Hogwarts Great Hall, the commotion at the Slytherin table quickly drew the attention of those nearby.

A kind of wordless, naturally-formed panic spread through exchanged glances.

Many Slytherin parents stood up one after another, silently looking at those "former colleagues" with whom they usually had little contact.

No questions were necessary. The Dark Mark on their arms, like a brand of fire, explained everything—the Dark Lord had indeed returned, and he was issuing a summons as he had more than a decade ago. If they didn't want to become enemies of that terrifying wizard, they had to Apparate to the Dark Lord's location immediately after receiving the "command."

"What's wrong, Dad, Mom? Don't you..."

Draco Malfoy frowned, looking at his parents who were standing up in a panic beside him, a sense of unease gripping his heart.

As a low-level employee of the Heavenly Mandate Group, he was not qualified to know too much about the macro layout, but Voldemort's affairs were different.

In the fields of "Horcrux" deconstruction, reorganization, and utilization, Draco Malfoy had been deeply involved. He was not only a "Horcrux catcher," but also the first point of contact.

Therefore, when he saw the information about Voldemort's return in *The Daily Prophet*, and learned that Professor Dumbledore and others had left the school to participate in the hunt, Draco Malfoy was initially confused and hesitant. However, when his parents frantically stood up clutching their arms, Draco immediately understood what was happening outside:

This was a trap!

A trap to eliminate hidden "loyal" Death Eaters in one fell swoop by using the Dark Lord to besiege and relieve the pressure elsewhere!

However, Draco didn't know how to tell his parents not to respond to this summons.

Draco Malfoy noticed that, somehow, Miss Cassel had already taken the seat that Professor Dumbledore usually occupied.

From that position, she could easily radiate "influence" to every corner of the hall. The young lady didn't even need to cast spells; the cutlery in front of her was the best weapon.

Bang!

Boom! Boom!

Just then, a deafening explosion sounded outside the castle.

Immediately afterward came a shrill alarm, and a series of hoofbeats that seemed to tread on everyone's hearts.

A dozen Headless Horsemen entered in single file through the heavy wooden doors, rushing straight to the front of the staff table and stopping.

"Hogsmeade is under attack by unknown wizards!"

"Aurors from the Ministry of Magic are engaging them, striving to repel and even capture those dark wizards!"

"Professor McGonagall, Miss Cassel, Kingsley Shacklebolt requests that the school immediately organize students to a safe area."

"The Hogwarts Ghost Patrol is at your disposal. We will also protect the school together with the professors. This is one of Dumbledore's arrangements."

Unlike their usual joking appearance, the ghost riders looked extremely serious, sitting ramrod straight on their horses, like cavalry about to charge into battle.

The Hogwarts Ghost Patrol, this was perhaps the only team in the magical world today hired by "living" wizards.

In fact, compared to patrolling the Forbidden Forest and searching for lost students, these ghost riders had long yearned to participate in more important and exciting actions.

After all, they were the only elite in the magical world who could enjoy "Ghost Cuisine" subsidies, and they faced no shortage of envy and scrutiny in ghost social circles.

This sudden surge of dark wizard attacks was undoubtedly their best opportunity to shine. If it weren't for their inability to touch solid objects, they would have charged towards those suddenly appearing dark wizards on their warhorses, crushing all incoming enemies from the front, as they had imagined countless times in their minds—but, it was said that there would soon be a way.

The line between life and death was not completely distinct and mutually exclusive. In addition to "Ghost Cuisine," ghosts also had a certain ability to interfere with reality.

"Dark wizards? The Ministry of Magic?"

At the Hogwarts staff table, Professor Flitwick frowned.

The faint golden "short message" from Dumbledore had not yet dissipated, and his wand was already drawn.

Obviously, the situation was more severe than they had imagined. No wonder Professor McGonagall had summoned all the heads of houses to test the waters outside last night.

"Yes, the Ministry of Magic has people guarding nearby. Professor Dumbledore mentioned this before leaving Hogwarts."

Professor McGonagall nodded, turned to look at the grave professors beside her, and explained simply.

"Professor Dumbledore and the Ministry of Magic are worried that the Dark Lord might become desperate and attack the school, thereby forcing the Ministry's pursuit to stop."

"Dozens of British Ministry of Magic Aurors have been lying in ambush around the school in advance. Hogwarts Castle is relatively safe here. We only need to guard the castle according to the original plan and wait for reinforcements to arrive—I didn't expect that after lying dormant for more than ten years, the Dark Lord has unknowingly developed so many secret forces. Fortunately, Professor Dumbledore foresaw this in advance."

As she spoke, she quickly stood up, her wand exploding a burst of golden-red fireworks in the air of the hall, attracting everyone's attention.

"The school's surroundings are under attack by unknown dark wizards. Therefore, according to the arrangements Professor Dumbledore made before leaving, we have decided to temporarily block off the area around Hogwarts—"

"Prefects, please assist the professors in leading the students of each house to their common rooms. The Hogwarts kitchens will then provide food for each house."

Professor McGonagall paused for half a second, her gaze sweeping across the Slytherin table, and continued in a serious tone.

"In this urgent situation, parents, please be sure to stay with your students to prevent... dark wizards from infiltrating the school and coercing students."

Before the Ghost Patrol rushed into the school hall, she had thought Dumbledore was being a bit alarmist. After all, even when the Dark Lord's forces were at their most rampant more than a decade ago, Voldemort and his followers had never attacked the school. But she finally understood now that those dark wizards had only ever feared Dumbledore, and not the sacred status of Hogwarts.

Undoubtedly, if it weren't for the things Dumbledore had instructed in advance, and the arrangements the Ministry of Magic and the professors had made near the school.

Hogwarts Castle might already be engulfed in war. This was something all the professors were unwilling to see.

"Wait, block off the school?!"

"Professor McGonagall, are you saying we have to stay inside the school too?"

"Temporarily... how long is temporarily? Also, what exactly is going on!"

Along with Professor McGonagall's words, the hall instantly became noisy, the discussion overwhelming her voice.

However, most of those who were flustered were students. Almost all the parents unanimously tried their best to remain calm in front of their children.

As for the very few Slytherin parents, after a brief period of questioning, they quickly quieted down, their expressions constantly changing as if they were thinking about something.

Obviously, this was a siege of the dark forces by Hogwarts and the Ministry of Magic. As people with dual identities, they could completely stand by and watch for the time being.

In their lives over the past decade, they knew very well how to assess the situation, which was also the reason why most pure-blood wizarding families had endured for so long—as for the Dark Lord's summons, since there were so many people present who could testify, they couldn't arrive at the scene immediately due to Hogwarts' temporary closure, so it wasn't entirely impossible to explain later.

"Professor Snape, the house-elves should be taking an inventory of the damaged cutlery later..."

At the same time, Eliana leaned slightly to the side, looking at the Slytherin Head sitting on her right-hand side, and said softly.

"I will list the names of the wizards who 'accidentally' broke the cutlery as soon as possible and hand it over to you. Regarding compensation and communication, I may have to trouble you a little."

Severus Snape was just a double agent, not some Death Eater "Human Resources Director."

From the information Eliana had, Voldemort rarely summoned all his followers to meet on a large scale.

This was also to prevent someone from selling everyone's names to the Ministry of Magic in one go.

However...

Eliana glanced over the hall, revealing a meaningful smile.

Voldemort himself certainly knew the list, and all she had to do was lure him into "selling" himself.

Now, the only thing she was looking forward to was how many unfortunate souls Dumbledore's hunting ground could capture.

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Good!