Homecoming from Hogwarts

Ron went down to the hallway and shivered a few times due to a gust of cold wind. He stopped and subconsciously looked outside the hallway.

The gray world was shrouded in misty drizzle. Far away, the peaks of the mountains standing at the extreme end of the horizon were already stained with white.

The whiteness seemed to be spreading, just like the cold winter that was quietly approaching.

When we were having dinner, the noisy auditorium suddenly became quiet because more than half of the students were gone, which made everyone who came to eat feel strange.

The repressive mood brought about by this strangeness made the auditorium even more unusually quiet than usual.

The staff table was deserted.

Professor Trelawney, who loved to stay in her tower, was away as usual. Hagrid also stayed in his own hut from time to time to look after the animals. Professor Larsen, like Hagrid, preferred to stay in his own cabin to experience nature.

Except for the three of them, the rest of the faculty and staff would usually attend meals, but today, only Professor Dumbledore and Professor Burbage were chatting at the faculty and staff table.

It is rare for all four deans to be absent.

"Probably went to Hogsmeade for dinner--"

Facing Ron's confusion, Lavender said fearlessly.

This is indeed possible. Professors are also ordinary wizards who need socializing, relaxation and rest.

Ron nodded and ignored the question. However, he still felt a strange sense of uneasiness in his heart.

Perhaps it was an illusion created by the quiet auditorium.

When Ron sat down, he put these distracting thoughts out of his mind.

One advantage of having fewer people is that the view is not obstructed.

There were still some senior students sitting sparsely at the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables.

The tables for Gryffindor and Slytherin were surprisingly similar.

There were only Ron and Lavender on the Gryffindor side, and Malfoy and Parkinson on the Slytherin side.

As expected, Ron's eyes met Malfoy and Parkinson's.

The distance between them was not enough for him to see the light flashing in Malfoy's eyes, but he could still feel the indifference in those gray eyes looking at him. The same was true for Parkinson.

"hiss"

Lavender glanced at Malfoy and Parkinson and lowered her head.

"They look scary, don't they, Ronnie?"

Ron looked a little unnatural, and he immediately avoided her gaze, lowered his head and started eating.

Harry had always maintained that Malfoy had been turned into a Death Eater by the You-Know-Who.

Although he had always believed that the You-Know-Who didn't need teenage Death Eaters, he had to admit that Malfoy's indifferent face just now was indeed a little scary.

The kitchen did not compromise on the richness of the meal just because many little wizards came early today, and there were still many varieties of breakfast today.

But Ron didn't eat as much as he usually did.

Firstly, he had a cold and his appetite was reduced; secondly, according to the agreed plan, he would stay in the Great Hall all day unless Malfoy did anything unusual. He had plenty of time to fill his stomach.

Ron broke off a piece of pumpkin pie and stuffed it into his mouth bit by bit, while secretly observing Malfoy and Parkinson out of the corner of his eye, feeling uneasy.

Without Harry and Hermione around, he always felt like something was missing.

"I don't quite understand—"

After months of being together, Lavender could tell that her dear Ronnie was a little nervous.
It was supposed to be a rare date opportunity, but because of some inexplicable things, Ronnie had no energy to pay attention to himself. Lavender bit her plump lips, her expression slightly dissatisfied, and her tone was also full of resentment.

"what?"

Ron asked without even turning his head.

"Harry and Hermione thought that Malfoy was responsible for the break-in at Professor Blaine's office last time, didn't they?"

Lavender asked.

"That's what Harry thinks, anyway."

"But what does this have to do with you?"

Lavender asked wistfully. "Oh, of course it does!"

Ron answered subconsciously, and facing his girlfriend's questioning eyes, Ron swallowed his saliva and lowered his voice.

"Think about it, Lavender, who would invade Professor Blaine's office? Only those who want to harm Hogwarts would do that!"

Lavender blinked and waited for Ron to continue.

"If we can catch Malfoy and find evidence that he tried to break into Professor Blaine's office, we can get Malfoy out of Hogwarts!"

"So, what you really want to achieve is to get Malfoy expelled, not to defend Hogwarts?"

Lavender asked in a tone of innocence.

Ron's tone paused, and then his brows furrowed.

This is really a good question.

"So does Harry have any concrete evidence to suspect Malfoy?"

Lavender continued to blink her innocent eyes and asked.

"For Harry. Oh, there's no need for any evidence, Lavender--"

Ron was a little unhappy after being questioned repeatedly. His tone became a little stiff.
"Every bad thing that happened at Hogwarts was connected to Malfoy, there's no doubt about it!"

"Weasley and his little girlfriend really did stay, Draco -"

While Ron and Lavender were discussing Malfoy and Parkinson, the two at the Slytherin table were having a similar conversation.

"I saw it, Pansy—"

Draco said lightly, no longer looking at the gossiping stupid Weasley and his ugly girlfriend.

"Do you think Potter left them here to keep an eye on you?"

Pansy looked at Draco's profile, worry in her eyes.

Draco snorted coldly and moved the corner of his mouth in contempt.

"It's obvious. No one knows Potter better than me. He has always regarded himself as the savior. I guess he has doubted me for a long time."

"Then what should we do now?"

Pansy didn't ask why Draco was so confident in his judgment, nor did she cast a hostile look at Ron. Instead, she looked calmly at Professor Dumbledore, who was talking enthusiastically with Professor Burbage at the faculty table.

To her, Ron Weasley was not important no matter what, and what was more worrying was old man Dumbledore.

"Potter has undoubtedly made another stupid mistake. If it was Granger, it would be a bit troublesome, but he left behind the even stupider Weasley, which made things much simpler -"

Easier?

Pansy narrowed her sharp eyes, looking confused, but then she figured out what Draco was planning.

She didn't question it.

Draco was right, this actually made things much simpler.

Ten minutes later, Dumbledore, who had finally filled his stomach with the delicious meal, ended his conversation with Professor Burbage with a smile. After glancing at the Gryffindor and Slytherin tables as if unintentionally, he stood up, smiled, and left the hall from the side door in front.

Almost at the moment Dumbledore left the hall, Malfoy and Parkinson stood up in tacit understanding.

Ron, who had been eating breakfast absentmindedly, immediately became nervous. He pretended to lower his head, but his eyes kept following the figures of Malfoy and Parkinson.

Ron had thought that Malfoy and Parkinson would return to the dark and gloomy basement of Slytherin.

This was also the reason why Hermione suggested that he stay in the Great Hall today when discussing the action plan with Harry and Hermione yesterday!
As long as he stayed in the Great Hall, Malfoy would be able to follow him wherever he went after he came out of the basement, and he could use Harry's Invisibility Cloak to track them.

It would be even easier if Malfoy decided to act directly after breakfast.

All he had to do was keep up and show up at the critical moment. Only by witnessing it with his own eyes would Malfoy have no way to defend himself.

but--
Ron was a little dazed when he saw Malfoy and Parkinson walking out of the hallway, seemingly unaware of the cold drizzle outside.

What's happening here?
With the weather being so bad, the little wizards would have loved to stay in the warm lounge all day, but Malfoy and Parkinson were planning to go out for a walk?!
Is there something wrong with their brains? (End of this chapter)