Chapter 132: Chapter 132: "Troll Aftermath Part - 2"
Before Charles could respond to Reggy's criticism, Professor McGonagall intervened sharply.
"Miss Granger, five points will be deducted from Gryffindor for this," Professor McGonagall declared sternly. "I'm very disappointed in you. If you're not injured, you should head back to Gryffindor Tower immediately. The feast is still going on, and students are gathering in their houses."
Hermione, looking visibly upset by the reprimand, quietly left the scene to head back to her house.
Professor McGonagall then turned her attention to Charles and Ron. "Both of you need to go to the hospital wing now. You require medical attention," she instructed. "The decision to confront the troll alone was reckless and warrants punishment, but your intention to save a friend mitigates the situation somewhat. Therefore, no points will be awarded for this incident. Professor Dumbledore will be informed of everything that has transpired. Now, off you go."
After addressing Charles and Ron, Professor McGonagall looked over the group of students gathered around. Her voice was both stern and filled with a hint of pride as she spoke. "You all showed remarkable bravery today, but I must urge you to leave such dangerous situations to the trained staff in the future. Now, please go and join the rest of the students at the feast in your common rooms."
Feeling a mix of relief and exhaustion, Harry and his friends nodded in understanding. The day's events had brought them closer together, creating bonds forged through shared danger that typical school days could never replicate. With a quick pace, they hurried away from the professors, eager to avoid any chance of the faculty changing their minds about the points that had been awarded.
Once they were a safe distance away from the professors and out of earshot, Cedric turned to Harry with a curious expression. "Harry, I've been meaning to ask, how did you know we were in danger and decide to come help us?"
Harry, careful not to disclose the secret of the Marauder's Map, casually responded, "Oh, I just had a feeling something bad was about to unfold."
Elvinia, playfully teasing Harry, chimed in, "This feeling again? Are you sure you don't secretly have the talent of a seer, Harry?"
Harry, joining in the light-hearted banter, joked back, "Maybe I do. Didn't you know? I'm considered Professor Trelawney's star pupil."
Reggy burst out laughing, "Really? When did this happen? And how come the rest of the school isn't buzzing about it?"
Harry played along, "It happened during Divination class. Really, doesn't everyone know the story? Angelina, Alicia, you were there. Why haven't you told anyone?"
Alicia laughed softly, "Was there really something to tell? Wasn't it just the two of you predicting doom and gloom for each other? We all thought it was just Professor Trelawney taking a special liking to you, Harry, like she does with any student who shows a bit of interest. We didn't think it was anything out of the ordinary."
Harry, with a mischievous grin, teased them, "So, no one knows how I became her favorite? Well, that's your loss."
Roger, now caught up in the intrigue, urged him, "This sounds interesting. Tell us what happened."
Harry began explaining how it all started in the Divination class. "On the first day, Professor Trelawney was reading tea leaves to predict our futures. She went from one student's cup to another, making predictions. When she came to my cup, her expression changed dramatically. She looked really scared and told me that I had a dark omen."
Elvinia, curious about the prediction, asked, "Dark omen? Did she predict your death like she does every year for a student?"
Harry nodded, confirming her suspicion. "Oh yes, she said a double-faced monster would kill me this year."
Harry found the prediction surprising since the double-faced monster could be referring to Quirrelmort, but he wasn't particularly worried. Most of the predictions about Harry in the books were similar and quite dramatic, yet he had always managed to survive. Besides, he didn't see Quirrelmort as a serious threat to his life.
Cedric couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of the prediction. "That's too funny. A double-faced monster. How did you retaliate for that, Harry?"
Harry smirked, "What do you mean by retaliate? I don't hold grudges or do things like that."
However, Roger nudged Harry playfully, not quite buying his innocent act. "Come on, Harry. Cut the act. We've known you for two years. We know you'd have a comeback."
Harry admitted with a grin, "Alright, you caught me. During the next class, when she asked us to predict her future, I took the chance to turn the tables. I mimicked her and declared I saw a bad omen about her. When she pressed for details, I told her she'd be hit by a stray arrow and lose something dear to her."
Reggy burst into laughter. "A stray arrow? In this day and age, where would she even come across a stray arrow? You should have come up with something more believable, Harry."
Harry explained his thought process. "Aren't you forgetting something? The centaurs in the Forbidden Forest use bows and arrows."
Harry's prediction was actually a twist on the idea that the centaurs might take over her job in the future, but Trelawney took his words literally and thought it meant the centaurs were out to kill her.
Arabella gasped, intrigued by the story. "Oh… What happened next?"
Harry continued, "She got all worked up and exclaimed, 'I knew it! I knew those horse creatures were after me. Now a second person has seen the same thing.' She was so convinced that she rushed off to complain to Professor Dumbledore about the centaurs."
