Harry returns from Hogwarts Legacy

Chapter 422 Christmas in the New Year
After careful investigation, the last black gemstone was finally found on the shore of Black Lake.

The professors breathed a sigh of relief. They gathered the gems in the principal's office and announced early the next morning that everyone could return to their dormitories and have free time.

The students were clearly enjoying the spectacle; they didn't understand what was happening, but that didn't dampen their excitement.

These gems were properly handled: two were given to Vivi, two to Sirius Black, one to the International Wizarding Federation, and the last one was placed in Mr. Flamel's alchemy hut.

“Mysterious, so very mysterious.” Monsieur Lemaître stared at the black gem, a fanatical expression spreading across his old face. “My God, I have never seen such a creation of dark magic before—at least not with my own eyes… Albus, where did you get this from?”

"It was Voldemort's doing," Dumbledore said succinctly, accurately catching on to Mr. Flamel's words. "You mean you haven't seen it with your own eyes...you mean you've seen it in books?"

“Oh, of course, Albus.” Mr. Flamel smiled and looked at Dumbledore. “You should know that I’ve lived all these years for a reason.”

"I'm sorry," Dumbledore said with a smile. He really hadn't expected Mr. Flamel to know what this thing was.

“Then what is this?” Harry asked immediately.

“A curse, a curse attached to an object,” Mr. Lemaître said, shaking his head. “Anyone who comes into contact with such a cursed object will have their mind controlled… In short, it’s a very complex thing, but I’ve only ever read about it in books.”

"Then how should we get rid of it?" Dumbledore asked.

“The Fiend Curse, the Killing Curse, both will do,” Mr. Lemaître said. “Most flames can destroy such curses… of course, they must be flames with magical properties.”

"Then how do we prevent this from happening?" Dumbledore asked again. "If Voldemort and his followers spread these things everywhere, that would be a real problem. We can't keep sending wizards all over the country, or even the world, to use their true forms to detect these things..."

"You're using Prototype Search for this kind of thing?" Mr. Lemaître was stunned.

“Yes,” said Dumbledore.

“Let me think…” Mr. Lemaître pondered for a moment, then said to Dumbledore, “Give me a month, and I will give you a better solution.”

"Can you go any faster?" Dumbledore asked.

Unexpectedly, Mr. Lemaître was furious.

"Then you should find someone else!" he said angrily. "You think a month is too long? Albus, you really are..."

He thought for a long time but couldn't come up with a suitable word to describe Dumbledore.

……

Snowflakes are swirling outside the window, pattering against the icy windowpanes; Christmas is just around the corner.

Professor Slughorn announced that a club-wide party would be held, where everyone could invite a dance partner of the opposite sex.

Of course, Professor Slughorn also respects those who are different, and they are not required to invite members of the opposite sex.

But this was somewhat insincere. Harry felt that Professor Slughorn must have added that sentence because of the orientation of some unnamed headmaster.

After all, when you live under someone's roof, you have to bow your head.

This has led to Harry receiving too many flirtatious glances lately.

Hagrid had brought all twelve Christmas trees that were a staple of the Great Hall every year; the stair railings were wrapped with holly and metal foil; everlasting candles flickered in the helmets of his armor, and large bunches of mistletoe were hung every so often in the corridors.

Every time Harry walks down the corridor, groups of girls gather under the mistletoe, causing a traffic jam.

They all had the idea of ​​kissing under the mistletoe, but Harry, despite being surrounded by women, remained untouched.

“You’re really popular, buddy,” Ron remarked. “Sometimes I think, how great would it be if I were this popular?”

However, no sooner had he finished speaking than Hermione punched him in the shoulder.

"I hope you can focus this energy on your studies instead of thinking about these trivial things!" Hermione said angrily.

After saying that, Hermione turned and ran away.

"What's wrong with her?" Ron asked, scratching his head.

“It’s obvious she’s angry,” Harry said helplessly. He felt that his good friend was hopeless—how could he be even more dense than he used to be?

Clearly, Seamus and Neville felt the same way.

The two looked at Ron with schadenfreude, but they didn't intend to make their point clear.

“I don’t think he’s as good as you,” Neville whispered to Seamus. “Look at you, you’re dating Lavender now. I thought Ron would be next, but it seems…”

"I don't think he'll get together with Hermione until you find a girlfriend," Seamus commented sharply, looking down. "Speaking of which, how's your preparation going? Haven't you always liked Luna? When are you planning to confess to her?"

“In the next couple of days, around Christmas,” Neville said in a low voice. “Whether it works out or not, I feel like I have to let Luna know that I like her. Otherwise, I feel like my youth will never come to an end.”

No, buddy?

Neville looked up, staring at Neville in astonishment.

When did you become so artsy, holy crap?
“What are you talking about?” Ron turned to look at Neville and Seamus.

"They were talking about Neville's feelings." Seamus betrayed Neville without hesitation.

"Oh?" Ron immediately became interested. "Who does Neville like? Tell me quickly—maybe I can even give you some advice?"

Neville, his face ashen, shook his head and refused repeatedly, saying, "No, no, Ron, I don't need your advice, I don't need anyone's advice. I think I can handle my own affairs."

"Are you sure you don't need it?" Ron felt a little regretful. "Honestly, someone like me, the number one Casanova at Hogwarts, is incredibly knowledgeable about matters of the heart. I could definitely help you win over your sweetheart."

As soon as he finished speaking, Harry spat out the water he had just drunk, sending it flying several meters away.

Are you a Casanova?

I have never seen such a shameless person!
After they returned to the lounge, Seamus and Neville sat together and began planning their operation against Luna.

