Chapter 634: School and War
Chapter 634: School and War (Please subscribe, favorite, and vote!)
After leaving the Headmaster's Office, Liam and Hermione found themselves unsure of what to do next. It was past mealtime, and they didn't know what classes they should attend, having been away from Hogwarts for the past week. They naturally didn't know the current semester's schedule.
"Let's just go to the dorm and tidy up. We can't have everything in a mess", Liam suggested after standing awkwardly at the door of the Headmaster's Office for a moment. They ultimately decided to head back to the Common Room.
What they didn't expect was that as soon as they climbed into the Gryffindor Common Room, a few students who were there without classes immediately surrounded them with enthusiastic greetings, calling them heroes.
"What's going on here?" After squeezing out of the crowd of enthusiastic classmates, Liam pulled aside a familiar face, Colin Creevey, and asked, "Why is everyone calling us heroes?"
"Didn't you know?" Colin looked surprised. "Almost everyone here knows about your battle on the Hogwarts Express and your stand at Azkaban. You're the most prominent heroes on our side since the war began. By the way, could you tell us more about what happened during the battle? The Hogwarts Radio didn't cover it clearly—"
"Wait, what's Hogwarts Radio?" Hermione chimed in, having overheard the conversation. "Percy mentioned it when we came in. It sounds like some kind of propaganda program or a magazine or newspaper."
"Oh, right, you were at Azkaban the whole time", Colin realized. "Hogwarts Radio is a Wizarding Radio Station run by Lee Jordan and a few other students. It's located on the second floor of the Shrieking Shack in Hogsmeade, just down the hill. You can even see their antenna from the Astronomy Tower."
Is this a propaganda campaign? Liam thought. The reason he and Hermione had become the focus of such propaganda was undoubtedly because their side had suffered a humiliating defeat in their previous encounter with Voldemort. They needed heroes to boost morale.
"Have there been any Death Eater attacks around here recently?" Liam continued. "They can't have been sitting idly in London after taking over the Ministry of Magic, can they?"
"I'm not entirely sure", Colin admitted. "I'm just a student, and my sources for outside news are limited to the Hogwarts Radio and the Daily Prophet. The Daily Prophet is full of nonsense these days, and the Hogwarts Radio doesn't broadcast much."
Seeing the disappointed look on Liam and Hermione's faces, Colin thought for a moment and added, "But on the night we arrived at school, there were sporadic explosions coming from Hogsmeade. We could hear them from our dormitory in Gryffindor. The next morning, Dumbledore told us it was just scattered Death Eater attacks."
"After that, with more wizards arriving, both Hogsmeade and Hogwarts set up patrols. We haven't heard any more attacks in the area since then. But according to the radio, there have been numerous attacks and murders in the south."
"That sounds terrible", Liam shook his head. "We can only hope things will get better."
"Things will get better", Colin Creevey said confidently. "We have Headmaster Dumbledore, the Chosen One Harry Potter, and heroes like you. I believe we will defeat the Dark Lord and win the final victory."
"Yes, we will win this war", Hermione said. She and Liam both felt that as long as everyone maintained this optimistic attitude, they would not fail.
By lunchtime, the harsh consequences of the war were evident. At the Slytherin table, only a handful of people were seated, and the Ravenclaw table had visibly fewer students as well.
The Great Hall was eerily quiet, with everyone speaking in hushed tones. An occasional burst of laughter sounded jarring, and those who laughed quickly fell silent, lowering their heads to continue eating.
"Over here—" As Liam and Hermione walked halfway to the long tables, a deliberately hushed greeting caught their attention. Following the sound, Liam saw Ron waving them over, with Harry and Ginny sitting beside him.
"Good to see you", Liam said, placing a piece of chicken on his plate as he sat down. "I patrolled all night last night, and this morning I ran into Mad-Eye Moody, who sent me straight to the Headmaster's office. I've been running non-stop for 24 hours. I only managed to grab some sandwiches and cake in Dumbledore's office this morning. I'm both starving and exhausted."
"Sounds awful, especially after being in Azkaban", Ron shook his head. "I can't imagine spending an entire week there and just feeling a bit tired."
"By the way", Harry said after swallowing his food. "There's a rumor going around that you and Hermione killed a lot of Death Eaters during the attack on the Hogwarts Express. Is that true?"
"It's true", Liam glanced around to ensure no one was too close, then continued. "Hermione and I took down 18 Death Eaters that day. They were all mercenaries hired by the Dark Lord from abroad, as all his elite forces were busy attacking the Ministry of Magic."
"Good job", Ron slapped his thigh, saying, "It's about time those damn Death Eaters got a taste of their own medicine."
Ron's comment drew the attention of several people, but contrary to expectations, no one distanced themselves from Liam and Hermione. Instead, many approached with excited expressions, asking for details about the attack. A Hufflepuff girl even ran over to shake their hands in gratitude.
"What's going on?" After spending a few minutes recounting the events of the past week and waiting for the crowd to disperse, Liam turned to Ron, who was sitting across from him.
"It's a bad situation", Ron explained. "The day after the attack, the students in the Great Hall received four letters informing them that their loved ones had been killed, and several others had family members who were injured. For example, the girl who just shook your hand, her father was an Auror and one of Scrimgeour's guards. He was among those killed during the attack."
"Damn war!" Liam understood immediately. Many people have a tendency to be overly idealistic, especially those who grew up in peaceful and prosperous times. But once war breaks out and the conflict affects their loved ones, they quickly realize the harsh reality and take the right path. This is why, upon learning that Liam had killed so many Death Eaters, most people did not feel fear but saw him and Hermione as heroes.
The war's impact extended beyond just a shift in people's attitudes. The food on the tables was noticeably less abundant, and according to Ron, the requirements for practical work in Potions and Herbology had become more stringent. The school no longer provided unlimited materials for experimentation as it used to.
These changes clearly showed the significant financial gap Hogwarts faced after losing funding from the Ministry of Magic and donations from board members. Liam hoped that his contribution would help improve the overall situation.
(End of Chapter)
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