Arabella, eager to hear more, urged him, "Don't keep us waiting. What happened after that?"
Harry chuckled, "Well, Professor Dumbledore didn't really do anything about her complaint, but it affected her behavior. She stopped going near the Hogwarts grounds, afraid an arrow might actually hit her. In class, though, she started treating me like her star student and had me make more predictions."
Cedric, amused, asked, "So what else did you predict?"
Harry replied, "I started making up riddles about things that will happen in the future. She loved them. But eventually, I got bored and began skipping her classes. Surprisingly, she didn't mind at all. She told me that seeing the future too often was a burden and that I needed to rest. She let me off without any fuss whenever I missed a class."
Roger laughed appreciatively. "Good for you, Harry. I should have taken Divination too. It sounds like you turned it into quite the entertaining class."
Elvinia, reflecting on the conversation, nodded thoughtfully. "You might really have some special abilities, Harry. You should trust your instincts more. They can save lives, as they did today."
Cedric added his thanks, "Yes, Harry. Thanks again for today. You really saved us."
Harry modestly waved off their praise, and then the group dispersed, heading towards their respective dormitories, eager to relax after the day's harrowing events and enjoy a well-deserved night's rest.
Chapter 133: Chapter 133: "Repercussions and Waning Fame"
By the following morning, news of the troll incident had spread throughout the entire school. The tale of the night's events spread rapidly, fueled by the accounts shared by Harry's friends in their respective common rooms. They had not been instructed to keep the encounter confidential and felt no need to hold back the details. By the time breakfast rolled around, every student at Hogwarts was abuzz with the story.
In the Great Hall, the atmosphere was charged with excitement and a hint of fear as students eagerly discussed the incident. The hall buzzed with loud, continuous chatter as groups of students exchanged their versions of what happened, each retelling embellished with a bit more drama than the last.
"Did you hear? Charles and Ron faced the troll and are now in the hospital wing!" a first-year Gryffindor whispered excitedly to his friend.
"I heard Harry Potter killed the troll and saved everyone!" a third-year Hufflepuff responded, her voice filled with admiration and awe.
Unfortunately for Harry, this newfound fame was not without its drawbacks. His decisive actions in dealing with the troll had elevated his status overnight, leading to an increased admiration from his peers. This adoration, typical of the wizarding world's tendency to idolize heroes, resulted in whispers about fan clubs being organized in his honor—an attention Harry found uncomfortable and unwelcome, yet something he felt powerless to prevent.
At the High Table, the professors sat with serious looks on their faces, occasionally glancing at Dumbledore, who was unusually quiet. The atmosphere in the room was tense, and it intensified when a flood of owls suddenly swooped into the hall, dropping a heap of letters and howlers.
The letters, many from concerned parents, landed in front of their respective children. These parents were eager to know if their children were safe after the night's events. Now, the students had the task of writing back to reassure their families that they were indeed safe and unharmed.
However, the bulk of the correspondence, including several loud howlers, was aimed at Dumbledore. The voices of angry parents echoed through the hall, criticizing him for not ensuring the safety of their children.
"How could you let this happen, Headmaster?" one voice boomed out.
"We were promised Hogwarts was the safest place in Britain," another parent's voice shouted.
"We need an explanation!" demanded yet another.
The cacophony was overwhelming. In response, Dumbledore calmly raised his wand, and with a swift flick, he made all the letters and howlers disappear, instantly quieting the noisy hall. Without saying a word, he then stood up and quietly left the Great Hall.
His departure left a room full of students and teachers silently exchanging worried glances, wondering about the implications of the recent events.
Harry, sitting at the Ravenclaw table, unfolded the day's edition of the Daily Prophet. The front-page headline was sensational: "Troll Attack at Hogwarts! The Boy Who Lived Injured!"
The article provided a detailed account of the previous night's events, emphasizing the injuries sustained by Charles and floating various conspiracy theories that dark wizards might be targeting the Boy Who Lived. Harry was relieved that his own actions hadn't been highlighted prominently in the report; the last thing he wanted was an influx of fan mail to deal with.
Following breakfast, the atmosphere within the castle was electric with discussions about the newspaper article and the flood of letters from concerned parents. Later in the afternoon, officials from the Ministry of Magic arrived to conduct an inquiry. They questioned Dumbledore and the Hogwarts staff with a series of probing and uncomfortable questions about the security breach.
They wanted to know how a troll could have entered the school grounds, given there were no known troll colonies nearby, how it managed to bypass the strong magical wards around Hogwarts, and how it roamed the castle without being detected sooner.
The biggest question was why Dumbledore had permitted students to leave the Great Hall for their dormitories knowing there was a troll loose in the castle. The Ministry officials were particularly worried about the implications of Charles, the Boy Who Lived, getting injured during the incident. The Daily Prophet had wasted no time spinning various conspiracy theories about dark wizards plotting to harm him.
