Magical Studies at Hogwarts...

Chapter 333 The Crucial Memory (Part 1)

Harry spent the rest of his holiday in a state of constant anxiety, and in fact, not only him, but everyone else was as well.

The next day, the Daily Prophet published a picture of Diagon Alley as it looked now, a scene of utter devastation that was truly chilling, especially the long list of deaths.

Mrs. Weasley forbade Harry and his friends from going out, not even for a short walk in the garden. If Mr. Weasley hadn't had to go to work, he probably would have been confined to the house as well.

After all, no one knows where the mad Voldemort and his followers will attack next.

In this tense atmosphere, Harry finally made it through the New Year and was able to return to Hogwarts.

This time, the Ministry of Magic did not send a car, but instead temporarily connected the Burrow and Hogwarts' Floo Network to ensure that students could return to school safely and quickly.

Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny lined up by the fireplace next to the kitchen. Only Mrs. Weasley saw them off; the others had to go to work.

Mrs. Weasley couldn't help but shed tears. Ever since Percy was driven away by the twins and Ron and Ginny on Christmas Day, she would do this from time to time. And clearly, the atmosphere of parting at this moment overwhelmed Mrs. Weasley's already rock-bottomed tears.

"Don't cry, Mom..." Ginny hugged Mrs. Weasley and patted her back, saying, "It's okay..."

"Yeah, don't worry about us," Ron said, this time not dodging Mrs. Weasley's kiss.

"We'll be safe, don't worry." Hermione's tone was simple, and her face showed an unwavering expression, but all of this was shattered by Mrs. Weasley's tight embrace.

Finally, Mrs. Weasley hugged Harry, already sobbing uncontrollably.

"Promise me you'll take good care of yourself and don't cause trouble..."

"I like a quiet life, you know that, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said seriously, successfully making Mrs. Weasley laugh.

She stepped back and gave a final word of advice: "Take care of yourselves..." Then she watched as Harry and the others disappeared one by one into the fireplace.

The familiar dizziness washed over him, but Harry felt no discomfort whatsoever; he was used to this feeling and remained steadily in Professor McGonagall's fireplace.

This scene has probably happened many times today, and right in front of Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were standing there, but Professor McGonagall was completely unmoved and didn't even raise her head.

"Good evening, Potter. Don't get too much dust on the carpet."

"No, Professor, I'm very careful."

Harry straightened his glasses, tidied himself up, and the four of them bowed to Professor McGonagall before leaving her office and heading towards the Gryffindor Tower.

"Worthless," Ron said confidently in front of the portrait of the fat lady.

"Something's not right." The fat lady looked even paler than usual and seemed listless.

"What's wrong?" Ron was stunned, not yet realizing what was happening.

"The password is wrong, change the password." The fat lady rubbed her head, as if she had been startled by Ron's loud voice.

Harry and the others had no time to pay attention to Ron, who was staring blankly at the Fat Lady. They looked at each other, completely bewildered. This was especially true for Hermione and Ginny, as this was the first time they had never known the password to the common room.

In other words, they "Navi" (a derogatory term for Nawi).

"Hi Harry, Hermione, Ginny, Ron..." Just then, the real Neville appeared at the other end of the corridor, carrying a thick book, and ran over to them while greeting them. "How was your Christmas?"

"It's terrible," Harry shook his head. "Too much has happened..."

“Yes…” Neville sighed, “After the incident in Diagon Alley, my grandma wouldn’t even let me out of her sight… even when I was in the bathroom…”

"Oh, that's really terrible." Harry and Ron sighed in unison, and Neville also looked like he was looking back on the past.

As the three men were lost in some strange recollection, Hermione spoke up and asked, "Neville, do you know the new password?"

"I know!" Neville suddenly became very excited and blurted out, "Quit drinking!"

"Correct." The fat lady still looked listless, but she still showed them the portrait opening.

"What's wrong with her?" Harry asked curiously as they entered the cave one by one.

"They had a wild Christmas," Neville said. "It seems she and her friends drank all the wine in that painting of drunken monks in the hallway next to the Charms classroom..."

"Ah, no wonder..." Harry nodded upon hearing this, which explained everything.

He wasn't surprised; he'd seen far more outrageous things, like the knight portraits outside the Potions classroom and the knight portraits in the sixth-floor corridor dueling, both ending up severely injured and screaming in agony, waking everyone in the castle. In the end, it was only after Dalis Devant, the former headmistress of Hogwarts, intervened and healed them that the matter was resolved.

In comparison, the fact that Mrs. Fat and her good friend, Mrs. Violet, got drunk is nothing.

"Oh right, I almost forgot, Dumbledore told me to give this to you." As Neville entered the common room, he rummaged through his pockets but couldn't find it. Then he frantically shook the book in his hand, finally causing a piece of parchment to fall out.

"Here it is." Neville bent down, picked up the parchment, and handed it to Harry. Harry quickly took it, opened it, read it once, and closed it.

"Tomorrow night," he said. "This time it'll be quick."

"That's normal, considering the terrible attack that happened during the holidays." Hermione shrugged.

Everyone except Neville seemed completely unconcerned, which clearly annoyed Neville. Seeing this, Harry immediately told him about Dumbledore's lesson to him, and Neville's face showed only genuine joy for his friend.

"That's fantastic!" Neville exclaimed, a hint of envy in his eyes. But that was all; he was well aware of his own limitations and knew his own limitations in magic.

Therefore, all I can do is envy them.

Harry, oblivious to Neville's expression, began discussing Diagon Alley with them. Not only that, Harry also mentioned Scrimgeour's request for his help, immediately drawing criticism from everyone.

They all agreed that it was utterly absurd to ask Harry for help and support after he had suffered so much last year, even though the minister had changed.

"They're shameless." That's Neville's impression.

"A typical politician." That was Hermione's summary.

(End of this chapter)