The Power of Appearance

It was rather unusual to see the entirety of Gryffindor house acting so serious for once. Perhaps it had something to do with the guests that were most likely waiting for them in the Great Hall. he had heard that one of the guests would be Madam Bones, the aunt of Susan Bones.

According to what Harry had heard, the Auror Guards had finally arrived. They would be discussing safety plans today, and likely other related subjects.

Harry was more than certain that the ministry officials would at least do a quick look over to try and find him. He was, after all, the most famous teenager in the magical world, regardless of the lack of public information on him. The thought annoyed him, but he knew there was little he could do about it.

Harry felt a slight burning on his cheekbones, feeling as they slowly shifted upwards. It appeared as though the first ritual worked one at a time, as opposed to all features at once. The pain was quite annoying, as Harry could literally see his cheekbones shifting upwards, although it was just barely

The House of the Brave made their way into the Great Hall a short while later, the other houses already seated. Harry got a few looks of interest from the seated houses, particularly from those his age and older. Harry's cheekbones had finally stopped burning a minute prior, much to his relief. Just as Harry was about to take a seat, he casually swiped his hair to the side, revealing his scar.

Salazar had told him earlier that he could not, and should not hide from who he was. If he wanted to become powerful enough to be left alone by others, he would have to be seen first. It was unfortunate, but Harry could tell that the portrait had spoken words of truth and wisdom.

Harry looked over to the staff table, which had every seat filled except for the Headmaster, who was standing behind his lectern. To Dumbledore's left stood the lady Harry assumed to be Madam Bones, another man standing by her side. Behind them stood twelve witches and wizards, all wearing Auror clothing.

Once everyone was seated, Dumbledore cleared his throat and began to speak.

"As you may have realised from the rather peculiar schedule for our fine Saturday morning, we have a few announcements regarding safety protocols that we wish for you to hear. Beside myself stand Madam Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, as well as Rufus Scrimgeour, Head of the Auror Office . . . "

Harry soon lost any semblance of interest, instead choosing to observe the Auror guards. There were the same number of males as they were females, a six and six split. He recognized two of them, both of whom stood at the back of the group. He was fairly certain he had seen both of them at Hogwarts as a first year.

The first was an attractive young witch with bright magenta hair, easily separating herself from the others. Harry was fairly certain her name was Tonks, or something similar. As for the witch to the side of her (who was equally attractive), she had long brown hair that cascaded over her shoulders. Harry didn't particularly remember her name, but was fairly certain both her and the Tonks girl had been in Hufflepuff.

Just as Harry was about to look away, he caught both of their eyes. After pausing slightly, Harry sent them the charming smile he had recently developed, ignoring the burning sensation that had developed around his lips. He was surprised to see they had both blushed, seemingly not realizing who he was. Just as he went to turn his head back to Dumbledore's direction did they finally see his scar, their eyes widening.

I'm heavily questioning why Salazar developed two rituals heavily linked to attraction.

He didn't have a particular problem with the rituals. After all, they only made use of what he already had, so it was agreeable with his conscience. But much more importantly than the attraction, it had been the first time in years someone had looked at his face or in the eyes, rather than his scar.

Harry found it particularly interesting that both he and Riddle had used the same ritual for reasons other than the intended one, if what Harry suspected was true. Harry was finally able to escape his fame (as people would now be more likely to focus on who he really was as opposed to his legend), and Riddle was able to use it to con others, potentially giving him valuable information.

Unfortunately, it seemed as though Riddle no longer held the effects of the ritual; Harry had not found anything about the face under Quirrell's turban to be even slightly decent.

Twenty minutes later, Harry noticed many people had suddenly turned to the left side of the Great Hall. Harry followed their lines of sight to see Hedwig flying right at him, nothing in her claws.

She landed gently on Harry's shoulders, nibbling at his ears affectionately. Dumbledore smiled slightly, but did not stop his speech. Regardless, quite a few people noticed. Harry noticed the surprise that adorned the faces of those who looked upon him. It was hard not to be surprised, given the very obvious lack of glasses.

A few people were even staring at him with interest, although it wasn't necessarily positive. Harry was starting to get used to the feeling; people had always been interested in him, the type of interest simply changed from time to time.

The next half hour felt nearly as long as the time he spent lying down in the chamber earlier. Scrimgeour was apparently going over safety plans for the school as well the activities and duties of the Auror guards. Madam Bones took over to explain how the Triwizard Tournament would affect the plans. Most people finally started listening at that point.

Harry, however, was not one of them. He had chosen to sit with his head down, trying his hardest to ignore the burning sensation spreading through his body. He had previously underestimated the after pain the ritual might cause; it was not something he would be doing again. He had moved Hedwig over to his lap, where she was rubbing her head against his chest reassuringly, clearly sensing something was wrong.

The only times he had ever raised his head were to either listen when one of the speakers said something that sounded particularly interesting, or to flash an occasional smile at the brown and magenta haired Aurors. Harry reasoned that it definitely wouldn't hurt to have a few friends that were among the Auror guard; it might help him if he got caught on his nightly visits to the chamber.

I probably should have listened to the safety plans. Harry realized, They might have said something about the places that would be patrolled more frequently.

Harry would have to ask Hermione about it later, having no doubt missed his chance. After another ten minutes had passed, the safety announcements had been finished. Madam Bones and Scrimgeour said a farewell to the students, before leaving the hall with Dumbledore. The tense atmosphere quickly reverted back to that of a typical Saturday morning: relaxing, leisurely, and perhaps slightly playful.

The Auror guards left the Great Hall, supposedly going off to their respective posts. The magenta hair girl waved happily at Harry as she left, before shortly crashing into the smiling brunette beside her. Harry smiled at that: if he was to befriend a few Aurors, he had a feeling he would be more than fine with those two.

.....

Can't wait to read more exciting chapters then what are you waiting for Join my p*atreon right now.

2+ FREE ADVANCED CHAPTERS FOR ALL FREE MEMBERS.

60+ Premium chapters.

Link: p*atreon.com/Dream_Guardian (Remove the *)