I, Hogwarts Second Time Around.

Chapter 517 A Lamp Shining Alone

A lonely twilight casts a curtain of sorrow, while snow falls silently, concealing the frost beneath.

The bizarre and magnificent palace, winding and turning like an endless maze, has glass windows that reflect the light rising from the courtyard, blending into the night sky with the constellations led by Orion.

The moisture blowing from St. James's Park, like ocean waves washing over the dilapidated dock, disturbed this magnificent building.

Over the years, holes and scars have been left on the walls of the castle.

Noisy people never noticed this small cut, but one day, one day, the building, along with the people it protects, will be completely buried by the wind and snow outside.

As Owen walked along the winding path leading to the fields, he listened intently and could hear the joyful sounds of families in the houses ahead, bathed in the Christmas sunset.

Considering the howling wind and frost around them, that sound seemed especially precious and enviable at that moment.

Fortunately, they quickly integrated into the group.

"I thought you guys would be back late today."

Upon noticing the sounds coming from the courtyard, Mrs. Weasley immediately opened the door to greet them.

"Molly! Safe word!" Mr. Arthur yelled behind her, but Mrs. Weasley paid no heed. "Alright, Arthur. This is our child, and I don't think anyone can fake our child as well."

"We're back as soon as the party's over," Ron said, exhausted. His expression was stiff, as if he'd been laughing for too long and his face was twitching. "Mom's starving! Is dinner ready?"

"Don't you eat at the dinner party?" Mrs. Weasley asked, puzzled.

"Eat!" As soon as he said this, Ron's face immediately turned resentful.

The food provided at Buckingham Palace was small in portion and limited in variety, consisting mainly of fried cod and boiled potatoes. It's unclear which idiot leaked the information to the Muggle cook that the wizarding world's civilization was still stuck a hundred years in the past.

This prevented the cook from serving some of the newer dishes, as he feared the wizard wouldn't like them. So, adhering to the principle of "the more you do, the more mistakes you make; if you do nothing, you'll make no mistakes," he went straight for a batch of traditional British dishes from a century ago.

And another thing is that Muggles keep coming up to them and trying to chat with them. It seems like everyone wants to say a few words to them, which means the young wizards haven't had a proper meal all day.

Faced with these important figures, they couldn't refuse them, so they could only smile politely and discuss trivial matters.

Ron felt as if he had spent the entire afternoon as a hostess.

If he knew what a hostess was.

"Come in quickly. Brush the snow off your cloaks." Mrs. Weasley welcomed everyone into the room.

Inside the house, George, Fred, and Bill Fleur were already seated at the dining table.

Thanks to the Muggle rocket, Bill and Fleur were freed. Although the Federation is still in chaos, the next mess will be the civilian employees' problem. The main headache should be for Percy, since members of their special operations team can always get some rest.

"You're finally back!" Fred and George walked over, then looked at them with eager eyes. "Tell me about what happened to you today? It must have been interesting, right?"

The cash register in the room was playing a jazzy tune called "A Pot of Hot Love," which created a unique romantic atmosphere in the room.

"Don't even mention it," Ginny said. "I feel like I've used up all the surprise I've had throughout the year on today."

"There are only a few days left in the year," Fred complained.

"Don't interrupt." Ginny glared at him, then couldn't contain her urge to share any longer and excitedly ran to the dining table. "I'm telling you, today..."

She recounted all that she had seen and heard that day in vivid detail.

Using simple and accurate words and phrases.

"God—"

"Merlin's beard!"

"I can't believe it!"

Amidst the gasps of amazement from the crowd, Ginny felt immense satisfaction.

She happily picked up a cup of hot tea from the table and took a sip to moisten her throat.

"Where is she? Didn't she come back with you?" Fred asked.

"Hermione?" Ginny said. "Oh, she's a social butterfly now. People from all over the world want to talk to her, and I hear she has to deal with interviews and stuff. I heard from Luna that several magical newspapers have already sent her interview invitations, including Muggle ones. After that, she'll be on TV and stuff. In short, she definitely won't have time to enjoy her holiday this Christmas."

"This..." Fred and George exchanged a glance, their expressions immediately changing from envy to disdain. "It seems being a princess isn't all that great. It sounds like a lot of trouble," Fred said.

"That's right, if everything is arranged by others, then we'd rather die," George agreed.

"Hey!"

Just then, a furious shout came from the kitchen: "Don't let me hear that word again! It's forbidden to say that word in the house!"

"That word, Mom," Fred called out as he turned around, only to be greeted by a pair of round, wide eyes that immediately startled him and made him stop teasing.

Dinner began after a jazz song ended at the cash register.

Everyone enjoyed a lively and carefree meal, free from constraints, strange questions, and disturbances.

During the conversation, they talked about many topics.

From Buckingham Palace, we talked about wizards who received knighthoods.

