Hogwarts: Harry Returns from Azeroth

Chapter 197, Section 196: Sirius's Death and Battle (Draco)
"Help?" Harry said with a half-smile. "Still so young? What do you want to help me with?"

"Of course, I'll help you woo girls, Harry!" Sirius declared righteously. "What you're doing right now is a complete waste. Look at those beautiful and enthusiastic girls! I can understand your self-proclaimed maturity and your disdain for those young girls' tastes—but don't you still have your upperclassmen?"

"Those grown-up, mature, adult, and quite attractive senior girls, surely they're good enough?" Sirius sighed dramatically. "No matter how mature your mind is, your body is still that of a twelve-year-old child. You need to have some hobbies that your peers should have."

“Learn from James, who set his sights on Lily on the train to freshman year—I mean, James fell in love with her at first sight and began a seven-year-long pursuit…and luckily, he succeeded in the end.”

"And then?" Harry asked noncommittally.

"Putting everything else aside, I definitely have a lot to say when it comes to chasing girls. I was very popular with girls when I was in school," Sirius said with a wink. "I can teach you how to chase a girl, how to win her heart, and make her fall for you—if you want, Harry, even girls who already have boyfriends are no problem."

"...Thank goodness Snape isn't here today, or you'd probably be fighting again." Harry sighed deeply, then turned to his bodyguard in his office and called out, "Morsali, give my godfather his medicine."

"Wait, Harry!" Upon hearing this, Sirius's face turned green instantly. Having already made some attempt, he didn't put up any more pointless resistance and immediately turned to run away—but was caught red-handed.

There were four earth elementals disguised as statues guarding Harry's office. They were supposed to prevent some audacious students from sneaking in and touching things that would end up getting themselves into trouble, but now they had become Sirius's nightmare.

"Wait, Harry! You can't do this!!"

Sirius, who was being lifted up like a dog, struggled incessantly, but how could a wizard's physical strength possibly break free from the earth elemental's restraints? So he could only watch helplessly as the potion, which Snape had meticulously brewed with malice and glee, was carried closer and closer by an earth elemental.

The medicine is indeed a good medicine, with powerful effects in curing diseases and saving lives, but the taste of the medicine is also enough to kill. If you drink one bottle every morning, you can forget about being comfortable for the rest of the day. It's like being torn to pieces and then pieced back together, with pain all over your body and stomach.

—This is Sirius Black's impression after his first taste of the drink.

“Of course I can do that,” Harry said irritably. “Your body still needs further treatment. After drinking this medicine, at least you can get a good night’s sleep, and I won’t have to worry about you running off to the castle and causing trouble for any students or professors while I’m teaching.”

Harry didn't want to hear anything about his godfather dating an upperclassman—yes, he did think Sirius should find a wife and have a child to carry on the Black family line, but that didn't mean Harry could accept Sirius lying to a student about becoming his wife.

"No! Harry! No!!!" Sirius cried out in despair, "You'll regret this! Harry! I'm the godfather! I—glug glug—"

There was no further sound.

Sirius's final struggle was drowned out by the sound of the potion being poured into his mouth. Then, under Harry's watchful eye, he was carried upstairs by the earth elemental and had already fallen peacefully asleep.

From the moment he moved into his office... or more accurately, from the very first time he met Snape, before Harry could even react or prepare, Sirius and Snape had already fast-forwarded to a wand duel in the span of just two sentences.

Moreover, this kind of battle happened more than once; they would even avoid Harry's presence and arrange a time and place to duel.

Logically speaking, Snape wouldn't do something like this, but it's clear that Snape had wanted to teach Sirius a lesson for a long time—for decades.

Now, Sirius is all alone.

Shaking his head, Harry stopped thinking about the messes Sirius Black and his father had made. Halloween was just around the corner, and as a Hogwarts professor, he had to help decorate the castle, unlike the students who only had to enjoy the holiday.

"Do you think they'll like these pumpkins I grew, Harry?" Hagrid asked uncertainly.

To add a unique touch to this year's Halloween, Hagrid planted a large batch of pumpkins—giant pumpkins.

“I think they’ll like it, after all, the pumpkins you grew are way beyond the size of normal pumpkins,” Harry observed carefully. “Did you use an Inflation Charm?”

The pumpkin patch in front of Harry made him feel as if he had accidentally wandered into a land of giants. Even the smallest pumpkin was about the same height as Hagrid. For the students who were not tall and not yet adults, these pumpkins were like castles, which could easily accommodate them to crawl inside and play.

"Ahem, keep your voice down, Harry. You know I'm not supposed to use magic," Hagrid said nervously, glancing at the pink umbrella by his door. His wand had been broken when he was expelled from Hogwarts, and he had been forbidden from using magic ever since.

But obviously, no one knew that Hagrid had used it secretly.

“I think you’ve gone a bit overboard,” Harry commented. “No matter how much fertilizer and care you give it, a normal pumpkin could never grow this big—anyone with eyes can tell you’ve used magic.”

“Damn it,” Hagrid muttered, “what do you think of Professor Sprout’s secret growth agent excuse?”

“That explains part of it,” Harry nodded, “but you could also interpret it as the earth element making the land more fertile.”

"Can they really do it?" Hagrid asked in surprise. "I mean—even though I used the Inflate Charm and the Growth Charm, these pumpkins still drained the life force from this land. I reckon the vegetables I plant here next year won't grow very big."

