Chapter 28. The Attack.
Lynn and Cedric both heard the piercing scream.
They exchanged a glance.
" Underground," Lynn said quickly.
Without pausing, they rushed to the source of the sound.
There sat a girl in a Slytherin robe, trembling as if she were paralyzed with fear, her face pale as she stared at the corner of the corridor.
A young wizard lay there, silent, as if dead.
Lynn and Cedric were the first to arrive at the scene. They quickly divided the tasks: Cedric stayed behind to comfort the frightened girl, while Lynn went to the "corpse" to see if it could be saved.
When he saw the face of the person lying on the ground, Lynn's pupils constricted sharply.
He recognized the person; it was his roommate, Hubert McKellen, who had pretended to apologize and make up with him just yesterday.
Although he lay motionless on the ground, he was still breathing; his chest rose and fell slowly, and his eyes were open.
However, his eyes were lifeless, devoid of any light, making him look no different from a dead man.
"What's wrong, Lynn?" Cedric asked anxiously, seeing Lynn standing standing there frozen for so long.
Lynn hadn't touched Hubert's body without permission; some curses in the magical world were very sinister, and a slight mistake could lead to trouble.
"This situation isn't something we can handle; we have to wait for the professors to arrive."
Lynn stepped back to Cedric's side, wanting to ask the Slytherin girl if she knew anything.
But the poor girl was still in shock, burying her head in her knees and sobbing softly.
It was getting late, and many young wizards heading to the Great Hall for breakfast had been drawn by the scream, including the two Slytherin prefects.
Betty approached Lynn.
"What happened to Hubert McKellen?"
"I heard the scream and came here. I don't know what happened.." Lynn shook his head.
More and more young wizards gathered, and soon the first professor arrived.
It was Professor McGonagall.
"Get out of the way! All of you get out of the way! Those of you with classes, get ready for class! Do you want your house to lose points?!"
The place was already surrounded by young wizards, and Professor McGonagall had to drive them away first.
When Professor McGonagall squeezed into the scene and saw Hubert's condition, she froze, then her face quickly turned pale, and she shouted in a trembling voice,
"What are you all standing there for? Get him to the school hospital so Madam Pomfrey can take a look!"
Slytherin's male prefect Raphael and female prefect Judy immediately grabbed Hubert's arms and helped him to the school hospital.
Professor McGonagall looked at the group of young wizards who were still standing there and asked with a grim expression,
"Who was the first to find him?"
Everyone's eyes turned to Lynn and Cedric, and Lynn had to step forward to explain.
"Professor, the first person to find him was this girl. Cedric and I found him by her voice."
Perhaps because the professor was present, the girl also came to her senses, but she stammered that she had just come out of the Slytherin common room to go to the Great Hall for breakfast, and then she encountered Hubert lying on the ground here. She couldn't provide any useful information.
The whole thing was incoherent, and Professor McGonagall couldn't figure it out either. She could only speak to the group of young wizards who remained.
"Hubert will be fine. I'll investigate this matter thoroughly. Everyone, please disperse now."
Professor McGonagall was the second most respected person at Hogwarts after Headmaster Dumbledore, and the young wizards dared not disobey her orders, so they all left the scene.
Lynn and Cedric also walked towards the Great Hall together.
"That person looked like your roommate?" Cedric asked.
Lynn nodded: "Yes, he looked like he had been attacked, and he didn't look well."
Cedric frowned: "You two don't get along?"
"He thinks my background is an insult to Slytherin." Lynn shrugged, making no attempt to hide their conflict.
Cedric didn't have much to say about this. He patted Lynn on the shoulder, sighed, and gave him some advice.
"Then be careful, the professors might talk to you again."
Lynn shrugged. "You're my alibi; I've been with you all morning."
"I know. If it comes to that, I'll testify for you."
The two parted ways in the Great Hall, each heading towards their respective house tables.
By breakfast time, news of the attack on a young wizard at Hogwarts had spread throughout the entire school.
Many people at the Slytherin table, having heard that Lynn was one of the first witnesses, rushed over to ask him what had happened, much to Lynn's annoyance.
Even breakfast tasted bland, probably because of what had happened.
He quickly stuffed a few bites of bread into his mouth, drank a glass of milk to finish, and then fled the Great Hall.
Passing the Hufflepuff table, he saw Cedric in the same situation, but knowing his kind nature, he figured he wouldn't get away so easily.
With no classes in the morning, Lynn went straight back to the Slytherin common room.
It wasn't until he got to the dormitory that he realized his two roommates, Mark and Mitchell, were still there.
They saw Lynn and their expressions were clearly unusual.
Lynn squinted and suddenly asked Mark,
"Do you know where Hubert went?"
Mark seemed nervous and stammered,
"He... went to the owl house to send a letter to buy sweets."
Compared to Mark, Mitchell's acting was much better.
"We'll be able to enjoy those delicious sweets this afternoon. Have you heard of Honeydukes candies, Lynn? They're very famous in the wizarding world..."
They obviously didn't know about Hubert's attack, but Lynn wasn't in the mood for their games anymore. He interrupted Mitchell.
"Hubert was attacked by someone, and his life is in danger. He's been taken to the school hospital. If you don't believe me, the professor will probably send someone over soon to find out what happened. If you're responsible for this, think about the consequences."
Mark and Mitchell's mouths gaped open; they were stunned by Lynn's words.
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(End of Chapter)