From the Minister of Magic's angry departure to some wizards choosing the Queen and Dumbledore.

Mr. Arthur spoke about his views on the Ministry of Magic and the future of magic.

"The Secret Service Law has collapsed, and we have to find a way out. There's nothing wrong with being willing to try."

"I don't think that having an equal dialogue with Muggles makes me inferior."

Upon hearing this, Irving chuckled and said, "For some people who are used to being high and mighty, looking you in the eye is an insult to them."

"There are quite a few people in the magical world who think this way," said Bill, who was sitting in the first seat to Mr. Arthur's left. He had been working for the Federation for many years and was quite knowledgeable.

"Actually, the collapse of the Secret Service Act isn't necessarily a bad thing," Irving added.

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Bill looked at him.

"Think about it carefully. Aren't the organizational structures of both the Ministry of Magic and the Federation a bit strange? Such a large organization doesn't even have a tax department, and its economic activities are actually handed over to fairies."

There was no army, the judicial system was extremely inadequate, and there was no prosecutorial department. Judges were the lawmakers, executors, and prosecutors all at the same time.

By completely refusing to communicate with other magical creatures, they have squandered this enormous wealth.

The reason for this is simply that the Ministry of Magic does not represent the interests of all wizards; it is merely a broken machine that exists to maintain the Statute of Secrets.

Therefore, this collapse may be the opportunity to establish a new, true magical government.

"Hmm—that seems to make some sense." Bill thought about it carefully, and it did seem to make sense.

"Alright, gentlemen," Mrs. Weasley raised her voice sharply, smiling as she looked around, "it's Christmas today, so let's put aside all that heavy stuff outside for a moment, shall we?"

"Okay, Mom," the group replied, then quickly changed the subject.

As they talked, they began to discuss the professors at the college.

Most of the Hogwarts professors attended the banquet. Among them, Professor Horace Slughorn was the most remarkable. You have to admit that sometimes being eloquent does have its uses. Slughorn effortlessly established relationships with many Muggle leaders, and everyone was in high spirits, making it impossible to tell that they were wizards and Muggles.

"Speaking of which, Harry, how's it going with that Slughorn thing?" Owen asked Harry.

"Huh?" Harry swallowed a mouthful of juicy chicken. "So-so. I feel like he's still a bit wary of me."

"Okay, keep it up," he replied.

Then Ron suddenly spoke to the girl on his left, "By the way, what's your decision about the wizard advisor?"

Originally, Ron didn't care much about this matter, and the fact that Koyatl had entered the Muggle government made him feel a little strange.

But after today, some of his views changed.

Joining the Muggle government isn't so bad; you might even get a title or medal.

He wasn't sure if Koyatel had any assets in the US, but if she wanted to support herself, she would definitely need a job, and a wizard consultant would be a decent one, aside from the potential dangers.

Of course, even if she doesn't work, with the Galleons he's saved up over the years, and the Galleons he invested in Gemini early on, she can still get a small share of the profits, which is enough.

"If there isn't a better job," Koyatl said calmly, "I don't care as long as it doesn't involve fairies or America."

"Then it's settled." Ron immediately handed the hammer. After graduating, he would most likely become an Auror, and the Ministry of Magic was just below Downing Street, so they could even go to work together on the way.

For the rest of the time, everyone chatted about all sorts of things.

This was probably the safest Christmas ever.

With his physical body destroyed, Voldemort needs a period of silence, and he won't have such pleasant and relaxed days as he does today for the foreseeable future.

Next Christmas may be the day of the final battle.

After dinner, Mrs. Weasley poured everyone a large glass of eggnog.

Perhaps it was the slight alcohol in the eggnog that made everyone so excited after drinking it.

Not long after, Furong decided to imitate Setina singing "A Pot of Hot Love".

It's unbelievable! She had just been saying how awful the song was, yet she memorized the melody and lyrics and sang it very well.

Then she invited Irving to sing with her.

When Irving actually started singing, Furong was suddenly surprised to find that he sang better than her, even better than the original singer.

That's for sure; his body has mutated to an unknown degree. His control over his vocal cords, voice, and breath is far beyond that of ordinary people.

As others gradually let loose, amidst the wailing and howling, Christmas finally came to an end.

Mrs. Weasley coughed loudly, and seeing her expression, everyone took it as a signal to go to bed.

Owen did not stay at the Burrow, but returned to London.

Mrs. Weasley did not keep him on.

Because the humble dwelling had no rooms left.

Ginny and Koyatl stayed in her room, Harry and Ron climbed up to Ron's bedroom in the attic, and Fred and George were in their own room.

Bill and Fleur were separated by Mrs. Weasley; one moved into his own room, and the other into Percy's. Before the wedding, she was adamant that Fleur and Bill wouldn't sleep together…

So, unless Irving is willing to live in Charlie's room, which the twins use as a storage room.

There's nowhere else to go.

