Ben Bulstrode walked just behind Dumbledore on his right, not caring whether the headmaster of Hogwarts was willing to pay him any attention as he kept making sporadic conversation. His fleshy chin quivered as he walked, and perhaps because he was hurrying a little, beads of sweat had broken out on his forehead. Paul Greengrass, a blond wizard with a high nose, thick eyebrows, and a high forehead, held his chin raised, his expression rather arrogant.
The other relatively respectable families had also formed their own little group, while as supporters of Dumbledore's Order of the Phoenix, Neville's uncle Algy Longbottom, Susan Bones's aunt Amelia Bones, and Sirius Black all followed silently at the side with grave expressions.
Lucius Malfoy, who no longer held the status of a school governor, walked slightly behind these School Board members. But his pale blond long hair and peacock-like finery gave him quite a presence among the crowd.
Low murmurs of discussion rose in the Great Hall. Some students from wizarding families had already told the classmates beside them the identities of the people they recognized.
"Oh no! My uncle's here too. It must have been my gran who called him in. They're all on Dumbledore's side in this..." Compared with his grandmother, Neville was actually even more afraid of this uncle of his, because Algy was a very traditional wizard who cared about the glory of Pureblood families. When Neville was little, Algy had always tried to catch him unawares and force him by every means possible to show some magic.
Seamus Finnigan of Gryffindor recited the names of the people he recognized, then leaned close to Dean Thomas. "This is bad! The media and newspapers these past few days have all been going after Professor Harris and the Ministry of Magic. Last