I, Hogwarts Second Time Around.

Chapter 468 Return to England

The work of the United Wizards Discovery Committee is not yet finished.

This is, after all, a legitimate archaeological organization. Even without the power of external gods, the inscriptions in the Divine Tower are still a historical treasure.

The matter in Australia is settled.

He then returned to England with Sirius and others.

Grandpa Grindelwald traveled alone to Canada, where there is another divinely inspired tower, but its exact location is still unknown and needs to be investigated.

Irving didn't follow.

Mr. Basil and Miss Zhang returned to the Ming Dynasty.

Mr. Winston stayed in the area. He was very interested in the historical texts in the Tower of Divine Gift.

In early August, Owen finally set foot on English soil again, returning to London.

In front of number 12 Grimmauld Place, Irving pushed open the door of the Black family home alone.

Sirius seems to still have some negotiations with the Federation.

After returning to London, they left without staying long.

It was nearly dawn, and the sky was so dark that no stars could be seen.

In big cities, the chances of seeing a sky full of stars are still too small.

"Meow?"

The door had just opened.

In the dimly lit corridor, Owen saw a pure white kitten with a lion-like mane sneaking around.

"Sirocco?"

Irving called out.

The kitten immediately rushed towards him and jumped into his arms.

"The dead cat—it's been gone for half a year."

It's really a mistake to keep a cat at Hogwarts.

Cats are inherently wild creatures, and since most young wizards let their cats roam freely, it doesn't take long for domestic cats to become wild cats.

Holding the spine of Sirocco's fate in his grasp.

Irving walked slowly down the stairs.

Currently, only the Koyatl should be living at Number 12 Grimmauld Place. Owen isn't sure if Ron's family has moved in, but Harry is definitely not there; he'll be staying at his aunt's house for at least a month.

Hermione is probably not there either; her family is probably in France.

He went up to the third floor, where he had stayed before, and a room was assigned to him.

Pushing open the door, the room was dark inside, with a high ceiling. The room was small, just big enough to fit a bed, a wardrobe, and a table.

The room Harry and Ron stayed in was quite large, big enough to fit two beds.

Holding the cat, Irving lifted the covers and lay down.

Why stay up until the early hours of the morning instead of sleeping?

I slept without any dreams.

The next morning, sunlight streamed through the window, and he forgot to draw the curtains.

The blinding light felt like needles pricking my eyes; once I woke up, there was no way I could go back to sleep.

He tossed and turned in bed, turned his head, opened his eyes, and a pair of bright brown eyes appeared in his line of sight.

"Good morning," the girl said softly.

"I thought you were still in France." Owen looked at her gently, a smile playing on his lips.

He flipped over and pinned Hermione beneath him.

"I only got back a few days ago," Hermione said, blushing. "Grandma told me that you've finished dealing with things in India."

"India?" Owen thought for a moment. The timing was perfect. If the Camelot hadn't gone missing, he should have returned to London a few days ago.

Something came up and I was delayed.

The boy leaned down and kissed the girl's red lips.

His palm brushed across her cheek, his fingertips entwining and tightening around her thick hair.

The kiss was greedy and thirsty.

He continued downwards, kissing her fair neck.

Feeling her presence.

They parted after a long time.

It's a pity it's so early in the morning; if it were evening, it really shouldn't have ended like this.

"Huff—" Hermione gasped for breath as she buried her head in the boy's arms.

After a long silence, she finally spoke: "When will you be able to do things peacefully, without any accidents or delays?"

Hermione also experienced the Battle of Poseidon.

She knew perfectly well how terrifying the things Owen was facing were.

He had experienced several unexpected events that made her think he would never come back.

As the girl spoke, her voice gradually rose: "The entire magical world is in chaos right now. Every day, the names of dead people appear in the newspapers. The war with the [Impersonators] seems endless, and now there are those [Divine Towers] too."

Did you know I read the newspaper every day?

She looked up, her eyes slightly moist.

She was afraid—afraid that one day she would see Irving's name in the newspaper, for better or for worse, she was afraid to see it.

"Alright." Owen brushed a strand of her hair aside. "This time, we really didn't run into any trouble at all."

"I never lie."

This time he didn't encounter any trouble. He just wandered around outside and retrieved two portions of the essence of the Outer God. It was that simple.

"There's always next time. You can't be that lucky forever—" Hermione said stubbornly.

"."

That left Irving speechless.

He could only get up, lean against the headboard, and hug Hermione even tighter beside him.

Feeling the aura emanating from the girl, it was like a wild rose stubbornly growing on a cliff.

Listening to the other person's heartbeat.

His fingers intertwined with hers.

After a long pause, Irving finally murmured, "Someone has to do it."

"Someone will inevitably get hurt."

"I can only do my best."

Hearing the sound, Hermione looked up, her large eyes filled with sadness and determination.

"I'll stay with you," she said.

Then it arched its back and crawled closer to the boy's face.

Give her a kiss.

In the early morning, Kreacher had already prepared breakfast in the basement.

Many people were sitting at the long table.

Irving guessed wrong.

