"Our entire family is here, Aunt Josephine. Look, Father is over there too, trying to help with the clean-up!" Allen quickly pointed toward Owen Harris, who was indeed working alongside the specialized Ministry teams, trying to deploy powerful, area-of-effect Obliviation Charms to ensure the scattered Muggles forgot the terrifying spectacle they had just witnessed.
Allen had to quickly manage the incoming barrage of authority and familiarity.
Aunt Josephine, a tall, imposing witch with the razor-sharp gaze of someone who signed official forms for a living, arched one perfectly groomed eyebrow, her eyes still narrowed in critical assessment. "So, the erratically-flying owl that brought the news belonged to you, young man?"
"Yes, that was Benny," Allen confirmed, putting on his most innocent, wide-eyed expression. "What happened to him? Is he alright?"
"Is he alright? He was performing unsolicited aerial maneuvers all over the Ministry Atrium! Luckily, Arthur Weasley spotted him—only he would recognize that species of chaotic flying—and brought him straight to me. Otherwise, who knows how long it would have taken to find a witch who actually dealt with sea creatures!"
Aunt Josephine released her grip on his ear, though the threat of a much firmer pinch lingered in her expression. "And do you have any idea how exhausting it is for a team to have to emergency-Apparate across every single one of these massive Cornish beaches based on a panicked, painted note delivered by a hyperactive pygmy owl?"
"I am genuinely sorry, Auntie. I really didn't think the logistics through completely, but I am still just a newly minted first-year, after all! My primary focus was merely ensuring the gigantic monster didn't eat any tourists while the Statute of Secrecy remained intact," Allen apologized immediately and sincerely, ensuring the weight of the blame landed squarely on his youth and urgency, rather than any calculated malice.
Josephine was about to launch into a further lecture about proper Ministry protocol when another wizard approached, his attention clearly focused on her.
"Josephine, who is this exceptionally well-behaved boy?" The newcomer was remarkably tall and thin, with pale, almost translucent skin. His most striking feature was his long, slightly reddish beard and a nose that appeared perpetually crooked, as if it had been broken and healed at an odd angle multiple times. His high cheekbones gave him a slightly uncanny, almost mythological air, a bit like a gentle, aging gnome.
"This, Northmore, is my nephew, Allen Harris, who has just finished his stellar first year at Hogwarts," Aunt Josephine introduced him warmly, deciding the reprimand could wait. She steered the conversation toward her colleague.
"Don't be deceived by his unique appearance; Northmore Calliss is a genuinely kind soul. He sadly had his nose comprehensively broken by a ruthless Dark wizard while protecting a particularly rare Horned Beast during a smuggling operation."
Northmore grinned widely, a genuine, crinkling smile that instantly softened the slightly creepy feeling emanating from his unusual features. "Indeed! I wasn't expecting that villain to resort to such irreversible dark magic! A valuable lesson for you, young Allen: you truly need to protect your nose when you encounter truly bad people; it's a very important structural feature! Hello, Allen!"
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Calliss," Allen returned the greeting politely, immediately making an internal strategic note: Northmore Calliss – Good Guy, bad nose, high empathy. He couldn't help but think, however, that a wizard's nose wasn't only under threat when up against Dark wizards. A poorly aimed Bludger or a particularly enthusiastic Potion explosion could achieve the same results.
Northmore quickly focused his excitement on the giant, subdued creature resting on the beach.
"This Sea Serpent is simply phenomenal! Look at the length of it. It looks like it's been alive for centuries—it may well have just broken the documented record for the longest Sea Serpent ever known in the magical world! I must know where it came from and how it managed to navigate into a heavily utilized Muggle beach without being spotted earlier!"
As Northmore began taking measurements with a specialized, magically extending measuring tape, another wizard joined the group.
This man was the very picture of Ministry professionalism: middle-aged, with short, slightly curly, neat brown-gold hair combed smoothly back. His features were balanced, his gaze was calm and intelligent, and his entire bearing radiated an aura of stability and polished reliability.
"Are you, by any chance, the young Alan Harris?" the new wizard asked, his expression serious and slightly challenging.
"Allen, this is Mr. Amos Diggory," Aunt Josephine interjected just in time, providing the necessary social cushion. "And his son also attends Hogwarts! They're Hufflepuffs." Allen realized the man's abruptness made immediate sense; he was Cedric Diggory's father!
"Hello, Mr. Diggory!" Allen greeted him politely again, his immediate respect for the gentleman causing Amos Diggory's serious expression to soften into a genuinely pleased smile.
"Hello, Allen, it's truly a pleasure. I've heard quite a bit about you, you know. Cedric mentions you were the most successful first-year student, the one who accumulated the most bonus points in Hogwarts history—far exceeding even today's Cedric!" Amos began, his eyes sparkling with parental pride, unable to hold back the praise for either Allen's achievement or his own son's relative success.
Before Allen could manage more than a few humble, self-effacing words, Amos launched into a rapid-fire, extensive explanation that completely derailed the professional conversation.
