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Even though the curtain around us blocked the sound from outside, my hearing — without even being magically enhanced — could still pick up some muffled noises of shouting and arguments.
In fact, I didn't even need to listen to what they were saying. I could get a sense of what was happening just by feeling the magic and emotions of everyone inside the medical tent.
And right now, everything out there was boiling.
The magic of several people was starting to grow violent and agitated. And emotions like anger, contempt, indignation, and fury completely filled the tent — and my senses.
With an ironic and slightly exasperated expression, I realized those emotions were coming mainly from my family and Harry's.
'What the hell is going on out there?' I wondered.
"Ethan?" Harry called me, noticing I hadn't answered his question.
But I didn't pay him any attention. Curiosity was the only thing occupying my mind.
Then, feeling like I was missing something very interesting, I got up from my bed and started walking toward the curtain.
Seeing that, Harry became alarmed.
"Hey, Ethan, what are you doing?!" he asked, looking at me anxiously. ""If Madam Pomfrey catches you out of bed, she'll tie you to it until she's done with all your tests!"
"Relax. If she turns up, I'll just say I got up because you wouldn't stop bothering me," I said, waving off his warning as I stopped in front of the curtain and pulled it slightly aside.
'What?! I'm trying to warn you, and you were planning to throw me under the bus!?' Harry shot me a betrayed look.
However, any feeling of indignation he might've had evaporated the moment I opened the curtain.
As soon as I did that, the soundproofing charm was undone, allowing us to clearly hear the screams and insults echoing loudly through the tent.
"Uh..." Harry and I exchanged awkward looks, instantly recognizing the voices of our families.
Realizing that my family was probably causing some kind of scene, I didn't waste any time.
With curiosity — and a hint of excitement — I immediately went through the curtains, heading toward the source of all that noise.
Harry, seeing that, couldn't just stay put either. Ignoring his fear of Madam Pomfrey's inevitable scolding, he quickly followed me.
The moment we left the bed area and walked a little, we immediately saw the scene: practically everyone from our group and those who had accompanied us were now gathered near the entrance of the tent — even Madam Pomfrey was there.
Some were shouting, gesturing, or cursing, while the rest were either trying to restrain and calm them... or simply watching everything with expressions ranging from interest and amusement to frustration and irritation.
"What's going on here?" I asked, stopping beside the large group, genuine confusion in my eyes.
My voice wasn't very loud, but it still managed to reach everyone's ears amid the chaos.
Hearing my question, everyone stopped, momentarily interrupting the commotion as several pairs of eyes turned toward Harry and me.
With that pause, I could finally take a proper look at the scene before me, analyzing everything with a curious gaze.
Sirius was being held back by Remus and Ted, Nick and Penny were holding their wands threateningly. My mom had a dangerous expression, while my dad stood behind her with an angry scowl.
Andromeda was the very embodiment of silent coldness, and Madam Pomfrey looked as if she were about to use someone as a test subject at any moment.
As for my friends and the other people in the tent, they seemed just as irritated — their faces a mix of frowns, disdain, and confusion.
Looking away from them, I turned my gaze to the last person in the tent — someone who definitely shouldn't have been here.
The one who, for more than enough reasons, was the target of the group's angry, cold stares... Cornelius "Useless" Fudge.
That pathetic little man was sitting on his butt on the floor, one hand on his right cheek as he glared at the people in front of him with an expression of pain and anger.
"H-how... How dare you?!" he shouted furiously, taking advantage of the silence to get up from the floor.
"Do you know who I am!? Do you know who you're dealing with?!" he barked, spit flying as he trembled with rage.
While Fudge kept yelling and complaining nonstop, something about him caught my attention... something that made me frown with a strange expression.
"Uh, Minister..." I began, interrupting his complaints, "Where's your tooth?"
...
...
...
The silence that followed my question was almost tangible.
The question was so unexpected and random that it even left Fudge slightly stunned. Stopping mid-sentence, he turned to me, confused.
And it wasn't just him. Everyone else was also staring at me, puzzled.
However, a moment later, realization seemed to dawn on them.
Collectively, every pair of eyes turned toward the Minister, focusing on his half-open mouth. A single glance was enough for everyone to notice it was true: there was indeed a tooth missing.
'Holy shi—' was the general thought.
Fudge, still stunned by my question, unconsciously snapped his mouth shut. When he did, he tasted the metallic tang of blood.
That was when panic took hold of him. Slowly — and with growing nervousness — he ran his tongue across his teeth.
First he felt the bottom row, then he moved to the top.
When his tongue reached his upper front teeth, he froze — terrified and in shock.
He realized there was an empty space where there definitely shouldn't be one.
Rigidly, Fudge turned his head, looking at the floor as if searching for something.
And there, near the leg of one of the beds, he saw it... a broken, blood-stained tooth.
Approaching it with slow, fearful steps, Fudge crouched and picked it up, staring at the tooth with a look of anguish.
'This... This can't be...' he thought in denial.
He then looked toward the side of the bed, where there was a table with medical tools.
In a fit of desperation, he rushed to it, grabbing a flat metal object to use as an improvised mirror.
Lifting it in front of his face, Fudge, filled with apprehension and fear, opened his mouth and looked at his reflection.
The reflected image left no doubt: a toothless Minister, with a horrified expression.
Stunned and distraught, Fudge dropped the object back onto the table, stumbling back a step on shaky legs.
"My tooth..." he muttered, his gaze shaken and unfocused. "I'm missing a tooth..."
But then, as if a switch had been flipped, his dazed look turned into pure fury and indignation.
"You!" he roared, spinning around and pointing his trembling fingers in our direction. "You broke my tooth!!"
His face was so red with anger it was almost turning purple.
Hearing Fudge's shout — and already having noticed the red, swollen mark on his cheek — Harry quickly came to a conclusion about what had happened.
With a surprised look, he turned to the most likely suspect... his godfather.
"Sirius... you punched the Minister?!"
"Hmph, I wish I had punched him," Sirius replied, glaring at Fudge with disdain.
That answer caught Harry off guard. "Wait, so that means it wasn't you?!" he asked, looking even more surprised.
"No. It wasn't me," Lord Black pursed his lips, feeling rather offended and disappointed.
Offended that his godson thought any kind of violence had to do with him, and disappointed because he genuinely regretted not being the one who had hit Fudge.
Hearing the man-dog's reply, the Gryffindor blinked in confusion, tilting his head.
"Huh? Then if it wasn't you, who was it?"
Saying that, he looked around. His eyes scanned all the men in the tent — Nick, Lupin, my dad, even Ted... but none of them seemed guilty.
In fact, after hearing Harry's question, everyone turned and looked in the same direction, a mix of exasperated, amused, and resigned expressions on their faces.
Following their gaze, Harry's green eyes widened.
"Aunt Sarah!!?" he exclaimed, shocked, staring at the Muggle woman.
The Golden Boy's expression was pure astonishment and disbelief, unable to believe that my mom had punched the Minister for Magic.
However, unlike him, I wasn't all that surprised. In fact, I was also staring at my mom, but in my eyes, there was only admiration and pride.
Feeling our stares on her, my mom — who previously wore a fierce and defiant expression — shyly looked away.
"Oh... it wasn't a big deal," she said modestly, though there was a hint of pride and satisfaction in her voice.
'That's not the point here!' the other adults thought in unison.
End.
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