Chapter 377

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I took a piece of parchment out of my bag, tore off two pieces, and used magic to create an explanatory note for Astoria and Daphne. Finding the girls, I asked Rowena:

'Can you reach them?

<Before they leave, yes.>

Putting the two rings and the notes in my pocket, I immediately felt them disappear, and by all appearances, they should appear in the pockets of the girls' robes. I gave one ring back to Hermione, and she put it on her left hand without a doubt, and I put mine on my left hand as well, next to Ouroboros' ring. All that remains is to prepare for what is to come, though I don't yet know what exactly.

"Miona. Are you sure you're all right?" standing up from the table, I addressed the girl.

"Yes," she nodded. "Of course, if it weren't for occlumency, I would have been absorbed in something like resentment, disappointment, fear, and on the basis of this - anger at these ... people. Just like yesterday. But now, I can easily control these impulses without winding myself up."

Almost until dinner, we either studied something new in the library, or I taught Hermione the shadow transfiguration spells I had created based on the Architect's abilities. But my inner tension was still there, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't figure out the reason for it. Perhaps I'm just worried about the upcoming trial, or maybe because of Lady Greengrass's unknown plan so far.

The mirror vibrating in my pocket distracted me from wasting my time in the walls of the Restricted Section. Taking it out, I saw in the reflection a Nymphadora in the shape of an auror, and in the background, there were houses near the center of London.

"Max? How's the mood?" she spoke in an exaggeratedly chipper voice.

"Suspiciously lousy. Something wrong?"

"I wanted to tell you that the hearing is scheduled for five o'clock tomorrow afternoon. The parents of those guys made a fuss and also dragged their application, as you expected. As a result, as Madame Bones said, according to the preliminary analysis of the materials, the hearing will not be specifically on charges but to clarify the degree of guilt in the imputed actions of each individual involved in the case, and the two groups in general."

"I see. Do you think that's a good thing or a bad thing?"

"It makes no difference at all, but I'll say this - I don't understand paperwork. I am not an investigator or a DMLE prosecutor. Okay, I said what I wanted. I'll be in touch."

The image disappeared, and I put the mirror back in my pocket, returning to working out the craziest combinations of my abilities and spells - it is unknown what I will have to face in the near future. However, there is at least one plus in the information received — the strange tension has disappeared.

***

Monday, the thirteenth of November, started quite exciting. No, the standard exercises were the usual, although Hermione tried even harder, but that's not the point. As usual, almost everyone came to breakfast in the Great Hall on time, and after the already well-established fifteen minutes, postal owls flew into the hall. There were quite a lot of them, but it is understandable - in addition to mail from relatives, on Monday, as on a couple of other days of the week, correspondence came by subscription, including the Daily Prophet.

Catching my copy in the air, I started reading with interest, and already on the second page, I came across an interesting article by Skeeter. Judging by the faces of the happy owners of subscriptions to this miracle from the yellow press, widespread interest and at least two weeks of gossip are expected. And the thing is that Skeeter went against the threats. Now we all have the opportunity to contemplate an article that describes in detail, albeit without specific names, but with hints, about the preparation, collection of information, and implementation by Slytherins of their insidious plan, which stumbled upon the unexpectedly superior forces of just one Muggle-born girl. It's all served up with the perfect sauce of mockery of the children from the old families, surprise and outrage at what happened, and indignation at the fact that the Slytherins are promoting the return of the Dark Lord and starting all sorts of outrage in his name. At the same time, Skeeter didn't forget to praise herself, saying: "Even despite the Obliviate and threats, she risked her health and life in order to keep her loyal readers informed, getting this information. The conclusion was, "Would our valiant ministry really allow rich bullies to bury the career of a prominent Muggle-born witch? I will tell you about this, loyal readers, after the Wizengamot trial, which will take place today, and your faithful servant will cover this case."