Savage: The Night Wizard - (A Harry Potter Fanfic)

Chapter 573 - 573 - Answering the Ravens

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Just as I was starting to think no one was going to ask me anything, a boy with his hair completely dyed neon blue, standing at the back of the group, slowly raised his hand.

"Um... Ethan..." he called, drawing my attention.

As I turned to look at him, I paused for a moment, blinking in mild confusion.

As far as I could remember, there wasn't any Ravenclaw with such... eye-catching hair.

'Strange... did an impostor show up or something?' I wondered, tilting my head slightly.

But then, remembering that I was living in a world where magic was part of everyday life, I dismissed the thought almost immediately.

It was far more likely that this was the result of some spell... or someone with far too much free time.

That became even clearer after I watched him for a few moments, sensing that there really was magic in his hair — a mischievous, familiar kind of magic.

Very familiar.

'Heh... another victim of Fred and George,' I thought, slightly amused.

Deciding not to dwell too much on the cause of this Ravenclaw's new "hairstyle," I shifted my attention back to him, who still had his hand raised.

Taking a better look at his face this time, I finally recognized him.

Charles Richter. Sixth year. A fairly... average Ravenclaw. Not particularly brilliant, not particularly troublesome.

If there was one word to describe him, it would be unremarkable — or perhaps even forgettable.

But that was in the past.

Now, he had earned my recognition... and my respect.

After all, he was the only brave soul who stepped forward and broke the silence of the Common Room.

Seeing that someone had finally spoken, all the other Ravenclaws let out relieved sighs.

And then, almost in perfect synchrony, they all turned to look at Charles, their expressions full of curiosity and anticipation.

'Come on, my brave colleague... ask your question!' they silently urged him.

Feeling all those intense gazes on him, Charles grew somewhat intimidated and uneasy.

His body stiffened slightly, and his expression faltered.

He quickly realized that being the first to speak might not have been one of his best decisions.

Sensing the nervousness coming from the blue-haired boy, I gave him a small, encouraging smile.

"Yes?" I gave a small hand gesture, urging him to continue.

He didn't say anything immediately.

For a few seconds, he simply stared at me with an uncertain and hesitant look.

However, that hesitation didn't last long.

Perhaps realizing there was no way out of this situation — at least not without being looked down upon by the other Ravenclaws — he finally decided to speak.

"Uh..." he began, shifting awkwardly, "Sooo... how's your family?"

...

...

...

...

'...What?'

I blinked.

Once. Twice.

For a brief moment, my mind simply froze.

Silence fell over the room again — this time even more awkward than before.

The Ravenclaws around us, who had been looking at Charles expectantly, were now staring at him with strange or incredulous expressions.

'Seriously? That's your damn question?!'

In response to the critical looks he was receiving, he could only shrug with a slightly embarrassed expression.

'Don't judge me... I can't think properly under pressure!' he justified internally.

"Ahem."

Snapping out of my brief daze, I brought a hand to my mouth and coughed lightly.

"Well... to answer your question... they're doing very well, thanks for asking," I said, trying — with some success — to ease the awkward atmosphere in the room.

"That... that's probably good... I think?" he replied uncertainly.

But then, as soon as he finished speaking, Charles paused, realizing his poor choice of words.

Looking at me in mild panic, he quickly waved his hands.

"No... I mean, that's definitely good! Very good... Especially for you, since they're your family and all that, and—"

"Richter."

A brunette girl from his year interrupted him, rolling her eyes.

"Stop talking. Everyone here understood what you meant."

"...Oh."

Realizing that his attempt to explain himself had only made things worse, Charles let out a low, defeated murmur.

Too embarrassed to face his housemates, he lowered his head.

At that moment, he seemed suddenly very interested in the floor beneath his feet.

Then, without saying anything else, he slowly stepped back toward the rear of the group — something everyone chose not to comment on, out of pure pity.

Watching the scene, I shook my head with a wry, helpless look.

And for a moment, I thought that would cause the silence to return.

But then...