Mrs. Weasley simply looked Owen up and down and firmly refused to allow him to live with any boy, or even a girl.

So he had no choice but to go home by himself.

Back in his small villa in London, Owen fell asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.

He had a bizarre and fantastical dream.

He felt as if he had transformed into an ocean, and then people would take some of it from here and some from there.

His body is getting smaller and smaller.

Just as he was gripped by fear of the unknown and loss, he suddenly felt as if he had grabbed something in his hand.

That thing made him feel very at ease.

Then the dream disappeared.

The next day, when he opened his eyes...

Then I realized what I had grabbed in my dream.

"Merry Christmas." Miss Granger said, rubbing her eyes and frowning repeatedly. She was clearly still half asleep and probably got back very late last night.

"Merry Christmas. By the way, what are you doing here? Hmm—how did you know I was here?"

"Because I'm here," Hermione said, then pulled the blanket over herself again. "My eyes are so sore, I want to sleep a little longer."

Irving smiled slightly.

He naturally understood what she meant.

As clever as Hermione is, she certainly knows that he wouldn't live in the Burrow. Besides that, he only has two other places to go: Hogsmeade Village and here. The reason he chose to live in London is because Hermione is in London.

A simple logical deduction has been completed.

"Go to sleep." He pulled the girl into a tight embrace.

He pressed her entire cheek against his chest.

To Irving's surprise, wasn't Miss Granger having a conflict with him?

Ever since the House of Requirement came along, she's been giving herself the silent treatment.

Well—it's not exactly a complete cold war, more like a half-cold war.

She no longer takes the initiative to contact me, but she doesn't deliberately avoid me either. If I go to her, she will act the same as before, at least less enthusiastically.

I don't know why she was so bold today.

Is it because the New Year has arrived that all the bad things are now behind us?

The girl in his arms was getting warmer and warmer.

She seems to have a fever.

After pretending to sleep for ten minutes, Hermione couldn't resist opening her eyes any longer.

This time, there was no more bitterness in her eyes.

Then, quite boldly, she tilted her head back, brought her red lips close, and lightly kissed the boy.

During this time, she thought about many things.

After her conversation with the Room of Requirement, she became very angry, feeling deceived and that Owen's previous claims were all pretense and not genuine. However, as time went on, she gradually shook off this thought.

She realized that the key point was not what Owen said, but what he did. Over the years, although he could be very mean and cruel at times, his targets were always his enemies.

They do have differences of opinion, but that doesn't matter. Just as Owen never forces her to change his mind, she shouldn't force Owen to change his either. In the future, she will do her best to strive towards the ideal world in her heart.

Most importantly, she loved him, and she couldn't bear to sit next to him every day while pretending not to know him.

This feeling intensified, especially at Christmas when she discovered that all her friends had left and she was the only one left at Buckingham Palace.

The joy of wearing the crown vanished without a trace in an instant.

It's like having a Dementor next to you.

The once lively banquet turned into something repulsive.

Like a raging flood, it drove away all her friends and happiness.

In the girl's eyes, the people in front of her, especially the politicians, with their smiling faces, became more and more creepy the more she looked at them, because their smiles never stopped, and their skin was like it was covered with a layer of wax, making them look like a group of moving wax figures from a distance.

Before she could even think, her body made the decision for her.

Run! Run away!

Under the snowy night, she fled the man-eating castle at top speed.

In a daze, she arrived here.

When she opened the door with the key Owen gave her, she was surprised to find a light on in the living room.

The soft light illuminated a corner of the living room, and it also illuminated her heart.

"What's wrong?"

After a light kiss that lasted for half a minute, the two finally separated.

Owen's gaze was intense as he met Hermione's reddened eyes.

The little witch took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. She didn't want Owen to worry, but she also didn't want to hide her feelings.

"You're not allowed to leave me alone in unfamiliar places anymore." Hermione's voice trembled slightly, and her eyes were red, clearly trying to hold back tears that were about to spill.

Owen's eyes softened at Hermione's words. He reached out and gently stroked her cheek. "As long as you don't run away beforehand."

Then, taking advantage of Hermione's dazed state, he suddenly flipped her over and pinned her down.

Hermione was taken aback by the sudden action, her cheeks instantly flushing red. Her heart raced, as if it would leap out of her chest. She was caught off guard, yet a sweet feeling welled up inside her.

Then something blocked her lips.

Compared to just now, it was like a violent storm.

In her response, she felt the love and happiness of being back by his side.

This lasted for a long time, probably several minutes.

Ten minutes or so.

The stunt only ended after a symbolic red mark was left on the girl's slender swan neck.

While getting up and washing up, the little witch felt a mix of sweetness and distress.

Because of the marks on her neck and lips, it seemed that they would not disappear in a short time.

After giving Owen a feigned glare, she chose a turtleneck sweater and scarf to cover herself.

(End of this chapter)