Lockhart's Duelling Club finally came to an end amid utter chaos—and the reason it could still be called a "successful conclusion" was that, aside from Snape's explanation genuinely teaching quite a few people something, everyone had actually had a great deal of fun by the end. Lockhart himself was especially pleased as he grandly announced that, at next week's Duelling Club, he would be inviting Ravenclaw's Head of House, Professor Filius Flitwick, to come and offer guidance…
"This trip was really worth it…" Avada couldn't help sighing as he lay spread-eagle across his bed in the dormitory.
"Yeah," came the muffled reply.
Across from him, Stibbins nodded with his head buried in his pillow. "Who would've thought Lockhart was hiding that level of skill—actually managing to teach Harry the Disarming Charm in one go and have him beat Malfoy? And Snape's explanation really was extremely detailed…"
"I still think Lockhart was just putting on a show," Shabby muttered. "I paid attention—when he was 'teaching' Harry, his movements looked like he was having a fit. They had nothing to do with the actual motions of the Disarming Charm."
"Then how did Harry manage to cast it?" someone asked.
"Isn't that obvious? He's the Boy Who Lived, the savior who defeated You-Know-Who as a baby. Learning a Disarming Charm should be effortless for him! Besides, even Ken said that last term, when they faced You-Know-Who himself, Harry single-handedly drew almost all of his attention! Just how strong does that make him?!"
Avada: …
He had to admit—that story had come from him. Back then, faced with the blazing enthusiasm of everyone's questions, he had no choice but to give a simple yet comprehensive summary of what had happened: Harry had single-handedly tied down Voldemort's attention; Baron had taken advantage of Voldemort being distracted by Harry to sneak close and leave a deadly trap on him; Avada himself had secretly activated a powerful magical artifact provided by the Shafiq family to injure Voldemort; and finally, it was Dumbledore descending from the heavens who captured him completely.
Later, when others took that account to Harry and Baron to verify it, the two of them stammered for quite a while—only to realize they couldn't actually refute a single word of it, since none of it was false…
…
The next morning in the Great Hall, the students were surprised to find a long row of adult wizards in black robes standing in front of the teachers' table. Dumbledore himself was seated in the very center, wearing a serious expression as he spoke quietly with Professor Sprout beside him.
After a while—just as most students were nearly finished with breakfast—Dumbledore suddenly stood up. The Great Hall immediately fell silent, and the line of wizards all turned their heads in unison, their gazes sweeping across the room.
"Everyone."
At this moment, all trace of his earlier seriousness vanished. Dumbledore was smiling warmly, looking in excellent spirits. "Please allow me to take a small amount of time from your breakfast to announce two pieces of good news."
"First, Professor Sprout has just informed me that the second batch of restorative potions has completed its final testing. The students who previously fell into comas will need only one more week of treatment before they can be fully discharged and return to normal school life, with no lasting aftereffects whatsoever. This means you will finally be reunited with those poor friends you have been separated from for so long…"
Cheers instantly erupted throughout the Great Hall. Over the course of more than a month, the number of comatose students had already reached several dozen, including even a prefect and a Quidditch team captain. It had taken a significant toll on everyone's social lives and left the entire student body on edge.
"After they are discharged, the professors will set aside special time to provide them with concentrated remedial lessons according to their year. I also hope all of you will offer them as much help as possible in both their studies and daily lives…"
Once the cheering subsided somewhat, Dumbledore continued. "As for the second piece of good news—Hogwarts will be welcoming a powerful source of assistance to help us resolve the matter that has troubled us for so long, and to better ensure everyone's safety."
"After discussion, the Board of Governors and I have unanimously agreed to allow the investigation team formed by the Board to enter Hogwarts, in order to look into the recent incidents of students falling into comas."
He stepped down from the teachers' table and walked to the far left of the line, stopping beside a burly wizard. With evident enthusiasm, he introduced them. "Now then, please allow me to introduce these outstanding and honorable witches and wizards to you all…"
"Mr. Robert Parkinson, a member of the Hogwarts Board of Governors and the primary organizer of the investigation team."
"Mr. Marcel Flint, also a member of the Board of Governors, who will be overseeing the investigation alongside Mr. Parkinson."
The two governors wore rather somber expressions, but still raised a hand in greeting to the students.
"Oh, they're relatives of Pansy and Marcus—no wonder they're leading this investigation…"
Whispers like these spread through the hall, yet Dumbledore continued as though he hadn't heard a thing.
"Mr. Exeter Delis, an excellent Auror who has been invited to participate in the investigation with the approval of the Ministry of Magic…"
"Mr. Pierre Alex, a renowned curse-breaker…"
"…"
Wait.
As Dumbledore went on introducing them one by one, Avada suddenly noticed something amiss. Aren't most of the investigation team members from pure-blood families?
And the few surnames that aren't pure-blood families seem to be staunch supporters of pure-blood ideology—like that Auror, Delis…
Do you really need family connections to stuff people into an investigation team? This isn't some cushy posting—it's a problem even Dumbledore hasn't been able to solve quickly!
Right—hasn't Dumbledore been applying to the Ministry for a Time-Turner for ages? But instead of that, what arrives is a nepotistic investigation team? The Time-Turner clearly didn't come. Otherwise, with Dumbledore's ability, he'd have found the root of the problem already. Surely even Dumbledore with a Time-Turner couldn't fail to uncover the truth… right? That would be terrifying.
Avada slowly narrowed his eyes as he listened to Dumbledore continue.
"From today onward, the members of the investigation team will be stationed at the school and will take full responsibility for investigating the coma incidents. They will patrol throughout the castle, but please rest assured—they will do their utmost not to disrupt your normal lives…"
Full responsibility? Is Dumbledore planning to stop investigating it himself? Why?
…
After the first class ended, Avada quickly found Baron.
"Quite a few of the investigation team members today seemed to be pure-bloods. Do you know much about them?"
"They're alright. I couldn't recognize many of them at first either, but after some internal discussion among Slytherin, we more or less figured them out."
Baron looked at Avada with an understanding gaze. "No need to worry. Although most of them are pure-bloods, their actual strength is beyond question. Each of them has an impressive record, and plenty of Slytherins have personally seen them in action. Their evaluations are all very high."
"I know what you're thinking. A lot of people have had the same concern—worried that with all the connections involved, a few Lockhart-types might slip into the team. Don't worry. That concern is unnecessary. The governors probably chose them out of trust. After all, not just anyone is allowed into Hogwarts. This is about student safety."
"…Hearing you say that does put me at ease. Thanks."
After parting ways with Baron, Avada turned around, frowning slightly. He still couldn't quite make sense of it.
What exactly had happened between Dumbledore and the Board of Governors?Could it really be that even Dumbledore—with a Time-Turner—would be unable to uncover the truth?
But if that were the case, what use could a mere investigation team possibly be?
(End of Chapter)