The atmosphere in Hogwarts since the attack on Hogsmeade was quite different. The students had recovered physically, but the psychological trauma was too great. It was something that could be forgotten so easily.
They quite vividly remembered the chaos, destruction and mayhem of Hogsmeade, the overwhelming sense of fear that had taken them over, the shrieks and screams that had emerged from their throats, the spells that had landed upon their bodies and the injured students that had been littering on the streets of Hogsmeade. They remembered how close they had been to death and how a couple of their schoolmates had actually died.
A majority of them might and would probably get over their trauma in some time, but a few of them were destined to carry it for a lifetime.
As a result of that incident, the blooming laughter and crackle of student voices had died within the Great Hall of Hogwarts. The legs of the students, which had always been filled with an excited energy along the corridors of Hogwarts, had slowed down. Their faces which had always remained filed with expressions of delight and happiness had dimmed.
They walked in groups and only left their dormitories when necessary. On the surface, everything seemed calm. The students did not bring up what had happened in Hogsmeade in their conversations. They consumed the newspapers daily but made sure not to bring the topic of Death Eaters into their discussions. It was too depressing for the students. There was a current of fear and worry underneath the calm facade of Hogwarts.
A special note must be made of the Slytherins, since their reaction was quite different from the rest of the students. In a way, the Slytherins were the ones who were the least affected by the events that had transpired in Hogsmeade.
In fact, it would not be wrong to say that quite a few Slytherins were actually thrilled and excited about what had happened. Their ideology had delivered a resounding victory on the very doorstep of the place where they felt least welcomed. Under the very nose of the man who was seen as the biggest obstruction in the path towards victory of their ideology.
The Slyhterins would have used this chance to gloat over this achievement of theirs, but the mood in Hogwarts had stopped them from doing so. And no, it was not the depressing mood of the students. They did not care for them. It would have been more amusing, more fun to kick the already depressed and the frightened students.
It was the atmosphere which Albus Dumbledore had unleashed. The declaration he had made had not only terrorized the people outside but the students, the future Death Eaters, inside Hogwarts. The Dumbledore they had known had been a very patient and tolerant man. He rarely punished any student with serious consequences. Usually, it was just a points deduction here and there, or a detention. And they ran in Hogwarts with impunity.
But now, they had no idea how the old man would react if they showed love and sympathy for the very ones he had declared he would kill. However, hidden among the delighted group of Slytherins, there was a section of Slytherins who were devastated and shocked at what had happened. Like the majority of Slytherins, they had received the message about keeping themselves safe, and like everyone else, they had expected a small-scale incident or maybe something even bigger.
But never in their wildest dreams had they expected something as devastating as that: an indiscriminate attack on students. They might not have had the best relations with students from other houses, but they certainly had acquaintances, maybe even friends. And the majority of those injured were pure-bloods. The families of a few were as influential, respected, and powerful as theirs, if not more so.
And the question remained. If their ideology truly represented the upliftment of pure-bloods, why were innocent pure-bloods targeted? They might have understood, for a moment, if those targeted had been those who had actively been opposing their ideology. But no. It was all indiscriminate, and directed against school going children at that.
Amidst this calm facade, the students who had been suspended from the school had also made their return. Given their character, they surely would have tried to get to Lily for what she had done to them, but again, because of the state of mind Dumbledore and Minerva were in, they had not gathered enough courage to step out of line.
The previous time, when Minerva had been enraged, she had suspended them. But she had also made it clear that it was merely a warning and that the next time anything like that happened, the punishments would not be limited to mere suspension.
Add to that a pissed-off Albus Dumbledore, and they knew it was simply not worth taking the risk.
.
.
.
Minerva slammed the newspaper in her hand onto the table with a loud thud. She was sitting in her office with an annoyed and unhappy expression on her face. As she remained permanently in Hogwarts she was removed from normal Wizarding society and thus she did not hear news and rumors instantly. Newspapers were the major source of information for her, and what she had read had made her both annoyed and frustrated.
The news concerned what had happened at the Sinistra mansion. The cancellation of the much talked about wedding and the shocking announcement of a betrothal contract between Lord Antonio Olario and Aurora Sinistra. How Antonio Olario had made a grand entrance to save Aurora from the wedding and how he had even been willing to make an enemy of Timirus family for the Sinistra girl.
Like the majority of people, she too believed that the betrothal was nothing but an act. But she still could not shed the worry from her heart. Even if it was an act, it showed that Lord Olario cared for Aurora. And if he cared for her, what was stopping them from turning this act into a real one? The contract was already there; they simply did not have to cancel it.
Even so, she knew that all was not yet done. She still had some time, and she knew that she would have to make full use of it.
A knock on her door snapped her out of her thoughts.
"Come in," she boomed. The doors were pushed open and a red-haired girl stepped inside: Lily Evans.
"Professor," she said. "You called for me."
"Yes," Minerva said with a small smile.
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