Chapter 1274 - 87: Magic Spell Study Group Meeting Room 4

The Magic Spell Study Group lasts for a total of two hours.

After the first hour, Frank Longbottom bid farewell to his son and left.

Although he did want to stay until the end, as the only Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at the school, Frank really didn't have that much free time.

Then another hour passed.

Some younger students, and those with other plans that night, gradually left one after another.

Some students who were purely there to learn spells, after mastering the two spells of the night, found that the meeting room didn't lack temporary instructors, so they put away their magic wands and quietly exited.

As the activity neared its end, the classroom felt much more empty than before. Although the atmosphere was still lively, there seemed to be more of something else.

Beyond satisfaction and excitement, there seemed to be an elusive tinge of disappointment.

Some people began to frequently glance at the clock on the wall, others tentatively inquired from SSC members, and some had already put down their magic wands, no longer practicing, but didn't leave decisively either, they just stood in the corners.

They hadn't all come to learn spells.

Upon seeing that ordinance, the Magic Spell Study Group, which had been on hiatus for half a year, was restarted. Deep down, everyone didn't believe this "coincidence" was merely a "coincidence".

Many people were waiting.

They were waiting for someone to say something, do something, or simply just tell them—

Don't be afraid, everything will get better!

Finally—

"Dong…dong…dong…"

The clock struck nine, and the few students who were still practicing spells immediately stopped.

Vid had already stepped onto the podium, clapping his hands, as if issuing a command, and the entire classroom quickly quieted down.

Everyone slightly lifted their heads to look at him.

"It's nine o'clock now." Vid said, "Today's activity time is over, everyone can leave now."

"—Is it over already?"

"So soon?"

Disappointed voices rose from all directions, some opened their mouths then closed them again, some stood in place, showing no intention of packing up.

Of course, quite a few students hesitated, picked up their backpacks, glanced back, and finally stepped out the door.

Vid didn't look at them; his gaze traveled past the crowd and toward the doorway.

Michael leaned against the doorframe, nodded slightly at Vid.

In the crowd, Theo and Padma had gone out at some point.

But they hadn't gone far.

Theo stood behind a statue in the corridor, leaning against the wall, gazing at the empty corridor ahead.

"Theo, what are you doing here?" Someone passing by saw him and asked.

"Waiting for Leian." Theo simply said.

"You two might as well act like conjoined twins." That person habitually teased.

Padma sat on the stairs at the other corner, reading a book. Anyone wanting to go upstairs would have to pass by her.

"Why are you sitting here alone?" Her roommate, Lisa, noticed her and asked with concern.

"Oh, I had a fight with Michael." Padma said slowly, "I don't want to see him for now."

"Then come back with us, the event is over." Lisa said.

"I'll wait a little longer." Padma gripped her magic wand and said, "When that guy comes out, I'm going to give him a good hit!"

"Haha!" Lisa laughed, "Hide well then, don't let your ambush be discovered!"

Padma nodded seriously, watching a group of girls chattering as they left, then reopened the book in her hands.

Meanwhile, in the corridor two floors below, Ron had been wandering around here for over an hour. His pockets were bulging, and his face was as sour as if he had just swallowed a slug.

Nailed to the door in front of him was a brand new brass plaque, engraved with "Ministry of Magic Security Envoy Office," with letters gleaming under the dim light.

A sliver of weak light seeped through the gap in the door—Percy was still inside, likely writing "a report for the Minister."

...

As more and more people slowly trickled out, the remaining group had also dwindled by half.

But seeing Vid still on the podium, some people remained motionless, merely staring at the person on stage, as if they were searching for an answer in his expression.

Others, already with backpacks on, reached the door but hesitated and stopped upon seeing others still standing.

Finally, the last wave of noise faded away, and the entire classroom fell into complete silence.

Vid clapped his hands again, and most of the lights in the meeting room went out simultaneously, leaving only the area directly above the podium still brightly illuminated.

In the darkness, the originally clear faces of the crowd became nothing more than vague outlines, with only the figure onstage prominently outlined by the light.

Vid raised the microphone.

"Before we end... I have a few words to say."

Nobody moved, nobody spoke, not even a breath was heard.

But within everyone present, their hearts had suddenly begun to race dramatically.

"Since all of you are still here, I think everyone left knows full well— that safety ordinance must never become a customary practice at Hogwarts!"

The breathing of the audience seemed to suddenly become more rapid.

"That Security Envoy claims that this was established for our protection, for the safety of students. But we ourselves also must ask... is it really?"

After a pause, Vid asserted, "It is not!"

"The so-called protection of information security implies that chats with your parents, grumbles about a classmate with a roommate late at night, could all become evidence of your alleged leaks, compiled into reports, placed on the Security Envoy's desk!"