Chapter 065

"I was lucky," he replied. "Because I pleaded guilty right from the start, I've managed not to both be sent to Azkaban or be fired. However, I've been stripped of my position as Head of House Ravenclaw. That last, I believe, is because I didn't act to protect Miss Lovegood from the in-house bullying that she's been subjected to for the past two plus years; as I bloody well should have, Dumbledore's orders be-damned"

"You'd have been fired," she said.

"Then I should have been fired; or rather, quit first!" he snapped back. "I dishonoured myself by putting my job before the welfare of the students. No matter what Dumbledore says... if he manages to come back to the castle... that will never happen again!"

That last bit was said with a quiet snarl.

McGonagall was quiet for a few long moments as she stared at her colleague. Then she said, "I've just been informed my trial will likely be tomorrow afternoon. Pomona and Severus are in the morning."

"I figured as much," he replied.

After a second long pause, she asked, "May I ask what you're writing down?"

"I have been mentally reviewing my behaviour as a professor over the past couple decades and have decided I have a lot to change in my behaviour and actions to have any hope of recovering my honour," he replied. "I'm writing down what will effectively be what I'll be changing of that. It will apply to my interactions with the Headmaster, you if you're still here, the Heads of Houses, the rest of my colleagues and the students.

"No longer will I allow either the Headmaster... or you, if you manage to retain your position as Deputy Headmistress... to dictate actions on my part that are contrary to my own personal sense of honour. If necessary, I will declare honour duel on whoever tries it.

"From this point forth I will be placing the safety of students above even my own. If the Headmaster even so much as suggests otherwise, he and I will be facing one another on the duelling piste.

"He will likely win. However, I will definitely hurt him before he takes me down. If he's not already been removed from his position by then, the disgrace of having to kill me in a duel should then be enough to see him removed.

"At least that way my honour will be restored. If it takes the sacrifice of my life to achieve it, so be it."

To say McGonagall was shocked at her colleague's words would be a major understatement.

"So, Minerva McGonagall," he asked, "Are you going to pull your lips off old Albus's arse and start doing the right thing? Or, are you going to keep doing the easy thing... the wrong thing... and find yourself very soon getting up close and personal with the dementors of Azkaban?"

"I..." she began, before she didn't know how to continue.

Flitwick gave her a long few seconds to finish answering before he said, "If you can't figure out the answer to that question by the time your trial starts, I guess I should be saying goodbye to you, Minerva. You won't be returning to the castle."

Unsure of what else to say, she just quietly left again. Her eyes were again filled with unshed tears. However, if he'd seen them he wouldn't have cared. He knew the fault of her actions lay entirely on her own shoulders.

_‗_

―==(oIo)==―

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On their own return to the Gryffindor Tower, both Harry and Hermione were almost immediately besieged by students wanting to know the results of the trials.

Before their auror escort even managed to step forward to intercede, Harry had already lost his temper.

"Fuck off!" he shouted and glared at them all.

When they, almost as one, immediately shut up and reeled back in shock he snarled, "You lot have no right to make even a single demand of me or Hermione. With the exception of Hermione you all turned your backs on me when my name came out of the Goblet of Fire - or, worse, accused me of being a cheat.

"What, in Merlin's name, is going through that sludge you lot collectively call your brains that leads you to believe you can, not only expect me to tell you what happened at the trials, but have any right to demand of me I tell you?

"If you want to know what happened during today's trials, you can wait to find out from what's written in tomorrow morning's Daily Prophet. Of course, a lot of that is going to be misleading bullshit; but, I really don't care."

He suddenly realised this was exactly the right opportunity to accomplish something else he was looking forward to - withdrawing from Quidditch. Unknown to anyone else, he actually hated the sport. Especially since he was never asked if he wanted to play, in the first place.

"It seems the only way for you lot to get it through your heads you are not to bother me is to punish you for it. Therefore, I, Lord Harrison James Potter, hereby withdraw my services from the Gryffindor House Quidditch Team, the Lions. As I say, so I swear, so let it be written."

After he gave the muted flash of light signifying an accepted oath, he glared at them all. There were quite a few gasps of shock directed back at him. And said, "Good luck winning the Quidditch Cup, next year and beyond, without me on the team."

Then he spun about and stormed out again. Hermione hurried behind.

As they left, one of the aurors firmly sneered, "You really are all Gryffindors, aren't you? Always charging in, without thought of the consequences of your actions.

"There will be no further warnings to leave them alone, from this point forth. From this point forth, if you bother either of them, you will be immediately arrested and dragged to a holding cell in the DMLE in handcuffs. We don't care how old you are; we don't care if you're a pureblood, halfblood, muggleborn, squib or muggle; and we don't care if you're eleven or one hundred and eleven; next time, it's the handcuffs and a quick trip to the DMLE. Leniency given because of your age is now at an end. The Department is sick and tired of its warnings being ignored."

Meanwhile, Harry was storming down the grand staircase and along corridors. Hermione and the lone auror had to hurry to keep up with him. Somewhere along the line, a second auror joined the lone auror and Hermione to follow him.

What Harry didn't realise, and wouldn't have cared if he did, he was both effusing a little magic through an aura and had an expression on his face that promised a swift and brutal death to anyone who stopped him. He was also carrying his wand in his hand pointing towards the ground that was occasionally spitting out sparks as it waved slightly back and forward as he stormed along.

Anyone he came across immediately and rapidly placed themselves with their backs to wall and a look of fear on their faces as he passed and that included two of the Professors.

Eventually, he exited the main doors of the castle and headed for the lake's edge.

Once near there and about thirty feet from the large boulder right on the water's edge, he stopped.

Then, with a roar of frustrated rage, he began casting at that boulder.

Amazing Hermione and the now three aurors behind him, his wand arm moved almost in a blur of wand movements. Curse after curse was fired at that 'poor' boulder. Pieces and chips flew off it in all directions.

On and on he went. He cast bombarding, piercing, exploding, repulsing and many more. Each curse was barely, if that, a second after the previous. And each and every one of them was cast silently.

But he didn't just stand still and cast, either. He was on the move for the entire time; dodging, weaving, side-stepping and spinning about. Always in motion. For those watching it almost appeared as if it was a dance, so fluid were his movements.

After more than two minutes he finally stopped. Still coiled and ready for action he stood there, feet spread and his weight evenly balanced on the balls of his feet. The only sign of exertion was that he was currently breathing heavy and was covered in a light sheen of sweat. No one who watched what he'd done and or how he currently stood had any doubt that Harrison 'Harry' James Potter, right at that moment, was one very dangerous individual.

Even Hermione - who, like the aurors, stood back and watched - had no doubt that 'her' Harry was dangerous. However, she was comforted in knowing, without a doubt, he would never unleash that sort of force upon her. Nevertheless, she was still unwilling to step forward just yet.

The large boulder, after that vicious display of power, had been reduced by over a third of its mass.

What Harry did not know, nor would he have cared if he'd known, was that his display of power had been witnessed by quite a few people besides Hermione and the aurors. Aboard the Durmstrang ship the rails on the side closest to him were lined with students and staff of that school. And, over near the Beauxbatons carriage, those who wore the powder blue were outside of that carriage and had also been watching.

As for Hogwarts students and staff, many he had passed had followed at a 'respectable' distance as he made his way from the Gryffindor Tower to outside. Plus, there were also Hogwarts students who were outside on the grounds at that time who were also watching.

No one of any of the three schools made a sound. They were all, to the witch or wizard, completely and utterly stunned silent.

After thinking it was over and Harry was beginning to calm down, Hermione was about to carefully step forward when he gave a second roar and recommenced his attack on the boulder.

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