The headmaster arrived shortly after Fawkes burned to ashes, which surprised Harry, who was watching the scene from afar.
"It's about time," said Dumbledore, exchanging glances with us. However, only Harry seemed confused about the situation. "Don't worry, Harry, Fawkes is a phoenix..."
As he walked toward where I was, the headmaster began explaining to Potter the nature of Fawkes, revealing the tiny phoenix chick among the ashes. I must admit that when a phoenix dies and is reborn, it always shares the same trait: it's ugly. Very different from its usual imposing appearance.
Dumbledore gave me a look that lasted a few seconds. I held his gaze without changing the expression on my face at any moment. Then, he moved to his chair and sat down. At this point, he was supposed to start talking to us about what had happened, but the door to his office suddenly burst open with such force that Harry and I immediately turned around.
Hagrid was there, frowning with a worried expression.
"It wasn't Harry, Professor Dumbledore!" he exclaimed exasperatedly.
The headmaster didn't even have a chance to respond before Hagrid kept insisting on Harry's innocence, assuring that he had been with him the whole time. His fervor was such that Dumbledore had to raise his voice to calm him down and explain that no one was accusing Harry. Upon realizing this, the half-giant looked embarrassed. He cleared his throat and, clumsily, left, closing the door behind him.
The room fell silent again.
"You don't believe it was me, Professor?" Harry asked, relief in his voice.
Since the Parseltongue incident, almost everyone had been looking at him with suspicion, so hearing the most powerful wizard of the era recognize his innocence was a huge weight off his shoulders. But then I noticed that his gaze shifted toward me with some unease.
"And Red...?" he asked, a mix of doubt and hope in his tone.
I turned to see Harry looking at me that way, in that middle ground between wanting me not to be the culprit and at the same time fearing that I actually was. I could only look at Harry with an expression that said, "Seriously, bro?"
"I don't believe Mr. Weasley is guilty either," Dumbledore responded, looking at me seriously. "He has far more important matters than attacking students at Hogwarts."
There was a clear difference in how the old man treated each of us. With Harry, he treated him like a child, with patience, trying to calm him down and pretending that everything was under control. With me, however, there was no condescending tone. Dumbledore didn't see me as a child, nor did he treat me as one. In a way, that was a relief.
In fact, I think the old man has been keeping a closer eye on me since that time he visited the "Dragons of Albion." I suspect that what I did there caught his attention… and not in a good way. I couldn't be sure, but I felt like he might have someone watching me regularly. Then again, Dumbledore had also been taking advantage of the situation. Hagrid had been to my establishment several times, and not always to drink something—sometimes, he bought supplies. Since I can sell wholesale at a reasonable price, the old man has been sending the half-giant to stock up on provisions for Hogwarts, saving himself a few galleons. I get it… I'd do the same.
In the end, the conversation ended soon after. Dumbledore only asked Harry if he had anything to tell him, but he replied that he didn't and left.
Then it was my turn.
When I was left alone with the headmaster, the atmosphere became much more oppressive and serious. His questions weren't much different from the ones he had asked Harry, though they were more direct. He asked what I thought, if I knew anything, if I had discovered anything. I denied everything, though I gave him one or two irrelevant pieces of information. Nothing more.
Shortly after, he let me go. However, I didn't feel that the old man was satisfied with my answers… or with me in general. Still, he didn't say anything about it.
This time, the moral impact of the situation was much greater. It was already bad before, but now fear was present in every corner. Two victims… and one of them was a ghost. Fear was palpable in the hallways, and the stares directed at me were even more intense than before. That old fear they once felt toward me had returned. When I first arrived at Hogwarts, I didn't control my auras well, and everyone was afraid of me. Now, it seemed like I was back at that moment. The worst part was that, even though my auras were under control, the general fear made them seem even more terrifying—at least to those who didn't have a close relationship with me. Fortunately, in my inner circle, I didn't notice any changes in their attitude.
I was approaching the Great Hall for lunch when I heard what sounded like a little promotional speech from my brothers.
"And here we have the first candidate for Dark Lord… Harry Potter!" Fred or George announced dramatically. "The boy who defeated the Dark Lord… possibly to take his place! Recently discovered as a Parseltongue speaker…"
Harry had entered the Great Hall just before me, and the presentation came to an abrupt halt when my brothers saw me. They quickly approached and positioned themselves on either side of me.
"And here is the second candidate, and personally, my favorite…" George continued in a theatrical tone.
"Our dear brother: the eccentric, the strange, the powerful, the evil…"
"The first Weasley in Slytherin, expert in all kinds of skills and magic…"
"The most likely Dark Lord of this generation… the bloodthirsty one!"
"And possibly, the future sponsor of our joke shop during his reign of terror after conquering the wizarding world…"
"REEEED WEEAAASLEEEY!" they both announced in unison, pointing at me with one hand while waving their wands with the other, unleashing small fireworks to emphasize my entrance.
