John was truly furious.
When Daphne found him, he was sitting alone in the Constellation Society chamber.
The lights weren't on, and the dim starlight spilled faintly across the room.
If it weren't for the golden starlight pouring into his glass, no one would have even noticed there was someone there.
Daphne sat down beside John, and she could feel the turbulent emotions beneath his quiet drinking.
"Thank you, Daphne."
John drained his glass and let out a long sigh.
No need for many words—just sitting quietly like this helped calm him down.
Daphne looked at his increasingly gaunt face. She didn't know when it had started, but John had begun to change like this.
There was a trace of heartache in her eyes. She wished she could share his burden.
She took the glass from his hand and, to John's surprise, downed it in one gulp.
And then…
John, holding the completely passed-out, dead-drunk Daphne, fell into deep thought. Judging by her earlier attitude, he had assumed she could drink like a fish.
Now it seemed… he had clearly overestimated her.
He thought about it while walking back to the Slytherin common room.
Originally, John had intended to spend the night in the Constellation Society, but since Daphne was there, he had no choice but to return.
In the Slytherin common room, Pansy was pacing back and forth, worried that her best friend had snuck out and might get caught by Filch.
When the door to the common room opened, she looked up in surprise. "Daphne, where did you go? I was worried you—"
Her words cut off abruptly.
Pansy stared blankly as Daphne was carried back in a bridal carry by John. In that moment, she deeply regretted meddling.
Unfortunately, John had already seen her and greeted cheerfully, "Pansy, could I trouble you to take Daphne back to the dorm?"
Handing Daphne off to the stunned Pansy, John left with a sense of relief.
Pansy struggled to get Daphne into the dorm and onto the bed.
Looking at her best friend's face flushed like a peach blossom, Pansy couldn't help but slap herself.
"I'm such an idiot. Why did I have to get involved?"
No need to think about it—if Daphne found out she was the one who brought her back and not John, she'd definitely kill her.
With that thought, Pansy was filled with despair.
...
A copy of the newspaper began to spread through the school like wildfire.
On the front page of the newspaper were images of ten individuals.
A bold, all-caps headline grabbed the eye with chilling clarity:
"TEN AZKABAN PRISONERS ESCAPE."
In the Great Hall.
John put down his bread and unfolded the newspaper.
A major breach had occurred at Azkaban: ten prisoners had slipped away.
And all of it was being blamed on the Dementors who guarded the prison.
To quietly and invisibly extract ten people from Azkaban—unless there was collusion with the Dementors—would have been impossible.
After finishing the article, a flicker of an unusual emotion passed through John's eyes.
He had already learned of this from a Death Eater captured at the American branch.
That Death Eater was originally an Azkaban inmate, and their appearance in America had been entirely unexpected.
Under the effects of Veritaserum, the captive revealed the secret prison break.
Voldemort had planned to use them as a hidden trump card, employing Transfiguration and a pact with the Dementors to create the illusion that the ten were still in Azkaban.
Unfortunately, even the most meticulous plans can have flaws—attacking the American branch was a clever move, as John had been caught off guard as well at that time.
But on the flip side, the Death Eaters' arrogance had caused their plan to be exposed ahead of schedule.
Sending this information to old Barty was equivalent to handing him a knife.
The Dementors had been secretly collaborating with Voldemort, dreaming that one day they'd feast on greater delights.
It was a well-crafted scheme.
A covert alliance—unless Voldemort had the strength to act openly—would always remain hidden in the shadows.
And since the Ministry of Magic still needed their unique species as Azkaban's wardens, as long as no one pierced the veil, their position would remain unshaken.
But all those careful calculations shattered the moment Barty received the news.
The only reason Barty hadn't taken action right away was because he'd been waiting for one particular thing.
Something that could replace the Dementors.
As the owner of the Silverhand Johnny Specialty Shop, John knew—that "thing" was now sitting on Barty's desk.
Which meant the replacement for Dementors had officially arrived.
And if a Dementor no longer served the Ministry loyally—Did it even have a reason to exist?
The answer was: no.
This edition of the Daily Prophet was essentially a public declaration: the Dementors' betrayal would cost them everything.
John suddenly felt a searing gaze beside him.
Turning his head, he saw a bright, radiant face.
"Daphne?" John said, puzzled.
