The Dining Hall's Revenge
Everyone was gathered in the Great Hall, since they were about to celebrate a grand farewell dinner for the Beauxbatons students, who would return to France after finishing their stay at the castle. The atmosphere had a warm, almost nostalgic tone; several tables murmured between soft laughs and sighs, because although the visitors had been only four, those who managed to spend time with them felt an unexpected sadness.
And of course, they also lamented losing the French beauties and the handsome man whose existence had been a visual delight for many.
There was a mixture of excitement and slight melancholy.
"Well, we must all give them a farewell with a smile so that they remember us that way. You must know this will not be the last time we see each other; the world is vast and magic lives within us," Dumbledore said with a warm voice, offering a soft, almost ceremonial speech.
Daphne, Hermione and Draco did not seem particularly interested in the headmaster's words. They looked at one another and then directed a silent signal toward the Weasley twins.
The twins nodded with a smile that promised chaos, and discreetly cast glances toward other Gryffindor students. Then toward Ravenclaw. Then toward Hufflepuff.
In each house, someone returned the gesture with a nod.
Like pieces on a board finally aligning.
Perhaps, unintentionally, what many headmasters in the past had truly tried to achieve was now happening: the houses united… against a common enemy.
A delicious irony for some. An educational tragedy for others.
The problem was that this common enemy was also a house within Hogwarts.
Slytherin.
The serpent had deeply annoyed the other three houses for months; and although Slytherin pretended not to notice, it was evident they felt so untouchable and so united that they cared very little. Since Juliette's arrival, their unity had reached absurd levels.
They solved everything internally, any accusation vanished as if by magic, and every prank or abuse was buried under a wall of blind support.
It was impossible to report anything when, conveniently, there were never witnesses or evidence.
Unifying an entire house might have been useful for a greater purpose… but there are always idiots who confuse support with immunity.
And those idiots always end up learning the hard way.
"… now let us give a cordial farewell to our exchange students, and we hope your days at Hogwarts have been pleasant," Dumbledore concluded.
Everyone applauded and gave their standing farewells. Juliette, seated at the Slytherin table, smiled calmly and nodded as if she were the queen of the place. Fleur waved elegantly, while Luciel and Katerina also bid the room goodbye with politeness.
"Now everyone, take your seats; it is time to begin our gra…"
Dumbledore stopped, because at the precise moment everyone touched their seats, an almost absurd amount of owls began to enter through the windows, fluttering so close to the headmaster and the professors that they completely confused them.
This was not a time to deliver anything.
No one expected mail.
And yet, someone had opened the windows.
The owls flew straight toward the Slytherin table, each carrying a package in its talons.
The entire hall went still.
Slytherin received more than fifty packages within seconds.
Every student had at least one. Some, two.
Some, even three.
The other tables received nothing.
The Slytherins began to straighten with pride, as if the entire castle had just recognized their "greatness." Several arrogant smiles began to appear.
But Juliette did not smile.
She looked at the packages in front of her, four with her name. Then lifted her gaze toward the tables of the other houses.
There, several students were hiding smiles far too suspicious.
Juliette's eyes widened in horror, understanding instantly.
She shot to her feet to stop her table before they touched anything.
But it was too late.
Goyle had already opened his.
And as if all the packages were connected, the rest began to open on their own.
What followed could only be described as chaos.
Or the ultimate prank in the history of Hogwarts.
Paint explosives burst in blinding, garish colors.
Several packages launched viscous, foul-smelling liquids.
Others released clouds of feathers that clung to every surface.
And those were, unfortunately for Slytherin, the gentle gifts.
Other packages exploded, releasing creatures: pixies, skunks, and small hyperactive beasts that immediately jumped on the nearest students.
A huge package fell in the center of the table and released something that, for lack of a more precise word, could only be described as a packaged swamp.
The swamp expanded as if it had been waiting for this moment.
It covered the table.
Then the floor.
And suddenly the entire ground around Slytherin turned into a dark mire that trapped the feet of those who had not managed to climb onto their seats in time.
The students might have run to save themselves.
But unfortunately for them, someone had already thought of that.
A package that looked like it contained Christmas garlands began to move like tentacles, grabbing anyone who attempted to escape and snatching wands before they could use them.
Meanwhile, the students at the table closest to Slytherin, as if they knew exactly what was about to happen, were already standing on their chairs, avoiding the swamp.
Each one wore a small object clipped to their clothing that generated a shield of air around them, pushing away smells, paint and any disgusting liquid.
Perfectly synchronized air shields.
Without a doubt, professional work.
The chaos was absolute. Even the professors, who were desperately trying to stop the gifts, were being completely overwhelmed. There were too many packages, too many traps, too many small creatures running everywhere.
Dumbledore had his mouth open.
And he did not close it even when, finally, he decided to intervene. He pulled out his wand with dignity… or tried to, because the wand was snapped in two.
