Harry Potter and the Way of Reason

Aftermath, Hermione Granger:

She had just started collecting books, putting homework aside, and getting ready for bed, and Padma and Mandy across the table were stacking their own books when Harry Potter walked into Ravenclaw's room. The common room; that's when she remembered that she hadn't seen him since breakfast.

This notion was soon trampled underfoot by another, much more shocking discovery.

On Harry's shoulder was a creature with red and gold wings, a bright bird of fire.

Harry looked sad and tired, exhausted as if the phoenix was the only reason he was still standing, but there was still a warmth about him, and somehow, at first glance, you might think you were seeing the Headmaster .That was the image that flashed through Hermione's mind, even if it didn't make sense.

Harry Potter plodded across the Ravenclaw common room, past the couches filled with staring girls and the circle of staring boys playing cards, toward her.

In theory she wouldn't be talking to Harry Potter just yet, his week wasn't over until tomorrow, but it was clear that whatever happened was far more important than that—

"Fawkes," said Harry, just as she opened her mouth, "the girl sitting there is Hermione Granger, and she doesn't talk to me now because I'm a fool, but if you want to rest on the shoulders of good people In fact, she is more suitable than me."

There was so much fatigue and pain in Harry Potter's voice—

But before she could figure out how she should react, the phoenix left Harry's shoulders, gliding towards her like fire along a matchstick, only faster; Eyes fixed on her.

"Chirp?" Phoenix asked.

Hermione stared at Phoenix, feeling like she was facing a question on a test, a question she had forgotten to study; it was one of the most important questions she had never studied, and was left speechless.

"I—" she said, "I'm only 12 years old, I haven't done anything—"

The phoenix just turned around around its wingtips, as softly as—in fact, it was a creature made of light and air, then flew back to Harry Potter's shoulder and landed firmly.

"Silly boy," said Padma across from her, looking as if hesitating between laughing and grimacing, "Phoenixes aren't for smart girls doing homework, Phoenixes are for girls who just There are fools who fight five older Slytherin bullies. That's why Gryffindor colors are red and gold, mind you."

There was a lot of friendly laughter in the Ravenclaw common room.

Hermione didn't smile.

Neither did Harry.

Harry buried his face in one hand. "Tell Hermione I'm sorry," he said to Padma, his voice inaudible, "tell her I forgot that phoenixes are animals, they don't understand time and planning, they don't understand people who will do good things in the future— I'm not sure they really understand the concept of 'being human', they can only see what people do. Fox doesn't know what it means to be 12. Tell Hermione I'm sorry - I shouldn't - It all goes awry, doesn't it?"

Harry turned away and began plodding slowly up the stairs leading to the dormitory.The phoenix still landed on his shoulders.

Hermione had no choice but to let it go, she had no choice but to let it go.She didn't know if she was competing with Harry or what, she couldn't just turn Phoenix against her.

she must-

Her mind scrambled to input the question into her entire remarkably good memory, only to find one thing—

"I was going to run up to the dementors and try to save Harry!" she bellowed to the red-and-gold bird in a bit of desperation. "I mean, I did start running, blah blah! Stupid and fearless thing, right?"

With a cry, the phoenix flew away from Harry's shoulder again, and flew towards her like a spreading flame. It circled her for three weeks, as if she were the center of the sea of ​​flames. kissed her cheek, and the phoenix flew back to Harry.

The Ravenclaw common room was silent.

"Told you," said Harry loudly, and started up the stairs, back to his bedroom; he seemed to be crawling very fast, as if for some reason he was walking very lightly, so it only took a while Well, both he and Fox disappeared.

Hermione's hands trembled over her face, touching where Fawkes' wings had just brushed; there was a little warmth lingering there, like that little patch of skin had been gently set on fire.

She thought she did answer Phoenix's question, but she had a feeling that she was barely passing, as if she only got a 62.With a little more effort, she could have gotten a 104.

If she put in a little effort.

Thinking about it carefully, she didn't really try hard.

just doing homework -

Who have you saved?

