Nothing has changed, nothing has changed.
Whether it was a funeral in a snowstorm or Voldemort arriving from the sky, nothing changed. Even the actions of all the guests retreating back to the castle were exactly the same as someone remembered.
And Draco was one of the people who retreated in a hurry.
"... Please enter the castle in order to temporarily avoid the invading enemies... Don't panic, please trust us... Please trust that Hogwarts can handle it..."
Professor McGonagall had just directed the professors to cast protective spells, and then quickly turned back to greet the panicked guests to calm down.
But when faced with Voldemort's attack, how many people can truly remain calm
Draco was squeezed into the crowd and struggled to look back. A translucent magic barrier has appeared over Hogwarts Castle, and just outside the barrier, several huge Dark Marks hang high in the air, foreshadowing the disaster that is about to happen next.
"Voldemort is coming!"
Like everyone else, Draco had only one thought in his mind. But unlike others, his idea seemed purer.
Because besides him, who else had just met Voldemort
Draco didn't know what kind of mood he was feeling right now, he couldn't figure it out. If someone had asked him before, he might have said that he would be angry, or he might have said that he would be afraid... But now, his heart seemed to be a mess, so complicated that even he himself could not understand it.
Not long after, Draco, who looked confused, was pushed through the gate of the castle in a daze by the crowd and came to the huge foyer.
"Please don't linger in the foyer, everyone go down to the ground... Please go to the stairs..."
Professor McGonagall continued to issue instructions, and most of the guests were confused. After hearing her words, they seemed to have a goal and continued to move.
When he was so stunned outside the door before, Draco was actually one step slower than many people, but now he could only squeeze into the last group of people and move forward together.
It has to be said that the order of the wizards is actually quite good. Although everyone just wanted to escape at first, under someone's command, their actions were not as chaotic as expected. Not long after, Draco found himself at the stairs.
"Shidun is dispatched!"
A clear voice suddenly came from the hall behind him. Draco paused and looked back. Just then, he saw that amazing scene.
I saw all the sculptures and armors on the towering walls surrounding the foyer jumping down from their original positions, and for a while, the sound of heavy rumblings hitting the ground could not be heard. Draco could still hear it vaguely, and it seemed that the same sound was echoing in the corridor upstairs in the castle. It seemed that the statues and armors in the whole castle came alive!
And right in the center of the foyer, Professor McGonagall was holding a wand, and her whole body was full of energy and radiance. Draco simply couldn't imagine how such a spell could be mastered.
"Hogwarts is under attack by an enemy! You will obey orders, defend the castle, and resist powerful enemies! You will perform your duty and responsibility to protect the school!"
Following Professor McGonagall's loud shout, all the knight statues held their big swords upside down in both hands, stamped them on the ground uniformly, then turned over the stone swords in their hands, and lined up in an orderly manner and walked out the door. .
At this time, Minerva McGonagall really showed her courage as the principal of Hogwarts. But he saw her standing in the center of the knight's phalanx, like an imposing legion general.
But at this moment, there was a sudden roar outside the castle, and something seemed to hit the ground in the vestibule heavily. Draco even felt a sudden jolt under his feet.
Professor McGonagall, who was standing in the foyer, suddenly changed his expression. Immediately afterwards, the professors who had cast spells outside to prop up the barrier all ran back from the gate one after another.
"Did Voldemort break in?" Draco was startled and subconsciously wanted to turn around.
"...It's too late, close the castle gate immediately!"
When Professor McGonagall saw that everyone had returned to the hall, she waved her wand decisively. After a clicking sound of hinges, the heavy door rumbled shut.
The remaining stone statues of knights that had not yet had time to get out, as well as the stone sculptures of various strange animals that were still moving downstairs, were all locked up in the castle.
The professors did not go to the basement. They cared about the castle and the entire campus. For them, this is more than just a place to work, it is actually more like their other home.
Among them, most of them have been working at Hogwarts for a long time, and some, like Professor Binns, are still teaching even after their death. It is conceivable that the charm of Hogwarts is not only for students, it is also the most important place in the hearts of most faculty and staff.
