The atmosphere in the Great Hall was mixed. While the students and some professors were giggling and laughing, amused by the situation, the Unspeakables, Aurors, and Amelia were not. They were trying their hardest not to aim their wands at me and cast a spell.
"Harry, my dear boy, even though I find this situation entertaining, their concerns are valid," Professor Flitwick intervened. I looked at him, ready to retort, but then I saw the look Madam Pomfrey was giving me. I wisely decided to stop and nodded at him; I didn't want to be scolded in the middle of the Great Hall. But before I could speak, one of the Unspeakables did.
"You think this is all a joke, Mr. Potter?" he said, his tone a mix of anger and disbelief. I looked at him, amused. You know, there's a reason I don't take them seriously. You'd think someone who uses a mask with a voice-changing enchantment would notice when their spell stopped working, but no.
"What? I'm just making the most of a truly ridiculous situation, don't you think? You come to my school, start demanding explanations like you own the place when, in reality, you're still standing here because I find you amusing," I said lightly, an amused smile on my face. "If only I had a Galleon for every time someone did something stupid like this, I would be richer than the Malfoys in a week."
The Unspeakables didn't say anything more. They just exchanged glances—a silent communication of sorts—before looking towards Madam Bones who to her credit, didn't look at them. She just glanced at me for a few seconds before speaking.
"Don't you think this is enough, Mr. Potter? While I can appreciate a little levity, the situation at hand is very serious. You've put your life and the lives of everyone in the school at risk with this stunt." Her voice sounded serious, but she herself didn't seem convinced by her own words. It's funny how politics works.
"Oh, Madam Bones, you've hurt my feelings," I said, putting on a mock hurt expression. "I thought we had established that everything is under control here. Or are you just looking for a scapegoat to blame?" The puzzled look that didn't match the serious tone of voice seemed to throw them off a bit because I could see them awkwardly shifting and glancing at each other to see if one of them could pinpoint what's wrong.
"You know, if you want to blame someone, why not just fire everyone in the monitoring department? I mean, what's the use of them if they can't even notify you about an army of dark wizards and creatures marching to Hogwarts?" I said, looking at them but not giving them a chance to reply because I wasn't finished.
"And these cloaked gentlemen here, what is their job exactly? They seemed to know to come here without anyone telling them. The broadcast of the duel was only happening in Hogwarts and its surroundings, so most of the population still doesn't know what happened. This means they either knew in advance or there's a hotline directly to them and not to you? I'm starting to get confused here. What is it that you want exactly?"
"I understand, Mr. Potter, but we still need to discuss why you broadcasted the duel, the spells involved, etc. These answers are for the community, and we need to provide them with your statement." This time it was Moody speaking. He had been silent until now, but now he was chiming in. And what's this nonsense about the community?
"Fine, you want to know this stuff? I will share it with you, but only what I deem acceptable for you to know. I don't trust you with wands in your hands, let alone the spells I used," I said seriously, folding my arms and straightening my back.
"Okay, Mr. Potter, first clarify why you broadcasted the battle…" I waved my hands dismissively, cutting her off.
"You want to know why I broadcasted the duel? It's to tell everyone who watched it, including you at the Ministry, —yes, you heard me right. The ministry—that there's no need to hide and cower in fear. I and Hogwarts will always stand strong in the face of darkness, we will be here standing tall, proud, and strong in the face of danger. We will not cower or run," I said, my tone serious.
This prompted a hushed discussion among the students, who were now looking at me with admiration and reverence especially the younger ones. The adults in the room on the other hand bore complicated expressions, especially the professors, who knew that the new me wasn't that heroic and chivalrous. I myself was marveling at my own ability to spin tales and bullshit.
I half expected a prompt to appear informing me of a "bullshit," skill level up but that never came.
There was a tense few seconds for the adults, which didn't seem to register in the minds of the students, who happily discussed what they had just heard. I didn't want anything more to do with them; I'd had enough fun for today.
"Now, if you have more questions, please return tomorrow. The feast is ready, and I, along with the rest of Hogwarts' inhabitants, are hungry. I would invite you to stay and eat, but I have a feeling that you'll refuse," I said with finality in my voice. They seemed to finally understand that I wouldn't be giving them anything useful, so they turned around and walked out.
After the door of the great hall closed behind them, I looked towards the students and said, "Now, why don't we start with your questions? Just know that you'll get only one question per house now. So let's talk while we eat."
The sight of different kinds of food appearing on their tables along with everything that happened today elicited excited shouts from the students and sighs from the professors.
I'll have to thank Dobby for this. I knew he would take my request for him to act more like a Muggle butler to the extreme, but for once I'm glad he did. He had told me some of his adventures previously and how he learned to be a butler from Muggles in a box, which, if I understood it correctly, meant television. The food is delicious, especially the pizza. However, I couldn't continue to enjoy my meal because Susan Bones raised her hand while calling me.
"Yes?" I said between bites, gesturing for her to ask her question with my currently unoccupied left hand.
"Harry, what will happen to the ritual you told us about now?" she asked. I noticed that most students nodded their heads when they heard her question.
"What do you mean what will happen? We are starting the ritual tomorrow night. I want everyone to be ready by eleven, and I mean everyone. We will start the ritual when the clock strikes twelve, and this will continue for twenty-four hours. It would have taken far less time, but with the wards up, the magic will be a little insufficient. So we will have to use this twenty-four hours to have everyone pump magic into the ritual circle at least twice. This way, we can make it." I told her. She was nodding the whole time, so I think she understood. It's not my problem if she didn't. And it's not like I'm telling the truth either. I just want them to feel very drained when the actual ritual starts so that they'll think they earned the benefits.
"Ravenclaw, your turn. Say your name and question," I said without even looking at them. I was trying very hard—not really—to focus on their questions and the food at the same time—not true at all—I just liked the food more.
"Hello, Harry. My name is Cho Chang, and our question is: What's that shield spell you used?" she asked. Her voice sounded nervous for some reason. I didn't look at her and continued to chew the food in my mouth. Only after I was done did I raise my head to look at her. Hmm, I can see why the previous me had a crush on her; she's cute.
"Well, it's a shielding charm developed by one of the first headmasters of Hogwarts. You can find everything about it, along with more variations and different shielding charms, in the library," I answered. I didn't want to tell them more. If they want it, they can go and search for it.
I continued my mission to devour my dinner and answered two more questions from Gryffindor and Slytherin. Another two questions came from Professors, including McGonagall.
I didn't linger; as soon as I was done with my dinner, I said I'd go check the wards and left quickly. I didn't want to go to the infirmary and hear about how reckless it is to fight a Dark Lord.
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