The new term began under a heavy, uneasy atmosphere.
In the Great Hall, students whispered and glanced toward two figures:
Dumbledore—older, more worn than before.
And Lucian Thornwick—calm as ever.
Umbridge Arrives
Just as Dumbledore prepared to speak—
he was interrupted.
A short, stout woman in blinding pink stood up.
Dolores Umbridge.
Her voice was sugary.
Her smile—worse.
She introduced herself not only as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor…
but as the school's first High Inquisitor.
She wasn't here to teach.
She was here to control.
A Classroom Without Magic
Her first lesson shocked everyone.
"No wands."
Only theory.
No practice.
No dueling.
No defense.
Just reading.
When students protested—
she snapped.
"Voldemort has not returned."
"Anyone spreading such lies will be punished."
Silence fell.
Mockery
From the Slytherin side, Draco Malfoy sneered:
"Some 'geniuses' probably don't need practice anyway."
"Wouldn't want him losing control, right?"
Laughter followed.
Harry Speaks
Then—
Harry stood up.
"Lucian is telling the truth!"
"Voldemort is back!"
Umbridge exploded.
Detention.
Punishment.
Threats.
A Single Look
And then—
Lucian looked up.
He said nothing.
Just looked at her.
That was enough.
Umbridge froze.
Her breath caught.
Fear—pure, instinctive—silenced her completely.
For a moment—
she lost all authority.
The Grudge
She recovered quickly.
But inside—
rage burned.
If she couldn't confront him directly—
she would destroy him another way.
The Smear Campaign
Days later—
The Daily Prophet published a headline:
"Genius or Madman?"
An entire front page attacking Lucian.
Twisting everything:
His calm → "unstable"His strength → "dangerous"His independence → "arrogant"
They painted him as a threat.
A future Dark Lord.
Isolation
Rumors spread.
Students hesitated.
Fear grew.
Even admiration turned uncertain.
But Lucian?
Unchanged.
Completely.
The Counterattack
Friday evening.
Gryffindor common room.
Quiet.
Heavy.
Lucian walked to the notice board.
Pinned a sheet of parchment.
And wrote.
No magic.
Just ink.
The Announcement
A student read it—
and gasped.
Then everyone rushed over.
It said:
Public Lecture Notice
Topic:
The Truth of the Graveyard Incident — and How "Crude" Voldemort's Power Really Is
Speaker: Lucian Thornwick
Time: Saturday, 2 PM
Location: Great Hall
Content Includes:
Full reconstruction of the Triwizard finaleReal magical footage of the battleAnalysis of Voldemort's magic and its flawsLive Q&A
Special Guest Invitation:
Rita Skeeter — please bring your quill.
Explosion
Silence.
Then—
chaos.
Excitement.
Shock.
Disbelief.
Lucian hadn't defended himself.
He hadn't argued.
He hadn't denied anything.
He simply—
invited the entire world to watch the truth.
~~--------------------------
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