The British magical community has been at peace for a long time, and there hasn't been such an explosive news for many years. Within half a day after the werewolf incident was exposed, the situation rapidly escalated, almost out of control.
After lunch, journalists from the Prophet Daily, The Witch Weekly, and other well-known newspapers both domestically and internationally converged on the entrance of Hogwarts, attempting to burst into the school to interview Amast·Bryan, a young wizard who had gained some local recognition due to uncovering the mystery of the Slytherin chamber and serving as the Dean of Students.
After Dumbledore stepped forward, claiming that Professor Bryan was unwell, and thus gracefully declined the interview invitation, these feverish journalists did not back down.
Interview invitations in the form of snowflakes streamed into Amast's office window, even once making Amast reminiscent of the scene when he helped that guy Lohat write fan letters last year.
And some crazy and biased journalists saw that Hogwarts' gate would not open, and even didn't spare effort trying to sneak into the campus by crossing the Forbidden Forest. However, the natives living in the Forbidden Forest did not want a bunch of wizards to rush in and interfere with their lives. Several journalists suffered from it. If Dumbledore had not reacted quickly, replacing Hagrid and those creatures for negotiation, serious consequences might have occurred.
Finally, the desperate journalists had to turn to interviewing the indigenous people of Hogsmeade, hoping to glean something valuable from them.
In the school, the corridor on the third floor was almost filled with excited little wizards. They all knew that Professor Bryan was not a particularly strict professor in private. They hoped to find out some exciting news. Unfortunately, the door to Professor Bryan's office was always closed, as if no one was inside.
In the evening, the Prophet Extra Edition came out.
Though the crazy journalists didn't manage to get any information about the werewolf being eliminated itself, they did manage to obtain something valuable.
A journalist spent an entire two hundred Galleons to buy a photograph from one of the villagers in Hogsmeade.
The villager was an astronomy enthusiast, and that night he climbed to the highest hill near the area, which was also where the Shrieking Shack was located. He used a telescope to observe the paths of planets. The movements in the Forbidden Forest caught his attention soon.
His astronomical telescope could record the changes in the positions of planets, so it was also capable of capturing events happening two miles away.
A young wizard full of cold air floated in the sky, pouring down hundreds of feet of surging flames onto the ground. The werewolf was struggling and howling terrifyingly in the midst of the flames, one after another falling to the ground, this scene resembling a divine punishment!
When the newspaper was delivered by owl to Hogwarts, the entire school was in a state of excitement.
As night fell, the Great Hall was filled with chatter from the little wizards. When Amast, who had been taking it easy in his office, appeared on the stairs by the entrance hall, the Great Hall fell silent for a full half-minute, reflecting the clean night sky. The little wizards watched as Professor Bryan entered the hall from the entrance hall, crossed over to the tables between houses, and walked up to the staff table, after which there was a resounding shout and endless applause!
"Wow, Professor!"
"Great, Professor!" the Weasley twin brothers cheered from the Gryffindor table.
"Can I learn that trick from you, Professor?"
"I can learn that from you, Professor!" cried Celidor G of Hufflepuff, holding up the Prophet Daily with reverence.
The Ravenclaw girls, rare to lose their composure and coolness, whispered together with their heads close, staring at Amast at the dining table and occasionally bursting into peals of giggles.
"Don't forget!"
Marcus Flint shouted at the entire hall.
"Professor Bryan belongs to Slytherin!"
Marcus Flint shouted with great effort, and several Slytherins supported him, but the response was not very enthusiastic; the other three houses were not particularly interested in acknowledging them.
At the staff table, all the professors raised their glasses in a toast to Amast.
"I think you'll be more famous than Lohat in no time, Amast—"
Professor McGonagall pursed her lips, revealing a reserved smile.
"But hope you can get used to this life of being in the spotlight. After all, it doesn't quite fit with your humble and low-key style."
Although he had never been in such a spotlight as today, Amast did not show any signs of panic or being overjoyed. He remained calm and composed, as if the person in the spotlight wasn't him at all.
"Hmm, I'll do my best to adapt—"
Amast smiled faintly.
"I've actually considered that this day might come for a while now, Amast!"
Professor Flitwick deliberately subdued his sharp voice, which made his tone sound a bit strange. Excitedly, he said,
"I've been wondering if you'll come into conflict with those evil werewolves ever since you told me about it last year, but I didn't expect you'd handle it so decisively, Amast!"
For a long time, Dumbledore hadn't appeared at the staff table, but he didn't mind being overshadowed. He listened quietly to the conversation between Amast and the others, cheerfully dealing with the pork chops on his plate, as if he was quite satisfied with Amast's composed performance at this moment.
At Hogwarts, the Harry trio, who knew all the truth, were kept in the infirmary under observation by Pomfrey, while the Ministry of Magic only released a brief statement about Greerberks and their gang being wiped out completely without revealing any more information.
However, the incident raged on in the magical world.
Wizards were discussing the eliminated Greerberks and the Department of Magical Law Enforcement in Hogsmeade, Diagon Alley, St. Cuthbert's Village, and Godric Valley, while even the Muggle government disclosed on its morning news that the infamous 'terrorist' Finriar Greerberk had been shot dead by police.
For three full days, neither Hogwarts nor the Ministry of Magic had accepted any interviews regarding the matter, which was actually a suggestion by Amast. He believed that some time was needed to let public curiosity 'ferment'.
On Thursday, the dawn twilight began to rise, and the earth was still shrouded in darkness.
In the third floor's Student Safety Office, early-rising Amast was adjusting his attire in front of a floating mirror, considering today's news headline, he decided to put some extra effort into grooming himself.
"Professor Bryan!"
As soon as Amast stepped out of the castle and walked down the marble steps, he saw Hagrid standing by the path leading to the entrance, waving excitedly at him.
Just yesterday evening, the Ministry of Magic officially invited Hogwarts to send invitations to those who had made outstanding contributions to the task of eliminating Greerberks. Except for Lupin, who was in intensive care, Hagrid and Snape were both on the list. Facing the olive branch offered by the Ministry of Magic, Snape simply left with a cold face. For him, saving Sirius' life could only be considered a disgrace.
Hagrid had no intention of participating either, fearing that a public appearance by a half-blood giant would bring discredit to Dumbledore. However, Amast convinced him with an unrefusable reason.
And Harry and the others, as young wizards, would receive their recognition directly from Hogwarts. The specific performance may be adding fifty points for each person, but three points would be deducted for breaking the forest at night.
"How do I look in this attire, Professor?"
Two people walked side by side in the quiet campus, Hagrid touching his beard nervously and saying.
Today, Hagrid finally shed his usual sloppy overcoat and donned a sharp, almost sail-like size extra-large suit. Amast could faintly detect a scent of ancient cologne from it, which was probably the scent Hagrid used to mask the mildew smell of the suit.
"That looks very good, Hagrid--"
"Although Amast has known Hagrid for a long time, he has never seen him dressed like this before. His mouth twitched slightly."
"I'm sure you look amazing in this suit,"
(End of Chapter)
