Chapter 57: The Usual Suspect
Dumbledore was back? Elian didn't hesitate. While everyone else was still processing Neville's announcement, he was already on his feet.
"Not right now, Elian! He said later tonight!" Neville called after his retreating back, but Elian was already halfway to the door, pretending not to hear. Any excuse to escape the tension at the Gryffindor table was a good one.
Hermione let out a small, frustrated huff, her fists clenching. Coward, she thought, her eyes promising a reckoning. He couldn't run forever.
Confusion reigned at the table. "What was that about?" Ron asked, baffled.
"No idea," Harry shrugged, equally lost.
Ginny, however, watched Hermione's stiff departure and Luna's serene detachment with dawning understanding. Something was definitely going on. Hermione's recent habit of asking after Elian, her uncharacteristic focus on her appearance… it all pointed to something Ginny recognized but wouldn't voice. Some knots had to be untied by the people who tied them.
The lunch ended awkwardly. Unbeknownst to them, the issue of The Quibbler was causing a different kind of storm beyond the castle walls. It was selling out, its presses running hot. The bold, contradictory interviews were a direct challenge to the Ministry's narrative. Where the Daily Prophet painted a picture of Ministry-controlled safety, The Quibbler screamed of cover-ups and incompetence. Elian's blunt account of Hogsmeade was a particular slap in the face to Cornelius Fudge, who was reportedly in a rage, destroying ornaments in his office. Elian, hiding in the library, remained blissfully unaware of the political firestorm his words had fueled.
After a tense afternoon spent avoiding any corridor where Hermione might appear, and skipping dinner entirely, Elian finally made his way to the Headmaster's office as dusk fell. He knew why he was being summoned. Hogsmeade. The Death Eaters. It was inevitable.
He gave the password ("Sherbet Lemon") to the gargoyle and ascended the spiral staircase. He'd lost count of his visits here. Three? Four? Most students never saw the inside of this office in their entire school career. He was becoming a regular.
He found Dumbledore seated behind his desk, peering through his half-moon spectacles at a ancient, crumbling book with no discernible cover. Upon Elian's entrance, Dumbledore carefully closed the tome, removed his glasses, and smiled, his eyes twinkling.
"Ah, Mr. Thorne. I hear you've been keeping things interesting during my absence."
(End of Chapter)
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