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Chapter 574: Malfoy's Schadenfreude
Chapter 574: Malfoy's Schadenfreude
Dumbledore's evasive answer left Harry completely stunned. He couldn't understand why the topic had suddenly shifted from the Dark Lord's resurrection to tonight's dinner.
"But, Professors—"
Harry wanted to continue asking questions, but he was quickly pulled back.
Ivan shook his head at Harry, signaling him to hold back. Then, he turned to Dumbledore and said, "Professors, if there's nothing else, we'll be on our way!"
"Go ahead!" Dumbledore waved them off, looking a bit weary. Before they left, he added, "If there are any more similar messages, you should inform me immediately!"
...
"So, we're just going back like this?"
Exiting the Headmaster's Office, Harry glanced back, clearly unwilling to let go. He still had many questions he hadn't had the chance to ask.
"What else do you think we can do?" Ivan shot Harry a look and said with a sigh. "Dumbledore's message was clear. Even if Voldemort is plotting something, we fourth-year young wizards can't do much to help, or we might just make things worse!"
In the original timeline, if Harry hadn't acted on his own and led his friends into the Ministry of Magic's Department of Mysteries, they wouldn't have fallen into Voldemort's trap, leading to Sirius Black's tragic death.
In fact, the outcome was already skewed by Harry's protagonist luck. Without the Order of the Phoenix's intervention, these young wizards, who hadn't even graduated, would have been wiped out in the battle against the Death Eaters.
"Ivan is right, Harry! We've done all we can. The rest will be handled by Professor Dumbledore!" Hermione chimed in, supporting Ivan.
Harry opened his mouth to argue but then realized, after some thought, that he truly couldn't do anything.
Ron tried to comfort Harry, while Ivan thought about how to naturally inform Dumbledore about Hufflepuff's Cup in Gringotts.
This was currently the most manageable Horcrux, but breaking into Gringotts with his current strength would be difficult, and relying on Bogrod's Transformation for disguise wasn't entirely safe.
Lost in their thoughts, the four of them soon arrived at the Great Hall.
They had spent some time in the Headmaster's Office and were clearly running late. The long tables of the Four Houses were already crowded with students having dinner. Ivan and the others quickly found an empty spot and sat down.
After a full day of classes, Ron was already quite hungry. He eagerly picked up his knife, cut a large slice of cake, and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing loudly. He then grabbed a glass of lemon juice and took a big gulp, letting out a satisfied burp.
Ivan aimed for the cream puffs on the table, speared one with his fork, and placed it on his plate, enjoying his dinner.
While eating, Ivan glanced over at Hermione. Seeing her calmly spreading jam on a slice of bread, he realized she had come to terms with the situation.
"Merlin, Hermione, you're actually eating! Didn't you say you'd rather starve than eat food produced by slave labor?" Ron noticed this and exclaimed in surprise.
"I've thought it through. There are better ways to advocate for House-elves' rights," Hermione turned and gave Ron a fierce glare.
Ron pursed his lips but wisely chose not to provoke Hermione further. Instead, he turned to Harry, who seemed preoccupied.
"Are you still thinking about the Dark Lord, Harry? Forget about it! Just treat it like a dream! No, it was a dream!" Ron tried to comfort him.
Harry didn't say anything, just nodding absent-mindedly.
He wished he could forget it as easily as Ron suggested, but it was clearly not that simple. Every time he closed his eyes, the scenes from the dream would flood his mind, impossible to forget.
At that moment, the sound of flapping wings came from outside the Great Hall. Ivan looked up and saw a flock of owls flying in, delivering letters and packages to the long tables of the four houses.
One owl circled above the Great Hall before flying toward them.
Harry's face lit up with surprise, believing it must be a letter from Sirius!
He had told Sirius Black about his scar pain while staying with the Dursleys and was eagerly awaiting a reply.
Unfortunately, the owl landed directly on Ivan's shoulder under Harry's expectant gaze.
"Who's the letter from?" Harry couldn't help but ask.
"Hmm, it's probably from my mom. Oh, and my Daily Prophet has arrived!" Ivan swallowed his mouthful of steak and, speaking with a muffled voice, grabbed the owl, taking the envelope and newspaper from its leg.
Ivan didn't intend to open the letter right away, as it might contain information he didn't want Harry and the others to know, so he put it away, planning to read it later.
As for the newspaper, Ivan had no such reservations and flipped it open in front of everyone.
"What's this?" Ivan frowned as he looked at the front page of the Daily Prophet.
It showed a chaotic campsite, flames rising on all sides, with a large number of people, whether wizards or Muggles, fleeing in panic, creating a terrifying scene.
"Isn't this the chaos that happened on the day of the Quidditch World Cup? Someone actually managed to take a picture!" Hermione leaned in, surprised.
Harry and Ron, hearing this, also looked over curiously.
After just a few glances, both of their faces twisted as if they had swallowed flies. The Daily Prophet not only reported on the chaotic scene but also highlighted the Ministry of Magic's mistakes and the near-capture of Sirius Black.
"Your father's in the paper, Weasley!" Malfoy, having finished his meal, approached with his two cronies, holding an identical copy of the Daily Prophet, his face filled with schadenfreude.
After taunting Ron, Malfoy turned his attention to Harry. "Oh, and you, Harry, your godfather almost ended up back in Azkaban."
"Shall I read it out to you?" Malfoy, ignoring the murderous looks from Harry and Ron, cleared his throat and began reading aloud from the newspaper.
"Recently, after the Quidditch World Cup, a large-scale riot broke out. The rioters burned tents and amused themselves by tormenting Muggles.
According to an unnamed source, the Ministry of Magic apprehended a former Azkaban escapee, Sirius Black, who is suspected of being the instigator of the chaos!"
"Yes, I think their suspicion is quite reasonable. Black had only been out of prison for a short time when this chaos erupted. What a coincidence, don't you think?" Malfoy looked at Harry with a mocking grin, sneering.
(End of Chapter)
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