The Uproar Caused by the Second Petrification Incident (II)

They did not see Harry. Or perhaps they did, but failed to recognize him. The corridor was too dim, and Harry's school robes were dark; his whole body looked like a blurry shadow pressed against the edge of the stone wall, hardly noticeable.

Harry did not pay much attention to them. He shifted closer to the wall, preparing to let the group pass first. He did not stop walking, only slowed slightly as he moved from the middle of the corridor toward the wall. As he moved, he stepped out of the dim shadows, one step at a time, toward the corner.

There was a small patch of grayish-white daylight there, leaking in through a window, tinged with the color of snow.

The Hufflepuff girl at the front noticed him first.

Her steps suddenly faltered. Not quite stopping, but the sort of hesitation that came when one saw something uncertain and slowed down to look more closely. Her gaze moved away from her companions' faces and fell upon the tall boy in dark school robes emerging from the shadows. Her brows drew together slightly.

Then she saw his face clearly.

She stopped completely.

The people behind her could not stop in time. A Ravenclaw boy's books bumped into her back with a dull thud, falling to the floor and flipping through several pages with a rustle. But the girl did not turn around, apologize, or react at all. Her eyes remained fixed on Harry. Her mouth hung slightly open, and the confusion on her face turned to recognition, then into something indescribable, somewhere between tension and fear.

The other students noticed him too. They followed her gaze and stopped one after another.

The corridor suddenly fell silent. It was not the natural sort of silence, but an abrupt, uncomfortable silence,