"Where are they now, Ethan?"

Someone asked.

Turning my head, I saw my blond, Hufflepuff-leaning friend with his hand raised.

He looked at me with his head slightly tilted, and from his expression, he was genuinely curious.

'Of course it had to be him,' I thought, amused but relieved.

As soon as Anthony finished asking his question, several pairs of eyes turned to him.

He seemed to feel it, and when he turned, he noticed the strange looks the others were giving him.

"What?" he crossed his arms defensively. "Unlike him, I actually know Ethan's family!"

Hearing that, I let out a light chuckle.

And I realized that, somehow, the conversation had taken a completely unexpected and odd turn.

But strangely enough, it actually helped.

Noticing how this casual topic had eased the atmosphere slightly, I had no problem continuing to answer their questions.

"Well, Anthony... my family is still at Hogwarts, if that's what you wanted to know," I replied with an amused smile.

"Now, as for where they are right now..." I paused briefly, recalling, "Nick and Penny invited my parents over for tea, so they're probably in their private quarters right now."

"As for Cele, she went with Gabi and Fleur to the Beauxbatons carriage. They wanted to give her a tour... and also feed the Abraxans."

As I said that, I couldn't help a softer expression from appearing on my face.

I could still remember the bright, excited expressions on the two girls' faces as they left the castle toward the carriage.

They looked ready to explore and uncover wathever secrets and mysteries the carriage was hiding.

"Oh, so your sister went to the Beauxbatons carriage," Anthony murmured, his eyes lighting up. "That actually sounds really fun."

Honestly, I agreed with him.

It definitely sounded fun.

And from the look in his eyes, it was obvious he wanted to be there playing as well.

After Charles and Anthony broke the ice with their questions, the other Ravenclaws seemed to relax as well.

Encouraged by that, they started asking their own questions, which I answered calmly.

Before long, the mood turned light and easy.

However, even though the moment seemed light and relaxed, we all knew it was nothing more than a façade to hide the unease and nervousness of my friends and housemates.

Some might even say we were simply delaying the inevitable.

But I didn't see it that way.

I saw this moment more as a way for them to prepare themselves for what was coming next.

We all understood very well that this calm wouldn't last long.

At some point, we would have to bring up that dark subject.

And, just as we expected, that moment slowly began to creep closer.

Little by little, the cheerful mood and laughter faded. Our conversation began to lose its relaxed tone.

Even the previously calm gazes grew restless.

And it continued like that until, in the end, all that remained was silence.

"Ethan," Sue called, her voice low and tense.

I looked at her and saw a serious expression on her face.

"That day, at the Quidditch pitch... everything you said happened to you and Potter... was it true?"

The moment she spoke, the air shifted.

Fear, tension, seriousness. It spread through the room like a wave.

Hearing that question, I remained silent for a few moments.

Then I nodded.

"Yes. Everything was true," I replied, simple and direct.

"Then... then is it true that he... that he's back?" Lisa asked apprehensively.

Her question — one everyone wanted to ask, but no one had the courage to — caused a heavy silence to fall over the entire Common Room.

No one moved. No one spoke. It was as if the entire room had forgotten how to breathe.

Looking around, I could see my housemates staring at me intensely.

Their bodies were tense and their gazes restless. They were all anxiously waiting for my answer.

'Sigh... I knew they were going to ask about that noseless idiot,' I thought, pressing my lips together slightly.

I wasn't surprised at all that Lisa asked that question.

To be honest, I was far more surprised it took them this long to do so.

Considering how impactful and serious the matter was, these curious ravens had shown incredible restraint by not interrogating me the moment they saw me.

But even though they had shown me that much consideration, they didn't really need to.

When I decided to come to the Ravenclaw Common Room, it wasn't just to see and talk to my friends.

In truth, my main reason was to answer my housemates' questions about the third task incident.

I already knew they would ask about Voldemort's return.

And now, realizing that the inevitable moment had finally arrived, I cast aside any remaining trace of lightness before looking at Lisa.

End.

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