Harry had been questioned by adults before—teachers, Dursleys, even the occasional stern Healer at Hogwarts. But nothing compared to Aurors.
Especially ones who’d just spent an hour chasing masked maniacs through burning campsites.
The three Ministry wizards surrounded him like hawks circling prey. Their robes were marked with the golden insignia of Magical Law Enforcement. Their wands glowed with faint diagnostic spells, casting flickering shadows across Harry’s mud-streaked face.
“State your name for the record,” one said.
“Harry Potter,” Harry replied, trying not to fidget.
Another Auror scribbled on a floating parchment. “And the woman?”
“I… I don’t know her name,” Harry answered. “But she was being attacked.”
The tallest Auror, a broad-shouldered man with streaks of silver in his beard, narrowed his eyes. “Describe the attackers.”
Harry swallowed. “Three masked men. Death Eater masks. One was torturing her. I—I didn’t have my wand, so I grabbed one of theirs and—”
“And you managed to hold your own against three armed adults,” the silver-bearded Auror finished, voice skeptical.
Harry bristled. “I didn’t hold my own! I just—reacted!”
“Reacted how?” the smaller Auror pressed. “Precise spellcasting. A stunning spell strong enough to knock a man into a tree. A disarming charm with perfect trajectory. Potter, you’re not even of age.”
Harry’s stomach twisted.
He opened his mouth.
“Well, um… I—”
DING.
A glowing text box flickered just behind his vision.
Only he could see it.
[WARNING][Host is attempting to disclose System information.][Consequences: Penalty — Sanctions, Feature Lockout, or Forced Memory Obfuscation][Recommendation: Cease disclosure immediately.]
Harry clenched his jaw.
He shut his mouth so fast one Auror blinked.
“Potter?” the silver-bearded man asked. “Continue.”
Harry forced a shaky breath. “I—I don’t know. Adrenaline? Instinct? I just did what I could.”
The Aurors exchanged glances.
The woman he’d rescued sat on a conjured stretcher nearby, wrapped in warming charms. She watched him with guarded curiosity, her blue eyes flicking between Harry and the Ministry wizards.
Harry could feel the System’s words hovering ominously behind his thoughts.
Penalty.Feature Lockout.Memory Obfuscation.
None of those sounded good.
Another Auror stepped forward. “Potter, the spell you cast—Stupefy—was significantly above your usual output, based on records from the past three years.”
Harry’s eyebrows shot up. “You keep records?”
“Of course we keep records,” the Auror muttered.
Harry’s mind raced.
He couldn’t say the system helped stabilize my aim.He couldn’t say the bracer boosted my spell.He couldn’t say I drank a flaming multiverse potion and watched it heal her.
He swallowed hard. “Guess I just got lucky.”
The silver-bearded Auror frowned deeply. “Luck does not produce force multipliers.”
DING.
A softer notification appeared.
[Pending Reward Available][Quest Completed: Protect Civilians][Reward: 1x Standard Pull (Unclaimed)][Note: Claiming now may draw attention.]
Harry nearly groaned aloud.
Great timing.
He mentally whispered, Not now, and pushed the notification aside.
The System chimed in again anyway.
[Pull saved for later.][Would the Host like a tip on handling interrogation?]
No.
[Tip: Lie convincingly.]
I SAID—
A cough snapped Harry’s attention back to the real world. The woman on the stretcher pushed herself slightly upright.
“He saved my life,” she whispered hoarsely. “Leave him alone.”
The Aurors paused.
Harry blinked.
“That was… very nice of you,” he said awkwardly.
She offered a weak but genuine smile.
“It’s the truth,” she murmured.
One Auror sighed. “Potter, you’ll need to file an official statement at the Ministry. Your guardians will be notified. Until then, stay with us.”
Harry grimaced. “My guardians are the Weasleys right now.”
The Auror opened his mouth to respond—
A shout echoed through the trees.
“HARRY!”
Mr. Weasley’s voice cracked with fear and relief all tangled together.
Branches rustled violently as she, Mr. Weasley, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny burst into the clearing. Hermione looked seconds away from tears. Ron was pale. Mr. Weasley’s wand was still out, scanning for threats.
Harry exhaled slowly.
“Thank Merlin,” he murmured under his breath.
Hermione barreled into him first.
“Harry! Are you hurt? You disappeared and then there were curses everywhere and Ron thought—well, we both—Harry, what happened?!”
Harry looked between the distressed Weasleys, the Ministry Aurors, and the System’s glowing, ominous notifications lingering in the corner of his vision.
For the first time since waking in that strange white void…
He realized he had no idea how to explain anything.Not to them.Not to himself.
The System’s voice chimed smugly in his mind:
[Good luck, Host. You’ll need it.]
Harry groaned.
The world was about to get much more complicated.