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Chapter 1220: Breakup Thoughts
Chapter 1220: Breakup Thoughts
"I hate Disillusionment Charms."
Harry slumped in his armchair, retrieving a crushed copy of the Prophet from under his rear and sighing softly. "It's even harder than I expected."
Despite receiving guidance from Lupin and Sirius during the holidays, the trio's progress in learning Disillusionment Charms hadn't been much faster than that of their peers, causing Harry no small amount of concern about mastering the spell before the end of the term.
"At least you two are further along than me. I actually split myself just now!"
Ron still looked shaken by his recent experience. Of the three, Hermione was the quickest learner and had already managed to achieve a passable Disillusionment Charm, even if she couldn't yet maintain it for long.
"You two should focus more on practicing. Your progress would be much faster if you concentrated solely on learning the Disillusionment Charm." Hermione attributed Harry and Ron's slow progress mainly to their lack of dedication, which had resulted in them falling behind her.
"Not everyone can pick it up as quickly as you, Hermione. It really is difficult." Harry noticed something amiss with Hermione and raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"
"Look at this."
Hermione handed the latest issue of the Defense Courier to Harry, who immediately furrowed his brows upon reading its contents.
Ron quickly leaned in, equally taken aback.
To their surprise, the Defense Courier boldly asserted that the enigmatic 'Mysterious Man' and the Death Eaters now vehemently hated Albert. They seemed intent on targeting Albert's friends from the wedding, hoping to lure Albert out of hiding and assassinate him.
However, their plots had consistently failed. The Weasley twins had gone into hiding, and Diggory and Truman had also successfully fled, even collaborating with the Ministry to capture a group of dark wizards, dealing a heavy blow to Voldemort's forces.
In the closing paragraph, Sirius reminded those close to Albert to remain vigilant to avoid being innocently entangled in the crossfire.
"This is obviously genuine."
Hermione tapped her finger on the article, analyzing it for Harry and Ron. "Sirius published this to raise awareness among others and, at the same time, send a warning to the Death Eaters to deter them from targeting more people."
"Albert sure knows how to make enemies," Harry muttered.
"Ro-Ron, your letter!"
Lavender suddenly appeared out of nowhere, squeezing between Ron and Harry and wrapping her arm around Ron's neck as she leaned in for a kiss.
"Hey, Harry," Parvati said, pretending not to notice her friend's actions. "We were wondering when you'd hold the next DA gathering."
"Wait, Lavender, I need to read the letter first." Ron was exasperated, but Lavender had already planted a kiss on him, effectively sealing his lips.
Hermione bent down to pick up the fallen envelope, then suggested to Harry, "There's an empty table over there. Let's sit there."
"Oh, okay." Harry nodded.
"That Disillusionment Charm you just did was amazing. I bet you'll master it completely in no time." Parvati attempted to strike up a conversation with Hermione but was taken aback to see her tearing open Weasley's letter and reading it together with Harry.
"We've had prior exposure to Disillusionment Charms, so it's normal for us to pick it up faster than the others." Hermione handed the letter to Harry and explained to Parvati why they were ahead of the class.
"A little faster?" Parvati mumbled. "That's quite an understatement."
"Ahem, I suggest you focus on mastering it as well. It might come in handy before the end of the term." Hermione exchanged a swift glance with Harry before resealing the letter.
"What does the letter say?" Ron, having extricated himself from Lavender, couldn't help but ask.
"Fred and George want to lie low for a while, and they're asking you for a small favor." Hermione handed the envelope to Ron. "They mentioned a generous reward."
"You two peeked at Ron's letter." Lavender was astonished by Harry and Hermione's actions, eyeing the opened envelope.
"This isn't exactly a personal letter. See the markings on it? Most of the time, these letters are actually addressed to Harry." Ron pointed out the unique symbol on the envelope to Lavender, explaining the situation.
To be honest, Ron was getting a little tired of Lavender's clingy behavior. She was like an octopus wrapped around him, suffocating him.
"What do you mean it's not a personal letter?" Lavender frowned.
