Because of the news of Dumbledore's death, along with the departure of many professors, nearly every activity at Hogwarts had ground to a halt.
Not only had all classes been temporarily suspended, even the final exams that were supposed to take place had been canceled.
That change came as a pleasant surprise to the young wizards, but it left Hermione gloomy for quite some time.
However.
What happened next made it impossible for any of them to feel happy.
The decisions issued directly by the Ministry of Magic did not stop there.
Among the various orders that directly affected Hogwarts, there was one in particular...
For the safety of Hogwarts students, the Ministry of Magic had forcibly canceled all upcoming holidays at Hogwarts and forbidden students from leaving the school!
In other words, apart from the graduating seventh-years, who had already left school early, every remaining Hogwarts student had to stay at school and wait for the next academic year to begin.
And compared with not being able to go home, the textbooks and magical supplies they would need for the next school year suddenly seemed far less important...
When the Ministry's order appeared in the Great Hall, every wizard who heard the news gathered around the enormous bulletin board.
The parchment, stamped with the Ministry of Magic's official seal, was pinned to the wall...
Its contents soon caused quite a commotion, and the news spread at an astonishing speed.
"Why can't we go back?"
"Are they joking? Do they really expect us to stay at school?"
"What exactly is happening out there?"
"Damn it!"
"I want to go home... sob..."
Not far away, Draco and the others stood at the edge of the crowd, watching and listening to all of it.
"Isn't this basically putting everyone under house arrest at Hogwarts?"
Looking at the wizards gathered around the bulletin board, Hermione voiced her thoughts in a heavy tone.
If she had not already braced herself for it, she might have become one of them too.
Restless and uneasy...
Ever since that day, Ginny and Luna had also been staying with Draco and the others. At that moment, Ginny looked at Draco in shock. "Is this what you mentioned last time? That the Ministry of Magic would make a move soon. Is this their first step?"
"I think so."
"Hostages?"
"That, and because they can't make a move openly, they want to take control of Hogwarts from the inside."
Draco narrowed his eyes.
In fact, that notice packed with information contained far more than just that one order.
New prohibitions.
Changes among the professors.
And... Severus Snape, appointed Headmaster of Hogwarts!!
...
Perhaps everyone's minds had been overwhelmed by too much information.
Because of that, the matter of Snape becoming Headmaster did not seem to cause much of a stir.
Or rather, with the situation having deteriorated this badly, a mere black bat taking the position of Headmaster of Hogwarts no longer seemed all that important.
They might even consider themselves lucky that the wizard sitting in that position was at least a professor they knew, rather than some wizard who had suddenly crawled out of a random corner.
In any case.
As for Snape becoming Headmaster of Hogwarts, even the little snakes of Slytherin were in no mood to celebrate or mock the students from the other houses...
In a corner of the Great Hall.
Draco and his group stayed there, watching from a distance as the wizards in front of the bulletin board refused to leave.
The reason they were unwilling to go was not only that they needed time to digest such an enormous amount of information, but also that they were hoping a professor would step forward and explain everything.
Or perhaps they wanted to hear that this was nothing more than a joke from the Weasleys.
That faint hope was what kept them there...
Beside him, Hermione spoke hesitantly. "Professor Snape... is the new Headmaster of Hogwarts?"
"According to what's written there, that should be the case."
"Then does that mean Professor Snape is on our side? Draco..."
Hermione's words made Pansy and the others look over, and even Ginny pricked up her ears.
Unfortunately, Draco's answer was not one that would let them breathe a sigh of relief.
"I don't think our Dark Lord would let a wizard beyond his control sit in that position, do you?"
"So..."
"So Snape is definitely not one of ours. Or rather, even if he wants to help us, he can't do it openly."
Draco gave his judgment directly, leaving the girls little room for wishful thinking.
And what he said next cast an even deeper shadow over their hearts.
After a pause, Draco continued with another matter. "Besides that, we also need to pay attention to those newly appointed professors."
"Newly appointed professors?"
"Draco, do you mean..."
Glancing at Hermione's slightly parted lips, Draco turned his gaze back toward the Great Hall. "Barring any surprises, our newly appointed professors are very likely to be subordinates the Dark Lord specifically planted here."
"..."
The Dark Lord's subordinates had another very famous name.
Death Eaters!!