Over the next few days, things settled down for Harry.
Aside from the students with average grades, who were noticeably distracted and restless even when playing, both the top and bottom performers had completely relaxed and were enjoying themselves.
Because they all knew—well, their grades were what they were.
Harry and Ron were the perfect representatives of those two groups.
Harry spent the following days at Hagrid's hut, diligently taking care of Big Black.
It had to be said, with his mood lightening up and Little Snow the unicorn by his side, that sense of warmth, safety, and comfort rose to a whole new level.
Hermione had been sticking close to Harry during those days, and she was arguably even more enthusiastic than him about looking after Big Black.
As for why?
Zhang Qiu, for reasons unknown, had also been frequenting Hagrid's hut—and Little Snow seemed to be especially affectionate toward her. In contrast, Big Black actually preferred Hermione.
Harry took this rare opportunity to track down his little darling.
That little darling was always off somewhere, vanishing without a trace. If she didn't come to check in every so often—rubbing up against him sweetly and pulling her usual adorable stunts—Harry would've thought she'd run into serious trouble.
Harry held her tight. "You're not allowed to run off again these next few days. Otherwise, I'll leave you all alone at school and you won't see me for months."
Hearing that, the little darling panicked. She immediately flipped over in Harry's arms, exposing her soft, snow-white belly and meowing: Master, I'll let you rub my tummy—I know it's your favorite thing. Please don't be mad.
Harry couldn't help but laugh at her silly cuteness.
He gave her belly a light scratch, and she immediately purred with contentment.
So… are you the one enjoying this more, or is it me?
Hermione and Zhang Qiu both paused from feeding Big Black and chatting with Little Snow, turning their attention to the little darling. Being girls, they naturally had a soft spot for cute and well-behaved creatures.
Moments later, the little darling had already leapt into the arms of the two girls, abandoning her master without a second thought.
Harry got up from the grass lazily and clambered onto Little Snow's back. The unicorn lifted her hooves and trotted away gently. Harry lay on her back, humming in contentment, and wondered, Is this how the little darling feels when I rub her belly?
Peering up through the gaps in the trees at the increasingly scorching sun, he thought, What a lazy, carefree day. I'm almost jealous of myself.
Quirrell had already been handed over to the Ministry of Magic by Dumbledore.
That miserable guy had been seduced and used by Voldemort, only to be discarded without hesitation when things got dangerous. The rest of his life would be spent struggling to survive in Azkaban.
Still, Harry had more or less avenged him—not that Quirrell ever expressed a shred of gratitude.
Not that Harry had expected him to be that kind of person anyway.
Good thing Quirrell didn't know what Harry was thinking, or he might've gone berserk on the spot.
As for Quirrell himself, he'd initially held his tongue after being captured.
But honestly, there's nothing a vial of Veritaserum can't fix. And if one isn't enough—use two.
Once they'd gotten Quirrell talking, the Ministry plunged into chaos.
Voldemort was still alive, and was actively planning a resurrection?
Something this dangerous and urgent naturally warranted a front-page story in The Daily Prophet.
But in the end, the Quirrell affair was spun into a very different story:
The wizard Quirrell, identified as one of the culprits behind the attempted break-in at Gringotts last Christmas, has been apprehended by the Ministry of Magic… He is accused of attempting to steal an exceptionally rare magical artifact belonging to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. His exact motives remain unknown, though there is speculation that Death Eaters may have been involved…
That was the headline, plastered across the top in bold font to grab attention.
Not a single word about Voldemort.
Naturally, Dumbledore wasn't pleased. What he wanted was to lay everything bare—to warn the wizarding world that war could break out at any moment.
But the Ministry didn't agree. For starters, there was no definitive proof that Voldemort was still alive. All they had were Dumbledore's claims. Were they really supposed to publish a headline declaring, "You-Know-Who Isn't Dead and Might Return Soon"? That would be outright fearmongering. And even if Voldemort was alive, saying so publicly would only cause panic.
Isn't that exactly what the media is for at times like this?—To manipulate the masses.
The two sides couldn't agree and clashed over it.
Of course, the Ministry couldn't just ignore Dumbledore and release whatever statement they wanted.
Because he was Dumbledore—the greatest wizard of the 20th century.
A full fifth of the Ministry's employees were Hogwarts alumni. They were all his students. And while Dumbledore wasn't part of the Ministry's leadership, everyone knew the Minister of Magic practically consulted him on everything.
If the Ministry had gone behind his back, Dumbledore could've just issued a statement in another paper. And with his influence, how would the public have viewed it? That would've been a massive blow to both the Ministry and The Daily Prophet's credibility.
Eventually, the Minister asked, "Do you really want every parent to find out that the Dark Lord was in school with their children for an entire year?"
Dumbledore had no response to that. The school was his life's work, and every student was like his own child.
How could he allow something that would tarnish Hogwarts so completely?
And so, the article ran as it did.
It was Harry Potter who noticed Professor Quirrell's unusual behavior. When Dumbledore was lured away from the school, Quirrell attempted to steal a powerful artifact—but thanks to Harry's bravery and quick thinking, he was stopped and defeated…
Harry had no idea how he ended up as the poster child in this whole mess.
Old Dumbledore just had to make him into the figurehead of the anti-Voldemort cause.
But he was just a kid…
The word secret has been a joke since the day it was invented.
Whether it's wild speculation, tiny pieces of truth, or completely delusional ramblings, Hogwarts was now filled with rumors—some of which were disturbingly close to the truth.
"I heard Quirrell—the stuttering professor—was actually a Death Eater…"
"I even heard You-Know-Who got resurrected and came to our school…"
"I heard there's something hidden at Hogwarts that can make someone immortal…"
"Come on, seriously? Nothing that powerful actually exists, right?"
"Don't be so sure! That guy up there might not be totally wrong. I think I read about something like that in a book once… Was it called the Magic… Poop?"
"I heard Harry Potter protected something really important at school. What was it, dammit? The paper won't say. I'm a Virgo, for crying out loud!"
These were just rumors, of course, and not many believed them. But they still had some impact. Harry's popularity had skyrocketed—everyone wanted to get the gossip straight from him.
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⚡ The Rebirth of Harry Potter
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