Chapter 34. More Than Riddiculus
Despite her apparent aloofness, Ambrose soon began to interfere in the affairs of the teachers. Sometimes she would walk around the offices, following a certain order known only to Fudge, and make some notes in a small notepad. Some teachers were skeptical about her presence, while others politely inquired whether the Minister's order included missed classes with students, causing her to retreat repeatedly. In the end, not getting what she wanted from the teachers, she started running after the students, continuing her suspicious notes. When they started running away from her faster and more often than from Peeves, the deans of the faculties took notice of her strange behavior and politely asked her what she was doing on behalf of the Minister of Magic. Held accountable, they did so not just anywhere, but in the headmaster's office. Dumbledore carefully surveyed all those present, listened to them, and then politely looked at the culprit from under his half-moon glasses. She looked in horror first at the headmaster, then at the teachers, and ran away screaming, "You have no right! I will complain to the Minister!"
In response to this outcry, McGonagall twirled her finger at her temple, and Snape shrugged. Sprout and Flitwick just gave her puzzled looks, but no one said a word.
Ambrose's actions provoked much less confusion than the article in the Daily Prophet, which lay on Harry's desk the next morning.
The magical community of London is in a panic as a series of brutal murders has occurred in the city. The victims, both muggles and wizards, were often found unrecognizable, leading to the assumption that dark magic is involved.
The Daily Prophet has learned that the murders bear a striking resemblance to a dozen urban legends that have circulated in England for centuries. One of them tells of a creature known as the "Heartless Hunter," who hunts unsuspecting victims and takes out their hearts as a gruesome trophy, dreaming of finding its own one day.
Amateur detectives quickly linked these murders to the recently resurrected Dark Wizard. Some believe that he is using these killings to instill fear and gain control over the wizarding community.
The Ministry of Magic has issued a statement urging all wizards and witches to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity. Aurors have been dispatched to investigate the murders and are tirelessly working to bring the culprit to justice.
Meanwhile, the public is urged to exercise caution and avoid traveling alone at night. The wizarding community is on high alert, and we hope that the criminal will be apprehended before more lives are lost.
As the investigation continues, the Daily Prophet will keep readers informed of any new developments in this chilling case.
Harry stared at the article as if in a trance. He expected to read anything in the Prophet, but not about a mysterious serial killer. He thought that only Voldemort and his Death Eaters were capable of such attacks, but life had suddenly presented a surprise. Could it be that Voldemort had a competitor?
For a moment, Harry imagined Voldemort walking along a grim London street, watching the dark figure wrapped in a hooded cloak. He called out to the figure, it turned around, a flash of green light - and the winner's snake-like face spread into a satisfied smile.
Waking up from such a flight of fancy, Harry involuntarily flinched - the last thing he needed was to feel sympathy for the sworn enemy who had exerted so much power for the sake of his, Harry's, death. Not attaching much importance to the newspaper article, Harry finished his breakfast and left the table, wanting to go to his lessons. Little did he know that these murders were not the work of Voldemort and not part of another insane bloody ritual that he wanted to gain more magical power from. Harry's mission was to learn and teach others to fight against the dark forces while there was still a chance. He had to be ready to eventually confront Voldemort and fight, as he had already done at the end of his first, second and fourth years.
"This is real life," he spoke at the Dumbledore's Army meeting in the evening, shaking the newspaper. "Here, no one will give you an 'Acceptable,' here people die, and each of us must be prepared for any surprises. Today we will be studying a spell to combat a boggart, get ready..."
During the lesson, the boggart of one of the new girls from Gryffindor surprised him the most - it looked like a red ball engulfed in flames. Ritsuki's boggart seemed similar - also a scarlet ball, but with a large number of flickering dots on it. Harry did not bother to inquire about what it meant and why their boggarts were so similar. To make it look as tactful as possible, he should have asked such questions of each student, but the lesson couldn't last forever. He was even a little surprised by Jeanne's boggart - a centuries-old tree under which no one was present - but even more surprised by her distressed face. For several seconds, she tried to release the spell from herself, but after five attempts, she gave up and sat in the corner, indulging in some thoughts she did not want to share with anyone. It was only a couple of minutes later that Hermione approached her and quietly talked about something. Several minutes passed as they silently reached an agreement, and only then did Jeanne return to her boggart. Upon seeing that tree again, she became unusually serious, and a sinister gleam appeared in her eyes. With a single spell, a large crowd gathered under the tree, and a serene smile appeared on Jeanne's face.
"So what is she so afraid of?" Harry later asked Hermione.
"Loneliness, Harry!" she replied. "At the critical moment of her life, no one supported her, and everyone stood aside. That's what led her to transform into a vengeful version of herself, and that is what she fears. Do you really know so little about history?"
Harry wanted to find the words to respond, but his thoughts became tangled, and when he managed to overcome them, he couldn't make a sound, only shrugged.
He had lived under the same roof as Neville for several years and had never asked about his parents. Now he had spent several months knowing that he was studying with the Servant of the Holy Grail and had not asked once how she had transformed from the kind and beloved Joan of Arc, the savior of France, into an uncompromising killer, ready to strike enemies left and right, making her way through piles of corpses. Before going to sleep, he set himself the goal of catching Jeanne during break time and asking her a couple of questions away from prying eyes and ears.
The morning news quickly swept away all his thoughts, and he completely forgot whether he wanted to ask something from someone, as the fresh article in the Prophet flaunted a eloquent headline.
Mysterious flying object destroys London - is the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters involved?
The intriguing headline was accompanied by a detailed article.
Last night, the residents of central London were shocked by a mysterious flying object causing chaos on the streets. Witnesses reported seeing a large unknown object hovering over the city, causing destruction. The incident occurred amidst a recent surge in attacks on Muggles by the notorious Dark Lord and his gang of Death Eaters.
Emergency services for Muggles quickly responded to the incident, but nobody wanted to make contact with the unidentified object, which displayed unstable behavior. One brave journalist from the Daily Prophet managed to capture the object on camera. The obtained photos suggested that the object was neither a broom nor a dragon.
While many speculated that this item was being used by the Dark Lord and his followers in their ongoing battle against the Ministry of Magic, circumstances point to the Dark Lord showcasing some sort of superweapon that remains shrouded in secrecy.
Although the incident caused chaos and extensive damage, there appear to be no casualties. Muggle authorities are urging the public to remain calm and cautioning the community due to the recent wave of attacks on Muggles. The situation is developing, and anyone with even the slightest information about the incident is asked to report it immediately.
Harry read the article several times and looked at the nearby photograph. He flipped it over a few times, brought it closer and moved it away, but the object depicted in it still looked blurred and unreadable, moving too fast for the photographer, whose hands were shaking desperately, as if he was trying to capture the object while on a sprint. Perhaps it was like that, but the object emitting bright rays downwards decisively did not want to be caught on camera. Harry even momentarily thought that if the object had a face, it would only make various offensive faces and stick its tongue out at the photographer in the photo.
"So what could this be?" he asked.
Hermione remained silent and just shrugged - she didn't understand these things.
"Do you know anything about this?" Jeanne asked.
She quickly glanced at the photograph, reread the article in a couple of seconds, but also didn't answer anything.
"If this is a demonstration," Ron remarked, "they'll drive all the Muggles crazy in an hour!"
"Yeah," Harry replied thoughtfully.
Among their group, only Dudley sat at the table as if thunderstruck, staring at the photograph in the newspaper, not taking his eyes off it.