Argus accompanied Ginny back to the school infirmary.
Upon seeing the two approach, Slytherin and Gryffindor reacted in completely different ways.
Slytherins excitedly greeted Argus one after another.
The Gryffindors looked strange, especially after seeing Ginny and Argus side by side; they all turned their faces away, refusing to acknowledge them.
Argus took it all in, a slight smile playing on his lips.
He noticed the Gryffindors' situation but didn't offer any further warnings.
They actually acted more intimately.
"Ginny, I'll go ask the Slytherins. You can also ask if anyone in your house has lost anything."
Ginny was so engrossed in her interaction with Argus that she was completely unaware of the resentful stares from the Gryffindors.
After Argus finished questioning the Slytherins, he turned around and saw Ginny standing in front of the Gryffindors' sickbeds with a wronged look on her face.
She had asked several times, but no one even looked at her.
A barely perceptible smile flashed in Argus's eyes.
He had reminded them once at the library, but they still made the same mistake.
If it were Ravenclaw or Slytherin, they might have been more understanding because she genuinely had something to do.
Hufflepuff probably didn't care at all.
As for Gryffindor... forget about it!
If they were truly willing to use their brains, they wouldn't be constantly called reckless lions.
"How is it, Ginny? Was it someone from your house who went missing?"
"I...I haven't finished asking yet..."
Ginny buried her head deeply, awkwardly twisting the hem of her clothes.
Argus feigned confusion, glanced at the Gryffindors, then looked on with understanding and reassured her, "It's alright, they're probably just too tired and don't feel like looking through their things right now."
"Anyway, you're all in the same common room, so it's the same whether you ask again when you get back."
Now that he'd finished asking the questions, he'd head back now.
"Goodbye!"
Argus saw the grievance and sadness in Ginny's eyes, but he did not stop to pity her.
He even wanted to fan the flames!
This would help Voldemort further break down Ginny's psychological defenses!
Ginny stood alone at the entrance of the school infirmary, watching Argus's departing figure with a lonely gaze.
She tried to speak several times, but ultimately fell silent.
...
The next day.
Argus awoke from his sleep and came to the Great Hall of Hogwarts Castle.
A group of people huddled together, seemingly discussing something.
Argus went to the Slytherin table and casually picked up a piece of bread.
Why did it look so lively today?
"Wasn't everything resolved yesterday morning?"
"Not yesterday morning!" Theodore Nott explained.
"Last night, people from the Ministry of Magic came over. A group of Aurors and high-ranking officials from the Ministry of Magic went to the Headmaster's office and personally took Harry Potter and Ron Weasley away!"
Argus put down his food: "Didn't Professor Dumbledore say anything?"
"Too many high-ranking officials from the Ministry of Magic came."
"Director Bones, Director Barty Crouch, and Minister of Magic Fudge are all here."
"Harry and Ron have really made a lot of noise," Blaise Zabini interjected. "Even if the headmaster wants to protect them, he still has to be reasonable."
"That makes sense." Argus nodded and continued eating his bread.
But his mind was already on Harry and Ron.
He had expected Fudge to come, but he was somewhat surprised that Amelia Bones and Barty Crouch would stand with him.
However, upon closer reflection, Amelia Bones and Barty Crouch were both relatively upright individuals, and upholding wizarding law was perfectly justifiable.
Barty Crouch, in particular, was incredibly popular in the Ministry of Magic. If it weren't for his son being a Death Eater, he would have been a shoo-in for Minister.
The gathering of the three represented the Ministry of Magic's attitude and also hinted at the Ministry's determination.
Unless Dumbledore wanted to break ties with the Ministry of Magic, he had no choice but to concede.
Thinking of this, Argus couldn't help but feel a little emotional.
Dumbledore was too rule-abiding.
The greatest white wizard of this century was both a praise and a constraint upon him.
Neither his own father nor Voldemort could be threatened by the Ministry of Magic.
Dumbledore would probably have to call in a big favor to get them out.
Harry's trial this time was completely different from the one in the original books, where he used magic to protect Dudley; it was a clear violation of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery.
This had caused the Ministry of Magic to expend a great deal of manpower to deal with him.
Moreover, there was the even more serious case of Ron and Arthur.
"Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore. Anyway, I can't possibly participate in the court hearing."
"Going to class first is the right thing to do."
Argus asked Pansy about today's class.
She told him that the heads of the houses were worried that Gryffindor and Slytherin would cause trouble in class again, so they changed the original two-house setup into a large class with all four houses together.
He arrived in the classroom.
The situation was exactly the same as when he was injured in Potions class last semester. The only difference was that there was a subtle spark between Gryffindor and Slytherin.
They were just one trigger away from a full-blown fight!
As soon as the professor arrived, the atmosphere became tense.
Argus's lips twitched as he watched.
Damn it, didn't they know the situation between Slytherin and Gryffindor?
Let Snape teach the first lesson!
Judging from how Snape was deducting points from Gryffindor, were they afraid the two houses wouldn't fight?
Even Lockhart would be better than him!
Snape closed the classroom window expressionlessly and looked up at everyone in the classroom.
"Now, take out your books and turn to page eight."
Don't make me say it a second time!
Argus had a lot of contact with Snape last year, and judging from some of his micro-expressions, the other man seemed to be in a good mood.
It made sense. Slytherin had benefited from yesterday's brawl, and Harry had been taken away by the Ministry of Magic.
For Snape, it was a double blessing!
He was even happier than during Christmas!
In Snape's mind, the worse Harry's life was, the happier he would be, as long as Harry was alive!
Who told him to have a face exactly like James'!
In Potions class, Snape's blatant favoritism was so obvious that even Argus couldn't stand it.
"Mr. Malfoy, what is the antidote for the Swelling Solution?"
"It's a Deflating Draught, Professor!"
"Correct answer, Slytherin gets three points."
"Miss Greengrass, what is the purpose of the Swelling Solution?"
"Makes people swollen?"
"Correct answer, Slytherin gets three points."
"Mr. Grindelwald, what color is the Swelling Solution?"
"Colorless and transparent, Professor."
"Correct answer, Slytherin gets three points."
"Mr. Seamus Finnigan, what is the formula for the Swelling Solution?"
One sentence left Seamus speechless.
No, was he just playing around?
Why were their questions all about the effect or color, but when it came to him, it was about the formula?!
If he'd known this, he could have gotten an O in Potions class last year?
"I...I don't know..."
"Oh, perhaps you should ask your classmates in the school infirmary; they might know more."
"Sit down! Gryffindor loses three points!"
…
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