Of course, there are still some people who are not that concerned about Hogwarts. Of all the wizards who have served as professors at Hogwarts, Slughorn is one of them.
Just now, he had participated in the action of holding up the magic barrier, but when he saw that the door was closed, he hurriedly ran towards the stairs.
"Oh, um... kid, are you a student at Hogwarts too?"
Of course, Slughorn immediately ran into Draco, who was still watching blankly at the top of the stairs. The old man was dressed quite brightly today, and his bald hair was still meticulously combed. If others didn't know better, they might have thought he was attending some kind of ballroom dance!
"Ah! Hello, sir..." Draco raised his chin subconsciously. This was his habitual action. Even if he wanted to keep a low profile, he has not been able to change it in the past few years. "I am Draco. -Draco Malfoy, you are right, I am a student of Slytherin House."
"Oh - Malfoy? Are you Lucius's son?" Slughorn raised his eyebrows, smiled and nodded, "Your father once mentioned you to me, yes... Slytherin, yes! "
He paused for a moment, but then said with high spirits: "As you may know, most of your Malfoy family are Slytherins - this is an excellent college, isn't it?"
"I think you are right," Draco nodded reservedly, "Sir... please forgive me for being rude and not asking for your identity right away. Who are you -"
From childhood to adulthood, Draco received the most orthodox pure-blood wizard education, and he was naturally deficient in etiquette. It's just his parents' love and protection that makes him always a bit domineering, and he often seems a bit arrogant and domineering when getting along with his peers.
"Oh, I'm Horace Slughorn, I'm sure you've heard of me."
Slughorn's face is extremely thick-skinned, but in fact he is not lying. After all, what he is best at is managing various interpersonal relationships, and there are quite a few people who know him.
"Are you Mr. Slughorn?" Draco said in surprise, "I do know you. You taught my father back then! Today you are... Oh, of course you are here to attend the funeral..."
When Slughorn heard this, he just smiled subtly and did not immediately say that he was coming back to teach in the next school year.
It was natural for him to hide this matter. After all, Voldemort was outside now! Who knows if there will be a "next school year" at Hogwarts
If Hogwarts was occupied by Voldemort, he would run away immediately. No matter how vain he was, Slughorn didn't want to work under Voldemort, and he knew exactly what that would mean.
"Okay, let's not stand here chatting. Let's go down first!" Slughorn suddenly put his arm around Draco's shoulders and said seriously, "This place is too dangerous for you. Come on, I'll take you there." You go down... As long as I'm here, you have nothing to worry about, right?"
He obviously wanted to sneak away to a safe place to avoid this unnecessary disaster, but he made it sound like he was here to help the students. To be honest, this bald old man's thick skin is probably unparalleled by anyone in the world.
However, at this moment, everyone in the castle suddenly felt an indescribable sense of coolness, which spread from top to bottom. Draco, Slughorn, and all the professors in the hall obviously felt it, and they all had puzzled looks on their faces.
This feeling was very strange, as if someone poured a basin of cool spring water from above their heads, which instantly calmed down their nervous minds.
"What's going on? What happened just now?" Draco said with a confused look on his face.
"It seems to be some kind of magic," Slughorn deserves to be a veteran wizard who taught at the same time as Dumbledore. Although he is usually obsessed with managing reputation, his talent in magic is actually no less than that of Professor McGonagall. and others, "Although it is not certain yet, it should not be the magic cast by Voldemort."
"Why?" Draco heard this and immediately looked at the old man beside him.
"Because I don't feel cruelty or ferocity in the power of magic... Yes, there is no negative spirit," Slughorn frowned, "That is not the type of magic that Voldemort is interested in."
"...Is that so?"
Hearing what Slughorn said, Draco couldn't help but feel that it made sense. Although he couldn't feel anything at all, at least he was positive about this statement. Draco, who had spent a few days with Voldemort, knew very well that Voldemort and his Death Eaters favored those vicious curses the most.
While he was thinking, he subconsciously looked up at the top of his head, because the coolness just now came from above. This glance didn't matter, but he saw a figure that seemed familiar!