In the days after the start of term, the castle was always shrouded in a strange atmosphere.
The most obvious sign was the sheer number of owls at breakfast; every day, masses of letters were delivered.
In previous years, no one had calmed down from the excitement of the holidays yet; friends always had endless topics, and the auditorium was never quiet for a moment.
But now, people only busied themselves with reading and replying to letters. No one was in the mood to chat—if you didn't know better, you'd think a big exam was coming up tomorrow.
And this change had lasted ever since the first day of term.
"My mum's asking about school again."
As they ate breakfast, Justin Finch-Fletchley tossed aside a half-read letter and muttered quietly, "She's already written me five letters in the past few days. And my dad, too—they act like there's some lunatic in the castle ready to snap at any moment."
"Isn't there?" said Zacharias Smith nearby. "That senile Dumbledore, and Harry Potter pulling vile pranks just to get everyone's attention…"
He had just finished a brief reply, stuffing the envelope into the claws of the owl next to him.
"A headmaster with such a reputation, running around with a fraud—honestly, their worries are pretty justified."
"I don't believe Professor Dumbledore would do anything like that," Macmillan muttered quietly.
He agreed with Finch-Fletchley, both choosing to trust Dumbledore—but since they were all classmates, he didn't argue the point.
"Actually, my family read the Daily Prophet, and they don't really want me coming here anymore… Of course, I still came. I'm not giving up magic."
Zacharias Smith continued, "But because of that, I have to write them every day, just to tell them I'm safe at school."
"You must be exhausted."
Macmillan stayed silent, but others didn't.
Mikel couldn't stand it anymore and said with a sneer, "If you're so worried, you might as well stay home. You'd be perfectly safe—and think how much parchment money you'd save each day."
"I don't mind buying a sheet of parchment every day," said Zacharias, "And why should I let two frauds ruin my education? It's them who ought to leave."
"Dumbledore isn't a fraud," Ryan said earnestly. "He's the greatest headmaster Hogwarts has ever had. My whole family chooses to trust him."
"Me too," said Mikel.
"Suit yourselves," Zacharias said indifferently. "The Daily Prophet's already spelled it all out. If you insist on being stubborn, there's nothing I can do."
"You're the stubborn one, believing the Daily Prophet," Mikel shot back, bluntly. "That paper is rubbish if you ask me—can't believe they'd ever doubt Dumbledore."
"Whatever. If you want me to believe, he'll need to show solid evidence that You-Know-Who really came back."
Zacharias Smith shoved his empty plate forward and raised his head. "Until then, I'd rather believe the Daily Prophet."
"Oh, and just so you know, the Dumbledore you trust has already been fired by the Wizengamot and International Confederation of Wizards—he's losing his grip."
Finishing, he got up and left the auditorium.
The atmosphere was awkward; everyone exchanged glances, not knowing what to say.
"Not believing is normal, isn't it?" Justin Finch-Fletchley tried to lighten the mood.
"Ha, who cares what he believes," Susan Bones scoffed, "Whoever fired Professor Dumbledore—they'll regret it, mark my words!"
"Absolutely right."
With them leading the way, the table was soon lively again.
"Zacharias Smith must've been talking rubbish back there."
Not far away, Cedric frowned, having overheard the whole exchange. "The Wizengamot and International Confederation of Wizards… How could they fire Professor Dumbledore? That's impossible…"
"Actually, it's true."
Kael glanced at the Daily Prophet in his hands.
Blazing across the front page, it said Dumbledore really had been fired.
The article was nothing but mockery, painting Dumbledore as a senile fool—saying he got what he deserved.
Clearly, while some people trusted Dumbledore unconditionally, more were like Fudge, unwilling to believe Voldemort had returned.
Back during that meeting at the Hog's Head Pub, Kael had noticed—not many people attended, barely thirty or so.
They used their numbers to vote Dumbledore out.
The International Confederation of Wizards fired the most powerful wizard—Dumbledore… Kael had to admit he'd never seen anything so surreal in magic politics.
But Dumbledore seemed to have anticipated it. Just like he'd said at the end of the Welcoming Feast…
"You-Know-Who's tactics for sowing conflict and hostility are brilliant. We must display the same unbreakable friendship and trust…"
Maybe driving Dumbledore and most wizards apart was Voldemort's goal all along—a Magic Realm divided is exactly what he wants.
And as long as he stays hidden, the misunderstanding will never be cleared up.
Of course, there's another possibility—Dumbledore got himself fired on purpose.
According to the paper, the Wizengamot's vote was 19 to 21. That means the motion to fire Dumbledore passed by a slim margin—just two votes.
From what Kael knew, the Wizengamot had fifty official members eligible to vote, but only forty cast ballots.
Where did the other ten go?
Abstained? Or didn't participate at all?
The International Confederation of Wizards was the same—not enough votes, and only a two-vote difference.
If it was intentional, Kael couldn't figure out Dumbledore's purpose. Trying to lull Voldemort? Or something else entirely?
Kael shook his head, letting the thought go, and instead reached for a nearby letter.
Sent from the Wizengamot—probably the only good news today.
It said the ruling applications against Lucius, Karkaroff, Macnair, and Umbridge had finally been settled.
Two sheets of parchment in all—the gist was, Lucius and the others had voluntarily withdrawn their own accusations yesterday.
Things had progressed much faster than Kael anticipated.
The investigation into Barty Crouch lasted half a year back then, but this time it was done in just a few days.
As for the outcome… the letter stated Lucius and three others would issue public apologies in the newspaper, and were fined some gold.
But Umbridge wasn't punished at all. According to the letter, she insisted she was only deceived, and that was that.
Kael couldn't shake the feeling that someone just wanted to sweep everything under the rug.
Still…
He glanced at Fudge's name, specifically mentioned in the letter… Well, that explained it.
"I've no idea how things will turn out," Cedric sighed. "If the Board of Governors believes the Daily Prophet too, what then? I really don't want anyone but Professor Dumbledore as headmaster in my seventh year."
"Don't worry about that," Kael said, "The one role Dumbledore will never give up is Hogwarts headmaster."