The weather had gradually begun to grow hot.
Looking up, the sky seemed higher. It would have been perfect weather for Quidditch, but the Quidditch matches had been canceled. Even going out for a stroll was too much to hope for.
The corridors were empty between classes. Professors patrolling the school allowed no one to linger. Even when heading to lessons, the young wizards had to line up and be escorted by their Heads of House.
An oppressive atmosphere hung over the entire school. Even in the Gryffindor Common Room, no one felt like messing around anymore. Everyone was on edge, hoping to get through the term as quickly as possible.
Professor McGonagall desperately wanted to get everything under control, ideally by finding the Heir, but there was not a single lead. Unlike Dumbledore, she could not see the whole picture. Fortunately, things had not yet reached their worst. The students who had been attacked could still be saved. Once the mandrakes matured, they could be revived, and perhaps then the real culprit would have nowhere to hide.
For that reason, she also feared that the attacker might silence the victims for good, and the Hospital Wing became a heavily guarded place. Harry and Ron wanted to visit Hermione again, but they were turned away.
Now, perhaps only the students of Slytherin House were not worried at all. All four victims were Mudbloods, which was proof enough that their house had never been the Heir's target. In fact, the Heir was quite likely one of them.
This emboldened them enormously, and whenever they looked at students from other houses in class, they could not help looking smug.
Especially Malfoy!
When Cyrus returned his body to him, he also altered his memories a little. Malfoy now noticed nothing amiss, but if