The Return to Hogwarts

Chapter 377 The Anticipated Summer Vacation

2023-07-13

Sirius Black didn't tell Harry and Ron why Professor Blaine had set up such a boring Muggle physical education class, but his opinion was clear: to encourage Harry to persevere. As for Ron, he had already lost his chance, so there was no point in talking about persevering.

Ron seemed a little unhappy. He had clearly wanted to get some evidence from Sirius to prove that his decision to give up was wise, but the result was quite the opposite.

The atmosphere was a little heavy for a moment, until Sirius told them about the Quidditch World Cup that would be held this summer, which cheered Ron up.

"You can't imagine the scale of the World Cup, Harry—"

Ron said excitedly,

"Tickets are hard to come by, but Dad usually issues receipts. How about it, Harry, why don't you move in early and we go see it together?"

Harry knew about the Quidditch World Cup, of course; he'd read about it in many Quidditch-related sources. But he hadn't realized this year's World Cup would be held in England. The unpleasant topic of Professor Blaine was immediately put aside, and Harry excitedly looked at Sirius Black. Sirius's smiling answer made Harry's hair stand on end with excitement.

“My plan is that after summer vacation starts, I’ll first talk to your aunt and uncle, and we’ll get your luggage out of those two Muggle houses and put it at 12 Grimmauld Place, which is the Black family’s old house. You can live there with me from now on, I mean, if you’d like.”

You have your own house!

Harry said excitedly,

"You mean, I can leave the Dursleys and live with you?"

“Hmm,” Sirius clearly misunderstood Harry’s meaning, and his expression became unnatural. “Of course, you’ve lived in a Muggle family for twelve years, so maybe you’re more used to it.”

“Are you out of your mind?” Harry interrupted Sirius immediately, his voice hoarse. “Of course I’d like to leave the Dursleys. If Professor McGonagall allows, I can ask for two days off right now to go back to the Dursleys and move my things, okay?”

"Oh!"

Sirius's face lit up with a smile again.

“There’s no need to rush. I need to talk to Amosta about this plan beforehand. Ahem, due to some things, the house is now his property, though I have the right to use it. And Amosta probably won’t mind if you move in. Okay, let’s get back to our previous topic—”

Sirius pursed his lips, his voice light and cheerful.

"After I got you out of your Muggle house, well, I think Ron's suggestion is good; you can stay with him for a while—"

Harry was certainly not unwilling to go to the Burrow for shelter. Ron's parents, the Weasleys, had always been very kind to him, treating him almost like another son. However, he was curious why Sirius Black, having already taken him out, would send him to the Burrow.

"--I promised Amosta that I would go out with him to do something, which will probably take two to three weeks. After that, I will pick you up from the Burrow and we will go to watch the World Cup together."

For Harry, it was like a dream. His dream of leaving the Dursleys, a dream he had cherished for over a decade, was finally about to come true this summer. He had never longed for summer vacation like this before.

Sirius's plans are not yet finished.

"The time that follows."

Sirius hesitated for a moment as he crossed the signpost at the entrance to Hogsmeade Village.

"After the World Cup, it depends on the situation, Harry. We can't figure out how long this Quidditch tournament, the Bulgarian vs. Irish match, will last right now."

Harry was a little confused. He himself was a Seeker in Gryffindor and had played many matches at Hogwarts, the longest of which had never lasted more than half a day.

“Last time Luxembourg and Uganda fought for five days,” Ron explained to Harry. “The longest record in history is a month!”

"Wow!" Harry exclaimed excitedly, his bright green eyes sparkling. "I hope it's like this again!"

“A month-long tournament is a nightmare for the Ministry of Magic,” Sirius chuckled. He glanced at Harry, who was bursting with excitement, and for a moment, he seemed to see James. The way the two of them talked about Quidditch was exactly the same.

"--After that," Sirius's voice softened.

“If time allows, I’d like you to come with me to Godric’s Hollow. You’ve been living with those Muggles all this time, I bet you’ve never been there before?”

Godric Valley?

Harry's smile froze instantly, and his heart felt as if it had been hit hard by a stray ball.

Godric's Hollow was where he was born, and also where his parents were murdered. After so many years in the wizarding world, Harry couldn't possibly be unaware of this. But it was strange that the thought of going back to Godric's Hollow had never crossed his mind before, as if he was instinctively avoiding the topic.

But after Sirius mentioned this place, a sudden longing welled up in Harry's heart, a longing so strong that it even surpassed moving away from the Dursleys and going to the Quidditch World Cup.

"Sirius, can we..."

"Oh, we've arrived--"

Before Harry could finish speaking, Sirius Black suddenly said in a slightly wistful voice, "The Three Broomsticks, how many years has it been since I've been here!"

The Three Broomsticks Pub – one of the most popular shops among young wizards in Hogsmeade.

The bar owner was Mrs. Rosmerta, who was over thirty but still had a graceful figure. Many young wizards who came to the bar didn't mind spending more time looking at the proprietress, including Ron.

Today, the Broomstick Bar was as crowded, noisy, and smoky as ever. Ms. Rosmerta was so busy that she didn't even notice Sirius Black's arrival.

