The Weasley twins' questions were destined to remain unanswered by Professor McGonagall.
For Professor McGonagall herself was unaware of the true situation; the only instructions she had received were to bring all the students back to Hogwarts. Beyond the initial Dementor incident, she had no idea what had transpired afterward. After all, Dumbledore hadn't informed Minerva McGonagall, nor had he the chance to do so.
Thus, Professor McGonagall was much like most other wizards and professors—unaware of the full story and certainly unable to know Ron Weasley's whereabouts. In fact, even Harry Potter, who had appeared in Hogsmeade Village without permission, remained unknown to Minerva McGonagall as one of the central figures in the events...
But secrets never stay hidden forever.
Several days passed. With Harry Potter and Ron Weasley still missing from Hogwarts, and Dumbledore nowhere to be seen to explain what had happened that day, whispers began to spread throughout the wizarding world. Not to mention, every witch and wizard who had been in Hogsmeade at the time had heard that explosion and felt the surge of magic.
Amidst the growing cloud of suspicion, a single report set off a storm across the entire British wizarding community...
...
It was after Christmas, when everyone had returned to Hogwarts.
The Great Hall.
"Have you all heard? This morning's Daily Prophet."
"Yeah... of course. There's probably not a wizard alive who hasn't heard about it by now."
"Who would've thought something like that could happen."
"Yeah. We were probably at the Three Broomsticks at the time. Thinking back, that explosion did seem a bit strange."
"Too bad I didn't go that day. But... do you think it's all true?"
"Probably. After all, it came straight from the Ministry of Magic."
From the moment they woke up, most of the young wizards had no appetite for the delicious breakfast in front of them. The food prepared by the house-elves couldn't distract them from the copies of the Daily Prophet in their hands. Everyone was talking about the story on its front page.
Even the Slytherins, who usually sneered at the other houses' lack of table manners, were unusually restless...
"Draco, look at what the Daily Prophet says."
"Harry Potter, who defeated the Dark Lord, and his friend Ron Weasley, under the plan of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, joined forces with Aurors to capture the escaped Azkaban convict, Sirius Black!"
"...I don't believe those two could pull that off. Look at this part instead..."
"The Chief of the Auror Office, Rufus Scrimgeour, stated that they knew Sirius Black's target was Harry Potter. Therefore, to capture this criminal, they sought out Harry Potter and set a trap to lure him in. And these two third-year wizards executed the capture flawlessly!"
"Hmph. With their abilities, how could they possibly be of any help?"
At that, Goyle, his mouth dry, gulped down a large mouthful of pumpkin juice from the table.
A faint look of doubt crossed his face—and those around him shared it. If it were just about serving as bait, maybe it would sound plausible. But the report used words like "joined forces" and "flawless," turning Harry Potter and Ron Weasley into the operation's key figures. How could Goyle and Crabbe, who despised the two, possibly be pleased with that?
Besides, it all sounded far too unrealistic.
Draco could clearly hear the disbelief in Goyle and Crabbe's voices.
The little Gryffindor lions, however, were another story…
…
Compared to Slytherin's skepticism, the Gryffindor lion cubs took the Daily Prophet's report at face value.
In truth, most wizards still regarded the Daily Prophet as an authoritative source. Those who doubted the report's authenticity were in the minority...
"So they actually did something like that?"
"Harry Potter, of course. He's the one who defeated that person. Why worry about a mere Sirius Black? With him around, we can finally stop living in fear."
"Exactly! I've had enough of those Dementors!"
"Looks like we all owe Harry a big thank you~"
"Hahaha, that's our little brother Ron!"
"Forget the Basilisk—Harry, who captured Sirius Black, is the real hero."
"Hero Our Potter"
"Hero!!"
The Weasley twins, always eager to stir things up and revel in Slytherin's irritation, immediately crowned Harry Potter with the title of "hero." Even Cedric Diggory from Hufflepuff joined in with applause.
George and Fred stood on their table, waving their arms as if afraid the Slytherin snakes hadn't heard them. Their triumphant gazes repeatedly drifted toward Draco's seat...
Pansy and the group that followed Draco glared back in anger. If it had been directed only at her, Pansy might not have been so furious—but it was obvious the Weasley twins' target was Draco. Otherwise, they wouldn't have deliberately brought up last year's basilisk incident.
"Damn it! The truth isn't like that at all! Why won't you let me say something, Draco?!"
Provoked, Pansy bit her lip, her eyes flashing with frustration and a trace of hurt as she looked at him. Knowing the truth yet being unable to speak it out loud was unbearably stifling.
"It's pointless. From this report, it's obvious the Ministry and Dumbledore have reached some kind of agreement. Otherwise, this result wouldn't exist."
"But... that's not the truth!"
"Whether it's true or not doesn't matter. What matters is why they chose to conceal it."
While Pansy fumed in indignation, Draco's focus was elsewhere—on Dumbledore's motives.
Was it to raise Harry Potter's standing within the British wizarding world?
Or was it a concession from the Ministry to cover something up?
To Draco, the question of whether the hero's title was deserved had already become irrelevant. His thoughts had long since moved beyond such things.
That was the difference in perspective.
And it was also the reason Draco ignored the Weasley twins entirely...
...
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