Chapter 83: Bearing Glory
Chapter 83: Bearing Glory
"Before we enjoy the delicious feast, you must endure the ramblings of an old man." Dumbledore cleared his throat.
"Firstly, I am delighted to see you all lively and back at school, sharing your experiences with your peers. However, I must mention that last term, we went through several difficult months..."
The young wizards stared at Dumbledore's face, eager to hear what he had to say.
"... There were two attacks, and one young wizard is still lying in the special ward." Dumbledore paused, then raised his voice, "But thanks to a few individuals, they uncovered the truth through their own efforts and very bravely resolved the issue in the Chamber of Secrets."
"Yes, we should not forget their names—Harry Potter! Ron Weasley! Hermione Granger!"
All eyes in the Great Hall turned to the Gryffindor table, where Harry and his friends were being looked at with amazement.
"You must be joking!" one of the Weasley twins shouted, his voice echoing through the Great Hall, breaking the solemn atmosphere.
Dumbledore chuckled, his face gentle. "Of course not, Weasley. Speaking of jokes, I remember a rather amusing one about a troll and a gnome—"
"Cough, cough!" Professor Mcgonagall coughed loudly beside him.
"Ah, right, let's get back to the matter at hand. Their bravery has earned the praise of several professors, and for that, I will award each of them two hundred points!" Dumbledore announced.
Snape couldn't help but snort.
The Gryffindor table erupted in cheers, clapping wildly. The Weasley twins rushed over to hug Harry and Ron, while Percy shouted from a corner, "That's my brother! My brother! They'll also share the school's special contribution award!"
Hermione, looking at the stunned Katie Bell, said cheerfully, "See, I told you there wouldn't be any danger."
The Great Hall buzzed with excitement for a few minutes before the noise gradually subsided.
However, most of the attention remained on Harry and his friends. At the Slytherin table, Draco Malfoy jabbed his silver fork into his plate with a vengeance, making a grating sound.
Potter! Always Potter, everything is about Potter!
I contributed too... he glared at Harry resentfully.
"Headmaster Dumbledore", a seventh-year Gryffindor student stood up, "could you be more specific? Did Salazar Slytherin really place a monster in the Chamber to purge all those he deemed unworthy of learning magic?"
The accusatory tone was clear, and the Slytherin table's wizards glared at him, wishing they could cast a nasty spell. However, the young wizards from the other three houses looked at the Slytherins with a mix of silence and complexity.
"I don't believe so, Mr. Zabini", Dumbledore said with a serious expression. He glanced at the young wizards to calm the unrest before continuing, "The monster in the Chamber—the Basilisk—has existed for a thousand years, but there are only two recorded attacks this year and one fifty years ago."
"Before that, it had been dormant for nearly a thousand years. We can reasonably infer that the attacks were not Salazar Slytherin's intention."
Dumbledore quickly moved past the topic. "Tomorrow, I will place the Basilisk in the castle courtyard and invite some reporters to visit. Please behave appropriately. You may observe, but do not attempt to touch it. The professors will also cast special spells."
"Now, let's enjoy the feast."
Dumbledore sat back in his chair, and with a wave of his wand, the table began to fill with various foods.
However, the young wizards were not focused on the food. Dumbledore's speech had been packed with information, and they were buzzing with discussions. From the nature of Salazar Slytherin, to the monster in the Chamber, and how the Potter trio had defeated it.
"What does a Basilisk look like?" a Gryffindor young wizard asked Harry.
"Um, a huge snake, and its eyes can kill you."
"Awesome! How big is it? Bigger than the one Professor Lockhart summoned during the Dueling Club?"
Ron, with his mouth full, mumbled, "Hey, it's way bigger than that."
The young wizard looked at Ron skeptically, "You really were involved?"
"Dean, I played a much bigger role than you think!" Ron insisted, despite his mouth being nearly full.
Hermione Granger sat quietly beside them, not saying a word.
"Hermione, aren't you hungry?" Katie, sitting next to her, asked the young witch, who was wearing a mask.
"… Not really", Hermione said stubbornly, but she quickly pulled out two pieces of parchment from her pocket and wrapped the beef pie on her plate.
The girl stared at her in amazement, her fork frozen mid-air.
The student tables were lively, but the staff table was no less active. Some professors who were unaware of the full story were trying to get the details.
Felix, after dealing with the endlessly curious Lockhart, leaned over Professor Flitwick to ask Dumbledore.
"Headmaster, about the pressure from some Pureblood Families…"
"That's what I was going to say!" Dumbledore put down his knife and fork, looking interested. "I've been in touch with most of the governors over the past few days, and they all agree that it's best for me to remain in this position."
"What about the Malfoy family?"
"Lucius… I'm sorry, but he's currently facing some significant trouble. The other governors are very unhappy with his previous threats and want to remove him from the board. I hear he's now trying to reach out to Fudge."
"The Minister of Magic?"
"Yes, if all goes as expected, you'll meet him tomorrow", Dumbledore said with foresight.
Felix nodded in understanding.
The dinner ended quickly, and the Gryffindor young wizards gathered around Harry, Ron, and Hermione, eager to hear the details.
Ron was the one to tell the story, and he did so with great enthusiasm.
From Harry's perspective, apart from the parts that needed to be kept secret—like the existence of the professor and the Sword of Gryffindor—Ron exaggerated the rest to the fullest extent.
Hermione quietly returned to the dormitory, finished the two pies she had wrapped, and felt satisfied.
"… So, I was put in detention for a reason. I didn't expect Lockhart to fall over so easily", Ron said, spitting out the words with a look of regret.
Hermione, hiding in the crowd, heard a young wizard ask Ron, "So, you don't have to serve detention anymore?"
Ron opened his mouth, but his face fell like a deflated balloon, and he looked gloomy.
He had indeed brought honor to the house, but he couldn't escape the punishment for attacking an innocent professor.
In fact, Professor Mcgonagall had already informed him about the detention, and he was unfortunately assigned to Lockhart.
Harry had mentioned the detention details to him—writing letters to Lockhart's fans. It seemed easy, but four hours of repetitive work each time was enough to make one question their existence.
(End of Chapter)
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