Ron and Harry then began playing wizard chess.

A moment later, Hermione came over. She glared at Ron as if he had offended her—which he had, in fact.

"What's wrong with you?" Ron asked, puzzled. "Did I do something to you?"

"Heh." Hermione chuckled back at him, then turned to Harry and said, "You'd better watch out, Harry."

"Huh?" Harry asked, puzzled. "What's wrong with me?"

“I mean, just now, before I got here, I went to the restroom, and there was a dozen girls there, including Romida Vannie, all talking about how to get you to drink a love potion. They all want you to take them to the Slughorn party, and it seems they all bought Fred and George's love potion. I'm saying this stuff might actually make—”

"Why didn't you confiscate those things?" Harry asked, seemingly incredulous that Hermione's penchant for upholding rules and regulations had relaxed at this crucial moment.

“They didn’t bring the potion into the bathroom,” Hermione said dismissively. “It’s just a plan, it hasn’t been put into action yet. Even Muggle law doesn’t convict people beforehand.”

“But unfortunately, I’ve already decided to take Anne with me,” Harry said with a shrug. “They probably know about Anne and me, right?”

“I know, but it’s no use, Harry.” Hermione shook her head helplessly. “You should know that although Anne is a Slytherin, she has a gentle personality and rarely gets into conflicts with people. This is completely different from Cassandra and Vivi. Cassandra is a haughty young lady who keeps strangers at bay, and Vivi…”

"What is Vivi?" Harry asked with interest.

"Vivi is the kind of person who'll throw you around without warning," Hermione said, offering a very apt assessment.

“Indeed.” Harry nodded in agreement with Hermione. “So they don’t know that I’m already planning to bring Anne to the party, do they?”

“I don’t know, but even if I did, I think they think they have a chance,” Hermione said, adding, “I suggest you be more careful when you drink lately, so you don’t fall into their trap—I think they are serious, especially that Romida Vannie.”

“Wait a minute,” Harry suddenly looked puzzled. “Didn’t Filch ban everything that can be bought at the Weasleys Wizarding Arts Company?”

"Who cares what Filch forbids?" Hermione scoffed. "After all these years, don't you realize that the rules Filch sets are tantamount to allowing..."

Her lips moved, but she ultimately didn't utter the unladylike word.

“Aren’t all owls checked? How can those girls bring love potions into school?” Harry asked again.

“Fred and George delivered them as perfume and cough syrup; it’s part of the Owl Order service,” Hermione replied.

“You know a lot,” Ron said dryly from the side.

He waited for a long time before finally getting a chance to interject.

Hermione glared at him fiercely, as if he were a goblin.

Ron was deeply hurt.

“These were all written on the back of the bottles they showed me and Ginny during summer vacation,” she said coldly. “I would never drug someone else’s drink…or pretend to drug it, that would be just as bad…”

Don't say it, you really shouldn't say it.

“Hermione,” Harry suddenly stood up and said to Hermione, “come with me for a moment.”

Hermione, confused, followed. Ron wanted to go too, but Hermione glared at him and stopped him.

They stood in the corner, and Harry asked, "So, you really aren't planning on using this stuff? I think Ron, that blockhead, will never get any sense unless we drug him."

Actually, he had originally planned not to get involved, but out of a sense of responsibility to his friend, Harry felt he had to help Ron. He couldn't just let him stay single forever, could he?
That's just too... too sad.

"Then let him stay single for life," Hermione said angrily.

Harry shrugged.

“Unfortunately, Filch can’t tell the difference between cough syrup and love potion,” he said. “I think we should have Mr. Lemaître research something that can distinguish love potion from cough syrup. What do you think?”

“Instead of doing this, you might as well just announce that Anne is your date,” Hermione said, rolling her eyes at him.

Just then, Romida walked over.

"Hi, Harry." She winked at Harry, not caring that Hermione was there.

Everyone knows that Hermione and Harry's best friend Ron are having an affair, so Romida isn't worried that Hermione will be a stumbling block for her.

Hermione gave Harry a look that said, "What did I tell you?"

“Thank you, but no thanks,” Harry said politely. “I don’t really like drinking.”

“Here, take this,” Romida said, shoving a box into his hand. “A chocolate cauldron with flaming whiskey inside—my grandma sent it to me, but I don’t like it…”

“I’m sorry, Romida,” Harry said bluntly, “I’ve already invited Anne… Anne Saloo of Slytherin.”

Romida immediately became dejected.

“Well, Slytherin, Slytherin again.” She shook her head and sighed. “I thought I might have a chance to attend the party with you after Miss Grindelwald and Miss Malfoy graduated, but it seems that’s out of the question now—”

It was clear that she didn't actually want Harry's body; she simply wanted to attend a party with him.

“You should keep this chocolate cauldron,” Romida said with a smile. “Don’t worry, I didn’t mean anything by it. It’s just a Christmas gift from an admirer to his idol wizard.”

“Thank you, Romida.” Harry smiled and nodded at her.

Romida left, while Hermione looked Harry up and down.

"I never expected you to dare accept this gift," Hermione said, suppressing a laugh. "Aren't you afraid your jealous husband will find out and cause a huge scene at Hogwarts?"

“Not at all.” Harry shrugged. “Vivi knows I’m not the kind of person who falls in love with every girl I meet. As Romida said, this is just a gift from an admirer to his idol wizard. I’ve received similar gifts before. Actually, Vivi is a very reasonable witch.”

"Hmm." Hermione glanced at something not far away.

"So who are you planning to invite?" Harry asked Hermione. "Ron to the party?"

(End of this chapter)