Chapter 42

"I guess." muttered Bianca.

"Everything else is clear, by the way." added Harry, spearing a pork chop and putting it onto his plate, followed by a few roast potatoes and a spoonful of mashed carrot and swede.

"So why the paranoia, Harry?" asked Katie.

"Can it really be called paranoia when they actually are out to get you?" asked Harry.

"Who's 'they'?" asked Bianca.

"That is information that I am not currently at liberty to divulge," replied Harry "But let me put it this way, after what happened my first, second, third and fourth years here, I am taking no chances."

"The man has a point," agreed Katie "I mean there was that Troll, your broom going haywire, people being petrified, the Dementors, that Hungarian Horntail…" she paused for a moment, frowned and then asked "Why exactly did you come back at all, Harry?"

"Simple," answered Harry "I like my enemies where I can see them."

The three sixth years all shared a look of surprise as Harry speared a roast potato onto his fork and took a bite.

Soon the main course was done with and all of that food vanished, only to be replaced by puddings of every imaginable variety, from fruits, ice creams and creams to cakes, biscuits and pies.

As everyone else went to tuck in, Harry took out his wand again.

A moment later he called out "Stop!" a little too loudly for his liking, but thankfully the general noise in the hall drowned it out for most people.

"What's the matter?" asked Geoffrey.

"Nobody touch the treacle tart," said Harry

Albus Dumbledore was most put out by recent events. Things lately had not been going his way, and he was not used to that.

It began back at the end of the last school term, when the Minister of Magic, one Cornelius Fudge, had outright dismissed his claims that Lord Voldemort had returned to physical form.

Alright, so he had offered absolutely no proof of this fact whatsoever (other than having Severus show off the Dark Mark tattoo on his arm) but that was beside the point! He, Albus Dumbledore, had believed it to be true, and that ought to be good enough for everybody (as Minerva had once so eloquently put it.)

But no! With his old buddy Lucius listed as one of those supposedly reformed Death Eaters accused of attending the Dark Lord's rebirth, Fudge had gone on the defensive, and sought to turn Dumbledore into public enemy number one.

Of course that could not do, especially when they threatened to kick Dumbledore out of his position of Chief Warlock to the Wizengamot and subject both his position as Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards and his role as Headmaster at Hogwarts School to intense scrutiny.

Albus Dumbledore was most put out by recent events. Things lately had not been going his way, and he was not used to that.

It began back at the end of the last school term, when the Minister of Magic, one Cornelius Fudge, had outright dismissed his claims that Lord Voldemort had returned to physical form.

Alright, so he had offered absolutely no proof of this fact whatsoever (other than having Severus show off the Dark Mark tattoo on his arm) but that was beside the point! He, Albus Dumbledore, had believed it to be true, and that ought to be good enough for everybody (as Minerva had once so eloquently put it.)

But no! With his old buddy Lucius listed as one of those supposedly reformed Death Eaters accused of attending the Dark Lord's rebirth, Fudge had gone on the defensive, and sought to turn Dumbledore into public enemy number one.

Of course that could not do, especially when they threatened to kick Dumbledore out of his position of Chief Warlock to the Wizengamot and subject both his position as Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards and his role as Headmaster at Hogwarts School to intense scrutiny.

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