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Aftermath, Fox:

Nightmares, the boy had expected, those screams, those begging, those hollows like howling hurricanes, these horrors emanating were deposited in memory, and maybe in this way they would become a thing of the past.

The boy knew there would be nightmares to come.

The next night, the nightmare will come.

The boy was dreaming, and in his dream the whole world was burning, Hogwarts was burning, his home was burning, the streets of Oxford were burning, everything was lit with a golden flame, bright but not Devouring all things; and all who walked the burning streets shone white, brighter than the flames, as if they were flames themselves, or stars.

The other first-year children came to the bedside to testify to the miracles they had already heard from rumors: Harry Potter lay quietly and motionless on the bed, with a faint smile on his face. On his pillow, a golden-red phoenix guarded him, and its bright wings brushed against him like a blanket covering his head.

Settlement date was pushed back another day.

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Aftermath, Draco Malfoy:

Draco straightened his robes, making sure the green trim was in place.He waved his wand over his head and said the spell his father had taught him--while other children his age were playing in the mud.The spell ensured that not a single lint or dust could stain his wizard robes.

Draco picked up the mysterious envelope his father had sent him with an owl, and stuffed it inside his robes.He had already disposed of the mysterious note with Flame and Waste Cleanup.

Then he went straight to breakfast, trying to be seated on time the second the food appeared, so it looked like the others waited for his presence to start eating.Because the son of Malfoy has to be first at everything, including breakfast, that's why.

Vincent and Gregory were waiting for him outside his private room, earlier than he had been up - though, of course, not quite as neatly dressed.

The Slytherin common room was empty, and the early risers went straight to breakfast anyway.

There was silence in the cellar corridor, save for the echo of their hollow footsteps.

Although few people were there, the hall was filled with panicked noises, some younger children were crying, and students were moving between the tables or standing in small groups and yelling at each other.There was a red-robed prefect yelling at two students in green-trimmed robes, and Snape was striding towards the mess—

When people saw Draco, the noise died down a bit, some of the faces turned to stare at him, and then fell silent.

Food appeared on the table.Nobody cares.

Snape turned his heels, abandoned his original goal, and walked straight to Draco.

Fear gripped Draco's heart, could it be that something happened to his father - no, his father would definitely tell him - whatever happened, why didn't his father tell him -

Their Headmaster approached, and Draco saw the tiredness in Snape's eyes.The Potions Master had never been a well-dressed man (to put it mildly), but this morning his robes were dirtier and disheveled, with extra specks of grease on them.

"Haven't you heard?" the Dean hissed as he approached him. "My God, Malfoy, don't you even order newspapers?"

"What's going on, teach—"

"Bellatrix Black was taken from Azkaban!"

"What?" Draco said in shock, and Gregory behind him said something he really shouldn't have said, and Vincent just gasped.

Snape narrowed his eyes at him, then nodded abruptly. "So Lucius didn't tell you anything. I see." Snape snorted and turned—

"Professor!" Draco said, and he was just getting the meaning out of it, his brain spinning like crazy. "Professor, what should I do—father didn't give me instructions—"

"Then I suggest," said Snape, sneering as he strode away, "that you tell them, Malfoy, that it is as your father meant it!"

Draco glanced back at Vincent and Gregory, and while he didn't know why he bothered to do it, they certainly looked more confused than he did.

Draco walked to the Slytherin table and sat at the far end, where no one was there.

Draco took a sausage egg roll, put it on a plate, and began to munch mechanically.

Bellatrix Black was taken out of Azkaban.

Bellatrix Black was taken out of Azkaban...?

Draco didn't know how to react, it was totally unexpected, like the sun went out - well, it's expected that the sun will go out in a billion years, but it's like the sun will go out in Tomorrow is as unexpected as extinguishing.Father wouldn't do it, Dumbledore wouldn't do it, nobody could do it - what does that mean - who else would Bellatrix do after ten years in Azkaban What's the use - even if she's strong again, what's the use of a powerful witch who's completely evil, crazy, and dedicated to a Dark Lord who's no longer around?