"My son, Cedric, is also exceptionally talented, mind you; he achieved a flawless grade in his Transfiguration final. And, of course, he is the Seeker for the Hufflepuff Quidditch team. Allen, you're a Chaser, aren't you? Well, in Quidditch, the Seeker position is objectively the most critical and most watched role. Only the absolute fastest, the most proficient fliers, and those with the keenest observation skills can even hold the Seeker position. Cedric is, naturally, an exemplary Seeker."
Allen felt his carefully constructed initial impression of this serious, proper gentleman shatter like fragile ice. The polished demeanor had vanished, replaced by an obsessive, evangelical zeal. Amos Diggory was clearly a full-blown, baby-obsessed maniac!
"Cedric is truly incredibly talented, a wonderful wizard," Allen agreed wisely, deliberately avoiding any suggestion of arguing with the older gentleman about the importance of teamwork and cooperation, or, heaven forbid, pointing out that the Hufflepuff Quidditch team had been defeated by Ravenclaw this very year. Upsetting a father who loved his son this much seemed utterly counterproductive to his current goal.
"See? I told you so! Cedric's innate perfection is undeniable. He's handsome, incredibly charming, diligently hardworking, intensely compassionate, and possesses a rock-solid moral compass and sense of justice. A truly perfect young wizard, wouldn't you say? Allen, I'm certain you two would absolutely become the best of friends if you simply spent more time together!" Amos gushed, having secured the affirmation he desperately craved.
Amos was so thoroughly engrossed in his fatherly bragging that he seemed to forget his actual assignment entirely, chatting enthusiastically with Allen as if they were long-lost school chums. Allen's role was easy: nod thoughtfully at appropriate moments and interject a sincere-sounding, "That's right, you are absolutely correct, Mr. Diggory," exactly when the pause in the monologue demanded it.
Aunt Josephine, struggling visibly to suppress a wide smile that threatened to crack her professional facade, seized the moment. She directed her words toward Amos with the calculated precision of a professional solicitor.
"Amos, you've seen the facts. Allen and his family single-handedly subdued that unprecedentedly large, strange Sea Serpent. They protected every Muggle on this packed beach. Thanks to his immense bravery and quick thinking, not a single life was lost, and the total exposure of magic was minimized.
Furthermore, Allen's emergency dispatch was what brought us here in time for the memory wipe. He even used the final, masterful Stunning Curse to protect the Muggles on the shore from the Serpent's final thrashing. Honestly, for an achievement of this magnitude, an Order of Merlin, Third Class, wouldn't be an exaggeration, would it?"
Amos hesitated, abruptly dragged back to the gravity of his job. "Josephine, this is a serious matter. An Order of Merlin… for a first-year… this is, after all, just a Sea Serpent, which isn't classified as deadly Dark magic…"
"This Sea Serpent is the longest specimen wizards have ever officially encountered, and potentially the most powerful one known," Northmore Calliss piped up excitedly, stepping away from the prone beast, his magically extending tape measure retracting with a soft whir.
He instantly and enthusiastically shared the results of the meticulous measurements he'd been performing over the last half hour. His words followed Amos's perfectly, sounding like an objective, professional endorsement of Allen's actions. "It's a world record specimen, Amos. The scale of the breach and the creature are both monumental."
"What a truly magnificent assist, Northmore," Allen mentally nodded to his new, slightly uncanny ally. The timing was flawless.
Aunt Josephine, sensing victory, simplified the remaining task, acknowledging the extensive bureaucratic work ahead. "All we, the field agents, have to do is write the report accurately, detailing the extreme size of the beast, the high-risk environment, and the exemplary magical conduct of the Harris family. The senior officials on the Wizengamot will draw their own conclusions regarding the medal."
Looking at Allen, who stood respectfully to the side, radiating competence, humility, and the quiet fame of a Hogwarts hero, Amos Diggory gritted his teeth and finally conceded.
As Josephine had correctly pointed out, he only needed to draft the initial reports; the ultimate decision on awards and accolades belonged to the higher powers of the Wizarding Guild. He couldn't risk omitting critical, record-breaking details simply because he felt a pang of jealousy for his son.
"The Accident Reversal Team has finally finished their work, I see. Most of the memories should be wiped," Amos muttered, glancing toward the shore.
"Though it hardly matters if a few Muggles remember. They invariably assume those who escaped the memory charm are simply bragging or wildly delusional, usually dismissed as drunkards or lunatics. So, Allen, we are officially taking this colossal Sea Serpent back to the Ministry for study. Please give my warmest regards to your family. We have plenty of material to write about, so let's get back to work now. Farewell!"
Aunt Josephine gave a quick, almost frantic wave to her brother Owen Harris, who was still coordinating the final cleanup efforts in the distance. She was visibly eager to return to the Ministry to immediately finalize the reward paperwork—the Order of Merlin, the official record of the breach, and the crucial Parseltongue skill unlock—for the Harris family's heroic intervention.
With one final, proud, and weary look at her brilliant young nephew, she clutched Northmore's arm, and the pair of Ministry officials vanished from the Cornish beach in a sharp crack of Apparition, leaving behind only the flattened sand and the receding waves.