When Harry returned to the tent, Hermione and Ron were on high alert. Only after confirming it was him did they relax.
George and Fred quickly stashed away their dungbombs and fireworks.
"Good news! Malfoy's been caught!" Sirius announced triumphantly as he entered the tent, raising his arm in celebration. He turned to George and Fred with a grin.
"I heard about what happened in your second year."
"Which Malfoy?" George asked instinctively.
"Lucius Malfoy," Sirius replied excitedly, throwing an arm around Arthur's shoulders.
"Lighten up, Arthur. We're all family here—no need to hold back."
George and Fred cheered.
"If only we could get Draco too," Ron sighed wistfully.
Fred shook his head vigorously.
"No, no, no, dear brother. We can't let Draco Malfoy be taken away. Without him, where would we find half our fun?"
Hermione, who had been inspecting Harry for injuries, immediately looked up and gave the twins a stern glare.
"So, you're planning to make Gryffindor lose points again this year?"
"We'll try to be more discreet," George promised solemnly, raising his hand.
Fred added with mock seriousness,
"We'll take your advice to heart, Hermione. Your tips have been very useful. We plan to study hard this year—and put it into practice."
Hermione's cheeks turned slightly pink.
"Go easy on him," Arthur and Harry said in unison.
George blinked in surprise.
Fred looked puzzled.
"Dad saying that makes sense, but Harry, why are you…"
Harry's tone remained emotionless.
"Because once school starts, Draco Malfoy will be a kid without a father."
George gasped theatrically.
"Harry, you always manage to say things that blow me away."
"We'll make sure young Malfoy feels fatherly love again," Fred said, trying to keep a straight face. Mimicking Percy's usual pompous tone, he added,
"The kind of fatherly love that only the Weasleys can provide."
"Don't go too far," Arthur warned, wagging a finger at them.
"At least make sure your mother doesn't find out, or you'll get a Howler."
George and Fred nodded vigorously, though their smirks suggested they were already plotting.
That night was destined to be sleepless.
The reappearance of the Dark Mark—whether real or a cruel joke—rekindled the deepest fears buried in every witch and wizard's heart.
Rufus Scrimgeour, head of the Auror Office, arrived at their tent, his face lined with exhaustion.
The Weasleys stayed together in the tent. Arthur, Sirius, and Lupin shared a room; George and Fred took another; Ron and Harry were roommates, and Ginny shared with Hermione.
But as the others drifted off to sleep, only Harry and Hermione remained awake in the quiet living area.
Scrimgeour, nursing a cup of tea Hermione had prepared, looked at Harry with a mix of exasperation and weariness.
"Mr. Potter, you've caused the Auror Office quite a headache tonight."
"Out of dozens of suspected Death Eaters, you captured two pure-bloods—one of whom is the head of the Malfoy family."
Harry sipped his milk calmly.
"Maybe this will encourage those pure-bloods to do some soul-searching. I deliberately went after Malfoy, but the other one? That was coincidence."
Scrimgeour sighed, massaging his temples. After a pause, he looked back up.
"You're absolutely certain the house-elf you saw was Winky? The one belonging to Mr. Crouch?"
"As head of the Auror Office, I need your definitive answer."
Harry nodded firmly.
"No matter how many times you ask, I'm certain of what I saw."
Scrimgeour groaned, rubbing his head again. Finally, he shot Harry a forlorn glance.
"One more thing—Rita Skeeter's outside. Want to talk to her?"
Harry's refusal was swift and decisive.
"No."
He had encountered Skeeter before, notably at King's Cross last year. She was as annoying as a mosquito, constantly buzzing around and trying to provoke him into saying something scandalous with her weak charm spells.
"I'll keep her away, then," Scrimgeour said, standing up.
"Goodnight, Mr. Potter. Sleep well."
With that, he left, and the tent fell silent once more.
The only sounds were the muffled sleep murmurs of the others.
The Next Morning
When Harry returned from his morning exercise, he was greeted by the sound of Hermione's furious voice echoing from inside the tent.
Pulling aside the curtain, he found her banging her fist on the table, startling Crookshanks and Hedwig, who cowered in the corner.
Hermione's face was flushed with anger, and her knuckles were red from her relentless pounding. She was holding a copy of the Daily Prophet, which seemed to be the source of her ire.
"How could they?!" Hermione fumed.
"How dare they write something like this?"
Harry gently took her hand, pulling the newspaper from her grasp with his other.
"What happened?"
Hermione, too upset to speak, gestured at the paper.
Harry glanced at the front page.
The headline was about last night's events, featuring a giant image of the Dark Mark with its snake tongue slithering ominously. Next to it were three photographs: Lucius Malfoy, lying dazed on the ground; Avery, pale and barely clinging to life; and Harry himself, expressionless, clad in leather armor, holding a wand in one hand and the Basilisk-bone sword in the other.
The article went into shocking detail about the events of the previous night.
It was so detailed that it almost seemed intentional.
Key excerpts from the article:
"According to sources, Mr. Malfoy was deliberately targeted by Harry Potter. In his defense, Mr. Malfoy repeatedly claimed to be under the Imperius Curse, but his plea was dismissed as invalid. Azkaban now awaits him."
"Meanwhile, Mr. Avery remains in critical condition at St. Mungo's. Reports suggest he was poisoned during a duel with Mr. Potter. The venom is said to come from the highly dangerous and malevolent magical creature known as a Basilisk."
Then came a scathing critique of Harry:
"We must question the true nature of Harry Potter, the so-called 'Boy Who Lived,' the 'Savior,' and the 'Heir of Gryffindor.' He is undeniably talented but also deeply troubling. Reports from Hogwarts suggest that last year, Mr. Potter had a violent altercation with a professor, resulting in the professor losing an arm. This incident, however, was covered up by Albus Dumbledore, who is known for his favoritism toward Mr. Potter and tutors him weekly."
"As a proud member of Ravenclaw, this writer cannot help but ponder: Is Harry Potter truly the Savior we need?"
"The Savior we envision should be more compassionate, more noble than Dumbledore—a true beacon of white magic. Not a wizard skilled in swordplay, poisons, and injuring professors."
Harry set the paper down, his expression unreadable.
"Seems they've got high standards for a Savior."
"They're completely ignoring the facts!" Hermione shouted.
"How can they write such lies?!"
Harry's lips curled into a faint, sardonic smile.
"Well, we've always been told that independent thinking is a wizard's greatest asset. Maybe it's time for them to start using it."
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