I had to hold back my laughter for a moment and, to play along, I slightly inclined my head toward the four tables, as if greeting my audience, before heading to my seat. It was obvious my brothers were playing favorites, as my introduction had been much grander than Potter's.
However, it seemed that only the twins, some of my girls, and a few other people actually enjoyed the show. Everyone else just looked even more nervous, as if the joke had reinforced the idea that I might actually be the Heir of Slytherin—someone with great power and a dark destiny.
This time, I sat at the Slytherin table, surrounded by several of my girls. Though I didn't notice any obvious changes in their behavior, I could tell they were looking at me as if they were doubting something. I decided to ask directly.
"What is it?" I asked, looking at my sisters and the other girls whose eyes were fixed on me. "Don't tell me you actually think I'm the Heir."
An awkward silence followed. No one answered.
"Seriously?" I asked incredulously.
"Red… we know you told us this was a test… but… could it be that you're the one behind all of this just to test us?" Tracey asked hesitantly.
"Yeah, no one has died, only been petrified… as if you didn't want to cause real harm," Parvati added cautiously.
"Do you really think I would go this far just to play games with you?" I asked, visibly offended.
Silence was their only response. Even Hermione averted her gaze.
"I can't believe this…" I scoffed, rolling my eyes.
But in retrospect… I think it could be possible. I mean, if the diary hadn't appeared and I wasn't at my best right now, I really might have ended up doing something like this. However, what bothers me the most is that they knew—that they could see that possibility so clearly. I feel too exposed… But oh well, now it's time to erase those doubts. If they believe I did this, they might lower their guard, and that would put them in danger.
"Yeah, I know I'm capable of crazy things, but trust me, this time, it's not me. Don't let your guard down, or you could be in danger, and that's the last thing I want to see," I said seriously, wanting them to understand. Then, I placed a hand on my chest and, with a solemn expression and eyes full of sincerity, I added, "I swear on Ginny's future growth, I am not the Heir of Slytherin."
"HEY!" Ginny, who had been staring at her plate the entire time, turned to me with an offended expression. Without anyone noticing, she brought her hands to her chest with obvious concern, then looked at her own height, as if trembling at the possibility of not growing.
"In fact, I'm going to make this clear right now…" I said, deciding to put an end to the suspicions once and for all.
I could feel the stares piercing my back. They were constant—at least when they weren't directed at Potter.
I stood up, drawing everyone's attention and making more than a few people nervous. I cleared my throat a couple of times to make sure I had the room's full attention before speaking in a firm, clear voice.
"Boys and girls of Hogwarts… I have an announcement to make…"
Murmurs erupted instantly.
"He's going to confess!"
"He's going to attack us all!"
"Hide!"
"NO, SHUT UP!" I shouted in frustration, stopping the chaos before continuing. "What I mean to say is… I am not the Heir of Slytherin."
An absolute silence followed my words. A silence thick with tension. But there wasn't a single sign of relief on anyone's face. Not even Harry seemed to believe me. He gave me a knowing look—after all, if simply saying it was enough to stop people from fearing you, he wouldn't have had such a rough time since the Duelling Club incident.
"Buuut…" I said in a much more serious tone, leaning forward slightly. "If I were… I just want you all to know that you'd be completely screwed. The only ones who'd be spared would be the girls in my group."
Many felt their hearts leap into their throats.
"Well… not just them," I continued, now in a lighter tone. "Pretty girls too… but only them."
The tension rose.
"Actually, even the ugly ones… in fact, all the girls would be safe. But the rest of you… yeah, you'd be done for."
With that, I sat back down in total ease.
The Great Hall fell into a strange state of bewilderment after my announcement. The girls in my group just rolled their eyes at my antics; they knew me well enough not to take me seriously. But there was another group—the rest of the girls—who, though they wouldn't admit it, seemed relieved. Even more so those who considered themselves attractive, as if they had just received some kind of amnesty. Knowing that I wouldn't attack them seemed to reassure them.
The boys, on the other hand, tensed up even more. Considering that all the victims so far had been male, the idea of me being the Heir of Slytherin suddenly became much more believable to them.
And at that very moment, my brothers decided to step in. Fred and George stood up in their seats and dramatically announced:
"And completely unrelated to the previous announcement from the Heir… *cough* *cough*, I mean, our dear brother…"
"We are pleased to announce that Weasley Twins' Shop has a fantastic sale on our entire selection of dresses, wigs, and makeup!"
"Furthermore, in the near future, we may offer a potential gender-swapping potion…"
"Thank you for your attention."
Those two really know how to do business. I laughed at their nonsense, but as I glanced at the tables, I noticed that more than a few people were actually considering it… and that gave me chills.
Anyway, what I said might have made many fear me even more, but at the same time, I managed to cut in half the number of people who see me as a monster. Now, only the boys seem to fear me, while the girls are starting to relax a bit. It's still bad, sure… but if I can't stop them from fearing me, I'd rather have only half of them afraid instead of all of them.
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