“Of course, that’s one of the functions of earth elementals,” Harry said confidently. “Making barren soil fertile and purifying polluted land—earth elementals are very good at that.” “That’s perfect,” Hagrid said sincerely. “By the way, which places are you planning to decorate?”

“I haven’t decided yet,” Harry said, looking a little worried. “What do you think about having ghosts everywhere in the castle? That would fit the Halloween theme, or maybe pumpkin ghosts?”

“That sounds pretty scary,” Hagrid said after thinking for a moment. “But ghosts are something you can see in the castle all the time, so the students probably won’t find it novel. I thought you would prefer to show some of the characteristics of your shamanic priests.”

“Yeah, I think so too… We definitely need to have some candy, I’ve already written to order some.” Recalling the Christmas activities he had in Azeroth, Harry said, “How about I talk to Professor McGonagall and have the students play a war game tomorrow?”

"Wargames?" Hagrid paused, taken aback.

“Use these big pumpkins of yours,” Harry said, patting the massive object in front of him. “They’ll make the best castles and chariots. We can divide the students into two teams—or more—and have them fight each other’s pumpkins.”

“Oh… those little rascals would absolutely love that idea,” Hagrid grinned after thinking for a moment about the scene Harry had described. “They love a challenging game of winning and losing.”

“I can make another outfit as a reward—what do you think of the Headless Horseman outfit? You know, the one from the legend.” Harry always knows how to copy.

“You’ll have to ask Professor McGonagall first. If she agrees, then everything will be fine,” Hagrid said with a smile. “To be honest, I’m quite looking forward to it.”

“Then it’s settled. You have to keep these pumpkins for me. I’m going to find Professor McGonagall now,” Harry said, patting Hagrid’s arm.

“No problem,” Hagrid readily agreed. “Wait, there’s—oh, it seems our little hunters have returned in force again.”

Following Harry's gaze, he saw his apprentices emerging from the Forbidden Forest, led by an adult centaur warrior.

Although some unpleasant things have happened in the past, perhaps it is because of the element as a guarantee? In any case, the centaur tribe led by Triton has now reversed its past traditions and has become more frequent in its contact with wizards.

Harry's homework assignment for his apprentices—hunting giant spiders—continued. Whenever the apprentices began hunting, Triton would send centaur warriors to guide them and provide protection when necessary. The venom from the giant spiders obtained by the apprentices would be sold through the centaur tribe. With the centaur tribe acting as a middleman, naturally no one would notice that the young wizards of Hogwarts were engaging in such dangerous activities.

Meanwhile, Triton's tribe also benefits from this process... At least during this interaction, the young wizards of Hogwarts changed their initial curiosity and fear towards them to closeness and habituation—many students even barbecued and played with the centaurs who became their friends, led by their apprentices.

Sometimes the apprentices would receive requests to deliver gifts to the centaurs. In this way, the centaur tribe obtained some supplies that they could not obtain in the Forbidden Forest in the past. The improvement in the convenience of life made some of the centaurs who had complained about Triton's violation of tradition less resentful.

And now, the centaur who is leading Harry's apprentices out of the Forbidden Forest is none other than Ronan, and after noticing Harry and Hagrid's presence, they approached.

"It seems you've won a glorious victory." Looking at the adult eight-eyed spider corpse being lifted up by an earth elemental at the back of the group, Harry couldn't help but smile and say, "Very good, very good."

In the traditional culture of the Tauren, hunting is the greatest honor for a Tauren, and hunters are an important part of tradition and history. The Great Hunting Ceremony is the core of the Tauren spiritual culture. Although Harry does not intend to reproduce this ceremony in this human society, he is still happy to see his apprentices have the courage and ability to hunt.

We old cow-headed people just love this kind of thing.

"Thank you, mentor, but this giant eight-eyed spider wasn't hunted by any one of us alone," Draco said with some regret after expressing his gratitude.

Draco Malfoy now showed no signs of the frailty he had shown last year. His skin was slightly red, a result of frequent sun exposure, and it had become rough. His palms were calloused, and he looked very shrewd and capable. His strong muscles were the envy of the other students in the castle.

Even when Lucius privately reported his work progress to Harry, he thanked Harry for Draco's change. In any case, the current heir of the Malfoy family has become like a real man.

“There’s no need to regret this, little pony,” Ronan said. “When facing powerful prey, the warriors of the tribe often need to act as a team, and such honor belongs to each and every one of them.”

“That’s right,” Harry nodded in agreement. “Collaborating with others is not a disgrace; it’s an honor you should share.”

“I understand, mentor,” Draco smiled calmly. “But do you have any other weapons? Lately, I’ve been feeling that my current weapons are a bit too light.”

As he spoke, Draco took the two warhammers that were tucked into his waistband. Yes, after careful consideration and communication with the elements, Draco, guided by Harry, embarked on the path of enhancement shamanism.

Everyone's energy is limited, so apart from those with exceptional talent, most people need to choose the path that best suits them from the vast road of shamanism and then delve into it.

Enhancement shamans worship the power of totems and attack enemies with weapons infused with elemental energy. Draco enjoys the feeling of hammering flesh, which worries Lucius.

"Too light? That means your body has grown again." Harry pinched Draco's muscles and said with satisfaction, "You are at an age where you are growing rapidly. During this stage, your physical strength will increase rapidly, like inflating a balloon. Remember to eat more meat and never starve yourself."

This is the oldest piece of advice from tribal elders.

(End of this chapter)