"There are some things you're better off not knowing." Ron knit his brows. "Knowing too much could put you in danger. The Death Eaters might target you, and you could lose your life."
"Then why does she get to know?" Lavender pointed at Hermione sharply, startling those around them.
"Well, it's too late for that," Harry interjected awkwardly. "Ron and Hermione are already involved because of me. They'll inevitably be a part of this Wizarding War."
Hearing Harry's words, Lavender and Parvati froze, and the students eavesdropping nearby widened their eyes in shock at hearing such a topic discussed so openly.
"You know, Voldemort wants to kill me, and I can't hide in Hogwarts forever. Look at Albert—Voldemort wants him dead, and his friends are affected too." After saying this, Harry signaled for Hermione and Ron to leave, leaving behind a group of stunned students who had just heard the name 'Voldemort' uttered so casually.
"Harry, you shouldn't use that name so casually." Hermione chastised Harry, as if he had made a grave mistake.
"But it doesn't change the fact that Voldemort wants to kill me, whether I use a title or not." Harry shrugged helplessly.
"You know that's not what I'm talking about. There's a reason why the name of the 'Mysterious Man' is considered taboo. That man has cursed his own name, and if you utter it, the Death Eaters will be able to track you down through magic." Hermione sternly warned Harry, having noticed his habit of directly addressing the enigmatic figure.
"You have to admit, it's a brilliant move." Ron couldn't help but chime in. "Even someone as ruthless as Anderson never directly calls him by that name."
"Alright, I'll try to be more careful." Harry steered the conversation toward Ron. "So, what will you do?"
"Accept, of course. It'd be foolish to turn down galleons."
Ron was quite satisfied with Fred and George's proposal. It was the first time he had experienced such an effortless way to make money, and it felt fantastic.
"Be careful not to get caught by Filch," Hermione warned, frowning. "Don't forget you're a prefect. If you're found out, you'll be in big trouble."
"As long as we don't get caught by Filch." Ron completely disregarded Filch, "Don't forget, that guy's a Squib. Just cast a Disillusionment Charm and you can easily slip past him."
"It's up to you." Hermione also didn't want to bother with this matter, and turned to Harry, "Is Professor Slughorn holding a party soon? Are you planning to attend?"
"When?"
Harry used to be completely uninterested in Slug Club gatherings, but now he had to spend some time paying attention to these annoying things.
"This Friday." Hermione answered without hesitation.
"Hermione, can you help me come up with some other topics? I feel like I'm running out of things to say." Harry sought Hermione's help. After spending some time with him, she realized that Professor Slughorn was a bit tricky, "Maybe I should seriously consider using Albert's method."
"But do you think that will really work?" Hermione expressed her doubts.
"We don't have any better options, do we?"
Although the method provided by Albert was a bit harsh, it was better than doing nothing.
"Maybe you can try talking to Professor Slughorn about the wizarding war first, to give him a heads-up. Didn't Albert want to invite him to be a Potions consultant? You can try approaching him from that angle." Hermione racked her brains to come up with ideas for Harry.
"That's an idea, but I can't expect everyone to be like Dumbledore." Harry indeed did not expect Professor Slughorn to put the greater good first; otherwise, he would have given that memory to Dumbledore instead of making it his homework assignment.
"There's always a way. Besides, you still have Felix Felicis." Ron didn't think Harry would fail.
"Felix Felicis isn't a panacea, but Ron's right, everyone has their weaknesses, and Professor Slughorn is no exception. We'll figure something out." Hermione also had confidence in Harry, "Don't forget, Dumbledore gave you this task because he believes you can complete it."
"You two always have more faith in me than I do." Harry said self-deprecatingly.
Ever since learning about Voldemort's secrets with Dumbledore, Harry had been thinking a lot and became more aware of the heavy burden on his shoulders.
If they didn't destroy all the Horcruxes, they wouldn't be able to truly defeat Voldemort.
He actually understood why Albert only targeted Death Eaters and never confronted Voldemort directly.
Because as long as Voldemort couldn't be killed, confronting him directly was meaningless. Continuously weakening Voldemort's forces was more about preparing for future encounters with the mysterious man.
