Paragraph 6 - 71 : The Elephant In The Forrest

On the following Monday evening, Professor Dumbledore addressed the four Houses gathered in the Great Hall :

You are now aware of the tragedy that took place within this castle. This was not an instance of negligence by anybody here. It was an example of extreme braveness. Miss Aves honoured not only Slytherin House, by acting selflessly and with cunning, but also every one of us who wants to find one day our society more beautiful to live in. A few years back, a former Slytherin student who had misappropriated and betrayed this concept met his downfall. Now, a Slytherin student made it obvious that noble souls can also be found in this very same House. Before making her last sacrifice, Ann Aves was able to rely on three friends, from the three other Houses. This should not be considered a random piece of fate. On the contrary, it is the sign that this school needs the qualities of all its students, whatever their House, to do something significant. In the light of the extreme and invaluable contribution made by Ann Aves to a kinder world, and in order to make this contribution impossible to forget, Slytherin is now awarded in advance, in an honorary fashion, the House Cup for the school-year ending this summer. No count of the points of any House will be kept. The specially made House Cup, exceptionally, will remain in the Trophy Room as long as Hogwarts exists. The Aves family have made their decision known to the school : since Ann experienced some of the best parts of her life at Hogwarts, she will be buried here. The ceremony will take place tomorrow. Classes will be cancelled as a sign of mourning, and to allow every student to attend. Remember Ann Aves

A very long applause broke out, in the otherwise silent Great Hall. In the morning of the following day, while being with Judith and Sigismond, waiting for the ceremony to be fully prepared, Eleanor asked them :

Do you remember Mark Amader and Lewis Lapst ?

Judith answered 'Yes', and Sigismond nodded in approval. Eleanor went on :

We now can assert that the Intuition Potions that they had drunk had led them to meet us, because it was the first step towards finding out what they wanted to know. Mark's desire was to determine who would win the House Cup. And this year, Slytherin won the House Cup, thanks to Ann. Lewis' ambition was to understand who Adelaide Morr was, and the only people who were able to discover this, it's the three of us. The Potions knew that they had to connect with us in order to quench their thirst for information. But the Potions' effects didn't last long enough, and neither boy kept in touch with us

Most of the students were scattered around them, on the grass in front of the castle's gates, watching the Professors arrange the ceremony. A wide path had been drawn, perpendicular to the school's doors and seventy feet away of them. The path's boundaries were delineated by white, black, and green rose-like flowers making up two parallel rows. The path was extremely long, in order to allow later all students to line up. At one extremity, a pit had been dug and cased with green marble. A white square stone, behind the pit, supported the golden honorary House Cup. At this moment, though, Judith, Eleanor and Sigismond were called by Professor Snape, who brought them to Professor Dumbledore's office. Somebody was already there, a small witch in purple robes. The Headmaster introduced the witch as Mrs. Omiga, from the Ministry, and more precisely, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Mrs. Omiga waited for the three students and Professor Snape to be in the office, and for the Potions Master to close its door behind the six of them, to explain :

Mr. Cathar Schuttoff came to us yesterday, claiming he was Ann Aves' real father. He was so adamant about this that we felt it wise to use Veritaserum on him. His stance was still the same after having drunk the beverage. We showed to him a picture of Mrs. Aves, and he confirmed she was Miss Aves' mother. Then we displayed a colour picture of Miss Aves herself, and told him it wasn't possible for a wizard with pale skin and a woman with similarly white complexion like Mrs. Aves to beget a daughter with dark skin. Mr. Schuttoff wasn't at all taken aback by this simple demonstration, and said his magical powers were so wide-ranging they might be the cause of Miss Aves' dark skin. We then proposed to him a little challenge, looking at a memory in a Pensieve, then telling us what he thought about it. He didn't hesitate, and agreed. The memory was that of a wizard who was murdering another one. Everything was in there : 'Avada Kedavra' was more than audible, the green flash most recognisable and the victim was on the ground, fear on his face. Mr. Schuttoff offered to us what he called his analysis : according to him, his skill is about seeing beyond the crude perception, and the veil of ignorance that comes with a basic overview. He thanked us to have required his expert assessment, and told us, without the slightest sign of irony, that obviously, the fearful look of the victim indicated the latter was scared of being possessed by a creature that was inside them, and the murderer had clumsily tried to get the victim rid of it. We didn't feel it necessary to insist at this point, we have read his articles in the Daily Prophet, it is clear that he is either delusional, or a con artist. One of the witches of our Department, who was attending the whole ridiculous display by Mr. Schuttoff of his own level of absurdity, was frustrated, and recalled being at a party where Mr. Schuttoff was one of the guests, although he might have just been gate-crashing. Our employee had trouble concealing their anger, and told Mr. Schuttoff that, during the whole party, people were ignoring him and his inopportune interventions in the groups of attendees. Mr. Schuttoff didn't abandon his coolness, and replied as if it were blatant truth, with limitless candour, that the participants weren't scornful towards him at all, they merely felt deeply impressed by his presence, and politely attempted at camouflaging their noble feelings. Noting that the situation could only escalate, we thanked Mr. Schuttoff, and found after a lot of more or less diplomatic efforts, including the threat of removing him forcefully from the Ministry's premises, a way to make him leave. I must confess I had never seen this happen. We had given him so many heavy doses of Veritaserum there was enough to knock down an elephant, but he was till the end assured of his own truthfulness. We didn't have enough elements to put him in jail, and we are envisioning to send him to Saint Mungo's, but this is difficult, since we have to respect everybody's liberties, and Mr. Schuttoff has the absolute right of being a liar, or a fool. However, we have received intelligence that he is intent on making a scene at the burial. Therefore, we would like Hogwarts to use caution