The headmaster's expression turned so pale that several students thought he was about to suffer a heart attack.
Meanwhile, Juliette remained standing on her seat, which was slowly sinking into the magical swamp. She was covered in paint, feathers, viscous liquids and smells that should not exist outside a divine punishment. Her eyes burned with rage as she fixed her gaze on the Ravenclaw table; specifically on Daphne, Hermione and Draco.
Her jaw trembled with fury.
Draco looked back at her with an arrogant, elegant and cruel smile. He held eye contact as he moved his lips slowly, so she could read every word without needing sound.
"Hope you enjoy the farewell trip. And remember: this isn't even a part."
Juliette's fury reached a level she had not believed herself capable of. No one had ever done something like this to her in her entire life.
And perhaps that was exactly why she was an incurable spoiled brat.
Then, more owls entered through the windows.
The Slytherin students panicked, thinking more packages were coming.
But no.
They carried letters.
A murmur ran through the entire hall like electricity.
"They're… are those howlers?" yelled a Slytherin student in genuine horror.
That was the final blow.
Because howlers did not bring pranks.
They brought truths.
Each howler began calling a Slytherin student by name, then loudly revealed their misdeeds, their most embarrassing secrets, and —worst of all— the origins of their political power.
One for each student.
All of them.
Except for a small spy sitting at the far end, almost invisible, who was not targeted.
No one noticed him.
Perhaps because he was too far.
Or perhaps because he was part of the plan.
The voice of the first howler filled the hall:
"Juliette Marceau, daughter of the French Minister of Magic. Constant harassment of students in her own school. Securing support through manipulation and threats to maintain her position as school president. Forging attendance reports, misuse of funds, and disappearance of classmates who opposed her. Her father, a renowned politician, involved in bribery and underworld activities…"
The howler dodged Juliette's hand when she tried to grab it.
She opened her eyes in pure terror.
Because that was only the beginning.
Another howler spoke.
And another.
And another.
"Death Eaters."
That word came up several times.
The students tensed.
The professors stopped trying to control the swamp.
The students of the other three houses watched in a mixture of horror, surprise… and yes, satisfaction.
Several tables began to murmur:
"They're finished."
"This is going straight to the Ministry."
"Their parents won't be able to hide this."
"This changes everything."
And they were right.
Because while the howlers shouted crimes, bribes, manipulation, blackmail and family corruption, copies of the same information were being sent —simultaneously— to newspapers and magical offices in several countries.
A perfect political strike.
Irreversible.
Draco exhaled in amusement.
"Such a shame Harry missed this. After all, he was the one who planned everything."
Several heads turned instantly.
Even Fleur, Luciel and Katerina heard it.
The three remained silent for a few seconds.
Then Fleur smiled softly, almost amused.
"Truly a villain," she murmured.
Luciel let out a gentle laugh as she said, "Remind me to never antagonize that psychopath." It sounded like a joke, but she meant it very seriously.
Katerina, meanwhile, looked at the chaos, impressed by the coordination of the attack.
Billy and Tommy, sitting farther away, heard it too.
They looked at each other.
Tommy smiled, proud, as if he had just confirmed that his new brother was officially the coolest person in the world.
Billy, on the other hand, had an expression of absolute shock.
He did not know whether to feel worried or impressed… or both.
And while Slytherin imploded in chaos, humiliation, swamp, paint and accusations…
…the culprit was sleeping.
Harry, at that very moment, was completely curled up in Wanda's arms.
It was nap time, and his little body could not stay awake much longer. He slept deeply, breathing softly, with one hand gripping his mother's cloak.
Wanda sat in the inner courtyard, giving him gentle pats on the back while she glanced —from the corner of her eye— toward the dining hall.
The explosion of magic, screams, howlers and chaos could be heard even from the distance.
She sighed, shaking her head with a mixture of surprise and resignation.
She looked at Harry's sleeping face.
"What a troublesome little boy you've become," she murmured with a tender smile. "It seems you no longer need me to help you fix anything."
There was a sad undertone in her voice.
Her little boy was growing up.
And fixing his problems on his own… perhaps a little too well.
Then she turned her head toward Red, who was resting peacefully among the flowers beside Dee and Terra.
"Red. I need you to do something for me."
Red lifted his head immediately, as if struck by lightning. His eyes snapped open; his chest swelled with pride.
It was the universal posture of:
"A new mission for the supreme warrior?"
Wanda looked at him and hesitated slightly.
But the decision was made.
…
N/A: And well… this is where this arc ends. Not even I know exactly what comes next; I only know there's a mini arc on the way and I'll probably end up writing something completely different from what I had planned. So we'll see what comes out.
And a quick question. Do you think I rushed this arc too much? To be honest, I wanted to finish it already, so it might feel a bit accelerated. What do you think?