great Hall together.

"That person seems to be your roommate?" Cedric asked.

Linley nodded. "That's right. Judging by his condition, he was attacked, and he doesn't look good."

Cedric frowned. "Do you have a bad relationship?"

"He believes my background insults the Slytherin House," Linley shrugged, openly stating their conflict without reservation.

Cedric had nothing to say about such a matter. He patted Linley's shoulder, sighed, and cautioned him.

"Then be careful. The professors might want to talk to you again."

Linley spread his hands. "You're my alibi. I've been with you all morning."

"I know. If it really comes to that, I'll testify for you."

The two parted ways in the Great Hall, heading to their respective House tables.

By the time breakfast was over, the news of a young wizard being attacked at Hogwarts had spread throughout the entire school.

Many people at the Slytherin table heard that Linley was one of the first witnesses and came to ask him if he knew what had happened, which annoyed Linley greatly.

Perhaps it was psychological, but even his breakfast didn't seem as appetizing as before.

He casually stuffed a few mouthfuls of bread into his mouth, washed it down with a glass of milk, and quickly fled the Great Hall.

As he passed the Hufflepuff table, he saw Cedric in a similar situation. However, given his good-natured personality, he probably wouldn't get out of it so easily.

Linley went straight back to the Slytherin common room as he had no classes in the morning.

It wasn't until he reached his dormitory that he realized the other two roommates, Mark and Michel, were still there.

They looked at Linley with noticeably strange expressions upon seeing him.

Linley narrowed his eyes and suddenly asked Mark, "Do you know where Hubert went?"

Mark looked a bit nervous and stammered his reply.

"He, he went to the owlery to borrow an owl to mail money for desserts."

Compared to Mark, Michel's acting skills were far superior.

"We'll be enjoying those delicious desserts this afternoon. Have you heard of them, Linley? Honeydukes' sweets are quite famous in the wizarding world..."

They clearly didn't know about Hubert's attack yet, but Linley wasn't in the mood to play pretend games with them anymore. He interrupted Michel.

"Hubert was attacked by someone, and his condition is very bad, with his life uncertain. He's already been sent to the school hospital. If you don't believe me, professors will likely send someone to call you over to understand the situation soon. If you bear any responsibility in this, think about the consequences yourselves."

Mark and Michel's mouths hung open; they were stunned by Linley's words.