Will and Sylvia returned to the meeting room on the seventh floor. Everyone watched them expectantly, but when they saw that Will's attitude hadn't changed, no one spoke.
Hermione handed Will the complete list of nominated members.
Will glanced over it. There were more than twenty names, with several from each house.
The ones Will knew best included Lee Jordan and Cormac McLaggen from Gryffindor, and Anthony Goldstein and Eddie Carmichael from Ravenclaw...
Susan Bones and Ernie Macmillan from Hufflepuff, and Zabini from Slytherin...
"You can decide for yourselves." With a wave of his hand, Will left the decision to the other members of the High Tower. "I'm going to read. Don't disturb me unless something comes up."
They watched Will leave, then exchanged bewildered looks. What had happened today had left them all struggling to catch up.
But the incident caused a stir only among the High Tower's members. As far as the rest of the school was concerned, what had happened to Draco had little impact.
For one thing, there hadn't been many students in the corridor outside the Underground Classroom at the time. Quite a few of those who had been there were Slytherins, and they hadn't spread the story.
For another, Draco had never attracted much attention. Most students knew him mainly because he was on good terms with Will.
Only after that did they think of him as Slytherin's Seeker and a volunteer at the Hospital Wing.
Astoria found Draco in the Slytherin Common Room. He was sitting beside the huge glass window, staring blankly into the depths of the Black Lake, his thoughts impossible to guess.
"Draco. Draco."
Sensing someone beside him, Draco turned. At the sight of Astoria, breathless and drenched in sweat, he frowned. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to