The Great Hall was silent.
Hundreds of eyes bore into Harry as he sat motionless on the stone floor. The enchanted ceiling above reflected a clear night sky, but the weight in the air felt anything but serene.
Professors stood frozen at the long table, their expressions ranging from confusion to alarm. Students, wide-eyed, leaned forward in their seats, whispering amongst themselves.
Harry's pulse pounded in his ears. How did he get here? One moment, he was trapped in that void of shifting shadows—the next, he was in front of everyone.
A low murmur rippled through the hall.
"Potter just—appeared out of thin air!"
"Did he Apparate inside Hogwarts?"
"That's impossible!"
Dumbledore was already moving, his blue eyes sharp behind half-moon glasses. His robes billowed as he strode toward Hadrian, his wand subtly flicking to cast diagnostic spells.
"Harry," the headmaster's voice was calm, but there was an edge of urgency. "Are you hurt?"
Harry swallowed thickly, feeling the weight of the moment press against his chest. He could still hear the echoes of that hooded figure's voice. The symbols had burned into his mind, like an imprint left on his soul.
But now wasn't the time to explain.
"No," he managed, shaking his head. "I… I'm fine."
A half-truth. His magic still thrummed strangely under his skin, as if something had shifted within him.
McGonagall knelt beside him, her usually stern face lined with concern. "Mr. Potter, what happened? Where have you been?"
Harry hesitated. He couldn't exactly say, Oh, I was in a chamber of darkness where an ancient entity decided to mess with my head.
"I don't know," he admitted. "One moment I was in the corridors with Professor Lupin, and the next… I was here."
Lupin!
Harry's eyes darted around the room, searching for him—but he wasn't here.
"Professor Lupin—"
Dumbledore nodded as if reading his mind. "I ensure he is found." With another wave of his wand, the headmaster's expression darkened slightly, as if he had discovered something only he could understand.
He glanced at Harry's hands.
The symbols.
They were still faintly glowing.
Harry quickly clenched his fists, but he knew Dumbledore had seen.
"Come," the headmaster said smoothly, "I believe we should speak in private."
Harry swallowed. There was no getting out of this.
As he stood, he could feel the whispers growing louder. He met a few familiar gazes in the crowd—Hermione's concerned eyes, Ron's confused expression, even Draco Malfoy's narrowed suspicion.
Something had changed.
And the whole school had witnessed it.
—