Harry learned through the grapevine that James and Lily Potter, along with Ron's parents, had visited the hospital wing early that morning. A series of heated discussions had reportedly taken place, with Dumbledore facing criticism over his management of the situation.
James and Lily were extremely upset about Charles getting hurt. After Harry had chosen to sever ties with them, they had poured more attention and affection into Charles. This incident left them deeply shaken, and they even considered moving Charles to another school for his safety. Dumbledore had to work hard to persuade them otherwise.
Dumbledore received a flood of letters and howlers every morning for the following few days, criticizing his actions and accusing him of endangering the students. The situation escalated to the point where the Ministry of Magic considered sending a team of Aurors to conduct a thorough investigation.
However, Dumbledore acted swiftly to avoid Ministry intervention. He compiled a detailed investigation report and sent it to the Ministry, which was then published in the Daily Prophet.
The report squarely blamed Professor Quirrell, revealing that the troll had been Quirrell's pet, which he had brought back from his travels the previous year and secretly kept in the Forbidden Forest. According to the report, Quirrell had used his privileges as a professor to sneak the troll past Hogwarts' magical protections, intending it to protect him from vampire attacks. On Halloween, the troll had escaped, and Quirrell, unable to control it, had run to Dumbledore for help.
Harry wasn't shocked to learn that Quirrell was found so quickly. Even in the canon, Dumbledore should have realized from the beginning that Quirrell was behind the troll incident. It was quite obvious because Quirrell had used trolls as obstacles in the third-floor corridor trap, where each professor was responsible for setting up their own challenge.
Given that the troll was part of Quirrell's setup, other professors might have been able to connect the dots as well. It makes one wonder why Quirrell wasn't caught or punished earlier in the canon.
Quirrell accepted full responsibility for the incident, and the punishment decided by Dumbledore was that Quirrell would not continue at Hogwarts after this year and that his salary would be withheld.
Dumbledore's reason for not dismissing Quirrell immediately and pursuing legal action was that no one had been seriously injured, which weakened any potential case against him. Moreover, finding a replacement Defense Against the Dark Arts professor mid-year would have been difficult. Dumbledore assured the Ministry that Professor Snape would closely monitor Quirrell to prevent any further trouble.
Surprisingly, these assurances seemed sufficient for the wizarding community. The barrage of angry letters and howlers directed at Dumbledore soon stopped, turning instead towards Quirrell. Within a week, the commotion had largely died down, with no arrests made or further actions taken.
This outcome might have been a testament to Dumbledore's influential standing in the wizarding world or just another example of the peculiar nature of the wizarding community.
Harry speculated about the nature of the meeting between Dumbledore and Quirrelmort that led to Quirrel agreeing to accept blame and punishment. It seemed odd yet convenient; Quirrell could remain at Hogwarts to continue his search for the Philosopher's Stone, while Dumbledore could keep an eye on Quirrelmort, potentially leading him to confront Charles.
With the troll incident resolved, Hogwarts returned to its normal rhythm. Classes resumed their usual schedule, and Quidditch practices picked up pace.
The aftermath of the troll incident had an unexpected effect on Charles's standing among his peers. Previously, he had been seen as a celebrity within Hogwarts due to his supposed abilities and the grand tales told about him in books. However, perceptions began to shift significantly after the incident.
Many students started to realize that the stories they had read might have been greatly exaggerated, particularly as Charles, who was rumored to be capable of handling a dragon, struggled significantly with the troll and ended up in the hospital.
Gradually, Charles's popularity and special status started to diminish. Students began to notice that beyond a few spells, his skills were quite ordinary. In subjects like Herbology and Potions, his performance was average or even below average. It became clear that his earlier prowess in magic was likely due to practice at home, something not uncommon among children from influential wizarding families. As it turned out, Charles was not the prodigy many had believed him to be.
With no real advantage seen in being close to him, his yearmates started to pull away from his somewhat arrogant demeanor.
Charles was forced to adjust to being just another student at Hogwarts. He found himself having to complete his schoolwork without the help of eager seniors, a challenge that proved tough for both him and Ron.
Despite these challenges, the troll incident did lead to a positive turn in Charles's relationships. Hermione, whom Charles and Ron had saved from the troll, decided to forgive them and give them another chance at friendship. Grateful for their help and eager to break away from her own isolation, Hermione quickly became close with the two boys.
With Hermione's help in their studies, the golden trio was formed, bonding them closely.
As time moved on and the troll incident faded into the background, the excitement at Hogwarts began to build again with the onset of the Quidditch season. The school buzzed with anticipation and enthusiasm, looking forward to the upcoming matches that would bring a different kind of thrill to their school days.
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