studiobondurri Chapter 433: Return to Normalcy, Part 1
Chapter 433: Return to Normalcy, Part 1
chapter 433: return to normalcy, part 1
disclaimer:
harry potter and all of its characters belong to j.k. rowling.
i own nothing but the original characters i create.
"dialogue"
'thoughts'
-author notes-
chapter 433: return to normalcy, part 1
one week later, hogwarts halls
"ahhh! be careful, you duffer!" filch screamed, clinging desperately to a rope dangling from the third floor.
on the other end of the rope was none other than hagrid, his massive hands gripping it tightly. "just hold still! you're going to fall if you keep wigglin' like that!"
the giant tried to stabilize the rope, but filch's panicked flailing only made it swing more wildly, much like a pendulum.
a crowd of students gathered below, some pointing and laughing at the spectacle, while others watched in horror.
"there's no way i'm using a rope to get to class," parvati huffed, crossing her arms in defiance at the mere thought of doing that.
lavender glanced at the stationary staircases. the moving staircases, along with much of hogwarts' magic, had ceased functioning since the battle by the black lake a week ago, making it very difficult to move around the castle.
"maybe we shouldn't have come back so soon," lavender said, gesturing toward the precarious scene. "i mean, we can't even get to class properly."
this rope-and-pulley contraption hagrid had devised wasn't looking very promising.
"no way!" hermione exclaimed, her face set with determination. "we've already lost an entire week of classes! the tournament disrupted enough of the term...i refuse to fall further behind. i'll climb that rope a hundred times if i have to! let me help secure it." she made an attempt to lower herself off the edge.
"are you mad?!" parvati and lavender held hermione back, preventing her from joining hagrid.
several sets of footsteps approached.
"yikes, what are they doing?" ginny frowned, taking in the scene.
"a rope to get to class? really?" lyra raised an eyebrow.
" i'm afraid not. the wound was caused by a very dangerous spell that i used in a time of need. " his expression became serious as he looked at them. " let this be served as a cautionary tale. magic should not be taken lightly. powerful spells can have equally powerful consequences."
the group nodded solemnly.
what dumbledore didn't share was that his arm could, in theory, be regenerated. however, the process would be excruciating and lengthy, something he had no interest in enduring at his age. he intended to retire once the school stabilized, confident that professor mcgonagall was ready to take over.
"headmaster."
dumbledore's thoughts were interrupted by daphne.
"yes, miss greengrass?"
"i didn't mean to overstep," she said, motioning to the stairs. "was it okay for me to—"
dumbledore raised a hand, his expression kind. "perfectly fine. in fact, i came here to do the same thing, though i'm still getting used to performing magic with my left hand. so it's likely a good thing that you did it in my stead."
"oh... okay." relief washed over daphne's face.
dumbledore turned to the gathered students. "well? what are you waiting for? you have new stairs now...off to class!"
"ugh... bummer," ron groaned as the students began making their way up the steps.
"headmaster?" daphne called again as the headmaster was about to leave.
he paused, his eyes twinkling. "yes?"
"tomorrow is saturday, so..." daphne hesitated.
"you want permission to visit him?" dumbledore finished for her.
she nodded.
dumbledore smiled knowingly. "i suppose we can make an exception, given your contributions to the school's safety. do you need access to the floo network? moody has assured me it's secure again."
"no need," daphne said.
"ah, right. you already know how to apparate. just be discreet about it...you don't have a license yet."
"thank you, sir," daphne said gratefully.
what the headmaster didn't know yet was that daphne could have apparated away from the castle, even if the wards were functioning at full force.