Daphne shyly turned her head away, leaving John thoroughly confused.
"Eh?"
He looked over at Malfoy, silently asking what was going on.
Malfoy looked just as baffled. Since when did this lady Daphne act all bashful and girly?
Weren't they supposed to be the cool prince and princess duo?
Why had she suddenly gone full soft girl?
She wasn't even that kind of soft girl!
Only Pansy truly understood how deep in despair she was right now.
After bringing Daphne back last night, Daphne—eyes hazy and voice sweet—had grabbed Pansy's sleeve and launched into a full-on love confession.
Pansy figured Daphne probably wouldn't remember anything once she sobered up, so just to get her to sleep, she'd agreed to everything.
But come morning, Daphne had woken up bright-eyed and full of energy.
Every strand of her hair was practically shimmering with something called love.
At that moment, Pansy knew she was doomed.
Daphne stole another glance at John, then turned her head and leaned toward her bestie, whispering, "Do you think… my hair's not messy today, right?"
"N-No, it's fine." Pansy looked like she'd lost the will to live.
If Daphne ever found out she was the one who got confessed to last night, would she kill her?
Umm.. Yes, she would...
Daphne didn't notice Pansy's dead-eyed despair. Her face only felt hotter.
Just thinking about the bold move she'd made in her hazy state yesterday sent her heart racing.
That one brief burst of courage had left her completely unsure how to face John now.
Astoria: "..."
She watched her sister glance at John five times in three seconds—she might as well have stamped "Something Happened" across her forehead.
With a questioning look, Astoria turned to Daphne's bestie.
Pansy returned a blank, soul-drained stare.
Astoria: "Did she fall in love or something?"
Pansy: "Astoria! Please save me."
With zero telepathy, the two girls each received very different messages.
Astoria was delighted—her big sister had finally found her courage.
And Pansy was.. well, we all know.
...
Hagrid's first class for the fifth years was scheduled to begin on Tuesday.
The students bundled up tightly before heading to class, instinctively recalling the kinds of creatures Hagrid had brought out in the past.
Hagrid would sometimes present strange and unusual things, which he enthusiastically claimed were fascinating.
But in their eyes, those magical creatures had nothing to do with being cute or fun.
Especially now, seeing the state Hagrid was in, some students were already going weak in the knees, wanting to run.
Whatever could have beaten Hagrid up like that—what kind of creature was it?
Did he kidnap a giant to teach them?
They'd rather count every single spike on a Blast-Ended Skrewt than spend a moment in a giant's company.
Just as everyone was growing increasingly terrified, the trio were whispering among themselves.
Ron asked quietly, "What exactly is Hagrid using for class?"
"I don't know either. Hagrid said he couldn't find anything in the Forbidden Forest," Hermione replied.
She recalled Hagrid's disappointed expression. Though it made her feel bad, she honestly thought this might be for the best.
"Are you all ready?"
Hagrid didn't sound particularly cheerful.
Harry glanced at that woman in pink and nodded in response.
Umbridge stood with her notepad in hand, looking ready to kick Hagrid out at the slightest excuse.
Just when everyone thought Hagrid was about to bring out some terrifying creature, he showed up with a bunch of Blast-Ended Skrewts and hedgehogs.
"Today, we'll be learning how to tell a Skrewt apart from a hedgehog."
This was pretty much the only thing Hagrid could find to use for class now.
The 'cute' Zouwu had scared off all the other animals nearby, and these little guys were all that was left.
He had originally planned to teach using Thestrals, but even they had been chased away by Zouwu.
Hagrid was clearly feeling down.
But the trio clenched their fists in celebration.
This meant Hagrid would be fine for now.
Umbridge glanced at the Skrewts with a look of disdain.
The class performance was barely passable, and Umbridge begrudgingly gave Hagrid a grade.
It looked like the class would end without incident.
As the lesson neared its end—
Harry's eyes suddenly widened, and Hagrid called out excitedly.
"Look! Everyone, look!"
A young Thestral was walking toward them, and Hagrid was beyond excited.
He had thought the Thestrals had left the Forbidden Forest for good.
Harry noticed that Hagrid, like him, could see the strange horse-like creature.
Hagrid's eyes lit up—finally, the lesson wouldn't be so dull after all. He shouted excitedly, "Who here can see it?"
________
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