Adrian staying quiet didn't stop the crowd, actually, it made more students push closer to get a better look.
The noise got so loud that the teachers at the front couldn't ignore it anymore. Snape pulled out his wand, pointed it at his throat, and cast Sonorus. When he spoke, his voice came out dark and threatening.
"QUIET! Get back to your seats. NOW!"
With the spell making his voice louder, Snape sounded like thunder rolling through the Great Hall.
The whole place went dead silent. Students who'd been crowding around Adrian ran back to their tables so fast you'd think the floor was on fire.
Adrian even saw a Slytherin kid get knocked down by his own housemates. The poor guy was crying while trying to get up as everyone stepped on him. If Slytherins would do that to each other just because Snape looked angry, it showed how scary the guy really was.
Snape looked pleased with himself. Then he turned to glare at Harry.
"Potter! If you're planning to make up some story for attention, get out of here right now!"
Harry's hands shook with anger. If he'd known that Killing Curse Hermione told him about, he probably would've pointed his wand right at Snape's ugly face. He hadn't even said anything since walking into the hall!
Hermione and Ron were just as mad, but after everything that happened tonight, they were too tired to fight back.
Adrian was used to Snape being a jerk by now. Though he was a bit surprised the man hadn't taken house points yet.
Thinking about it more, Adrian caught something hidden in Snape's nasty words. The professor was actually warning them not to say anything about what really happened, but Harry was too dense to get it.
Whatever Snape's reasons were, his scary act worked. The hall finally got quiet, with just a few whispers here and there.
Adrian noticed the worried looks on several teachers' faces. Only Snape sat there like a statue, staring at something at the head table.
Following his gaze, Adrian saw what caught his attention: Quirrell's chair was empty. Adrian figured the guy would never come back after getting hurt tonight.
The missing teacher would definitely be the main suspect for attacking Hagrid. Unless Voldemort had gone completely crazy, he wouldn't let Quirrell walk into such an obvious trap, especially since the guy couldn't handle any real questioning.
What caught Adrian off guard was the see-through blue phoenix sitting on the eagle statue behind the teachers' table. It glowed with a soft, ghostly light.
"Is that a blue phoenix?" Harry whispered, noticing it too.
He thought it was beautiful, even prettier than the one he'd seen in Dumbledore's office. Just looking at it made him feel less angry.
"That's Professor Dumbledore's Patronus," Adrian said quietly.
From reading the books, Adrian knew Dumbledore's Patronus was special, it could carry messages. Having it here meant Dumbledore was watching the hall somehow.
That explained how the other teachers managed to get all the students together before McGonagall came back. The Patronus had been telling them what to do.
"Patronus? What's that?" Harry felt like it was his first day at Hogwarts all over again, knowing nothing about magic.
"It's like a guardian spirit you make with a really hard spell called the Patronus Charm. You use your happiest memories to create it, and it fights off Dementors," Adrian explained.
Harry started to ask what Dementors were, but Adrian saw it coming and kept talking. He hoped it would distract other students from asking about dragons.
"Dementors are really dangerous creatures that look like walking death. Their bodies are rotting and cold, and they eat happiness and hope."
Adrian's explanation got the attention of nearby students. The Patronus Charm was advanced magic that even older kids might not know, and lots of them had never heard of Dementors. For a few minutes, they forgot about dragons and listened to his mini-lesson.
After a while, Professor McGonagall came through a side door. She looked less stressed than before, but still worried. The other teachers gathered around her, asking quiet questions.
Adrian was too far away to hear what they were saying. As he tried to listen closer, the blue phoenix on the eagle statue started to fade before breaking apart into tiny lights and disappearing.
Right then, the Great Hall doors opened again, and Dumbledore walked in. He wasn't smiling like usual, his face looked serious, which made the students stop whispering as he walked past their tables.
He went up to the platform and looked at Quirrell's empty seat for a moment before clearing his throat.
"You're all here this late because I have important news."
Dumbledore looked around the hall, making sure everyone was listening before going on.
"Tonight, our gamekeeper Hagrid was attacked by someone unknown while he was patrolling the Forbidden Forest. He's not in life-threatening danger, but we haven't found any sign of who attacked him."
"Starting right now, the school is on complete lockdown. No student can leave the castle without special permission. Teachers will patrol the grounds non-stop until the holidays or until we catch whoever did this." Dumbledore's tone made it clear he wasn't asking for opinions.
Adrian felt let down. He'd hoped Dumbledore might have tracked down Quirrell, but apparently even the headmaster came up with nothing. After tonight, finding Quirrell would be almost impossible.
Students started talking among themselves, so Dumbledore had to speak louder.
"While this is serious news, I also need to give house points to several people who showed incredible bravery tonight..."