"Where is the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets? Are there any clues?" Madam Hooch asked urgently, her voice trembling.
"No!" Professor McGonagall's voice was filled with frustration and fury. "There were none fifty years ago! There still aren't any now! Apart from that damned declaration, there isn't a single clue pointing in any direction! That heir... is as cunning as a venomous snake!"
"What do we do now?" Professor Flitwick asked anxiously. "Dumbledore..."
"Dumbledore is handling an extremely urgent international matter and cannot return until the day after tomorrow at the earliest!" Professor McGonagall cut him off, her tone resolute. "We cannot wait! Before Dumbledore returns, we must ensure the absolute safety of the other students!"
She swept her gaze across the teachers, her eyes carrying a grim determination.
"Hogwarts is suspended indefinitely, effective immediately! First thing tomorrow morning, I will personally write to inform every parent and arrange for all students to be escorted safely away from the school! This is our highest-priority, most urgent task!"
"As for Ginny Weasley..." Professor McGonagall's voice sank, laden with immense helplessness and pain. She seemed to have aged ten years in an instant. "We... we do not even know where the entrance is! We do not know what monster is inside! A blind search will only cause greater sacrifices! Until we find the exact entrance... we can only... keep the matter sealed, strengthen patrols, wait for Dumbledore... and... prepare for the worst."
"The worst?" Professor Sprout burst into tears. "She's only a child! Minerva, we can't abandon her!"
"I don't want to either!" Professor McGonagall suddenly raised her voice, tears welling in her eyes before she forcefully suppressed them. Her voice turned cold and hard again. "But I am the acting Headmaster! I am responsible for the lives of every student!