"Hey," said Vincent, who was sitting next to Draco, "I don't understand, boss, why are we doing this?"

"We didn't do it, idiot!" Draco yelled. "Oh, for Merlin's sake, if you think we—your father never told you about Bellatrix Black Story? She tortured her father once, she tortured your father, she tortured everyone, the Dark Lord once told her to use Cruciatus on himself, and she did it! What she did insanely wasn't to stir up the populace of fear and obedience, but because she's crazy! She's a bitch!"

"Oh, really?" came an angry voice from behind Draco.

Draco didn't look up.Gregory and Vincent will watch his back.

"I thought you'd be happy—"

"—I hear a Death Eater has been released, Malfoy!"

Amycus Carrow had always been one of the other problem people; Father had once told Draco never to be in a room alone with Amycus...

Draco turned around and gave Flora Carrow and Hestia Carrow his number three sneer, a sneer that meant he was the oldest and noble family, they weren't, and they were right , which is important.Draco turned in their direction - he certainly wouldn't condescend to address either of them specifically - and said, "There are Death Eaters like this and Death Eaters like that," before turning back to his food.

They both snorted angrily at the same time, and then the sound of a pair of shoes rushed across the Slytherin table.

After a few minutes, Millicent Borst came up to them, panting, and said, "Mr. Malfoy, have you heard?"

"Bellatrix Black?" said Draco, "yes—"

"No, it's Potter!"

"what?"

"Potter was dangling around with a phoenix on his shoulder last night, looking as if he had been dragged ten leagues in the mud[1], and they say the phoenix took him to Azkaban to try to stop Bellatrix, he dueled her, and the two of them blew up half the fortress!"

"What?" Draco said. "Oh, how could-"

Draco stopped.

He'd used that phrase so many times with Harry Potter that he'd begun to notice patterns.

Millicent ran off and told the others to go.

"You don't really feel—" Gregory said.

"Honestly, I don't know anymore," Draco said.

A few minutes later, after Theodore Knott sat across from him and William Lochier ran to sit with the Carlo twins, Vincent gave him a slight nudge and said, "Over there."

Harry Potter entered the hall.

Draco watched him carefully.

He didn't see wariness on Harry's face, no surprise or shock, he just looked...

Harry looked absent-minded, lost in his own world, the same way he looked when he was trying to solve a problem that Draco didn't yet understand.

Draco stood up hurriedly from the bench beside the Slytherin table, said "Stay here", and walked towards Harry with the most polite speed.

Harry seemed to notice his approach as he turned to the Ravenclaw table, and Draco—

— gave Harry a quick look —

—and walked right past him, straight out of the hall.

Moments later, Harry appeared in the small stone-paved corner where Draco was waiting, which might not have fooled everyone, but gave them an excuse they could reasonably deny.

"Silently," said Harry, "Draco, how—"

Draco took the envelope out of his robes. "I have news from my father for you."

"Huh?" said Harry, taking the envelope from Draco, ripping it wildly, pulling out a piece of parchment, and opening—

Harry gasped.

Harry looked at Draco.

Then Harry looked back at the parchment.

pause.

Harry said, "Did Lucius ask you to report my reaction?"

Draco paused, considered for a moment, then opened his mouth——

"I see, he asked you to report," Harry said, and Draco cursed himself, he should have understood better, but it was just too difficult to decide. "What are you going to tell him?"

"Say you're surprised," Draco said.

"Surprised," said Harry flatly. "Yeah. That's good. Just tell him so."

"What's going on?" Draco said, and then, seeing Harry's confused face, "If you're dealing with my father behind my back—"

Harry handed the note to Draco wordlessly.

It says:

I know it is you.

"What are you doing—"

"I also wanted to ask you," Harry said, "do you have any idea what the hell your dad is up to?"

Draco glared at Harry.

Then Draco said, "Is that you?"

