After parting ways with the Hufflepuff students, the Slytherin students finally could not hold themselves back on the way to the Slytherin Common Room and began whispering among themselves.
"The Dark Lord has returned!" said a sixth-year student, his voice excited and even trembling slightly. "Even Dumbledore can't completely block out the Dark Lord's voice!"
"But he still couldn't enter Hogwarts immediately," a second-year student retorted. "I even feel like... Headmaster Dumbledore had the upper hand over him."
"And the Dark Lord now... how should I put it?" another fifth-year student said hesitantly. "He doesn't seem to be as... formidable as the legends say..."
"You'd better not say that!" a seventh-year student interrupted. "Don't forget! He can know what we've done!"
Hearing that, several students who had been about to speak instinctively pressed their lips together. They exchanged looks, their eyes now carrying a little more apprehension.
Some students, however, did not care at all. One of them said eagerly, "He told us not to resist, to submit to him. Doesn't that mean this is our chance?"
"I don't think it's any kind of chance," another sixth-year student warned. "Don't forget the previous Five-Wizard Tournament. He was going to announce his return back then too. You all know how that turned out."
"What if that was part of some plan?" a seventh-year student said, unconvinced. "The Dark Lord has returned this time because he's already prepared everything. Would you rather believe Dumbledore?"
"I'd rather believe Wizet!" a fifth-year student said. "At least we've all seen what he's done with our own eyes."
A seventh-year student immediately corrected him. "But the Dark Lord said it! He's already dead!"
"Did You-Know-Who produce any evidence?" a fourth-year student retorted. "I didn't believe it at first either—that someone could take on a dragon alone—but