A day at Hogwarts.

Chapter 583 A Quiet Return

Hogwarts' Great Hall was as noisy as ever. A dark cloud hung over the ceiling, and floating magical candles cast a warm glow. Students, teachers, and guests from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang chatted and enjoyed breakfast. The clinking of cutlery mingled with laughter, and the air was filled with the aroma of toast and a subtle magical fluctuation.

Harry picked up a bacon sandwich, his brow furrowed, and said worriedly to Ron on his left, "I wonder when Charles will be back. Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration paper is as long as a wand, Snape has a lot of potion reports, and Professor Flitwick's Charms papers are taller than him... I've written down all the homework he's missed these days, but I don't know if he'll have time to finish it when he gets back."

He ate his sandwich as he spoke, then picked up a bottle of pumpkin juice to drink.

Ron, chewing on a chicken leg, mumbled a reply: "Yeah, Snape will definitely find fault with it. Just gathering the materials for that report will take a whole day."

Just then, Charles's voice rang out from the side: "Then I really thank you so much!"

He had somehow ended up sitting to Harry's right.

Charles was furious. If he had known this would happen, he would have soaked the things he bought for him in ghost pepper oil for three days and three nights before doing anything else.

"Cough! Cough! Cough!"

Harry was so startled by the sudden sound that he choked, his face instantly turning red, and he coughed violently, almost dropping the sandwich in his hand onto the table.

Ron hurriedly put down the chicken leg he was holding, ignoring the grease, and patted him hard on the back while handing him pumpkin juice, saying, "Drink some quickly!"

Hermione turned around abruptly, her eyes widening in surprise: "Charles?! You...when did you get back?"

She had no idea when Charles sat down between her and Harry, as if he had appeared out of nowhere.

Many students around them then realized that Neville had almost knocked over his milk cup, and Seamus was startled.

When everyone's eyes turned to Charles, he had already finished his breakfast and was starting on his second plate of sausages. He skillfully cut sausage slices with his fork, and it looked like he had been eating for a while, looking as relaxed as if he had never left.

Charles paused for a moment. He couldn't say that he had returned last night, as that would not explain why he hadn't gone back to his dormitory.

He swallowed his food and replied briefly, "Before dawn."

He anticipated that his return to Hogwarts would cause a lot of trouble, so in order to reduce unnecessary attention and questions, he cast a Confusion Charm on himself so that people who saw him would not be too surprised, nor would they be too curious to ask him about his experiences during this time.

The magic of the spell enveloped him like a thin mist, causing the other students to look away with only slight curiosity.

However, he was careless. The moment he returned, he was located by the necklace around his neck. At the same time, he forgot to ask his older sister about his younger sister and forgot that the vampire girl had lost her appetite. So he was captured as soon as he entered the hall.

From the teachers' table, Dumbledore keenly sensed the faint Confusion Charm emanating from Charles, like ripples on the surface of water.

A knowing glint flashed in his eyes, which quickly turned into a look of tolerance. He turned to Professor McGonagall and said, "Charles probably doesn't want to be repeatedly questioned about those unpleasant experiences. Let's not reopen old wounds."

Professor McGonagall nodded, understanding why Charles did this, and relayed the message to the other professors.

Dumbledore turned his attention back to the table in front of him and focused on his healthy breakfast—skim milk oatmeal, bland boiled egg whites, and a small portion of chilled tomato salad.

The thought that lunch would be the same bland boiled chicken breast with a vegetable salad and quinoa, dinner would be steamed cod and lentil soup, and even snacks would be cucumber sticks and celery sticks, made him feel that whether the world was going to end didn't seem so important.

Even worse, you can't add sugar to your tea. Luckily, Jack brought over a jar of xylitol, which worked well as a substitute for sugar, preventing Dumbledore from turning to the dark side.

Breakfast proceeded uneventfully until the Owl Rain time, without much fanfare due to Charles's return. The gasps of surprise only arose when the Daily Prophet arrived.

The front page headline reported the news that Gringotts had compensated Charles with 996 million gallons.

A collective gasp filled the auditorium as many people instinctively began counting on their fingers how many fire bolts, how much butterbeer, or how many years they could squander with that money.

While Vernon and Penny were looking at the noodle-slicing robot and discussing how to transport it to Shunde, the Hogwarts students in their third year and above swarmed towards Hogsmeade.

Laughter and footsteps echoed along the road, and the air was filled with anticipation for going out. Charles met Professor Delacour.

He looked very smart in a brand-new blue robe with dark silver trim.