"What?" said Harry, "what reason could I have - how could I -"

"Is that you, Harry?"

"No!" said Harry, "of course not!"

Draco listened carefully, but didn't notice the slightest hesitation or wavering.

So Draco nodded, and said, "I don't know what father was thinking, but it wouldn't, I mean, couldn't possibly be a good thing. And, uh... people still say..."

"What are they," said Harry carefully, "what are they talking about, Draco?"

"Did the Phoenix really take you to Azkaban to try and stop Bellatrix Black from escaping—"

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Aftermath: Neville Longbottom

For the first time in his life, Harry was just sitting at the Ravenclaw table, hoping for a quick bite or two.He knows he needs to leave to think about things, but he also wants to keep the peace that was left of Phoenix (even after he met Draco), some beautiful dreams - he doesn't remember anything but the beauty ; and the less peaceful part of him was waiting for the moment when all those burdens finally fell on him, so when he got away from thinking and was alone for a while, he was able to sort out all these disasters in one go.

Harry grabbed the fork and put a mouthful of mashed potatoes into his mouth—

a scream.

Some people still yelled at the news now and then, but Harry's ears picked out the sound—

Harry immediately got up from the bench and walked straight to the Hufflepuff table, his stomach sick with nausea.It was one of the things he didn't think about when he decided to take part in the crime, because in Professor Quirrell's original plan nobody would have known about the crime; and now, after that, Harry just - didn't think about it -

This, said Hufflepuff, with bitter gravity in his tone, is also your fault.

But by the time Harry got there, Neville was already sitting down, eating a grilled sausage pie with cranky fig jam.

The Hufflepuff boy's hands were shaking, but he cut the food and ate it without letting it fall.

"Hello, General," said Neville, his voice trembling just a little. "Did you duel Bellatrix Black last night?"

"No," said Harry.For some reason, his own voice was trembling.

"I don't think so either," said Neville.He cut another piece of sausage, and there was a screeching sound between the knife and the plate. "I'm going to hunt her down, can I count on your help?"

The group of Hufflepuffs gathered around Neville gasped in shock.

"If she comes to you," Harry said hoarsely, if it's all been horribly wrong, if it's all a lie, "I'll protect you with my life," and whatever happens, won't let you because I was hurt by what I did, "But I'm not going to help you go after her, Neville, friends don't help friends kill themselves."

Neville's fork came to rest.

Then Neville took a bite of the food into his mouth and chewed again.

Then Neville swallowed his food.

Then Neville said, "I don't mean now, I mean after I graduate from Hogwarts."

"Neville," said Harry, carefully keeping his voice in check, "I think that even after you've graduated, the idea might still be as stupid as it gets. There's bound to be plenty of more sophisticated Aurors after her—" Oh, Wait, this is not good—

"Listen to him!" said Ernie MacMillan, and then an older-looking Hufflepuff girl standing next to Neville said, "Nana, please, think about it, he's right!"

Neville stood up.

Neville said, "Please don't follow me."

Neville left them all; Harry and Ernie couldn't help reaching out to him, as did some of the other Hufflepuffs.

Then Neville sat on the Gryffindor table, and they heard (although they had to strain their ears to hear) Neville say from a distance, "I'm going to hunt her after graduation, anyone want to help?" At least five voices answered "yes" before Ron Weasley said loudly, "You guys gotta get in line, I got Mum's owl this morning and she said tell everyone Bellatrix It's hers" and someone said "Molly Weasley to Bellatrix Black? What's she kidding—" and Ron reached out and took a muffin from the plate—

Someone tapped Harry on the shoulder, and he turned to see an older, unfamiliar girl in a green-trimmed gown who handed him a parchment envelope before striding away quickly.

Harry stared at the envelope for a moment, then got up and walked to the nearest wall.It wasn't very personal, but it should be private enough that Harry didn't want to give the impression that he had a lot to hide.

