And just like that, the Christmas holiday came to an end amid raging turmoil—of course, the turmoil was confined to the wizarding world. Inside Hogwarts itself, however, everything was festooned with lights and decorations, as if Christmas had come all over again.
Although the students who had gone home had long since received letters from the school and learned about the basilisk attacks, quite a few of them—especially Muggle-born students—were still rather apprehensive. After all, the string of relentless attacks, coupled with Dumbledore's departure, had severely damaged Hogwarts' image in their minds.
But the moment they returned to school, saw the massive basilisk corpse hanging from the ceiling, and spotted the smiling Dumbledore seated at the head table, all doubts and unease vanished in an instant.
At the welcome-back feast marking the end of the Christmas break, Dumbledore personally appeared and explained the truth behind everything that had happened over the past six months. Before the furious students could metaphorically blow the roof off the Great Hall, he soothed them, announcing that all governors involved had already been expelled from the Board, taken into Auror custody, and were awaiting trial. He also sternly urged the students not to vent their anger toward the children of those people who were still studying at the school.
To that end, Dumbledore even told a small lie—claiming that Marcus, Pansy, and the like had been completely unaware of their parents' plans and had instead become tragic victims of them. In order to make the attacks appear more convincing, the governors had not hesitated to lay hands on their own children…
No one knew how the people involved felt about this, but the statement did have an immediate effect. While the students were further shocked by the governors' cold-blooded cruelty, they also began to feel sympathy for students like Marcus and Pansy, who had been attacked during the coma incidents. As for the likes of Draco Malfoy—who not only hadn't been attacked, but had been particularly smug during the basilisk's rampage—well… he could only wish himself luck.
Additionally, since the former Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Gilderoy Lockhart, had been arrested, the second half of the term's Defense classes would be taught on a rotating basis by Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, Professor Sprout, and Professor Snape.
"Oh, and one more thing…"
After explaining the full course of the basilisk incident and watching the students gradually calm down, Dumbledore clapped his hands again. "There's something else I need to clarify regarding Professor Severus Snape's conduct while he was temporarily serving as headmaster."
"During that period, we remained in close contact. Much of the criminal evidence against the governors was uncovered and organized by him. And while serving as headmaster, Professor Snape did indeed fulfill his duties, doing everything in his power to protect both students and staff."
"For instance, it was his suggestion to install protective coverings over the basilisk's eyes, in order to limit its lethality as much as possible and prevent any student deaths. Moreover, the Board's original decision had been to expel all Muggle-born students outright—it was Professor Snape who argued against it, ensuring that this 'expulsion' remained only verbal and was never fully carried out…"
"And finally, during the operation to lure out that Dark magical object, his cooperation played a crucial role."
Dumbledore glanced at Snape, who sat rigidly in his seat, expression completely unchanged, before turning back to the students. "Therefore, while Professor Snape may have said some unpleasant things during that time, those words were spoken out of necessity. I ask that you not harbor prejudice or resentment against him because of this. I have also decided to retain Professor Snape's positions as Potions Master and Head of Slytherin House."
A ripple of commotion immediately spread through the students, mixed with faint grumbles along the lines of "as if we need reasons to dislike him." Still, under the subtle guidance of certain figures hidden among the various Houses, a sparse round of applause eventually echoed through the Great Hall.
"In addition, I have another piece of good news to announce."
Dumbledore suddenly rose with a broad smile, raising his glass toward the entire hall. "Because we successfully killed the basilisk and obtained its magical eyes for research, the recovery time for the petrified students will be greatly reduced. Professor Snape and Professor Sprout have indicated that, at the latest, a cure can be developed by March, allowing them to fully recover."
"And as for the classes they've missed, as well as the fifth- and seventh-year examinations—"
He had to raise his voice to suppress the students' cheers. "We will arrange specialized remedial lessons tailored to their situation. The Wizarding Examinations Authority has also agreed to administer separate O.W.L. or N.E.W.T. exams specifically for them, with the results recorded under standard criteria."
"Finally, in the process of capturing Voldemort's Dark magical object and killing the basilisk, several students made extraordinarily significant contributions—contributions that were, frankly, even more impressive and more directly on point than anything this old man managed to do…"
The cheering died down at once.
"However,"
Seeing the students' eager expressions, Dumbledore gave a sly smile. "In order to let everyone fully enjoy these remarkable stories—and to prevent excessive attention from interfering with their daily studies and lives—I've decided to temporarily withhold their identities. Once the term ends, all petrified students have recovered, and the House Cup winner is announced, I'll make everything public then…"
"Ah…"
And so, amid a wave of disappointed groans, the opening assembly came to an end. Students began leaving in small groups, though few chose to return to their common rooms immediately. Instead, they wandered around the castle and its grounds—after Filch was petrified, the only thing keeping students from roaming freely had been the looming threat of petrification.
And now the basilisk was dead, and Filch still hadn't recovered…
"How does it feel, Dobby?"
In the kitchens beside the Hufflepuff common room, Avada and several other Hufflepuffs were gathered around a house-elf, watching as he—draped in a clean bedsheet—skillfully cleaned dishes with magic.
"Wonderful, sir!"
The house-elf replied cheerfully. "Although Dobby has already forgotten what life was like with his former master—Professor Dumbledore told me his name was Malfoy—something tells Dobby that life now is ten thousand times better than before!"
"That's good to hear."
Avada nodded in satisfaction, then asked curiously, "But why did you choose to stay and work in the Hogwarts kitchens? Didn't you ever think about abandoning all bindings and living freely as an independent individual?"
"Dobby is a free elf now!"
Dobby grew even more excited. "Professor Dumbledore was willing to hire Dobby to work in the kitchens, and even give Dobby wages and holidays! He also said that if Dobby wasn't happy, Dobby could leave at any time—but Dobby won't! Dobby likes it here very much!"
"A hired house-elf?"
The other Hufflepuffs immediately grew curious. "That's a thing?"
"Come to think of it, he was abandoned by his old master and lost all his memories. If that's the case, aside from being hired, there really isn't any other way for him to find work."
"But it actually sounds pretty nice…"
"Hey, Dobby, do you mind telling us what kind of pay and holidays Dumbledore's giving you?"
Eager to chat with the newly arrived house-elf, some of them even rolled up their sleeves, pulled out their wands, and started washing dishes themselves—scrubbing away while firing off question after question.
At some point, Avada had quietly retreated to the kitchen doorway. Watching Dobby eagerly compete for work while chatting happily with the students, he curved his lips into a small smile.
This is good.
And with that, he slipped away silently, choosing not to disturb the scene any further.
(End of Chapter)