Chapter 762: The Rescued Death Eater
Although it was late, at the professor’s request, everyone left the Common Room and headed to the Great Hall.
They gathered together, chattering about what had just happened. Even though they had all stayed in their Common Rooms as instructed and hadn’t witnessed the events firsthand, they had certainly been aware of the commotion.
For instance, those in Ravenclaw, being closer to the tower, had clearly heard the explosions and screams. Meanwhile, the Gryffindors had seen the bright fire outside through their windows, along with the Dark Mark floating ominously above the castle.
Now, the news was spreading at an incredible speed. With a few well-informed students always in the mix, it took less than twenty minutes for word of the Death Eaters’ attack on Hogwarts to circulate throughout the Great Hall.
A sense of unprecedented panic gripped everyone. Until now, Hogwarts had always been considered the safest place—no one had ever imagined the Death Eaters would one day breach its walls.
The only silver lining was that no one had been harmed. The only incident involved a Gryffindor student who had tripped on the stairs while rushing down, but apart from that, everyone was safe.
Five minutes later, Neville limped into the Great Hall and sat down at the Gryffindor table. Now, everyone was accounted for.
Dumbledore, who had been speaking with Fudge, broke off the conversation and strode to the front of the professor’s table, his expression grave as he addressed the room.
"I’m sure some of you already know what I’m about to say... Yes, just an hour ago, Death Eaters infiltrated this castle."
A wave of murmurs and hushed discussions spread through the hall.
"Please, quiet down," Dumbledore called, his voice barely able to rise above the noise.