Just then, Lavender caught up from behind and wrapped herself around Ron, apparently having something to discuss with him.
Harry and Hermione exchanged a glance and tacitly gave the couple some private space.
"By the way, Ron's birthday is coming up soon. What do you plan to get him?" Harry asked casually.
"Don't use that tone, it sounds disgusting." Hermione wrinkled her nose and asked, "What do you think about 'Quidditch Through the Ages'?"
"That's a great idea. I think I'll get him something related to Quidditch as well." Harry thought for a moment and quickly settled on the most suitable gift for Ron at the moment: Quidditch Keeper Gloves.
The two of them decided on Ron's birthday present.
"However, we might need some help." Harry said, "I think we should keep a low profile and avoid attracting the attention of any Death Eaters who might tamper with the parcel."
"Let's ask Ginny, or Hagrid if she's not available." Hermione suggested, "I'll talk to Ginny tomorrow."
The next day, Harry got up early, left the dormitory ahead of time, and waited in the common room. When he saw Ginny coming down from the girls' dormitory, he immediately walked over to greet her.
"Hi, Ginny."
"Hey, Harry. What's up?"
Ginny was surprised that Harry had taken the initiative to approach her.
"Has Hermione talked to you about that thing?" Harry asked tentatively.
"What thing?" Ginny looked puzzled, apparently not understanding what Harry meant.
"Oh, then I hope you don't mind me taking up a few minutes of your time. I'd like to ask a favor of you." Harry pointed to the corner of the common room, indicating that he wanted to talk in private.
"Oh, sure."
Ginny followed Harry to the corner to chat, leaving behind a group of envious and jealous female companions.
"It's like this." Harry cut straight to the point, "Hermione and I plan to buy a birthday present for Ron, but given our current situation, it's really not suitable for us to show up and risk attracting the attention of Death Eaters."
"So, you want me to help you with the Owl Post purchases." Ginny asked with a complicated expression, wondering if that was all Harry wanted. "Yes, we hope you can help us with the shopping." Harry looked at Ginny expectantly.
"Alright, I'll do it." Ginny nodded in agreement.
"Thank you so much. Here's the list of items to be purchased, along with the payment."
As he spoke, Harry took out a piece of parchment and handed it to Ginny, along with a small pouch containing the money for 'Quidditch Through the Ages' and the Quidditch Keeper Gloves.
"By the way, please keep this a secret from Ron." Harry said gratefully as he walked away.
"I will."
Ginny looked at the parchment Harry had given her and tucked it into her pocket along with the pouch.
"What did Harry want?" Dean appeared out of nowhere.
"Are you curious?" Ginny raised an eyebrow.
"I was just asking."
"Harry wanted me to buy something for him." Ginny didn't hide the truth, "They're being targeted by Death Eaters, so if they buy something themselves, it might cause trouble. That's why he asked me to help."
"Buy something? Do you think the Death Eaters will really..." Dean's words trailed off as he heard Hermione's voice.
"Ginny, I need to ask a favor of you."
"Oh, Harry just talked to me." Ginny took out the parchment and showed it to Hermione, "He asked me to buy something for him."
"Oh, then I'll trouble you with this. Remember to keep it a secret from Ron." Hermione returned the parchment to Ginny, greeted Dean, and walked away.
"Here, now do you believe me?"
Ginny handed the parchment Harry had given her to Andrea, looking a bit annoyed.
"That's not what I meant."
Looking at the content on the parchment, Andrea felt embarrassed as it turned out that Harry just wanted Ginny to buy something for Ron.
"I'm just a little worried... Won't this be dangerous for you?" Andrea awkwardly changed the subject.
"It's no big deal, and..." Ginny said proudly, "My family has always been fighting against the mysterious man, standing with Dumbledore, and supporting Harry..."
"But you're still a minor, and those things are too dangerous for you." Andrea said anxiously.
"Are you scared?" Ginny raised an eyebrow.
"No, I'm just... worried that you might get hurt." Andrea chose her words carefully.
"I'm not afraid."
Ginny tossed her hair and turned to walk away.
(End of Chapter)
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