allendalepharm Chapter 137 A New Beginning
Chapter 137 A New Beginning
Chapter 137 A New Beginning
Many students and adult wizards still dare not easily recall the memory of the night of June 24, even months or years later.
Some of them saw Voldemort's true form, some were unlucky enough to get injured, and some were so frightened by the magical duel that it far exceeded their understanding that they developed post-traumatic stress disorder.
Fortunately, apart from Voldemort, no one died in this premature wizarding war.
The officials of the Ministry of Magic and the teachers of Hogwarts did not sleep all night.
Using the truth serum, Barty uncontrollably revealed the task Voldemort had given him.
Subsequently, through the testimony of Lucius Malfoy, the Death Eater insider who had "endured humiliation and hardship," it was revealed that, apart from Crabbe and Goyle, the other captured individuals were criminals who had voluntarily worked for Voldemort without being affected by the Imperius Curse.
This infuriated Dolokhov.
In the interrogation room where Filch had prepared for years but never had a chance to use his skills, Dolohoff, having lost his master, bitterly denounced Malfoy as a fickle opportunist. Unfortunately, everything seemed to go against his wishes. When he passionately recounted Malfoy's attack on Nagini, the Ministry of Magic actually confirmed that Malfoy had played a role in the battle.
Thus, the Malfoy family, who had relied on opportunism and adaptability for many years, once again avoided being swallowed up by the tide of history and rose to the forefront.
......
Around 3:00 a.m., there were soft rustling sounds all over the corridors of Hogwarts.
On his way from the headmaster's office to the infirmary, Harry hardly saw any of the characters quietly sitting in his picture frame.
While he was sound asleep and talking with Dumbledore, the students were all settled in the castle. Slytherin and Ravenclaw, two of the four houses, temporarily hosted Durmstrang and Beauxbatons' guests. Their common rooms were protected by spells cast by the professors, and no one was allowed to leave without the Headmaster's permission.
Harry didn't actively stop the busy people in the picture frame, but to his surprise, many of the characters stopped to greet him after noticing him.
About 10 minutes later, the door to the school clinic was pushed open.
Before Harry could find Moran, Madam Pomfrey had him put to bed.
Perhaps because she was angry with Dumbledore, the usually amiable Madam Pomfrey gave Harry no room for negotiation. After urging him to drink a large amount of magic-boosting potion and a large glass of pumpkin juice mixed with sleeping potion, she turned and left with satisfaction.
And so, Harry drifted off to sleep again.
Good sleep quality makes you lose track of time.
At 1:30 p.m. on June 25, Harry, who was feeling completely numb, woke up.
During the time he closed his eyes to rest, Hogwarts became the busiest place in the wizarding world.
The team, composed of professors, officials, and Aurors, completed a series of tasks with the help of portraits and house-elves, including caring for the wounded, replying to letters, interrogating and convicting, and transporting prisoners.
The restrictions on public restrooms remain in effect, and all classes and activities at the school have been suspended.
No one knew exactly what had happened, but everyone knew that the outcome of the three-way championship was no longer the school's biggest concern.
Voldemort appeared at Hogwarts.
Moreover, it seems he was defeated by Harry and another unknown wizard working together?
This kind of event, let alone being included in "A History of Hogwarts," would be a major event even in the history of modern magic. The problem is that, despite being direct participants in the Triwizard Tournament, not a single student knows any of the details.
Seeing only a part of the whole picture was like scratching an itch through a boot; for the entire night, almost none of the hundreds of students slept. Suddenly, all sorts of speculations sprang up like mushrooms after rain.
"Do you think Harry is still alive?"
"Of course! What are you saying!"
"Then why haven't we seen him? It's already dawn, and Hermione and Ron both look worried. Harry shouldn't have died with Vader, right...? Ouch! Why are you pinching me!"
"Why would I pinch you? To stop you from talking nonsense! Harry will be fine!"
“I don’t want anything to happen to him either! But it all happened so suddenly, like… like something has been plotting this for a long time without our knowledge. If you ask me, even if Harry and the Man of Void die together, it’s not the worst-case scenario. Think about it, what if things turn out completely differently than we expected? Wouldn’t we be in a dangerous situation then?”
......
Hermione and Ron sat silently on the sofa beside the fireplace.
Those who remained silent in the same posture as them were Fred, George, and Ginny, who were not far away.
With the school under lockdown, all meals were delivered to the common room by house-elves. Even so, the Gryffindor students had little appetite from morning until noon.
Most students sat far away from the five to avoid being overheard. In fact, compared to other colleges, the topics the young lions discussed were relatively restrained.
"Fried banana dough...wait?"
"what?"
The faint sounds coming from outside the portrait of the fat lady startled everyone from their seats.
