Percy Jackson and the Department of Mysteries

133) Justin, Oh Justin, How I Yearn To See Your Egg Throwing Skills

Whenever owls started flooding me with letters I knew the interview had been published.

"What's going on?" Justin asked as a third owl landed on his plate.

I laughed maniacally, tearing open the magazine shaped package that had come with a oddly yellow owl.

"Harry Potter and Percy Jackson Speak Out At Last: The Truth About He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and the Night We Saw Him Return," Justin read the headline over my shoulder.

"These all must be letters from readers," I motioned to the owls that were all fighting for my attention.

"This one's from a brat who thinks you're crazy," Connor said, having torn one of my letters open. "He wrote this letter in twelve different colors of ink."

"When'd you do an interview?" Susan asked, eyeing the mail distastefully, pushing her plate slowly away from a curious tawny.

"The day of the Hogsmeade trip," I grinned. "What's that one say?"

"They say that, after reading your testimony, they've been forced to accept that you really are telling the truth," Hannah said cheerfully. "Glad someone's finally caught on."

Umbridge stomped over to me, flourishing a copy of the Quibbler, "What is the meaning of this?"

"A word that's used to identify a specific person or thing close at hand, or a word referring to a specific thing or situation just mentioned, mostly," I said.

"What have I told you about spouting this nonsense?"

"Not to, I guess. What have I told you about sticking your frog tongue into my business?"

"50 points from Hufflepuff and a weeks worth of detention," Umbridge growled.

"Make it 100 points," Justin said.

"Why would you want that?"

A moment later, and a wad of eggs smacked Umbridge in the face.

"DETENTION, MR. FINCH-FLETCHLY!"

"OKAY, MRS. BITCH."

Umbridge, fuming, stamped back towards the teachers table, ignoring the applause that had overcome the Great Hall.

Justin became my hero in that moment. I think he became a lot of people's hero.

***

Before noon, large signs had appeared in every hallway saying:

—By Order Of—
THE HIGH INQUISITOR OF HOGWARTS
Any student found in possession of the magazine The Quibbler will be expelled.

The above is in accordance with Educational Decree Number Twenty-Seven.

That was a pretty big mistake on Umbridge's part. Banning the thing was the best way to ensure everyone read it.

The whole school seemed to be quoting the interview at every corner, whispering about it between classes.

The best part is that many of them seemed convinced we were telling the truth. I wondered if maybe Harry's input had been what the world needed to wake up — that by trying to protect him we'd been keeping key testimony away from the people.

Teachers weren't really allowed to talk about the article, but they showed their thoughts in other ways. Sprout awarded me fifty points when I told her I liked her shirt — McGonagall gave me a box of cookies. Even Binns sent me a nod — I didn't think he knew I existed.