Chapter 583: Chaos at School
Chapter 583: Chaos at School
In the days that followed, Harry seemed to have become a dangerous figure. Everywhere he went, he attracted a myriad of complex gazes.
Even Hermione and Ron, by association, became people that others tried to avoid.
Gradually, these gazes turned into ridicule.
In the final days before the holidays, some students seemed to find a new pastime in mocking Harry.
After all, Dumbledore had only instructed them not to question him, but he hadn't said anything about other actions.
Draco Malfoy and his two cronies, for example, would always make a point to walk near Harry and loudly discuss the contents of the newspaper.
At first, Harry would argue and try to explain, but after several days of this, he decided to stop wasting his breath and instead threw a book directly at Malfoy's face.
Harry had been feeling repressed these past few days.
First, he was suddenly abducted by Death Eaters, then he witnessed and participated in Voldemort's resurrection, and now the newspaper's biased reporting—all these events had piled up, and Harry had been longing for an opportunity to vent his frustration.
Malfoy's recent behavior provided him with the perfect catalyst.
As if they had planned it, Ron and Hermione didn't hesitate for a moment before joining the fray, targeting Crabbe and Goyle.
Caught off guard, the Malfoy trio was left dazed and confused.
But this was just the beginning. As more students passed by, the news spread, and soon, a massive brawl erupted between the two houses.
In the narrow corridor, everyone tacitly avoided using magic and instead opted for a more direct approach—their fists.
That day, the school hospital was packed with injured students. Madam Pomfrey worked tirelessly, her wand almost smoking from overuse, as she barely managed to conjure enough beds and brew three large pots of healing potion through the night.
Due to the sheer number of patients, to make room, Filch, who was supposed to stay a few more days for treatment, had to be discharged earlier than expected.
The consequence of this incident was a deduction of five hundred points each from Gryffindor and Slytherin, the highest point deduction in several decades.
But no one seemed to care about that.
While five hundred points sounded outrageous, they were already at the bottom of the inter-house competition, thanks to Snape and Sirius Black's efforts.
Forget five hundred; they'd be hard-pressed to even scrape together a hundred points.
However, none of this affected Kyle.
Perhaps because he hadn't been present during the confrontation with Fudge, his name was not mentioned in the Prophet.
Additionally, since Dumbledore hadn't said anything, aside from his close friends, no one else knew where he had gone during his disappearance in the maze.
"What were you two thinking?" Kyle asked, tossing a bottle of essence of murtlap to Fred and George, who were wincing in pain in the Hufflepuff common room.
"Is there even a question?" Fred replied, catching the bottle and rolling up his sleeve to apply some of the essence to his arm. "Of course, we're fighting against the Dark Lord's forces."
"I bet there are Slytherins among the Death Eaters," George added, dabbing some of the essence on his face. "Malfoy, for sure."
"I wasn't talking about that," Kyle said. "I meant, why did you come to me for treatment instead of going to the hospital wing? I've only treated magical creatures before."
"The hospital wing is too crowded," Fred said nonchalantly.
"And these are just minor injuries, not worth bothering Madam Pomfrey about..."
"You didn't see the look on her face," George said, shuddering at the memory. "It was terrifying, with so many injured students."
"Her face would be scary with so many injured," Kyle muttered.
He glanced at the twins, their injuries indeed minor—mostly bruises from knocks and bumps.
For such injuries, essence of murtlap wasn't the most effective treatment, but he didn't have any more suitable healing potions on hand, so it would have to do for now.
"Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle..." George continued, "...those three names were on the Death Eater list from over a decade ago."
"You saw that too, right?" Fred asked.
"I think so," Kyle shrugged. "But the Death Eaters wore masks, so I didn't get a good look at their faces. I arrived a bit late and missed a lot. Harry probably knows more."
"Yeah, that's true," George nodded. "But Headmaster Dumbledore told us not to question him about it."
"And Dad wrote to us, asking us not to bother Harry," Fred added.
On the last night before their departure, Kyle joined the others in the Great Hall for the banquet.
At the entrance, he ran into Harry, who had his arm bandaged.
As the central figure in the recent brawl, Harry had only just been allowed to leave the hospital wing.
However, he didn't seem upset at all; in fact, he looked rather cheerful, probably because Malfoy, not far away, was also sporting a similar get-up.
...
This year's banquet was decorated with Hufflepuff banners, just like in previous years.
Kyle, as the Triwizard Champion, received a thousand galleons as a prize, and Dumbledore awarded him an additional two hundred points.
This made Hufflepuff the undisputed first-place winner, claiming the House Cup for the fifth time, tying the previous record held by Slytherin.
Sirius Black and Professor Moody, who had both been missing for many days, were seated in the staff section, conversing with Dumbledore. Snape sat next to Professor McGonagall, his face grim.
Madame Maxime was also present, whispering something to Hagrid.
It was likely about the giants, as the Ministry of Magic probably wouldn't send an envoy to approach them, but Dumbledore had to.
And the best candidates for this task were undoubtedly Hagrid and Madame Maxime, both half-giants themselves. They would probably take action during this holiday.
As Kyle was thinking about this, Dumbledore suddenly stood up from his seat at the teacher's table, and the Great Hall immediately fell silent.
"Another year has passed." Dumbledore looked at everyone and said, "Tonight, I have something very important to tell you all.
"The Ministry of Magic has repeatedly asked me to keep this matter confidential, but I believe you deserve to know the truth."
All eyes turned to him.
"You've been wondering why our caretaker, Mr. Filch, has been in the hospital wing, haven't you?
"It's because he was attacked by a deranged Death Eater."
"A Death Eater?"
Murmurs filled the hall.
"How is that possible..."
"Why would they dare to show up at the school?"
"..."
Dumbledore raised his hand, signaling for everyone to quiet down.
"As for what was reported in the Prophet, I can tell you that it's all true and not a figment of Harry's imagination.
"The Death Eater disguised himself as Filch, abducted Harry Potter from the school, and delivered him to his master—Lord Voldemort!"
At this point, the Great Hall erupted into an uproar, everyone staring at Dumbledore in shock and disbelief, thinking they must have misheard him.
It was just a Death Eater before, but now it had suddenly escalated to Voldemort himself.
Dumbledore had to use magic to amplify his voice to barely drown out the buzzing of the students.
"And I must also tell you," he continued loudly, "that Lord Voldemort... has returned."
"I know many of you may find this hard to accept or are shocked by my words, but this is what I witnessed with my own eyes.
"I cannot bring myself to hide the truth from you, for evasion will solve nothing. You may doubt or scoff at my words, but remember to always stay vigilant and prepared."
Every face in the Great Hall reflected shock and fear as they looked at Dumbledore.
They couldn't believe this was real.
Cedric and Cho, who already knew about this, remained silent at the Hufflepuff table, but most others wore complicated expressions.
Some believed Dumbledore, while others did not.
For example, Michael Corner fully trusted Dumbledore's words. As a Muggle-born wizard, he had only heard about Voldemort and didn't have a deep-seated fear of him, so he was more inclined to believe the headmaster.
However, Ryan seemed conflicted. He had heard of Voldemort's deeds and knew how terrible the war had been over a decade ago, so subconsciously, he resisted the news of Voldemort's resurrection.
Yet, he also trusted the headmaster, leaving him torn and unsure of what to do. He remained silent throughout the banquet.
...
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