The Weasley family, apart from Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, including Ron, Ginny, and the twins, were all here.

And of course, there's Koyatel.

Everyone was having breakfast in a lively atmosphere.

"When did you get back?" George asked Owen.

"Last night," Irving said, "were all here? Is the Burrow empty?"

"Sirius said it was for safety," Fred said. "The Burrow, though dilapidated, was at least a home. Now we can't even go home."

“I prefer The Burrow too,” Owen agreed. “It’s too cramped here. I don’t like this house at all.”

“None of us like it,” Ginny chimed in. “No garden, no woods. I prefer the clearing behind the Burrow where we practice Quidditch during the summer holidays.”

"Yeah—" Owen nodded. He wanted to renovate his room, mainly because it was too small. It didn't matter since he lived alone.

If I were with Hermione.

There should at least be a separate bathroom!

Hermione was reading a lot of newspapers to the side.

She has made reading books and newspapers a habit.

As for Irving's thoughts, she must have guessed some of them.

She didn't want to refuse or agree outright, so remaining silent was a good option.

The latest issue of The Daily Prophet vaguely mentions the situation in Australia.

However, with only a few lines of text, the matter of the divinely bestowed tower could not be made public.

The newspapers only reported that the missing Federation ship Camelot had been found.

No further information has been released.

After breakfast, the Geminis got busy with their work.

They opened a new store in Diagon Alley, and it still needs to be looked after for the first few days.

After a while, they decided to hire someone to manage the shop.

After all, they are inventors and cannot devote all their energy to opening a store.

Irving, on the other hand, was busy renovating his room.

First, use the Infinite Extension Spell to expand the size of the room.

Next, paint a fake forest sun on the wall, and then partition off one end to make a balcony.

Finally, there's the furniture in the room, which can all be bought in Diagon Alley. However, compared to the wizards' outdated aesthetics, both Owen and Hermione prefer the Muggle's modern furniture.

During the work, Owen also told Hermione about what had happened over the past month.

Apart from the analysis of Ms. Zhang's mental world, the rest can be discussed.

After listening to Owen's story, Hermione didn't notice anything unusual.

Indeed, just as he said, he hadn't encountered any troubles in the past month and had been as relaxed as if he were on vacation.

This finally eased the little witch's tension a bit.

I just finished lunch.

There was a knock on the door of number 12 Grimmauld Place; someone had come to visit.

The young wizards were puzzled that someone would come at this time.

However, Irving probably guessed the identity of the visitor.

Sure enough, Dumbledore was standing in the doorway when the door was opened.

"I knew it was you," Owen said. "Didn't Grandpa write to you?"

"I prefer listening to stories to dry words," Dumbledore said, smiling at him. "You have to understand an old man, Owen. Old people like to listen to stories."

"Okay—I'll bring my own tea," Irving retorted.

"I'm afraid we can't linger here today," Dumbledore said suddenly. "Shall we talk as we walk?"

"Where to?" Owen asked.

"Hmm—we'll go to Privet Drive first; Harry seems to be having a bad time with his aunt and uncle. After that, we're going to visit a friend of mine."

"Oh—by the way, if possible, Miss Granger, and Miss Stewart, and Miss and Mr. Weasley, please come along as well," Dumbledore said, blinking.

Upon hearing the sound, Owen immediately knew who Dumbledore was going to see.

If it were that professor, it seems he wouldn't need so many junior wizards. Harry, the savior, was enough to win the professor's heart. Why would he need anyone else?

"Staying indoors all the time will cause mold to grow," the old headmaster added.

"All right."

After everyone made their preparations, they went out with Dumbledore.

In theory, the young wizards were paired up, leaving poor Ginny out of the picture.

But in reality, the extra one was Ron.

This guy doesn't seem to have made much progress with Koyatl in over a month.

The group took the subway to Privet Road.

An elderly man in his sixties, leading five young men and women, was quite eye-catching in the subway station.

The main reason is that Irving himself is attractive enough.

Dumbledore seemed to really enjoy experiencing these new and exciting things.

Even though they could have simply Apparated there, he still chose the subway and bus.

In short, the group of young wizards were quite happy on the way. There were several pure-blood wizards present, and they didn't often ride in Muggle vehicles.

Even Hermione rarely takes the subway these days.

She feels that in a few years, when subway stations enter the information age and online ticketing is available, she won't know how to take them anymore.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

However, at their destination, number four Privet Drive, the atmosphere at the Dursleys' house was far less relaxed.

Their family had a terrible summer vacation, as they received a warning from Sirius at the very beginning of the season.

The day before departing for Australia.

The godfather of dogs still managed to find time to come to the Dursleys' house.

His conversation with Harry's aunt and uncle was anything but harmonious; if Tonks hadn't intervened, Sirius Black might have gotten into a fight with Dursley.

Of course, it was just a one-sided beatdown.

The Dursleys, too, didn't have a friendly attitude towards Harry's godfather. For decades, they had been trying to sever ties with that world and squeeze magic out of their nephew's body, but in the end, it turned out to be a waste of time.

