November 1994
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
The commotion caused by the bunch of the Gryffindors brought the attention of every pair of eyes in the Great Hall on them. Puffing up their chest in pride, Ron along with his fellow housemates marched towards Harry.
He arrived and stood opposite Harry across the table with an irritating grin plastered over his face. He was probably waiting to draw Harry's focus but Harry continued eating his food.
Ron turned a little red in embarrassment but he quickly recovered from it, "Harry?"
Harry sighed, "Yes."
"Congratulations," said Ron. "Another year at Hogwarts but you are still the student in limelight."
Harry rubbed his temples in frustration, "Look Ron, for the sake of the fact that I considered you as my first friend, I give you a fair warning. Don't irritate me and don't cross the line."
Ron chuckled mustering all the disgust he could in his voice, "Quite a nice actor you are, Harry. Acting all righteous now, huh?"
He lowered his voice but still it was easily visible to the entire Great Hall, "Tell me, How did you do it? Used your invisibility cloak? Or, did you find some other method?"
Harry took a deep breath to calm himself down. How he wanted to fire a few spells at the idiot but he could not. After the previous incident with the Slytherin students and Amelia's warning, he understood that he needed to maintain a good image in the wizarding world.
He turned towards the teacher's table, "Professors, can you please ask this idiot to stop irritating me?"
McGonagall was about to open her mouth probably to reprimand Ron but Dumbledore beat her to it.
"I don't think Mr. Weasley is doing anything wrong, Harry. He is merely trying to congratulate you for the fact that you are now going to participate in such a prestigious department," he said with a wide smile and twinkles in his eyes.
McGonagall said then, "Mr. Weasley, please take your sit. If a fellow student does not want to interact with you, please refrain from doing so."
Ron gave a last heated glance before he walked away and took his seat and started to stuff his mouth.
Harry took another few minutes to complete his breakfast. He got up from his seat and walked towards the teacher's table.
He stood face to face with Dumbledore and questioned, "May I ask, have you been able to get any clue regarding who put my name in the goblet?"
Dumbledore smiled, "We are doing our investigation, Harry."
Harry understood that the old man was clearly putting the matter into the rug.
He pressed, "If you are not able find anything, did you call for DMLE? I am sure they would have their methods to find out what have manipulated the Goblet."
Though Harry did not directly mention, he clearly indicated towards Departments of the Mysteries. He was sure that they sure their methods to deal with such a case.
Dumbledore grinned and said with an expression of triumph, "I believe we have no need to call for DMLE."
Before Harry could retort, Dumbledore continued, "Their two department heads of ministry, Ludo Bagman and Barty Crouch, directly involved in the investigation. Additionally, Mr. Crouch was ex DMLE head. So, they are more than sufficient to investigate."
Harry understood the implication that, Dumbledore is not going to allow for a proper investigation.
He let go of this matter and said, "Headmaster, I would like if you make a formal announcement that I did not put my name in the Goblet. I do not want the entire Hogwarts for hating me for something which I did not do."
When Harry said this, from the corner of his eyes he caught professor McGonagall shifting uncomfortably in her chair while Snape was grinning.
"We have not established this face, Harry," Dumbledore's voice brought Harry's attention back to the old coot.
Every student was watching them with complete focus and in silence. Though they were speaking in low voices because of the silence what Dumbledore said was clearly audible to the students at least to those who were sitting near the teacher's table.
Dumbledore continued, "We only have your words to prove your innocence. Till we conclude the investigation, we cannot make such an announcement."
Harry nodded his head, "I see."
Harry could very well understand what the Dumbledore was trying to do. He was trying to paint Harry as guilty by mentioning these things. He very well understood that Dumbledore was trying malign his image and make every student of Hogwarts hate him.
After all, this was not the first time, Dumbledore would be doing this thing. In his second year, from the first attack of the Basilisk, when Mrs. Norris, the cat was petrified and Filch blamed him, Dumbledore played the same game.
Despite clear evidence and alibi in form of Hermione and Ron, Dumbledore brought him for an interrogation painting a suspect on him.
For the entire year, the whole school considered him as heir of Slytherin and responsible for those attacks but none of the Professors took a stand and made it clear that he was not the person responsible for the attacks.
They quietly watched as he was treated by the whole school as an outcast but did nothing.
Harry was too naive at that time to understand Dumbledore's games but not this time.
At this moment, Harry could have very easily taken a magical oath to prove his innocence but he wanted to see how would the students react? Maybe he would find out if he had someone who would trust him. He wanted to play Dumbledore's game.
In his second year he was affected by the way the other students treated him. But currently, he did not give a damm about what they thought of him.
"Hopefully, you conclude your investigation soon, headmaster," said Harry with a grin and stepped back from the teacher's table.
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