Although the young wizards who joined Draco Constellation had done so largely because of a moment's impulse and a hot-blooded courage to stand against the Dark Lord.
It was equally undeniable that.
They would also feel fear toward the coming war and want to shrink back from the danger they were about to face.
Not to mention regret.
Was joining Draco Constellation really the right choice?
Was opposing the Dark Lord something underage wizards like them should be doing?
Or did they truly need to stand on the opposite side of the Dark Lord?
After all, even the Ministry of Magic was about to fall.
Because of that.
After the meeting ended that day, it was easy to sense that Draco Constellation's atmosphere was filled with these negative thoughts, as well as a heavy, oppressive feeling of an approaching storm.
This was exactly what Hermione had stayed behind to ask Draco about.
She must have foreseen it and realized that this kind of psychological problem might appear.
But the result a few days later directly proved that Draco Constellation was not made up of only Draco and Hermione.
With the help of former Head Girl Penelope and Ginny, who was half a member of the Order of the Phoenix, they managed to soothe everyone well and fully complete the tasks that belonged to them.
Even the little lions who had been howling about charging out to fight the Death Eaters were guided by Penelope into venting all that energy through training.
It had to be said.
Although the atmosphere had indeed become very tense, Draco Constellation, with these outstanding talents, still handled everything in an orderly way.
At first glance, it already had the shape and feel of a powerful organization.
...
The Hogwarts Great Hall.
At first, it seemed no different from usual, but as time passed, every wizard in the Great Hall began to show more or less the same expression.
It went from the pleasure of enjoying delicious food, to confusion after noticing something unusual, and finally to suspicious scrutiny.
And this change in expression.
Did not appear only at the long tables of the four Houses. It also appeared at the teachers' table above.
Especially on our Headmaster Snape.
The look he cast toward the Slytherin long table was so cold that it seemed as if he might cast Sectumsempra in the next second.
Especially when he saw that a certain person still had not appeared, that feeling became even clearer.
If the professors on the platform could still steady themselves enough to eat.
Then the young wizards below did not have that kind of composure.
Especially the first-years who had only enrolled this year.
"What's going on? I thought only our House was like this."
"Did they oversleep?"
"...You mean students from all four Houses overslept together this morning?"
"....."
In the end.
With a plan as large as Draco's, the commotion it caused naturally could not be hidden from anyone.
There was no need to wait a few days. Draco's actions had already been discovered.
After all, when everyone saw that the Great Hall was not even full today, even an idiot like Ron would definitely be able to notice the problem.
Where had everyone gone?
Especially the Slytherin wizards.
Although the other three Houses were also missing some wizards, it was obvious that the number of wizards currently seated at the Slytherin long table had dropped by more than half.
Surely they could not all have gone on a group outing?
And while Hogwarts was under lockdown, that was even more impossible.
...
At the teachers' table.
As soon as they noticed that Draco had not appeared for so long, several professors could no longer sit still.
Especially the Carrow siblings, who were Death Eaters. They seemed to have already foreseen the punishment they would receive from their master, so they showed unusual fury and panic.
All because they seemed to have lost track of Draco, the person Voldemort had taken an interest in.
In any case.
The moment they realized something was wrong, they immediately arranged for the wizards under them to investigate.
While waiting for news.
Amycus Carrow swept his disgusting, hyena-like gaze back and forth over Snape and Professor McGonagall, as if trying to see some clue from them.
Unfortunately.
This matter truly had nothing to do with Snape and the others.
In fact, they were still caught in shock and confusion themselves.
Although, from their previous interactions with Draco, they had faintly sensed that he seemed to be planning something.
They had not expected him to cause such a large problem.
How had Draco done this?
How had he convinced so many wizards?
More importantly, what exactly was Draco planning to do now?
Surely he was not... planning to directly assault the main castle?
Thinking of this, Snape's expression darkened slightly. No longer caring whether his actions would draw suspicion, he directly turned his gaze toward Professor McGonagall beside him.
But Professor McGonagall was thinking the same thing as Snape. She was extremely worried that Draco might do something reckless.
Silently, she took her wand in hand.
This Deputy Headmistress, Minerva McGonagall, quietly glanced toward the other professors.
At the necessary moment, they would step forward to protect their students.
...
The result of the situation did not seem to be as terrible as Snape and the others had imagined.
Because they did not see Draco holding his wand and leading all the missing people here to surround the place.
Nor did they hear the sound of magical combat.
This meant Draco had not been so bold as to lead people in breaking out of Hogwarts.
The magical hourglass trickled on.
The atmosphere grew stranger and stranger.
Normally, breakfast should already have ended by now, and the professors should have been in their classrooms.
As time passed.
It could be seen that the expressions of several professors were becoming more and more wrong.
In particular, the Carrow siblings, whose usual delighted expressions when using Dark Arts methods on other students could no longer be seen at all, came straight to Snape without even bothering to eat breakfast.
"Severus, I need an explanation!"
Amycus Carrow pulled out his wand with a half-crazed expression and waved it at Snape like a madman.
This scene instantly made the already strange atmosphere grow restless.
Among the young wizards below, some turned pale and shrank back, while others quietly began to cry.
That only made the Carrow siblings even more irritable.
As for Amycus Carrow, who was radiating intense hostility toward him, Snape merely set down the knife and fork in his hands, looking as if he had not noticed anything wrong.
"I do not quite understand what you mean."
Clang!
The jolt of the tableware echoed through the space.
Then came the clenched-teeth roar of Amycus, one of the Carrow siblings.
"Don't play dumb with me. If something has gone wrong..."
"....."
Just then.
The Death Eater who had been sent out by the Carrow brother suddenly burst into the Great Hall.
Panting slightly, he spoke words that made the Carrow siblings go cold all over.
"Gone... gone... Draco Malfoy and the others have all disappeared from Hogwarts!"
"....."
"....."
Frozen.
The air instantly went silent.
For a moment, no one was willing to speak.