Harry really did feel guilty about how freaked out they all were. He didn't know that the common room was bugged. It was a giant breach of privacy, and he could see how this feature was probably used to silence any opposition to Voldemort's movement in Slytherin during the war.
The fact is that had Harry known about the common room being bugged, he wouldn't have revealed enough clues for anyone to know what the monster was. He would have probably taken Longbottom aside in the dormitories instead and revealed the information to him there.
Now, he had accidentally involved students in this mess and that wasn't good for anyone's sake. Harry could tell that they were terrified. They wanted to do anything about the whole issue, but there was really no action they could take that would make any difference.
The Black Bishop growled, "And how do we know you're not just pulling our tail, that you're not just pretending to know anything just so that we would invite you to a place amongst up next year?"
The Potter scion let out a snort, "The answer is simple. If you doubted my words, you wouldn't be as afraid as you are now. But fine, if you need a demonstration that I'm not lying, I am more than willing to demonstrate. For example, I could tell that the entrance to this room is by blood. There are small traces of blood on the snakes in the doorway. Cleaning charms could only do so much on something as magically complex as the court's doorway. So, since the wards didn't probe my magic, that must be the way in. But for blood to be added to the wards or removed, you need something that acts as an anchor. The door itself would be risky since giving direct access to the whole security scheme to an intruder is a bad idea, but it is curious how it matches up to these wooden masks of yours. You see, wooden masks have been used all over the world for a very long time. But they were used by peasants in the old days for their cultural practices. But the masks on your heads are hand-crafted pieces of art, and obviously old. This style of masks in particular was commonly used in theatrical performances in the seventeenth century, just after the statute of secrecy was put in place. But they stopped being made centuries later, the more we were separated from muggle culture. No self-respected teenager would ever wear something as tacky, and uselessly expensive today. It would be better put on a wall as an antique. Conclusion, you're forced to use the masks. Final theory, the masks are bonded to you with blood, which is connected to the door. Now, I have a question for you all. Considering that this is the first time I have ever met the court in any capacity, and also the fact that I have no interest whatsoever in joining it next year, why would I even bother lying to you?"
They all froze for a second and Harry continued, "There's no shame in admitting that you're out of your league. So, here is my honest to Merlin recommendation. Leave the heir of Slytherin alone. I have been playing against this opponent for months and I'm sad to admit that I lost against him more than I won. He is ruthless, pragmatic, intelligent, arrogant, and very emotional. So, go back to your bargaining, to your little school politics and your intelligence network. You're better off not getting involved and I'm telling you, right now, if you ignore my words, I will not save you when you inevitably step on the toes of people far more powerful than you can handle. But most of all, stay out of my way."
With that said, he got up to leave. The King tried to activate the security enchantments on the seat, but Harry had been analyzing them using his Arcane Hearing while he was monologuing and negated them instantly by sending in a discreet inverse pulse of magic to temporarily destabilize the chair's magic.
Harry raised an eyebrow at the King, righted his fedora, and turned towards the door to leave.
However, the stone door was still closed, so, Harry focused on its song. He found the connection between it and the mask and saw that it could be manipulated to open it, by spoofing one of theirs. Choosing to add insult to injury, Harry decided to use the king's mask and spoofed the connection into sending a pulse to open the door. With a wave of his wand, the stone door opened, and Harry stepped out of the room, ignoring the baffling expression on the animated masks held.
With that done, he opened the hidden entrance near the ritual rooms and walked up to the common room. He smiled when he noticed that Daphne was sitting on his spot, reading the book he had gotten her for Christmas.
The moment she noticed his arrival, her concentrated face turned into a giant beam, and she spoke up, "Good morning, Harry."
"Good morning, Daph. You're not usually up this early in the morning."
Daphne Greengrass was many things. She was intelligent, cultured, magically gifted, a bit cold to strangers, and had a wicked sense of humour that meshed well with Harry's own, but she was not a morning person.
The girl snorted, "Yeah, I know I can be a bit grouchy in the morning."
"Grouchy? You froze Blaise's bits one day because he tried to wake you up after you fell asleep in the common room. Why your mother taught you a curse like that, I have no idea."
The Greengrass scion huffed, "I'll have you know, it's a very useful curse. It has been passed down from mother to daughter for centuries. But in this case, I'm up early because I wanted to ask you about something."
"Sure, what is it?"
"Were you serious about the red bean, blue bean thing? Because Tracy and Blaise thought it was a joke or something and that it was just an elaborate way to get us to stop asking questions."
Harry gave the girl a smile, "Yes, I was serious about that."
She handed Harry a familiar red bean, "Then I want to help. You've always done things by yourself like you're an island in the middle of the ocean. But I can tell you're lonely. I guess, I'm saying, that I don't want to leave you alone anymore."
"Are you sure about this? Because there's no going back…"
"Yes, Harry. I choose the red pill."
.....
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