Mrs. Omiga ended her exposé here, and Professor Dumbledore replied :

I will make it as difficult as possible for anybody to disturb the serenity of Miss Aves' burial. Thank you, Mrs. Omiga

The witch from the Ministry departed, and the Headmaster told the three friends and Professor Snape :

I have a mission for the four of you

Professor Snape cast sideway glances at the three students, feeling it very weird to be put at the same level as teenagers. Once Professor Dumbledore had finished giving his instructions, the three friends and Professor Snape went back down to the grassy space where the solemn event would take place, starting from 4pm. At around 2.30pm, though, a tall brown-haired wizard with curly hair and very stylish red robes, emerged from the Forbidden Forrest, and shouted, at the top of his lungs, wand raised :

Stop this masquerade immediately. I am Ann Aves' rightful father. Let me…

As per the Headmaster's plan spread among the four Houses by the three friends and Professor Snape, all the students, of every House, directed their wands at the intruder and cast a prolific amount of 'Stupefy' and 'Rictusempra'. Although the distance to Cathar Schuttoff was significant, a few dozens of spells reached the target, and the former Daily Prophet analyst was projected backwards into the Forbidden Forrest. He was apparently knocked out, for he didn't stand up in the next fifteen minutes. Mrs. Pomfresh finally strode towards Schuttoff, and carried him through 'Levicorpus' to the hospital wing. At 4pm, the students, as had been devised, lined up along the path, on either side of it. Ann's Muggle parents walked to the side of the pit where their daughter would rest. All the Professors were already gathered behind the burial place. Mr. Aves, who was wearing a three-pieces suit, had his hand over his wife's shoulder, and the latter brought from time to time a handkerchief to her eyes and her cheeks. Mrs. Aves was wearing black Muggle robes. Then, a black carriage which supported the wooden coffin and was pulled by Thestrals, became visible within the frame of Hogwarts' outer walls' doors. It moved slowly towards the beginning of the path, and entered it, advancing on its way to the pit, while students raised their wands to cast green arcs in the air. The arcs of the students on one side of the path crossed those of the students on the other side. The loud but melodic tune of a Requiem echoed off the walls of Hogwarts and the trees of the Forbidden Forrest. When the Thestrals' hooves were close to the pit, Professor Snape cast a spell on the bindings that attached the creatures to the carriage, and they dissolved. The Thestrals then took flight, away from the Hogwarts' grounds. Professor Snape then performed 'Sonorus' on his throat, and delivered the first part of the eulogy :

Ann Aves is most certainly not the last member of Slytherin House to die in a heroic way. For one does not cease to be a Slytherin, a Gryffindor, a Hufflepuff, or a Ravenclaw after graduation, and we all know that among the students in every House, some of them will meet a dramatic but meaningful fate. However, I dearly hope that for the last time, Hogwarts is burying one of its students

Professor Dumbledore then cast 'Sonorus' on his own throat, and concluded the last official speech in favour of Ann :

Miss Aves acted as an adult while so many grown-ups fail to behave at least as well as teenage students. This is all the more wrong that one, even in old age, should remain a student ready to learn everyday from the others, and from the life that puts them together. You are all here to learn, but first and foremost, to live. Miss Aves cannot live anymore, you will thus have to live not only for you, but also for her

Some students briefly clapped. Then the Headmaster gently made the coffin levitate over the pit, and into it. Mr. and Mrs. Aves threw a red rose each in the pit, on the coffin. Finally, Professor Dumbledore waved his wand, and conjured a stone of green marble, on which one could read, in golden letters :

Ann Aves

Slytherin House

1971-1985

Braveness & Love Are More Powerful Than Magic

The Headmaster then invited all the students to conjure one by one flowers or anything else that could convey their emotion, on the tombstone. Slowly, the tombstone grew to support more and more flowers. When the last student came, it had already long become invisible, covered under the magical roses.