Suddenly, a wizard broke into their house.

One can imagine how the Dursleys felt at that time.

For them, it was like the end of the world.

In fact, their strong reaction did not entirely stem from their prejudice against wizards, but mainly from the fact that every time they met a wizard, it was a terrible experience.

Hagrid's pig tail, Fred and George's flying car, and then Harry inflating his aunt.

Now that Harry's magical abilities are getting higher and higher, and minors using magic outside of school will be warned by the Ministry of Magic—so he might as well not use a wand. With a few simple spells, like Transfiguration, he can cast spells without a wand.

After Harry reprimanded his cousin several times, his relationship with the Dursleys plummeted to rock bottom.

Harry finally came downstairs to tell his aunt and uncle the news just an hour before Dumbledore arrived.

As he expected, after a brief moment of shock, they immediately began to complain. Aunt Petunia started anxiously peering out the window, and Uncle Vernon began shouting that their house wasn't a park where anyone could just walk in. —Harry assured him he wouldn't dare say any of this when he saw Dumbledore.

Harry didn't explain. He went to his room, feeling a sense of relief. In any case, he was finally going to get rid of the Dursleys this year.

He never expected that it would be Professor Dumbledore who came to pick him up.

Harry knew that Sirius Black and Professor Lupin were not in the country, but Tonks was, wasn't he?

He had always assumed that Tonks would come to pick him up.

Unexpectedly, it was Dumbledore himself who came.

Harry held a piece of parchment in his hand, written to him by Professor Dumbledore.

The letter arrived four days ago, and Harry has been taking it out to look at it from time to time since receiving it. When it first arrived, the parchment was rolled up tightly, but now it is flat and smooth, with some words written on it in thin, crooked handwriting.

Dear Harry:

If it's convenient for you, I will pick you up at 4 Privet Road at 1 p.m. this Friday.

If all goes well, your friends, Owen and Hermione, have already returned to England. They will depart at the same time as me, and you will spend the rest of the summer vacation with your friends.

Also, I need to take care of something, and I would be very happy to receive your assistance. We can discuss the details when we meet.

Please entrust this owl to deliver your reply. See you on Friday.

Your most loyal Albus Dumbledore.

Harry already knew the contents of the letter by heart. Early this morning, he couldn't resist sitting by the window in his bedroom, where he could clearly see the two intersections of Privet Drive, waiting for Dumbledore's arrival.

Several hours later, Harry realized that he had been a bit silly.

However, he couldn't help but glance at it every few minutes. Perhaps Professor Dumbledore had come ahead of time?

There was a thick stack of the Daily Prophet on the table beneath him.

This was Harry's only way of knowing what was happening outside.

Domestic news has been relatively quiet for the past month.

As time passed, the wounds stopped bleeding. Although the wounds were still there, everyone found peace in numbness.

News from abroad is rather complicated; the Federation is launching attacks everywhere, and the war against the "Impersonators" has reached a fever pitch.

The newspapers report attacks and murders every day.

A few days earlier, Harry had noticed that several dark organizations had announced their allegiance to Voldemort.

This made Harry realize that although Voldemort had suffered several setbacks with them, he was still the most evil and powerful dark wizard outside.

Faced with the rapid rise of dark forces, the new Minister of Magic, Scrimgeour, announces new initiatives every week.

For example, the article "The Ministry of Magic Ensures Student Safety".

Although things were peaceful at Hogwarts last year, several young wizards died in America, not at the school.

However, Scrimgeour still announced some measures to ensure student safety.

This includes casting a protective spell around Hogwarts, a series of boundary-breaking spells, and a special Auror squad sent to protect the school.

The new minister's firm stance won the favor of some wizards.

However, young wizards may be deprived of many of their freedoms this year, such as time to play in Hogsmeade Village and not being allowed to leave the castle during holidays.

As Harry read these messages, he gradually felt tense and agitated.

He finally understood what it meant to know more, and to suffer more.

He couldn't help at all, and could only worry until he was fed up.

Harry glanced at his suitcase to make sure nothing was missing, then looked at the alarm clock.

It's already 12:50.

There were only ten minutes left until the agreed time.

Harry rushed to the window, squinting at the sidewalk in the distance.

Sure enough, a familiar white-bearded old man appeared in his line of sight, along with many of his familiar friends.

Turning his gaze away, Harry quickly stood up, picked up his suitcase, and headed outside.

"Keep your voice down—"

Uncle Vernon's shouts came from the living room downstairs.

The thumping sound of his suitcase made him very unhappy.

But Harry didn't care at all.

He's about to leave this place and be free.

This made him more tolerant than ever before.

To Vernon's astonishment, Harry snapped his fingers lightly, and the suitcase immediately floated up.

Then he ran happily to the living room.

Just as he stepped into the living room, the doorbell rang.

Vernon, his face contorted with disgust and fear, slowly walked to the door. As he opened it, a deep, gentle voice rang out, "Good afternoon. You must be Mr. Dursley. I'm sure Harry told you I was coming to pick him up, didn't he?"

(End of this chapter)