Chapter 133: "Repercussions and Waning Fame"

By the following morning, news of the troll incident had spread throughout the entire school. The tale of the night's events spread rapidly, fueled by the accounts shared by Harry's friends in their respective common rooms. They had not been instructed to keep the encounter confidential and felt no need to hold back the details. By the time breakfast rolled around, every student at Hogwarts was abuzz with the story.

In the Great Hall, the atmosphere was charged with excitement and a hint of fear as students eagerly discussed the incident. The hall buzzed with loud, continuous chatter as groups of students exchanged their versions of what happened, each retelling embellished with a bit more drama than the last.

"Did you hear? Charles and Ron faced the troll and are now in the hospital wing!" a first-year Gryffindor whispered excitedly to his friend.

"I heard Harry Potter killed the troll and saved everyone!" a third-year Hufflepuff responded, her voice filled with admiration and awe.

Unfortunately for Harry, this newfound fame was not without its drawbacks. His decisive actions in dealing with the troll had elevated his status overnight, leading to an increased admiration from his peers. This adoration, typical of the wizarding world's tendency to idolize heroes, resulted in whispers about fan clubs being organized in his honor—an attention Harry found uncomfortable and unwelcome, yet something he felt powerless to prevent.

At the High Table, the professors sat with serious looks on their faces, occasionally glancing at Dumbledore, who was unusually quiet. The atmosphere in the room was tense, and it intensified when a flood of owls suddenly swooped into the hall, dropping a heap of letters and howlers.

The letters, many from concerned parents, landed in front of their respective children. These parents were eager to know if their children were safe after the night's events. Now, the students had the task of writing back to reassure their families that they were indeed safe and unharmed.

However, the bulk of the correspondence, including several loud howlers, was aimed at Dumbledore. The voices of angry parents echoed through the hall, criticizing him for not ensuring the safety of their children.

"How could you let this happen, Headmaster?" one voice boomed out.

"We were promised Hogwarts was the safest place in Britain," another parent's voice shouted.

"We need an explanation!" demanded yet another.

The cacophony was overwhelming. In response, Dumbledore calmly raised his wand, and with a swift flick, he made all the letters and howlers disappear, instantly quieting the noisy hall. Without saying a word, he then stood up and quietly left the Great Hall.

His departure left a room full of students and teachers silently exchanging worried glances, wondering about the implications of the recent events.

Harry, sitting at the Ravenclaw table, unfolded the day's edition of the Daily Prophet. The front-page headline was sensational: "Troll Attack at Hogwarts! The Boy Who Lived Injured!"

The article provided a detailed account of the previous night's events, emphasizing the injuries sustained by Charles and floating various conspiracy theories that dark wizards might be targeting the Boy Who Lived. Harry was relieved that his own actions hadn't been highlighted prominently in the report; the last thing he wanted was an influx of fan mail to deal with.

Following breakfast, the atmosphere within the castle was electric with discussions about the newspaper article and the flood of letters from concerned parents. Later in the afternoon, officials from the Ministry of Magic arrived to conduct an inquiry. They questioned Dumbledore and the Hogwarts staff with a series of probing and uncomfortable questions about the security breach.

They wanted to know how a troll could have entered the school grounds, given there were no known troll colonies nearby, how it managed to bypass the strong magical wards around Hogwarts, and how it roamed the castle without being detected sooner.

The biggest question was why Dumbledore had permitted students to leave the Great Hall for their dormitories knowing there was a troll loose in the castle. The Ministry officials were particularly worried about the implications of Charles, the Boy Who Lived, getting injured during the incident. The Daily Prophet had wasted no time spinning various conspiracy theories about dark wizards plotting to harm him.

Harry learned through the grapevine that James and Lily Potter, along with Ron's parents, had visited the hospital wing early that morning. A series of heated discussions had reportedly taken place, with Dumbledore facing criticism over his management of the situation. 

James and Lily were extremely upset about Charles getting hurt. After Harry had chosen to sever ties with them, they had poured more attention and affection into Charles. This incident left them deeply shaken, and they even considered moving Charles to another school for his safety. Dumbledore had to work hard to persuade them otherwise.

