Chapter 026

Finally Ron had also had enough and he came almost stomping over. "You just had to get the Headmaster arrested, didn't you?" he snarled. "And McGonagall!"

As he approached, Harry pushed Hermione away slightly and out of the path of Weasley, then changed hands with his egg to his left hand. As soon as the boy was close enough, Harry simply balled his right hand into a fist next to his hip and slugged him one with a right cross, right in the jaw. It was enough to set Weasley on his bum.

As Weasley went down with a half strangled yelp, Madam Bones quickly stepped in and berated him; "Lord Potter!"

"Sorry, Madam Bones," he replied, not in the least contrite. "But the little shit richly deserved it."

"Be that as it may, Lord Potter," she returned. "I cannot, however, let go the fact you assaulted that boy." She seemed to pause for a moment before she said, "As the boy is otherwise not harmed, I shall consider your assault a case of 'Simple Assault' and fine you a total of ten galleons. Expect to receive a fine by owl mail within the next seven days."

"Understood," he replied with a nod.

Meanwhile, Weasley continued to sit on his bum on the grass, one hand on the ground behind him for balance while he rubbed his jaw with the other. He was looking at the two talking, with shock.

"He hit me!" he suddenly blurted.

Finally turning her attention to Weasley, Amelia said, "Yes, I saw. That's why I've fined him ten galleons."

"Though I can certainly understand why you hit him, Harry," said Hermione. "It was still wrong to do so."

"Yes, thank you, Hermione," nodded Harry, barely glancing to her. "As you heard, Madam Bones was just getting through telling me that. As she is the Director of the DMLE and it's her job to do so, I didn't need you to tell me, too."

Hermione blushed in embarrassment but didn't offer another word. She knew Harry's words were a mild rebuke.

"Now, Lord Potter," said Amelia, getting things back on track. "I believe you were escorting me to the Great Hall."

"Yes, I was," said Harry, moving back alongside her and once more offering her elbow.

As the two headed for the castle, Hermione broke out of her shock and embarrassment and hurried to catch up.

It was a good few seconds before Weasley realised he was getting left behind and scrambled to his feet and stormed after the three of them.

"Bloody Potter," he grumbled, though he did keep his distance, this time.

_‗_

―==(oIo)==―

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Upon walking into the Great Hall, the first thing Harry noticed was the distinct lack of teaching staff. Of course, the first thing Amelia noticed was her niece rising from the middle of the Hufflepuff table and heading towards her with a puzzled smile on her face. And both noticed how quiet the population of the Hall got as they'd walked in. All eyes were directed towards the two of them.

"Well, that's unusual," muttered Amelia, as she moved to hug her niece.

"I think it'd be safe to say that everything about this day is unusual," said Harry.

She smiled back at him over her niece's shoulder as she hugged her.

Susan piped up and said, "I'm so sorry for how everyone's treated you, Harry. It's clear to everyone now you didn't put your name in the Goblet."

Harry just gave a nod back and then moved to the Gryffindor table, sitting at the end as he'd been doing since the morning after his name came out of the Goblet. Hermione sat with him, just as she also had since that same morning.

As they sat, Amelia was walking to the head table to speak with the few remaining members of staff, while also talking with her niece who'd accompanied her. As she had informed him during their walk up to the castle, none of the senior staff members remained at the castle for the foreseeable short future. With the exception of History of Magic and Astronomy, all other teaching staff were teachers of elective subjects; and History of Magic didn't count as Cuthbert Binns was a ghost. And that made Aurora Sinistra, though one of the youngest Professors, still one of the most senior in authority still remaining.

As Hermione sat she asked, "Are you now going to tell me what's going on?"

"No," he replied. "At least, nothing further than what you learned during the task."

She looked a little hurt at that response.

"Sorry, Hermione," he quietly said. "But, this is all now a DMLE investigation. It'd be best if you remained ignorant of anything else, for the time being. If I remember correctly, I'm not allowed to talk about it anyway."

She gave a combined annoyed and disappointed sigh before she lowered her eyes and nodded back.

"It's not that I don't trust you, Hermione," he said to soothe her. "But there are certain requirements of a DMLE investigation that are ironclad. And witnesses colluding with one another is a big no-no."

Her eyes snapped up to stare at him in shock. "We would never―"

"I know," he said. "However, even the possibility of that is enough to constrain the both of us from talking about the information I brought to light during the task.

"That doesn't mean we can't talk about anything else, though. There's nothing wrong with that."

"Oh," she said in understanding. She seemed to think for a few moments before she asked, "So, your egg? What's that about?"

Giving a nod and smile back, he replied, "According to that idiot, Bagman, it's supposed to contain a clue to the second task. That is, of course, if there actually is going to be a second task."

Confused, she asked, "Whatever do you mean?"

"Hermione, look around you," he replied. "How many of Hogwarts's staff weren't arrested... sorry, 'taken into custody'... by Madam Bones's aurors.

"Think about it," he said as he held up his hand with his fingers spread. Then he started counting off, "They've effectively arrested the Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore; the Deputy Headmistress, Transfiguration Mistress and Head of Gryffindor House, Minerva McGonagall; the Potions Master and Head of Slytherin House, Severus Snape; the Charms Master and Head of Ravenclaw House, Filius Flitwick; the Herbology Mistress and Head of Hufflepuff House, Pomona Sprout; Professor of Care of Magical Creatures and Keeper of the Keys, Rubeus Hagrid; and the school healer, Poppy Pomfrey.

"Besides Poppy Pomfrey, because she wasn't involved, and besides everything else they've been a party to, the rest are all in trouble for what I showed regarding the traps on the third floor corridor when the Philosopher's Stone was here; and probably a bit about second and third year, too. All of them are just as guilty as the others for deliberately endangering the students of the castle at that time. Madam Bones's people will be wanting to talk to them about that. Of course for some of them, such as Dumbledore and McGonagall, there's a great deal more of which I made clear Madam Bones and her people are going to want to know about. That includes Poppy Pomfrey."

Hermione looked horrified and was about to ask her next question when Madam Bones and her niece separated, with Susan returning to her table, and stepped up to the podium. "Listen up!" she barked.

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