It seemed the teachers wanted to keep the students from letting their imaginations run wild, so they tacitly assigned them a mountain of homework, filling their Easter holidays to the brim.
They seemed convinced that if the students were busy enough, they wouldn't have time to feel uneasy.
Though a long time had passed since the last attack, the Aurors still patrolling the school reminded the students that the danger had not passed.
The news that Professor Dumbledore was no longer headmaster only deepened their unease.
Even so, the mood on Easter itself was fairly cheerful.
The students had heard rumors that morning that the school had arranged a grand Easter feast.
The School Governors had even set aside funds to buy a large quantity of high-quality Easter eggs, hoping chocolate would lift everyone's spirits.
Harley had finished all her homework, made her Sealed Artifact, and turned in her course-selection form.
She decided not to read today and give herself a break.
Once the holiday was over, she would try to find the Monster in the Chamber of Secrets.
She wasn't doing it just to keep the school from being shut down, but also for the possibility of finding a large quantity of materials.
After all, judging by the book's description of the Basilisk, the creature seemed to be a walking treasure trove, worth a fortune.
The Easter feast was underway, and some of the students' cheerful spirits had returned.
But at the High Table, the teachers still looked a mixture of exhausted and grave, silently eating their meal.
Even Professor Lockhart, who usually loved making a spectacle of himself on holidays, was uncharacteristically keeping a low profile.
No, perhaps it was more accurate to say that he hadn't come at all.
That was hardly typical. Professor Lockhart, who loved