That day in Paris, Charles was planning to have a new outfit made for himself. Gabrielle saw a robe in the closet and said that her father would look very good in it, so she took out her little purse and bought it.

Professor Delacour is looking quite smug in the robe his youngest daughter bought for him. Last night, Hibiscus complained that he now goes to the Three Brooms Bar every night to show off.

“You certainly know how to pick your time to come back,” Professor Delacour said calmly, a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips as he gently looked at Charles. “You’re back just in time for Hogsmeade Day.” He knew that Charles wasn’t hiding in some desolate, impoverished backwater, relying on rain for water and rats for food, as the rumors suggested.

Judging from the fact that Gabrielle has been eating well every day at his place lately, and her cheeks have become a bit rounder, you can tell that his living environment is definitely comfortable.

Charles replied seriously, "It's just a coincidence, Professor."

Professor Delacour nodded, his tone becoming slightly more serious, and said, "The semester is almost over, which means exam week is just around the corner."

"Several professors asked me to pass on a message to you: the grading standards for the final exam will not be lowered for any special reason."

His gaze held a hint of warning, and his tone, though soft, was unquestionable.

Hogwarts is, after all, a school, and academics are the top priority. Even Voldemort had to wait for the bell to ring before he could plot anything. Even the Triwizard Tournament final, after being postponed, was specially scheduled for the day after all the exams had ended.

Professor Delacour paused for a moment, then added, "McGold and Snape both emphasized this point; you need to start reviewing."

Charles nodded, unconcerned, his eyes resolute: "I understand, Professor. The exam isn't a problem for me."

Exams are a piece of cake; he can pass them easily. His real worry comes from Voldemort.

He speculated that Voldemort had already gathered the three pieces needed to resurrect himself, and wondered what kind of conspiracy would follow, or if he would tamper with the final of the three-way tournament.

He understood Voldemort and was extremely particular about rituals, as evidenced by his choice of Horcrux items.

Voldemort would certainly make a grand spectacle of resurrecting a body, and would likely invite some special guests, such as Harry.

Charles wondered if Voldemort would throw a celebration, and if he were to go, should he bring a box of tea or two pounds of fruit?

As the two chatted about Charles's alchemical experiments, they were about to reach the entrance of Hogsmeade Village when the small shops on both sides of the cobblestone path began to come into view. Charles unexpectedly witnessed an interesting scene.

Third-grader Astoria Greengrass was having a pleasant conversation with Draco Malfoy. The girl had a shy smile on her face, perhaps because she was a little nervous, and she gently twirled her long hair with her fingers.

Pansy Parkinson, who usually follows Malfoy around like a shadow, is trying to join the conversation, but Malfoy ignores her almost glamorously, making Pansy's face twitch with anger.

Charles recalled the gossip Percy had sent through his communication notebook, in which Mr. Greengrass was reportedly quite satisfied with Malfoy's recent performance in negotiations and had privately praised him. This might explain the subtle change in the situation.

Putting aside these teenage gossips, Charles made appearances at various shops in Hogsmeade, quietly announcing his return to the world.

He bought some chocolate frogs at Honey Duke, lingered briefly at Joko's Joke Shop, and finally headed to the ruins of the burned-down Dancing Grass Restaurant and Madame Padiff's Tea House.

Reconstruction has begun here; civil engineers are busy waving their wands, white stones fly up, and the air is filled with the fresh smell of sawdust.

Blake was also here today as the client's representative to oversee the project. Upon seeing Charles arrive, he handed him a thick, textbook-like procurement list with numerous pictures. The list detailed items and quantities, including Chinese-style screens, Middle Eastern tapestries, and French crystal chandeliers.

The new Dancing Grass restaurant is planned to be five stories high, with the newly added third floor designed as several themed private rooms with different national styles.

Each private room will not only have a unique decor, but will also offer only the specialties of the corresponding region. For example, the Japanese room will serve sushi, while the Mexican room will serve tacos.

This idea came from suggestions by many long-time customers, and we took advantage of this reconstruction to put it into practice.

Blake said, "Axe had themed boxes designed in London, and even provided a list."

"The private rooms originally reserved for each family were redesigned after consulting their opinions."

"Horace Jones said that many of the decorations need to be repurchased."

Charles took the list and flipped through it. In addition to decorations, there were also matching tableware, and the variety was extensive.

“No problem,” he said. “I’ll arrange for someone to make the purchase right away.”

The most convenient way to buy so many decorations and tableware from different countries is to have Vernon make a trip to Yiwu, and then go to the local area to buy what he needs.

Just as he finished his work here, Dumbledore came to find Charles, looking very serious.

(End of this chapter)