News that Draco had severed ties with the Malfoy family and turned against his parents had already spread throughout Hogwarts.
But unlike the young Slytherins, the students from the other three houses did not look at Draco with prejudice because of it. Some even thought he had done the right thing.
Those who thought that way were in the minority, however. Draco had offended far too many people in the past; even leaving the Malfoy family affair aside, no one liked the arrogant fellow.
"Owls!" Fred suddenly shouted.
He had heard hooting coming through the windows near the Great Hall's ceiling.
Heads turned, and they saw owls flying through the windows, every one carrying a newspaper or magazine in its beak.
The owls circled above the Great Hall, dropping rolls of newspapers and magazines, which the students deftly reached out to catch.
Of course, there were inevitably a few mishaps, with students getting hit on the shoulder or head, though most of those involved were first years.
Compared with the students eagerly opening their newspapers, the Weasleys and the Golden Trio were much more composed. They had been sitting in the public gallery of the Council of Wizarding Sages just yesterday.
But at Vaughn's reminder, none of them had let that slip or told anyone about the meeting's
contents. If the students knew someone had left school while classes were suspended, they would certainly want to follow suit. As Vaughn had said, if parents insisted on taking their children home, even Dumbledore had no authority to stop them.
Once all the students left, matters would become even more troublesome. They might even be forced to end the school year early.
Several newspapers and magazines lay before Ginny. She had subscribed to every daily, weekly, and type of magazine in Wizarding