The next day dawned bright and sunny, but the atmosphere in Hogwarts' Great Hall was oppressively stifling.
Everyone wore Dress Robes and ate breakfast in silence. No one spoke, and the vast Great Hall was quieter than a library.
Well, not everyone was like that. There was still some noise from the Slytherin table, where Crabbe was whispering to Goyle.
They had been released yesterday on the grounds that they had uncovered Malfoy's plot, only to be ambushed by him and knocked unconscious at the scene.
Not only the professors, but most of the students could tell they were lying. But Malfoy loyally testified for them and took all the blame himself.
Then they were released, becoming heroes in the eyes of some Slytherins and enjoying the treatment of stars surrounded by admirers.
Of course, having learned from past experience, they did not dare act too arrogantly.
Those idiots from before were still lying in the hospital wing.
Madam Pomfrey was a healer with professional ethics. She would not tamper with anyone's treatment or make a "mistake" such as giving them the wrong medicine.
However, her excessive grief had left her with little energy to maintain order in the hospital wing.
Previously, the hospital wing had to be kept quiet, with rules almost as strict as the library's. Sometimes, making the slightest noise would get someone thrown out.
But things were different now. Even if someone played a game of Quidditch in the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey would not have the heart to deal with it. The doors were left open day and night, allowing anyone to come and go as they pleased.
As a result, the injuries on those Slytherins kept multiplying. Sometimes, just when they had nearly recovered, their faces would be swollen again after a single night.