The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 409 Aftermath

In a noisy world, tranquility is like a gentle, flowing stream.

Although it is unassuming and unassuming, it becomes the longest and most melodious movement in life.

……

Under the night.

The castle gradually quieted down.

Of course, this refers to public areas such as the castle corridors; the academy's lounges are still bustling with activity.

Once you actually arrive at Hogwarts, you'll find that the common room is the real territory for young wizards.

In the common room, there are no professors you might "bump into" by chance, nor will people who don't like each other get into arguments. Most of the time, everyone can be carefree, or rather, unrestrained...

"They've really gone all out this time. I just calculated that all that candy adds up to at least several dozen Galleons..."

"Unfortunately, I didn't collect enough..."

In his Gryffindor dormitory, Ron muttered incessantly, filled with resentment.

Of course, Ron's complaints were limited to Harry, who was beside him. Whenever a third person passed by, he immediately adopted the demeanor of a prefect, becoming calm and reliable.

There's no way around it; after all, they'll be moving up to seventh grade next year. This might not be a big deal for others, but it's a serious challenge for the prefect.

Every seventh grade year, two student council presidents, one male and one female, are elected.

Many people share a common trait.

They despise power when they haven't experienced it, but relish it when they do.

In his pursuit of the student council president position, Ron was completely unaware that he was becoming more and more like Percy, even surpassing him in some ways.

At least, Percy once showed a lot of humanity for his younger siblings.

As his only friend with whom he could have a heart-to-heart talk, Harry saw everything but was powerless to do anything about it.

His past experiences have made him very clear that fame and power are ultimately just embellishments of life.

But as a friend, there are some things he can't say; he can only hope that next year will come quickly.

Aside from Ron, almost everyone with a discerning eye knows who will be the student council president next year.

……

Ron didn't seem to mind Harry's occasional silences and continued talking to himself.

"Dude, what were they thinking, coming up with this idea...?"

While chatting, Ron casually took out a candy from his pocket, unwrapped it, and put it in his mouth without even looking at it.

As the sweetness of the candy was absorbed by his taste buds, he froze on the spot, not only stopping his conversation but also forgetting to lower his arms.

Harry was used to people stopping halfway through their sentences; it was probably because they'd discovered someone was eavesdropping.

But this time it seems to have taken a bit longer.

A while later.

Ron suddenly spoke up:

"Harry, remember the flying car from our second year? Let's go find it in the Forbidden Forest."

Harry was surprised to find that Ron's tone was relaxed this time, seemingly without the affected airs he had developed as a prefect.

Perhaps sensing his friend's surprise, Ron spread his hands, revealing a relaxed smile:

"Hey buddy, don't look at me like that! I just want to find what I lost."

With just a few words, Harry suddenly felt that the Ron of the past had returned, and in his joy, he casually peeled open a candy.

"Okay! I'll help you look." Harry smiled happily.

"No matter what, we lost that car together."

……

Happiness is hidden and hard to find.

Perhaps, it's just that people inadvertently banish it from their hearts and forget it in the corners of the past.

But forgetting doesn't mean losing.

Sometimes, a sweet candy can awaken a dormant heart.

On Halloween night, everyone in the castle ate the free candy that fell from the sky.

Of course, the sweetness of candy is not limited to castles.

For example, with Honeydukes, a kraft paper package suddenly appears on the quiet counter.

The generous Mr. Froome will probably find it early tomorrow morning; kindness will eventually be rewarded.

Not only kindness, but also courage in fulfilling one's duty will be rewarded.

……

Halloween night.

After arresting the Death Eaters present, all the Aurors and Strikers in Pilton Village began to clean up the mess.

Whether it's talking furniture or candy falling from the sky, they all need to be cleaned up carefully.

"What should we do with these?"

Looking at the noisy furniture scattered all over the floor and the dejected Lestrange ancestral home, all the Aurors were at a loss.

Unlike other Aurors who struggle with their own dilemmas, Amelia, as the Director, had already made up her mind.

"Write to Swinburne tomorrow; these things all need to be put somewhere."

She had also witnessed Ino's sadness over the destruction of the house back in Hogsmeade.

Therefore, she doesn't mind doing a favor within her authority.

This is also what the other party deserves, since Aurors also get a certain amount of spoils when they fight dark wizards; this is an unspoken rule.

……

As a long-established family, the Lestrange ancestral home is itself a great treasure.

But not everyone can handle this wealth.

Therefore, no one present objected to Emilia's proposal.

In a few words, after deciding on the ownership of the wealth, Auror skillfully counted and registered it.

While everyone else was registering, Moody quietly went to the side and would occasionally reach out and gently pat the pocket of his robe, just like he was coaxing a child to sleep.

However, the entire area was filled with experienced and elite combat personnel, and Moody's actions could not be hidden from anyone, but everyone chose to turn a blind eye.

For this retired Auror who had devoted his entire life to his duty and ended up battered and bruised, taking a few cups was nothing; no one would choose to expose him.

Moreover, everyone knows Moody's personality; he's so cautious he has almost no friends. Now that he has this crying cup, perhaps he won't be too lonely in his later years.

No one spoke at that moment, not even Emilia.

In silence, they reached an agreement.

Similarly, Moody knew he couldn't hide it from everyone, but he still showed his attitude through his actions.

Because he knew that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, he would likely spend the rest of his life at Hogwarts, in his position as the gamekeeper.

……

When the autumn wind blows, it will inevitably bring with it a flurry of falling leaves.

But after the wind subsided and the silence returned, everything fell into stillness.

After the scene was cleaned up, the Aurors and the strikers returned to the Ministry of Magic in an orderly manner.

The rural village of Pilton has fallen silent once again after a spectacular fireworks display.

The occasional hooting of owls adds a touch of life to this remote little village.

Everything seemed like a dream, but only the flattened, withered grass around them proved what had happened that night.

Pilton village is asleep again.

But corresponding to this is the British Ministry of Magic.

At this moment, the Ministry of Magic seemed to have been forcibly given a bottle of vitality potion; although it was already midnight, it was packed with people.

Apart from the Department of Mysteries who remained uninvolved, almost everyone else who received the news filled the entire first-floor lobby, and even the Brothers Fountain, a symbol of harmony, had many people sitting around its edge.

These people looked relaxed, solemn, or worried...

Without exception, they were all waiting for Amelia, waiting to verify the message they had received.

(End of this chapter)