Chapter 101 "Everything Ends"

A week had passed since the historic Valentine's Day duel.

However, throughout Hogwarts Castle, very few people, whether teachers or students, were aware of the duel.

In most people's memories, Valentine's Day night was simply a night of stormy weather—wind, rain, thunder, and lightning.

They were forced to retreat to their common rooms and only discovered the truth the next morning when everything had already been revealed.

On February 15th, the "Daily Prophet" published a detailed report uncovering the truth behind everything.

The report included information about the recent attacks at Hogwarts and how Headmistress Vinda Rosier, amidst various doubts, had identified the true culprit behind the series of incidents—the Vampire, Trocar.

Unfortunately, before the minister could lead the Aurors to Hogwarts, the cunning Vampire had managed to escape.

Minister Bagnold publicly apologized and assured the public that the Ministry of Magic would spare no effort in capturing the Vampire and throwing them into Azkaban.

...

Meanwhile, discussions about the matter were rife on the Hogwarts campus.

"It's unbelievable!" exclaimed Miss Gemma. "Professor Trocar is a Vampire! I always had a good impression of him..."

"I always suspected Trocar wasn't a good person!" Marcus Flint, a sixth-year student, chimed in.

"I still remember two weeks ago in Transfiguration class, I made a mistake, and he made me copy the entire 'Advanced Transfiguration Guide' principle section ten times..."

"The Wizarding world is too lenient towards Vampires!" Theodore Knott, a first-year student, commented.

"These creatures that endanger the lives of wizards should be caged and kept in captivity!"

In short, opinions of all kinds were voiced.

Overall, however, the turmoil had subsided.

A week later, most students who had been "attacked" were discharged from the hospital, and their recovery was progressing well.

This included Ronald Weasley, the first to be attacked, and Maria Adams, Rico Carlo, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Neville Longbottom, and Hermione Granger.

Of course, the school Matron, Madam Pomfrey, had also recovered.

Harry Evans, however, seemed to be staying in the school hospital for an extended period. He might have to repeat a year.

Madam Pomfrey's temper seemed grumpier than before, and she had developed a disdain for lower-grade students visiting the school hospital.

The students discharged from the hospital turned their experiences into "party tales" that garnered much attention within Hogwarts Castle.

Ronald Weasley particularly enjoyed the attention, although he still seemed slightly shaken.

Nevertheless, he gladly recounted his "adventure" in great detail whenever someone asked.

"I was cleaning the trophy room when I realized we were short on 'cleansers,' so I returned to Mr. Pringle's office... Then something suddenly hit me, and I didn't even see it. It bit me on the neck, and my whole body felt the effects of an unknown curse."

"I couldn't move at all... I was lying on the ground. After a while, it flipped me over, and that's when I finally saw its face—it was our Transfiguration Professor, Professor Trocar! He bared his fangs and started sucking my blood, and gradually, I felt weaker and weaker until I lost consciousness..." Ron Weasley retold his story enthusiastically.

However, not everyone shared Weasley's enthusiasm.

Neville and Hermione, for instance, rarely mentioned the attacks in front of others—except perhaps in conversations with Matthew.

And now, they found themselves once again gathered in the History of Magic classroom.

"My suspicions were correct!" Hermione said softly. "Professor Trocar truly is a Vampire. Just yesterday, when Ravenclaw prefect Miss Clearwater led a team to clean his office, they found numerous small animal corpses in a cabinet."

"There were chickens, rabbits, cats, and even puppies. All of them had been drained of blood and piled up in that cabinet," Hermione continued.

"When Professor Kettleburn arrived, he recognized some of the chickens and the remains of a litter of rabbits. They had been his 'pets'... He was quite devastated..." Hermione said with a sad tone.

"Is that so?" Matthew replied casually.

He had already suspected that the little chickens and rabbits Professor Kettleburn had lost had been "killed" by Professor Trocar. Tl

The "murderer" was none other than Professor Trocar himself.

It seemed that before the president, Professor Rosier, had a chance to arrange a "source of blood" for him, Trocar had no choice but to take matters into his own hands.

After all, Vampires required fresh blood three times a week to sustain themselves.

However, this minor issue had been resolved, and Professor Trocar no longer needed to venture into the Forbidden Forest every night to steal and extract blood.

"Matthew, don't you find it strange?" Hermione exclaimed. "With so many small animal corpses, only Professor Kettleburn claimed a few. Where did the other animals come from? Since Trocar was always getting blood from Hogwarts..."

"...Then it can only mean he may have had other helpers at Hogwarts!" Matthew interrupted.

"That's enough, Miss Granger!" Matthew scolded, his tone harsh.

Hermione was taken aback by the way Matthew addressed her.

"This is not something we should be concerned about!" Matthew asserted firmly. "Have you forgotten that your curiosity nearly led Neville into danger just a week ago? Haven't you learned your lesson?"

Hermione looked a little dissatisfied but ultimately lowered her head.

"I'm sorry... I shouldn't have meddled in so many things..." Hermione said while looking down.

"It's alright," Matthew's anger subsided slightly, and he said, "The perpetrator behind the series of attacks is no longer here. It's all over now. We should enjoy the peace and tranquility of life at Hogwarts."

"Hmm!" Neville and Hermione nodded in unison.