Ron's expression returned to its earlier unnatural state because he immediately spotted Hermione and Ginny sitting in the same spot where they had eavesdropped on the Minister of Magic's conversation.

The two little girls by the shop window looked solemn, yet they were peeking around curiously. Harry and Ron exchanged glances, wondering what the two were doing. It wasn't until the three of them walked over to the spot that they saw Professor Blaine and Percy, along with Percy's girlfriend, Penelope Crivart of Ravenclaw, talking behind a shelf full of bottles.

"Were you eavesdropping on Amosta's conversation?"

Sirius chuckled.

"Shh!"

Hermione immediately put her index finger to her lips, and when she realized who was speaking, she blushed instantly. "Oh, sorry, Professor Black. We haven't—well, I mean, Professor Blaine hasn't noticed us yet—"

"This isn't a classroom, Hermione. Just call me Sirius—"

The three of them found chairs and sat down. Hermione still didn't give Harry and Ron a friendly look, but at least she wasn't as cold as she had been in the morning. Perhaps something else had distracted her.

"So, what did you all hear?"

Would a wizard like Amosta be overheard talking by two underage witches? Unless, of course, he didn't care at all that his conversation was being eavesdropped on.

Harry interacted with Percy a lot, but he didn't have much contact with his girlfriend. The Weasley siblings always liked to joke about Percy's girlfriend, so Percy wasn't too keen on letting his Ravenclaw graduating girlfriend get close to them.

What's wrong with her nose?

To be honest, in Harry's opinion, Percy's girlfriend was quite good-looking, not as bad as Fred and George sometimes teased her about. Her hairstyle was similar to Cho Chang's friend's, except that the two had different hair colors.

In the bustling bar, Penelope looked downcast. She lowered her head and tried to cover her face with her hair, but Harry still noticed a white gauze patch on Penelope's nose through the gaps in her hair.

I told you—

Ginny shrugged, looking indifferent.

"Percy dozed off in Snape's class and got splashed with potion, injuring her nose—she was upset about it for days. Fred said it was actually good, because it would cover up the freckles on her nose."

Chapter 378 Graduation Season Troubles

2023-07-14

Ron covered his mouth and chuckled, but the glares from Ginny and Hermione made him look embarrassed. He was being regarded as a 'traitor' by everyone because he was the first to drop out of Professor Blaine's class.

"so--"

Amosta took a sip of the violet water, her expression calm.

"You asked me out today because you want me to write you a letter of recommendation so you can intern at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement?"

Percy was nearing graduation as an adult wizard. In terms of height, he was almost indistinguishable from Professor Blaine, except that his facial features still retained a touch of immaturity.

Percy is currently the most outstanding young wizard at Hogwarts. He was chosen by Dumbledore to be the head of the student council, and almost every professor who has taught him speaks highly of him. Amosta would not dislike this young wizard who is both talented and virtuous, especially since this young wizard also has a strong desire to improve.

It's not uncommon for young wizards to receive recommendation letters. When he graduated, Snape had subtly suggested that if he wanted to work for the Ministry of Magic, even though he didn't have many connections there, he could ask someone to recommend him.

Amosta was puzzled for a while, because Professor Snape was never one to meddle in other people's business. Now that he thought about it, it was probably Dumbledore who made the suggestion, and he probably wanted Amosta to stay within his sight to prevent him from going astray.

"Yes, Professor Blaine--"

Percy nodded respectfully, his eyes filled with awe as he looked at Professor Blaine.

"Perhaps you already know that I plan to work for the Ministry of Magic after graduation, but I'm not familiar with the ministry. Some time ago, I wrote to my father to ask which department would be more suitable for my personal development. He told me that the two most authoritative departments are the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and the Department of International Magical Cooperation. He also told me that you have a personal relationship with Ms. Amelia Burns, the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. I mean, a friendship. If you had a recommendation, Ms. Burns would surely not refuse."

Amelia certainly wouldn't refuse him, but that depends on who recommends him.

Percy was a descendant of the Weasley family and was himself very talented. With his recommendation, even Fudge had to give him face.

Amosta stared at Percy, seeing a burning lust for power in the young wizard's eyes as he prepared to enter society. This intense ambition made Amosta frown inwardly.

Having ambition is a good thing, but if one has an excessive ambition but lacks sufficient wisdom to restrain oneself, it is very easy to go astray.

After a moment of contemplation, Amosta slowly shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Percy, I'm afraid I can't grant your request."

In the noisy bar, Professor Blaine's casual remark struck Percy like a thunderbolt, leaving him stunned. Not only him, but also Miss Crevat, who was trying her best to hide her thoughts, and Hermione and the others who were eavesdropping a few seats away, all looked bewildered.

"But—but—"

After a long while, Percy finally came to his senses, his face flushed red, as if he had been insulted. He questioned the man with a face full of indignation.

"Why, Blaine? Do you think I—I'm not good enough?!"

"Quite the opposite, Percy—"

Professor Blaine spoke calmly, not explaining immediately, but instead asking,

"The NEWTS exams are just around the corner, Percy. I heard from Professor McGonagall that you've taken a total of twelve courses, both required and elective. That's impressive. How many certificates do you think you can get?"

"Twelve gates!"

Percy puffed out his chest and said proudly,