As the story grew increasingly outrageous, Garfield received hundreds of letters every day.
Some writers admired him.
Others wanted to become his apprentice.
Still others hoped to do something intimate with him.
Garfield cried out, "My God, I am just a cat! You cannot do this to me! How cruel!"
Queenie rushed over with Whitey as soon as she received the news.
After some discussion, they decided to have the Ministry of Magic intervene and suppress the matter.
In the Ministry's name, they ordered wizards to stop sending letters to Garfield.
Gifts were also out of the question.
The dried fish and cat food Garfield had already received were enough to open a cat food store.
Actually, Garfield wanted to declare to the world that he was not a real cat.
But considering all the dried fish, he ultimately decided against it.
He did not want to disappoint those who had shown such kindness.
As for the final destination of the dried fish, Garfield left it to Aberforth to handle.
After Aberforth's meticulous testing confirmed there were no traces of dark magic or potions, the cat food and dried fish were sold cheaply at the Hog's Head.
The proceeds went to Hogwarts for the students' daily expenses.
Dippet naturally had no objections and happily accepted the money.
The students became even more interested in Garfield.
They wanted to know what magic he had used and expressed their desire for a demonstration.
One day in class, after successfully teaching young Voldemort what was right and wrong and the importance of having principles, Garfield was about to end the lesson.
Young Voldemort had been doing quite well lately.
Ever since the incident at the lake, people had been surrounding him daily, asking what had happened and whether Garfield had taught him anything.
At first, Tom would embellish his answers earnestly.
Each time he finished, he received praise and envy.
But later, as more and more people sought him out and the story was told repeatedly, it inevitably changed.
The embellished versions began to evolve.
The positive image he had cultivated over the past six months gradually transformed into that of a liar and a conman.
He was currently trying to steer things back in a positive direction, but he had recently discovered that not only his reputation but also his luck had turned terrible.
He had overslept and been late for class.
He had daydreamed, picked at toilet paper, been splashed by a broken faucet, tripped while walking, choked on food, and bitten his tongue.
Once, when he urgently needed to urinate, he entered the girls' restroom and was beaten black and blue by the girls with their wands.
Luckily, Professor Dumbledore was there and saved him.
Otherwise, Tom felt he might have been torn down and thrown into the lake by those crazy girls.
After being rescued by Dumbledore, he asked if he was cursed.
Dumbledore muttered something to him and then told him he was not cursed, just unlucky, and that everyone has those moments in their life.
A student asked, "Professor, could you tell us how you made the ice and snow on the lake disappear?"
Another student said, "Yes, Professor, could you demonstrate for us?"
The students expressed their expectations once again.
Garfield looked at the students' eager faces and their unusual unity.
He nodded amidst their anticipation.
"Alright, since you are so persistent in wanting to know the truth, I will grant your wish. Now you have two choices. First, enjoy the warmth of the Great Hall while I demonstrate. Second, go outside to the lake in the cold wind. I wonder which you choose?"
They naturally all wanted to go to the lake.
After hearing the howling of the cold wind passing through the Great Hall, the students began to talk.
One student said, "I think going to the lake is better. We can see the full effect of the magic."
Another replied, "The lake is freezing cold, Flanders."
"But the effect in the Great Hall is not ideal."
"But it is warm in the Great Hall."
A more cautious student said, "I think the headmaster and the other professors do not want us to go to the lake in such bad weather. It would be bad if a student accidentally fell and got hurt. And with such large scale magic, what if a student is reckless and runs into it?"
Speaking of recklessness, everyone turned to look at the Gryffindor students.
In terms of recklessness, the other three houses combined did not have as much as Gryffindor, even comparing ten years' worth to one year's worth.
Another student said, "Julie, I know what you mean. Well, we have to admit, they are masters of causing trouble."
After a few minutes of discussion, Garfield silenced them. "Ladies and gentlemen, let us begin the vote. Raise your hand if you want to go to the lake."
Almost all the Gryffindors raised their hands, while only a small fraction of the students from the remaining three houses had the same idea.
A Gryffindor groaned, "Oh no! The Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin guys chickened out!"
Another said, "Oh dear, we might never see the effects of this magic again in our lives!"
A third added, "Oh no, if I go to the lake, I can immediately write home and brag about it."
Garfield clapped his hands to quiet them down. "Alright, it seems the results are in. Unfortunately, I have to tell our Gryffindors that you will have to enjoy the warmth in the Great Hall this time. But maybe one day in the future, when I am in a good mood, I will go to the lake again."
Sensing the tense expressions on Dumbledore and Dippet's faces, Garfield did not continue.
Instead, he shifted the topic to the demonstration.
"Alright, children, watch carefully now. First, I need to conjure up a simulated lake full of ice and snow."
Garfield raised his hand and pulled a portion of the lake water and ice from outside.
He fixed them like a fish tank, displaying the three dimensional layers of ice and water to the Hogwarts teachers and students.
Then, Garfield raised his paw to suppress his divine power, summoning as small a bolt of lightning as possible.
A small bolt of lightning appeared in Garfield's paw in the Great Hall.
Do not underestimate this small ball of energy.
Its inherently destructive nature emitted a wave that made everyone feel suffocated.
A student whispered, "Oh my god, what kind of power is this?"
Dumbledore pushed up his glasses, a hint of worry showing on his face.
Dippet and the other Hogwarts teachers quickly took out their wands and cast protective charms on the students.
Garfield raised the lightning bolt in his hand. "Children, you should be able to feel the power of this force. It is a symbol of death, capable of reducing all matter to nothingness. Now I need to control it, shattering the ice and snow in front of me without harming the lake below."
Garfield slowly tossed the lightning bolt from his hand.