In the morning, the castle was in a state of panic. When everyone realized what had happened, reinforcements came in. More Aurors arrived, and a huge search party was launched. The entire day was spent looking for the girls, but it was as if they had disappeared into thin air. There was no trace of them anywhere, no footprints, no residual magic from a spell, just nothing to indicate that someone even entered the forest. When the sun went down for the day, the Aurors left the forest. Apparently it was not safe at night. Two more days went like this, with no sign of the girls. Now their families were in the castle, demanding to know what was being done to find their daughters. The whole castle was in distress. Minster Fudge was back at the castle and it was decided that owing to the gravity of the situation, the students would be sent back home. The Aurors would keep looking, but it would be better if no one else was at risk. After a lot of convincing, the families of the missing students agreed to go back too, so that the Ministry people could do their job properly. The school year was almost over, with some lectures and the exams left. Other arrangements would be made to ensure the students completed the year.