As soon as Harry had cast the charms to detect harmful and ill-intentioned magic on the newspaper, he had it opened. He immediately saw the headline and was both shocked and unsurprised.
~ # ~
HOGWARTS CANCELS TRI-WIZ BALL
In a combined announcement that should not come as a surprise to anyone who was paying attention, both School Board Chair-wizard Bartwinkle Creston and new Hogwarts Headmistress Lady Griselda Marchbanks have announced that the Traditional Tri-Wizard Yule Ball has been cancelled, writes your loyal correspondent, Rita Skeeter.
From the announcement, Headmistress Lady Marchbanks had this to say, "With the unconditional support of both Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, together with the support of the School Board, the planned Yule Ball to be held on the evening of Christmas Day has been cancelled."
Furthermore, both schools have chosen for their students to return to their own respective schools until the evening prior to the commencement of the second task. At that time, the Highmaster and Headmistress of the two schools will bring their respective champions, together with a much reduced contingent of students as witnesses, to take part in said task. We have been informed they also plan to do this for the third task.
[...]
~ # ~
Finishing the article, Harry sat back with a sigh of satisfaction, the newspaper gripped loosely in his hands. 'Yes!' he thought, his mind image of himself dancing a jig of joy.
Knowing it was something big, and being impatient, Hermione snatched the paper out of Harry's hands.
"Hermione!" her mother snapped, scandalised. "Return that, this instant!"
"B-but," she stuttered. "Harry wasn't reading it."
"Now, young lady!" her mother almost growled.
Hermione carefully returned it back to the table between Harry's hands.
Once it was back, Harry put his hand on it and said, "Hermione, would you like to borrow my newspaper?"
Almost sulking, she glared back and said, "You know I do, Harry."
Harry just cocked an eyebrow back and again asked, "Hermione, would you like to borrow my newspaper?"
Giving a huff of annoyance, she replied, "Yes, please."
"Since you have asked nicely, you may borrow it," he said, lifting his hand away.
As soon as he finished lifting his hand away, she quickly, but gingerly, took it back.
"Better!" her mother snapped.
"Hermione," he said, getting her attention again. He could see by her face she was not just a little hurt. "Hermione, you are going to have to stop this extremely bad and dangerous habit of yours to grab anything written that interests you."
When it looked like she was going to say something, he firmly said, "No. Listen!"
"Just the other day Sirius was telling me about books that are in the Black family library at his home in Grimmauld that, if you don't take a lot of care, will kill you in the blink of an eye. He was nearly harmed on no less than half a dozen separate occasions, while searching for that counter curse for the Longbottoms. And four of them would have been lethal for you.
"There are family magics that are written down that are only available to members of those families by blood. That means, not even people who have married into the family are able to touch them. I don't know if the Potters have anything like that at Potter manor, but I know the Blacks do.
"If you don't start taking care and ensuring you ask for permission first, you are going to die an early death. Do you understand what I am telling you?"
"But, Harry," she tried. "It is wrong to horde knowledge. Knowledge must be shared!"
"Bullshit!" he loudly snapped. And emphasised it with a glare. "You know better than that. Your mother and father both deal with information on a daily basis that even they cannot share with one another, let alone you. The stuff they deal with is backed by law. If you or they breach that then it's a legal issue.
"In the magical world, though, it's backed by both law and magic. In the magical world it is legal to use magic to protect family secrets. In the echelons of magical power you now move around in, simply by interacting with me and Sirius, you are dealing with people who can... and have... use or used anything up to and including lethal magic to protect their secrets. The Black family library is one of those where, if you touch certain books you have not been given permission to touch, you will die. And they're not labelled with warning signs.
"I do not know if there will be, but there may quite possibly come a time when I'll have something such as the Potter Family Grimoire in my hands. If you take it out of my hands without my express permission then there'll be nothing I can do to save your life.
"For the sake of us all, Hermione, break that habit. I love you and it would destroy me if you died because of a simple very foolish mistake like that - simply because I hadn't drummed it into your head well enough for it to take hold."
Harry got up and walked out of the room. He left behind a betrothed who was in tears.
He knew it would upset her, he knew it hurt her, but he needed to slap her down hard on this. He just prayed he wouldn't have to do it all that often.
She looked to her parents with tear-filled eyes as both parents looked back with stoical expressions.
Harry went up to his room and, for the first time in a long time, cried.
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