Chapter 333: Percy's Little Secret
Chapter 333: Percy's Little Secret
The Hit Wizards searched through the office, taking away almost everything, including portraits and autographed photos.
"Goodbye, Professor McGonagall," Hard said as he prepared to leave. "I'll be on my way now."
"I'd rather not see you at this school again, Auror Hard," Professor McGonagall muttered under her breath.
"Sorry, Professor, but my hands are tied." Hard smiled. "However, I'll be an Auror soon, and I doubt I'll have to visit Hogwarts again. Unless, of course, the school decides to hire another Death Eater as the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."
He meant it as a joke, but it fell flat as Professor McGonagall failed to find any humor in his words.
Death Eaters? Indeed, there was one here last year... and even their master paid a visit.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Hard turned and strode out of the office, flanked by the two Hit Wizards escorting a reluctant Lockhart.
"Hey, where are you taking me?" Lockhart called out.
"Take it easy, no need to rush..."
"Oh, what a beautiful place..."
Lockhart's voice echoed down the corridor.
Watching his retreating figure, Kyle couldn't shake the feeling that he had been played.
Lockhart must have known about the Ministry's arrival beforehand and had been waiting for them to show up.
The more Kyle thought about it, the more convinced he became.
No one would cast a Memory Charm on someone who was on their guard. Usually, it was done through a sneak attack... and Lockhart would surely know that.
However, the decision to erase his own memories to avoid trial could be considered either clever or foolish.
After all, such an action came at a high price, and it was ineffective for both minor and major incidents.
News of Lockhart's removal from the school spread quickly among the students after he was taken away.
It turned out that Lockhart was not the legendary adventurer he claimed to be. He had stolen the experiences of others and passed them off as his own, revealing himself to be a fraud.
Some of Lockhart's admirers refused to believe the truth, but most students quickly accepted the revelation.
It was unexpected yet inevitable, and his performance in the classroom provided the most compelling evidence.
"I told you he was a fraud," Ron declared proudly to Hermione during the end-of-year feast. "You refused to believe me, but now it's clear that I was right."
Hermione turned her head away, ignoring him.
But Ron continued to gloat, as this was the first time he had ever bested Hermione in anything. He was thrilled beyond measure.
So caught up in his triumph, he failed to notice the darkening expression on Hermione's face.
Harry tried to warn him several times, but to no avail.
"Ron..."
Finally, Hermione spun around, her anger bubbling over. "You will never, ever see my homework again!" she exclaimed.
With that, she huffed over to Pavati Patil and swapped seats.
Ron sat there with his mouth hanging open, looking bewildered. He turned to Harry and muttered, "You think it's too late for me to apologize?"
Harry offered a weak laugh but said nothing. He had seen this coming from a mile away.
Soon, Dumbledore entered the Great Hall.
Due to the Chamber of Secrets incident, Kyle was once again awarded the Special Award for Services to the School, and two hundred points were given to Hufflepuff, pushing them ahead of Ravenclaw and securing the House Cup.
The badgers erupted in cheers, nearly shaking the ceiling with their enthusiasm.
They could never have imagined that their house would achieve a three-peat victory.
Professor Sprout's face was flushed with excitement as she shook hands with the other professors, her new robe, specially purchased for the occasion from Hogsmeade, hanging neatly on her body. The finest materials and craftsmanship had gone into its making.
After the feast, everyone began to enjoy the most carefree time of the year.
It felt like the blink of an eye before the exam results were out.
Due to a few mistakes in the Muggle Studies exam, Kyle didn't get a perfect score this time, but he still achieved a top grade that no one else could match.
Fred and George also did quite well, with nearly half Os, which would be enough to save them from Mrs. Weasley's nagging during the holidays.
The next day, they would be boarding the Hogwarts Express to go home.
As Kyle prepared to board the train, Professor McGonagall approached him and handed him a note.
"This is from Professor Dumbledore," she said.
The note contained only a very short sentence.
"Your things have been sent away, but Professor Snape doesn't seem too happy about it."
Kyle was a little surprised, as he had thought that Dumbledore would be too engrossed in studying the Time-Turner to remember this matter.
"The headmaster also asked me to tell you that the Chamber of Secrets incident is over," Professor McGonagall said. "He said you know what that means."
"I understand, Professor," Kyle nodded.
Dumbledore's meaning was simple: he didn't want the Basilisk to appear in the school again, in any form.
"That's good," Professor McGonagall looked at Kyle, feeling a bit perplexed, but didn't ask further.
Dumbledore was always mysterious, and this wasn't the first time, so she had gotten used to it.
"Don't forget about that essay, make sure you write it properly," she reminded him once more before returning to the castle.
By the time Kyle boarded the train, Connor, Cedric, and the others had already found a compartment.
Ginny was there too, and Fred and George were questioning her about something.
"What did Percy say to you just now..."
"He's hiding something from us and told you not to tell anyone..."
"It's nothing..." Ginny hesitated, "You must have misheard."
"Two Muggle tooth-cleaning sticks!" Fred held up two fingers.
"But I promised Percy I'd keep it a secret..."
"Plus a bag of Pepper Imps!" George said, "And the new kind that shoots blue fire, the kind only we can get our hands on."
"It's nothing much," Ginny said quickly. "Percy has a girlfriend."
Fred dropped the Exploding Bonbons he was holding onto George's head.
"What?"
"It's Penelope Clearwater, the Ravenclaw Prefect," Ginny said. "During the holidays last year, Percy kept writing letters to her, and I just happened to catch them having a secret date in an empty classroom yesterday."
"No wonder... he refused to lend us his owl no matter what," Fred said with a grin.
"You won't blab about it, will you?" Ginny asked anxiously.
"Absolutely not!" George replied, snickering.
After Ginny left, Fred and George huddled together and whispered for over half an hour before joining the others in a game of Exploding Bonbons and Wizard Chess.
The Hogwarts Express slowed down as it passed through fields of wheat and villages, eventually coming to a stop at King's Cross Station.
...
(End of Chapter)
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