Because most of the young wizards had been forced to leave early, they had no idea how things had ended.
All they learned—by the time evening arrived—was that the previously missing Harry Potter had been found and brought back to Hogwarts, where he was now being treated by Madam Pomfrey.
Without permission, no one was allowed to approach Harry Potter. That included his friends.
It was understandable, of course, but the secrecy and the level of caution only made everyone more curious about what had happened...
"Did you hear? Harry Potter's been found."
"Found? More like he just appeared on his own."
"What do you mean? Do you know something?"
"Oh? Someone actually knows details?"
"Don't shout. I want to know too, but I never got the chance to see anything. Someone else told me."
"What about Ron Weasley? Hasn't he tried to check on him?"
"You don't know? No one can even get near the hospital wing right now. Those Aurors from the Ministry aren't letting anyone close, let alone talk to Harry Potter."
"What on earth happened?"
Since none of these events had happened to the young wizards themselves—and the truth was held tightly by only a handful—it was easy to notice that, compared to the heavy atmosphere around the hospital wing, the Great Hall still buzzed with its usual cheer.
Perhaps they were still eagerly waiting for the second task of the Triwizard Tournament to begin?
They had no idea that after the shocking message Harry Potter returned with, the so-called Triwizard Tournament might no longer matter at all...
In fact, not all wizards were oblivious to the strangeness.
If one looked closely, a few students wore expressions of unease, as though they knew something but were forbidden to say it. These few all happened to come from families of notable influence in the wizarding world.
It seemed they had been warned by their parents during the short time before the evening feast began, which was why their reactions differed so starkly from the others.
Especially the Weasley twins—they were unusually quiet...
And just as the young wizards continued to gossip about Harry Potter to pass the time, someone's arrival instantly silenced the lively Great Hall.
It was the Slytherins, all wearing heavy expressions—and the one who had defeated the Thunderbird not long ago...
Draco Malfoy.
...
Though some were curious why the Slytherins all looked so weighed down, most of the young wizards kept their eyes fixed on the pale-gold figure at their front.
Apprehension, admiration, awe, curiosity—every kind of complex gaze was directed at Draco Malfoy, who walked at the very front of the Slytherin group.
Barely a day had passed since the Thunderbird's defeat, and the image of it erupting into a fireball was still burned into everyone's minds. That sight—like a monarch of flames—might be something they would never forget in their lives.
And all of it had been caused by that pale-blond figure...
"Their attitude has completely changed, hasn't it?"
Hermione, a Gryffindor standing among Slytherins, couldn't help whispering this after sweeping her gaze across the hall.
She hadn't forgotten how these same students had looked at Draco when he was first chosen as a Champion.
The disgust and rejection on their faces had been completely unmasked.
Thinking of that, Hermione instinctively glanced in Draco's direction, lifting her chin with a quiet swell of pride.
Because that was the boy she'd fallen for...
Pansy, who felt the same, was far less restrained toward the other students.
Her gaze toward the other houses was filled with smugness and provocation—she might as well have pointed at their noses and called them blind. And when she passed the Gryffindor table, Pansy even let out a very pointed snort, its meaning all too clear.
Yet even so, the other students only clenched their fists and held it in.
None of them had the courage to say a word.
After all, Draco Malfoy—the one who had defeated the Thunderbird—was standing right next to Pansy...
Draco, watching Pansy acting as if her tail might curl proudly up to the ceiling, simply shook his head in amusement and let her be.
It wasn't because he cared how others felt, nor because he felt responsible for their reactions. Rather, just recently, he had received a letter from his family.
And its contents made it impossible for him to bother with such trivialities.
Glancing at the Slytherins behind him, Draco had a reasonable guess as to what was going on.
It seemed he wasn't the only one—most of Slytherin likely received instructions from their families as well...
Lost in thought as he made his way toward the Slytherin table, Draco didn't notice that among the countless gazes, one was far more subtle and concealed than the rest.
Worth mentioning was that—
Following the direction of that gaze, it seemed to come from a Beauxbatons student...
...
Originally, tonight's banquet was meant to celebrate the end of the first task and honor the Champion who had taken first place.
But now, its main purpose was to explain the accident that had occurred during the task, as well as the reason behind Harry Potter and the others' disappearance. This was why every student was required to attend.
The moment Draco sat down, his attention went straight to the staff table...
"Looks like quite a few people are missing."
Draco's low remark made Pansy follow his gaze. "Let me see... Not only is Dumbledore missing, even the other two Headmasters aren't here?"
"Not just them. Aside from Professor McGonagall, the heads of the other three houses are gone too. Looks like things are worse than we thought."
Tap, tap, tap.
Draco frowned as his fingertips tapped lightly on the table. His thoughtful expression made Pansy and Hermione quietly study his profile.
As for where the judges—including Dumbledore—and the missing professors had gone...
At this moment, neither Pansy nor Hermione found it especially important...