It's a message from the Slytherin delivery system, which is the system you use if you want to get in touch with someone without letting other people know you've talked.The sender handed the envelope along with ten knats to some reputable and trustworthy courier; the first person would take five knats and then hand the envelope along with the other five knats Another courier, the second courier would open the envelope, get another envelope with his name written on it, and give the envelope to that person.In this way, neither of the two messengers will know the sender and recipient at the same time, so that no one will know that these two people have been in touch...

Harry walked to the wall, put the envelope inside his robes, tore open the letter under the cover of the clothing, and glanced cautiously at the drawn parchment.

It says,

The classroom to the left of the Transfiguration class, eight o'clock in the morning.

——LL

Harry stared at the parchment, trying to remember who he knew who had the initials LL.

His mind is searching for...

search……

Retrieve -

"The quaver girl?" Harry whispered incredulously, before closing his mouth.She's only ten years old, she shouldn't be at Hogwarts at all!

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Aftermath: Lysas Lestrange

Standing in the abandoned classroom next to Transfiguration at eight o'clock in the morning, Harry had at least managed to eat something before he faced the next disaster, Luna Lovegood...

The classroom door opened, and Harry looked up, giving himself a hard kick in the heart.

Another thing he hadn't thought of, and another thing he really should have thought of.

The older boy's green-trimmed uniform is askew with some red spots on it that look very much like fresh blood, and one side of his lip looks like it's been split and healed with a spell or something Healed, such small healing spells cannot completely undo the damage.

Lysas Lestrange's face was stained with tears, fresh and half dry, and his eyes were full of tears, which showed that he was far from finished. "Silently," said the older boy, followed by "Show Me" and a few other spells, during which Harry was thinking wildly, with no luck.

Then Lysas lowered his wand, tucking it into his robes, and, this time, the older boy slowly, formally, knelt on the dusty floor of the classroom.

He buried his head so deep that his forehead touched the dust; Harry tried to say something, but he couldn't.

Lysas Lestrange said hoarsely, "My life is yours, my lord, and so is my death."

"I," said Harry, with a lump in his throat, it was difficult to speak, "I—" This has nothing to do with me, he should have said it, he should have said it now, but then innocent Harry would have a hard time speak out—

"Thank you," Lysas whispered, "thank you, master, oh thank you." The kneeling boy choked out a sob, and Harry could see nothing but the hair on the back of his head, not his face at all. , "I'm an idiot, master, an ungrateful bastard, unworthy of serving you, I can't demean myself enough, I—I yelled at you after you helped me, because I thought you were rejecting me, and I Didn't realize until this morning that I was stupid enough to beg you in front of Longbottom—"

"It's none of my business," Harry said.

(It's still very difficult to lie directly like this.)

Lyas slowly raised his head from the floor and looked at Harry.

"I understand, Master," said the older boy, his voice trembling a little, "you don't trust my intelligence, and I do act stupid...I just want to tell you that I don't know Grateful, I know it's hard enough getting a man out, they're all on alert now, you can't do it - save father - but I'm not ungrateful, and I won't be ungrateful to you again. If you're in any A humble servant is needed, please come to me, and I will answer, master—"

"I have nothing to do with it."

(But it gets easier every time.)

Lysas looked up at Harry and said uncertainly, "Should I back off, Master...?"

"I am not your master."

Lysas said, "Yes, Master, I understand." Then he got up from the floor, stood up straight, then bowed deeply, then backed away from Harry, and only turned around when the classroom door was opened. pass away.

Lesas paused when his hand touched the doorknob.

Harry couldn't see Lysa's face, and at the same moment the older boy's voice said, "Did you put her in the hands of someone who would take care of her? Did she ask me?"

Harry said in an extremely even voice, "Please don't. I have nothing to do with this."

"Yes, Master, sorry, Master," said Lysas' voice; then the Slytherin boy opened the door, went out, and closed the door behind him.He picked up his pace as he ran away, but not so fast that Harry couldn't hear him whimpering.

will i cryHarry thought.If I knew nothing, if I was innocent, would I cry now?

Harry didn't know, so he just kept looking at the door.