The increasingly quiet atmosphere erupted once again.
At this point in time, who else but Harry could walk inside the castle and know the password to the Gryffindor common room?
"Excuse me, please make way, let me pass..."
Hermione, who had been pushed to the very back of the crowd, shouted.
Her voice wasn't quiet, but the Gryffindor common room was in complete chaos at the moment.
"What's the new password? Tell Harry right now!"
"I don't know! Weren't we supposed to wait for the professors' notification?"
"Damn it! Where's Percy? Isn't he the prefect?"
"He went with the Ministry of Magic to take care of his Mr. Crouch!"
Seeing that the road ahead was about to be completely blocked by the surging crowd, Hermione decisively drew her wand from her waist. Just as she was about to cast the Separate Charm, a strange voice suddenly came from behind her.
Snapped!
Near the edge of the Forbidden Forest and on the lawn near Hagrid's Hut, two figures suddenly appeared. Before Hermione could even process what had just happened, an overwhelming wave of dizziness made her involuntarily pull up her hair, bend over, and dry heave.
"Huff...cough cough...huff..."
"Oh my god... I'm so sorry..."
Hearing Harry's voice, Hermione felt her heart, which had been hanging in suspense all night, finally settle down.
She turned around, gave Harry a slightly resentful glare, and then involuntarily started gagging again.
"Huff... Huff..."
Logically speaking, Hermione, who had Apparated with Harry since her second year, shouldn't have experienced such intense discomfort.
However, since the teleportation that occurred inside the castle was not led by Moran, Harry, who had just completed his Animagus transformation a few months ago, was not yet able to perfectly control his magical output, which is why he accidentally tormented Hermione.
"This summer vacation I... cough cough... I'm determined to learn Apparition... cough cough cough! You'll be in charge of teaching me!"
"Okay, okay, I'll definitely teach you..."
Harry replied gently, patting Hermione lightly on the back.
Over the next few hours, the two talked about countless things in the Forbidden Forest.
Aside from what Harry himself didn't know, and various inside stories about Moran, he answered Hermione's questions almost without reservation.
Hermione had some suspicions about what happened last night because of their shared adventures in first and second grade.
She knew how powerful Voldemort was and had imagined how many dangers Harry had faced alone, but when she actually heard the story of her battle with Voldemort, her body still trembled involuntarily.
Sunlight filters through the tree canopy, creating a hazy Tyndall effect.
As they finished telling their stories, the two had unknowingly entered the territory inhabited by unicorns...
"When my magic was almost gone and I charged down with my sword, I was practically exhausted; Fawkes saved Voldemort's final Killing Curse for me. Looking back now, I was on the verge of death several times last night. But maybe it was because of the Felix Felicis; I was incredibly confident then, as if I knew I could definitely finish him off. And then, it was all over, Hermione, you know what? It's really all over..."
At this point, Harry stopped and smiled as he opened his arms to Hermione.
The sky was still bright, and the silver manes of the dozen or so unicorns billowed without wind, yet they seemed to form moonlight made of mithril under the winter night.
In this situation, Hermione could no longer contain her emotions. She forced back her tears and hugged Harry tightly, colliding with him in a heavy embrace, and said:
"Harry Potter! You selfish, disgusting, messy-haired idiot!"
The three unicorn cubs, who were munching on glowing moss, were startled by the embrace they gave each other.
However, to the little ones' surprise, the adult unicorns in their group not only showed no hostility towards the two people in front of them, but also silently circled the city and bowed to them.
Harry is not Newt Scamander.
At this critical juncture, he wouldn't spoil the mood by saying that unicorns are actually quite intelligent.
......
Hermione.
"Ah."
"I like you."
"Me too."
"let's be together."
"it is good."
......
July 25, 1995, 6 p.m.
When Harry and Hermione returned to the now-unsealed castle after their heartfelt confession, the decorations and magic that should have been in the Great Hall and corridors had vanished. Black curtains hung on the walls behind the teachers' seats, and officials, led by Fudge, sat solemnly beside Dumbledore and the others.
There was hardly any joy on the students' faces. If Harry hadn't killed Voldemort with his own hands, he wouldn't have been sure if he had returned as a ghost to attend the funeral.
"Harry!"
Dumbledore, who was the first to see the wooden door being pushed open, shouted:
"Come in quickly! Your classmates all want to meet you!"
"What? Potter is back?"
"He's back?"
"So what if he's back? Do you really believe he can kill the Man of Void without Dumbledore's help?"
......
For a moment, a soft murmur could be heard from the crowd.
Contrary to expectations, there was no wild cheering. Instead, students from the three schools expressed their feelings with expressions of doubt, admiration, relief, and even tears of joy.
This is not the reaction one would expect after the Dark Lord has been killed.