Dumbledore received a flood of letters and howlers every morning for the following few days, criticizing his actions and accusing him of endangering the students. The situation escalated to the point where the Ministry of Magic considered sending a team of Aurors to conduct a thorough investigation.

However, Dumbledore acted swiftly to avoid Ministry intervention. He compiled a detailed investigation report and sent it to the Ministry, which was then published in the Daily Prophet.

The report squarely blamed Professor Quirrell, revealing that the troll had been Quirrell's pet, which he had brought back from his travels the previous year and secretly kept in the Forbidden Forest. According to the report, Quirrell had used his privileges as a professor to sneak the troll past Hogwarts' magical protections, intending it to protect him from vampire attacks. On Halloween, the troll had escaped, and Quirrell, unable to control it, had run to Dumbledore for help.

Harry wasn't shocked to learn that Quirrell was found so quickly. Even in the canon, Dumbledore should have realized from the beginning that Quirrell was behind the troll incident. It was quite obvious because Quirrell had used trolls as obstacles in the third-floor corridor trap, where each professor was responsible for setting up their own challenge.

Given that the troll was part of Quirrell's setup, other professors might have been able to connect the dots as well. It makes one wonder why Quirrell wasn't caught or punished earlier in the canon.

Quirrell accepted full responsibility for the incident, and the punishment decided by Dumbledore was that Quirrell would not continue at Hogwarts after this year and that his salary would be withheld.

Dumbledore's reason for not dismissing Quirrell immediately and pursuing legal action was that no one had been seriously injured, which weakened any potential case against him. Moreover, finding a replacement Defense Against the Dark Arts professor mid-year would have been difficult. Dumbledore assured the Ministry that Professor Snape would closely monitor Quirrell to prevent any further trouble.

Surprisingly, these assurances seemed sufficient for the wizarding community. The barrage of angry letters and howlers directed at Dumbledore soon stopped, turning instead towards Quirrell. Within a week, the commotion had largely died down, with no arrests made or further actions taken.

This outcome might have been a testament to Dumbledore's influential standing in the wizarding world or just another example of the peculiar nature of the wizarding community.

Harry speculated about the nature of the meeting between Dumbledore and Quirrelmort that led to Quirrel agreeing to accept blame and punishment. It seemed odd yet convenient; Quirrell could remain at Hogwarts to continue his search for the Philosopher's Stone, while Dumbledore could keep an eye on Quirrelmort, potentially leading him to confront Charles.

With the troll incident resolved, Hogwarts returned to its normal rhythm. Classes resumed their usual schedule, and Quidditch practices picked up pace.

The aftermath of the troll incident had an unexpected effect on Charles's standing among his peers. Previously, he had been seen as a celebrity within Hogwarts due to his supposed abilities and the grand tales told about him in books. However, perceptions began to shift significantly after the incident.

Many students started to realize that the stories they had read might have been greatly exaggerated, particularly as Charles, who was rumored to be capable of handling a dragon, struggled significantly with the troll and ended up in the hospital.

Gradually, Charles's popularity and special status started to diminish. Students began to notice that beyond a few spells, his skills were quite ordinary. In subjects like Herbology and Potions, his performance was average or even below average. It became clear that his earlier prowess in magic was likely due to practice at home, something not uncommon among children from influential wizarding families. As it turned out, Charles was not the prodigy many had believed him to be.

With no real advantage seen in being close to him, his yearmates started to pull away from his somewhat arrogant demeanor.

Charles was forced to adjust to being just another student at Hogwarts. He found himself having to complete his schoolwork without the help of eager seniors, a challenge that proved tough for both him and Ron.

Despite these challenges, the troll incident did lead to a positive turn in Charles's relationships. Hermione, whom Charles and Ron had saved from the troll, decided to forgive them and give them another chance at friendship. Grateful for their help and eager to break away from her own isolation, Hermione quickly became close with the two boys. 

With Hermione's help in their studies, the golden trio was formed, bonding them closely.

As time moved on and the troll incident faded into the background, the excitement at Hogwarts began to build again with the onset of the Quidditch season. The school buzzed with anticipation and enthusiasm, looking forward to the upcoming matches that would bring a different kind of thrill to their school days.