Lucius released his wife, shook out his black cloak, and strode toward the sitting room.
He pulled out his high-backed chair and sat down, took a deep breath, and said in a dry voice:
"The situation is more or less as I explained earlier, so your decision is-"
Some shifted uneasily in their seats. Others bowed their heads, pretending to take an interest in the silver teacups before them, while still others drew their robes tighter and murmured meaningless things.
But no one spoke.
Lucius tapped his Serpent Staff against the smooth marble floor, producing a steady knocking sound.
"Since there are no objections... we shall proceed as agreed. Sign the petition to remove the headmaster of Hogwarts."
Everyone present shuddered, growing even more uneasy. Trying to remove Dumbledore felt like an act of provocation.
But as Lucius had said, none of them could bear the consequences if Voldemort returned and discovered that they had betrayed him.
The news that had emerged last term had nearly scared them witless. Voldemort was not dead, even if he was terribly weak.
Truthfully, no one wanted to see Voldemort return. He was like a madman, increasingly terrifying the pure-blood families who followed him.
So after Voldemort fell from power, none of them had wanted to look for him. Instead, they had chosen to bury their heads in the sand.
In the dormitory, Zhang Xiao and Malfoy worked for quite a while before finally sorting out their presents. Compared with last year, there were even more love letters, along with quite a few books.
As they grew older, the girls' intentions to get together with him were becoming ever more obvious...
Finding a clear spot to sit, Zhang Xiao took out Dumbledore's gift. When he unwrapped it, he found an exquisite silver cube