The sudden attack on Justin and Nearly Headless Nick sent a wave of panic through an already tense Hogwarts.
Until then, only the students had been afraid. Now even the ghosts of Hogwarts were growing restless.
Strangely, Nearly Headless Nick's fate frightened everyone most of all.
What could do something so vicious to a ghost? What terrible power could harm someone who was already dead?
As for poor Harry, nearly every student who saw him looked terrified and hurried away.
Fred and George, however, found the whole thing hilarious. They deliberately strode ahead of Harry in the corridors, heads held high, shouting, "Make way for the Heir of Slytherin! The evil wizard approaches!"
Harry knew they meant no harm. They were only joking to cheer him up, but he still had no words.
Great job cheering me up. Please don't do it again!
After the attacks, students behaved very differently from previous years. They rushed to book seats on the Hogwarts Express, eager to spend Christmas safely at home.
Looking at the students who could hardly wait to leave, Jerry sighed. "The school's going to be pretty empty."
"Jerry, are you and Hermione staying at school for Christmas?" Neville looked at them enviously. "I wish I could stay at Hogwarts too, but my grandmother won't let me!"
"What about you and Ron, Harry?"
"I don't give a damn about Christmas right now. I just want to find out who's behind this!"
"Don't worry," Hermione said to the dejected Harry. "The Polyjuice Potion's nearly ready. We can use it soon!"
"Brilliant. Then it'll be just us left at school!" Ron said quietly. "I sneaked a look at the professors' list of students staying over. Malfoy's on it, and Goyle and Crabbe are bound to be there too. They always do whatever