The strange tune of the "Canary Choir" still echoed through the Great Hall. The students were laughing loudly, though without much malice.
After that spectacle, no one doubted the explanation of the "Black Lake Ecological Resonance Ritual" anymore.
Everyone understood now that anyone who tried to force their way into the Black Lake would only end up looking worse.
The only way forward seemed to be that mysterious-sounding "ritual."
At the long table, Hermione, Harry, and Ron looked at one another, unable to say a word.
The lie had snowballed until it was so big that even they no longer knew what to do.
Hermione had only just felt that everything was under her control and was worrying a little about how to wrap things up when an owl suddenly swooped down, dropping that day's Daily Prophet and a school notice on thick parchment onto the Gryffindor table.
The notice came from the Academic Affairs Office. The signature at the bottom was bold and sweeping, with a sharp edge to it. They knew it well.
Douglas Holmes.
The moment the students read the notice's heading, the entire Great Hall fell silent. The noisy laughter over the "Canary Choir" abruptly vanished, as though someone had sliced it off with a knife.
Even the air seemed to stand still. The sound of a spoon touching a plate now seemed as loud as thunder.
The heading read: "Notice of an open lecture on the academic value and practical feasibility of the 'Black Lake Ecological Resonance Ritual.'"
That line instantly wiped away everyone's good mood.
In front of the noticeboard in the Gryffindor Common Room, the cheerful chatter over the "Canary Choir" joke fell silent the moment the students read the notice.
It was so quiet that they could have heard a pin drop.