Chapter 102: Ritual

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HP: Yeah. It led into a tunnel, which led to a smaller room. I found the two of them lying there, along with an upended red-hot cauldron.

Interrogator: Be more specific for the record please. Them?

HP: Dean Thomas, my friend, and Lisa Turpin lying on the floor, not moving. Lisa had burns all over her, and her robes were soaked with something that was burning her.

But she was alive. I dried her up the best I could before going over to check on Dean. But he… he was…

Interrogator: Would you like some water, Mr. Potter?

HP: No. No. I'm fine. He… He was dead. I don't know how long I sat there for, but when I snapped out of it, I grabbed them both and got Hedwig to take us to the Great Hall. There I just remember seeing the carnage, and then I passed out.

Interrogator: That will be all. Thank you

~~~Statement Ends~~~

DMLE investigation so far corroborates this version of events. The Chamber was indeed almost destroyed, although by what is not clear. A gramophone, set to spew mysterious spitting noises was found in the chamber as well. Its purpose is yet to be discovered.

The cauldron mentioned, however, has been suspected of containing a dark empowering potion, and it is suspected that the burns on Miss Turpin's body occurred because she was somehow dipped into the potion.

She is now seeking treatment at St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.

Current DMLE theory says that Dean Thomas might have somehow followed the Heir into the Chamber as Lisa Turpin was being kidnapped, and when he noticed Miss Turpin being thrown into the potion, he tackled it and saved her life, stopping the dark ritual from occurring.

The current running theory is that this might have what caused a magical backlash causing the damage to the Chamber.

So who did it? Who was behind all this? Whatever the truth, you can expect Daily Prophet to bring it to your knowledge as soon as possible.

HOGWARTS CLOSING DOWN!

Yesterday, on the 10th of January, the day after the Massacre at Hogwarts and all the alive and well students returning home, Headmistress Minerva McGonagall addressed the press from the gates of an empty Hogwarts.

" In the light of recent events, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry will be closing down for the upcoming school year. We shall be improving our security, faculty, protections, and many other important fields of our ancient school.

Due to his experience in magical protections and his actions in protecting the students of Hogwarts Albus Dumbledore will soon be reinstated as the Headmaster of Hogwarts to oversee these renovations.

Hogwarts is not just a school, but a monument to the Wizarding World's strength and tenacity in face of peril. We solemnly swear that we will return it to the greatness it deserves."

While the impassioned speech was much appreciated by the crowd gathered to listen, the implications that the statement had were disturbing.

If Hogwarts chooses to close down for the next year, then more than likely the entire school year will be lost for the students studying here.

Murmurs from the Department of Magical Education suggest that the students may be transferred to another school for the year of 1993, with their expenses for books, uniforms and assorted requirements paid in full for that year provided that the students choose to remain affiliated with Hogwarts, even in their transfer school.

It is fairly obvious that this is an effort to not lose the remaining Hogwarts students to a foreign school while they are transferred there.

But how successful will this be? While no doubt many students will return for their fourth year at school, just for the sake of being closer to home, some have already permanently transferred to other schools. The wounds have been made, and they won't be easy to fill in.

The promises of improving the faculty and security were much appreciated. One does have to question the competency of the staff when a twelve-year-old boy sees patterns that none of them were able to see.

Hopefully, with the reopening of Hogwarts once more under Dumbledore, we will be seeing a more trained and professional staff armed with better security measures.

But as the future seems bleak for Hogwarts and its students, one ray of sunshine shines through in the form of the soon forthcoming recovery of the petrified individuals. We here at the Daily Prophet wish them and Hogwarts school the very best for the future.

Those three articles adorned the first page of the January 10th newspaper sitting on top of Harry's desk.

The newspaper was four days old, having come out a couple of days after the… the incident, as Harry preferred to call it in his head now. A few feet away from the table, Harry stood in front of his open wardrobe.

He considered the occasion for a second before pulling out one of his nicer set of robes before tossing them onto his bed behind him.

Closing the wardrobe doors behind him, he turned around and quickly threw the robes on, using the new skill he had learned from his skill book to weave on an illusion, making him look clean not like he had just rolled in a bale of hay with elephant poop mixed in for good measure.

Glamouring, Lv- 1 (0%)

Allows the user to weave illusions around himself and alter the look of small portions of his body.

You can only make yourself look fresh at the current level of this ability.

Cost- 50 MP

That was one useful skill when in a hurry. Plus it had a lot of potential to grow into something more powerful and useful. But for now, he needed to make sure he looked decent.

Today was an important day. Today was the day Hermione was going to wake up.

"Are you sure you don't want to come, Hedwig?" he asked his phoenix, who was sitting in the little tray underneath her perch reserved for her post-Burning Day form.

" You know I can't, " Hedwig's childlike mental voice echoed in his mind, sounding slightly miserable, " I can't go out like this. I look hideous!

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