The Headmaster's Office was as warm as ever, filled with the delicate, wondrous sounds of various silver instruments. The portraits of former headmasters snored evenly within their frames.
Dumbledore's Magic Golem Pets had increased to more than a dozen. He had cleared out a large space for them behind the curtains, and it now looked almost like a miniature village.
At the sound of the door opening, Phineas Black—Sirius's haughty ancestor—jerked awake from his pretended nap.
"Ah... look who it is. Our champion has returned from that barbaric colony?"
Drawing out his words, Phineas said sarcastically:
"I heard you got yourself into major trouble on the way back. Don't tell me Ministry of Magic officials are already on their way here?"
This was one of the aftereffects of Wade competing in the tournament and winning the championship.
The two people at the school who cared most about Slytherin's honor, Phineas Black and Severus Snape, would occasionally slip into "snide remarks" mode whenever they saw him.
As for Harry... Harry had always regarded Slytherin as his enemy, so he had not noticed any obvious difference.
Wade glanced coolly at Phineas Black and said, "If you're hoping to see me dragged off to prison, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. Ministry of Magic officials probably have a better grasp of right and wrong than you do."
Phineas choked on Wade's retort. His eyes darted about as he prepared to say something, only to hear Dumbledore say:
"Phineas, if the Ministry of Magic truly intends to hold someone accountable for the hijacking, I imagine I should be the first person they seek out."
Dumbledore placed the Pensieve he had taken from a cabinet on the table and said, "Why don't we focus our energy on something more worthwhile?"
Phineas shut his mouth resentfully and