Ron slowed his pace slightly, turned his head, and, seemingly casually, took a closer look at " Harry " beside him.
The afterglow of the setting sun shone directly on " Harry's" face from the side.
Ron's heart skipped a beat!
"... Harry?" Ron stopped, his voice a little dry, and he called out tentatively.
Harry stopped in his tracks, but he didn't turn around. He just tilted his head and glanced at Ron out of the corner of his eye.
That look... cold, sharp, with a hint of impatience at being disturbed? That's definitely not Harry's look!
In that instant of eye contact, Ron's suspicions reached their peak! He practically screamed, pointing at " Harry " and demanding, "You're not Harry! Who are you?!"
The shout shattered the tranquility of the evening street!
The students around him stared in astonishment!
Draco and Hermione also turned around.
Seeing Ron pointing at Harry with a look of shock and anger, Hermione was very puzzled, but when she followed Ron's gaze to the " Harry," she also noticed the incongruity and the cold glint that flashed in his eyes!
Draco's eyes narrowed sharply. His hand was already on his wand, subtly shielding Hermione half a body length behind him, his gaze fixed on " Harry."
The identified " Harry " slowly turned around.
Despite Ron's accusations and the rapidly gathering, suspicious gazes around him, he showed surprisingly little panic.
Instead, it produced an extremely strange and stiff, twisted smile that was completely unlike Harry Potter's.
That smile made his whole face look extremely eerie.
"Oh? We've been found out..." ' Harry ' spoke, his voice hoarse, as if he was trying to imitate someone but ended up singing off-key.
That voice was completely different from Harry's clear and bright tone!
"How perceptive you are, young Weasley..."
Who are you? Where is Harry?
Hermione took out her wand and pointed it at him.
Harry's fake smile widened, and the crazed light in his eyes intensified; he knew his identity had been completely exposed.
"Unfortunately... the game has only just begun..." he said in that chillingly hoarse voice.
"Stop him!" Draco shouted, the first to swing his wand, a beam of Binding Charm shooting out!
Hermione and the others attacked simultaneously:
" Stupefy!"
" Locomotor Mortis!"
Neville, though frightened, shakily raised his wand, and Macmillan shouted, "Go get the professor!"
Seamus and Dean also realized what was happening and tried to cast spells, but their aim was poor.
However, that person moved even faster!
Faced with several incoming spells, he neither dodged nor evaded, but simply slammed his wand on the ground.
"Bang--!!!"
A powerful surge of magical energy erupted from him, creating a small shockwave that sent Ron and the others staggering backward, sending dirt and rubble flying!
The person's figure twisted and then vanished instantly, leaving only a charred mark with wisps of black smoke rising from it.
Everything happened too fast; from Ron realizing something was wrong to the other party Apparition and escaping, only a dozen seconds had passed.
The scene was deathly silent.
Only the rustling sound of the evening breeze through the treetops could be heard.
The students stood there, their faces still showing expressions of shock, bewilderment, and disbelief.
The scene fell silent for a few seconds.
"... Where's Harry?!" Olivia snapped out of her shock, her eyes frantically searching her surroundings.
Her question woke up the others.
"Yes, Ron!" Lavender asked a still-shaken Ron, "Wasn't Harry with you the whole time?"
All eyes immediately turned to Ron.
Ron's face darkened further, and he said remorsefully, "I... we... we were together at first, then... then he said he was going to Zonko's Joke Shop to see if they had any new Sneakoscope, and I wanted to go to Honeydukes to buy some more Chocolate Frog..."
"So we parted ways. He said we'd meet at the Three Broomsticks shop after we finished shopping, and then come back together..."
"I... I waited for a while, but he didn't show up. I thought he'd left first, or that Fred George had pulled him away..."
"I saw 'him' walking ahead on the road, and I thought it was Harry, so I followed him..."
His voice trailed off as he spoke, his face filled with frustration.
How could he be so careless!
I can't believe I didn't realize my friend's account had been switched for so long!
"So..." Cho Chang's face also turned pale, "So, it's possible that Harry was replaced by this person at Hogsmeade, and then a fake Harry stayed among us."
This speculation sent a chill down everyone's spine!
A chill ran from the soles of my feet straight to the top of my head!
They had been traveling with a dark wizard who had kidnapped Harry for so long, and whose intentions were unclear. Meanwhile, the real Harry was missing and his fate was unknown!
Hermione's heart was pounding.
But she forced herself to calm down.
She quickly scanned the increasingly dark woods and paths around her. The castle was still some distance away, and the dappled shadows of the trees made it an ideal environment for an ambush.
"Everyone calm down! Don't panic!" Hermione raised her voice.
"No matter where Harry is now, staying here and speculating won't help! We're still some distance from the castle, and it's getting dark. Even though that dark wizard has escaped, we can't guarantee he doesn't have accomplices nearby!"
She looked at Draco, seeking support in her eyes.
Draco was clearly thinking rapidly, but when he met Hermione's gaze, he understood her meaning and nodded.
Hermione, having received confirmation, decisively told everyone, "We can't stay here any longer! It's too unsafe! Everyone, return to Hogwarts Castle as quickly as possible!"
"Look after each other and be vigilant about your surroundings! Once you return to the castle, report to your respective house heads, or go directly to Professor Dumbledore's Headmaster's Office!"
Her instructions were urgent but clear.
The students recovered somewhat from their initial shock and panic, and their instincts for survival and seeking help took over.
"Yes, yes! Back to the castle!"
"Run! This place is terrifying!"
" Neville, keep up!"
" Lavender, Parvati, stop shaking, let's go!"
" Hannah, Susan, let's hold hands!"
" Ginny, Luna, stay close to me!"
Ron also mustered his spirits and greeted his sister and friends.
The group sprang into action, ignoring the muddy roads and heavy shopping bags, and turned around, hurrying towards the castle lights at a much faster pace than they had come.
The group was no longer disorganized, but spontaneously came together.
The older students warily watched the shadows on both sides of the road, while the younger students were protected in the middle.
A tense and fearful atmosphere filled the air; only the sounds of hurried footsteps and heavy breathing could be heard.
Draco and Hermione walked towards the back of the group, both to keep up and to make it easier for them to observe.
Draco constantly scanned his surroundings, his wand gripped tightly in his hand, ready to respond to any possible attack.
But his mind was racing, pondering the question Hermione hadn't asked, a question that was puzzling him greatly.
Who took Harry away? And why?
Voldemort? That was the first name that popped into my head.
The Dark Lord has always wanted Harry dead or resurrected.
But... Draco's brow furrowed even more.
Wasn't Voldemort's soul sealed in Soul-Sealing Jar using a top-tier sealing technique he obtained through the system?
Unless... there is powerful external intervention, or there is some flaw in the seal itself that he has not yet noticed?