And some unbelievably dumbfounded part of him thought, yeah, we've done the job, and got a minion—

Shut up.If you still want to vote on anything... shut up.

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Aftermath, Amelia Bones:

"So he's not life-threatening, I get it," Amelia said.

The healer, a man in a white robe with a stern eye (he was Muggle-born and proud of some queer Muggle tradition, which Amelia never asked, though privately she thought he looked too like a ghost), shook his head and said, "Surely not."

Amelia looked at the unconscious doll lying on the therapist's bed, his flesh was scorched and exploded.At her command, the thin blanket that had been draped for decency was raised.

He may recover fully.

Maybe not.

The therapist said it was too early to judge.

So Amelia looked at the other witch in the room, the detective.

"Then you say," said Amelia, "that the burning substance was transfigured from water, presumably in the form of ice."

The detective nodded, and then said, sounding confused, "It would have been much worse if it hadn't been—"

"They're so kind," she cursed, and put a weary hand to her forehead.No… no, it was a deliberate act of kindness.At the last step of escape, there was no point in trying to outwit anyone.So, whoever did it, the person was really trying to mitigate the damage - the person was taking care of the smoke the Aurors were inhaling, but not the person being hit by the flames.Had they been in control, no doubt they would have piloted the oscillator more mercifully.

But Bellatrix Black left Azkaban alone on the oscillator, and all the Aurors who saw it agreed with this. They were driving the anti-disillusionment spell, and there was only one on the oscillator Women, though there are two seats on the oscillator.

There's an innocent good guy, a good guy with the ability to cast the Patronus Charm, who's tricked into rescuing Bellatrix Black.

There's an innocent man fighting the one-armed Barry, taking care to subdue a seasoned Auror without causing serious injury.

There was an innocent person who transfigured the fuel of Muggle feats so the two of them could ride out of Azkaban, using frozen water for the sake of her Aurors.

Then the man was of no use to Bellatrix Black.

You'd expect a guy with the power to subdue one-armed Barry to expect this part.But that way, you can't expect someone with the ability to cast the Patronus Charm to want to rescue Bellatrix Black in the first place.

Amelia covered her eyes with her hands, and she closed them for a moment in silent mourning.I want to know who the hell this person is and how the You-Know-Who is manipulating them...what kind of stories are they being told...

It wasn't until a moment later that she realized that this thought meant she had begun to believe.Maybe it was because, however hard it was to believe in Dumbledore, it was starting to get harder for her not to recognize this cold, dark wisdom.

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Aftermath, Albus Dumbledore:

There were only 57 seconds left until the end of the breakfast, and although Albus Dumbledore had to twist his Time-Turner a fourth time, he finally caught up.

"Headmaster?" said Flius Frivy in a polite voice as the old wizard passed him to his seat. "Mr. Potter has news for you."

The old wizard stopped.He looked at Professor Charms questioningly.

"Mr. Porter said he woke up and realized how unfair what he said to you after screaming at Fox. Mr. Porter said he wasn't referring to anything else, just apologizing for that part."

The old wizard looked at Professor Charms, but still didn't say anything.

"Principal?" Frivio shrieked.

"Tell him I thank him," said Albus Dumbledore, "but it is wiser to listen to a phoenix than a wise old wizard." Then, three seconds before all the food was gone, he took his seat superior.

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Aftermath, Professor Quirrell:

"No," Madam Pomfrey snapped at the child, "you can't see him! You can't disturb him! You can't ask him a little question! He'll have to rest in bed for at least three days and can't do anything!"

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Aftermath, Minerva McGonagall:

When they passed each other, she was walking towards the infirmary, from which Harry Potter had just left.

He looked at her without anger.

There is no sadness.

The eyes express nothing at all.

His eyes were like...like he just looked at her long enough to make sure he wasn't looking away from him on purpose.

Then, before she could figure out how she should look in return, he looked away; as if he wanted to absolve her too.

He said nothing as he walked past her.

Neither did she.

What else is there to say?

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