Chapter 1550: A Few Things Before the Conclusion
Chapter 1550: A Few Things Before the Conclusion
However, this was not something Albert needed to worry about.
Leaving Voldemort's remaining forces intact might be beneficial for triggering new panel tasks later on, and if he wanted to sell his defensive inventions for a good price, he needed those dark wizards to keep up their relentless efforts.
He could give them a symbolic reminder out of the goodness of his heart and the camaraderie they had developed over the years, but sometimes, people's fates were out of his control, even Albert's. There was a saying that seemed fitting for this situation: "Let go of the urge to help, and respect the destiny of others."
In fact, even if Albert insisted on meddling, the outcome might not be favorable, and he was well aware of that. Hence, he refrained from doing things that would be futile and displeasing.
Moreover, Albert had something more important to do—to determine if Voldemort was truly and utterly vanquished by assessing the completion status of related tasks on his panel.
This was crucial! Voldemort might have deceived everyone else, but there was no way he could have fooled Albert's cheat-like system (directly struck down by the dimensional reduction attack).
Upon confirming that all tasks related to Voldemort were completed, the looming threat that had hung over Albert's head since he realized he was in Harry Potter's world finally vanished.
Albert waved his wand lightly, dispelling the layer of defensive magic that had separated him from the others.
However, having just experienced the intense battle and the release of their pent-up emotions, the survivors were now able to control themselves better. Aside from a few acquaintances who enthusiastically hugged him, the rest of the survivors looked at Albert with admiring gazes.
Because...
Albert had killed Voldemort, putting a definitive end to the dreadful wizarding war and freeing everyone from the Dark Lord's menace once and for all.
"Okay, Hagrid, that's enough patting. Do you want to dislocate my shoulder?" Albert gently hugged Hermione, who had rushed into his arms, and complained about Hagrid's unique way of expressing his joy.
While it felt exhilarating to be the center of attention, Albert hoped that in their excitement, the survivors would not forget a certain hero.
Harry's sacrifices and contributions should not be forgotten by the people, or it would be a truly sad turn of events.
However, Harry was dead, and that was the reality of this world.
"Alright, everyone, make way!"
Albert intended to check on Harry's condition, hoping that the savior would come back to life just like in the novels, rather than losing his life due to Albert's butterfly effect.
Even though many unfortunate fates from the original story had been reversed because of Albert's influence, it would be quite unfortunate if the savior ended up losing his life as a result.
As all the survivors looked on, Albert, who had just made his way through the crowd, suddenly stopped and turned to Professor McGonagall, instructing her, "There are still a large number of Mandrakes on the viaduct that need to be retrieved. Please be cautious during the retrieval process to avoid being affected by their cries. And, where is Harry Potter's body?"
"Pomona will lead a team to deal with the Mandrake issue; she's an expert in that area," Professor McGonagall replied, her expression complex as she mentioned Harry.
After a moment of silence, she lifted her hand to indicate a direction. Sirius and Ron were quietly standing guard by Harry's side.
Ignoring the stares of those around him, Albert made his way through the crowd to stand before Harry's body.
"Is Harry really dead?"
The question startled everyone present. Just as Ron was about to say something, he was astonished to see Albert crouch down and reach out to feel for Harry's breath, as if personally confirming whether Harry was truly dead.
"What are you doing?"
Ron looked at Albert in confusion, unsure of his intentions. But he soon understood as Albert gently patted Harry's cheeks a few times, seemingly whispering something.
"Hey, Potter, wake up. Wake up, your family and friends are waiting for you. Come on, wake up. I don't think you want to leave Ginny and the baby in her womb behind, do you?" Ron's eyes widened in disbelief as he heard Albert's words, and he stared at him with a bewildered expression.
Harry! Sirius looked on in utter shock as Harry came back to life, and he immediately pulled him into a tight embrace.
"We won!" Albert said to the revived Harry, kindly reminding him, "Voldemort is dead, and this damned war is over."
"I'm not dead!"
Harry, still in Sirius's embrace, could hardly believe that he was truly alive.
Despite having heard it from Albert earlier, ever since seeing Dumbledore at the wondrous King's Cross station, Harry couldn't help but feel astonished that he was still alive.
After all, Harry had long made peace with the fact that his death was imminent.
However, nothing could make Harry happier than the fact that he was still alive.
"I'll be staying in the Headmaster's office for a while. If you have any questions, you can find me there or with Dumbledore."
Before the crowd could rush in to embrace the resurrected Harry, Albert quietly slipped away through the throng.
"Voldemort is dead, we've won!"
With the help of the house-elves, Albert apparated into the Headmaster's office and immediately announced the outcome of the war to all the portraits hanging on the walls. A deafening cheer erupted within the office.
The past Headmasters and Headmistresses of Hogwarts on the surrounding walls were especially exuberant, some waving their hats, others swinging their wigs, and a few even bumping their frames together to celebrate, each expressing their joy in their unique way.
"The outcome is quite satisfactory, just as you predicted earlier. Harry Potter has survived, and he should be on his way here after he's done with his business."
Albert raised his hand to quiet down the commotion in the Headmaster's office, then placed Dumbledore's old wand next to the Resurrection Stone, feeling no attachment to it whatsoever.
"I'll leave your old wand here. As for what you want to do with it... well, you can just tell Harry directly."
"However, it's likely that someone realized it was the power of the wand during the previous battle, so you'd better come up with a good solution."
"In fact, it might be a good idea for you to keep it." Dumbledore looked at Albert with a smile and suggested, "You're far more suitable to possess the Deathly Hallows than most people."
"Never mind, I don't need these things, and I don't want to bring unnecessary trouble because of them." Albert shook his head to refuse directly, "People's hearts can never withstand the test."
Indeed, Albert had no need for the Elder Wand or the Resurrection Stone. With his already formidable magical power, he remained at the pinnacle of the magical world even without relying on the wand. As for the Resurrection Stone, he had no desire to bring back the dead, and keeping these artifacts would only invite unnecessary trouble.
"Just leave it in your grave. Even if someone seeks the Deathly Hallows in the future, they'll only dig up your grave at most. And there obviously won't be many people daring enough to dig up your grave here at Hogwarts." Albert added with a playful smile.
His remark left the past Headmasters and Headmistresses staring at him in shock, and they soon wore expressions of schadenfreude as they turned to look at Dumbledore.
Looks like you're in a bit of a pickle now! "Well, I have something to attend to at home, and if Harry has any questions, please tell him that I'll be back later." With that, Albert turned and left the Headmaster's office, under the watchful gazes of the portraits.
...
As Albert rode his Nimbus 2000 over the turbulent sea, waiting for the ship hidden underwater to resurface, the sun had already reached the horizon.
As soon as Albert dismounted from his broomstick and set foot on the deck, he heard footsteps, and the cabin door was pushed open. A familiar figure appeared before him.
Seeing Katrina standing at the cabin door, Albert smiled and announced, "Voldemort is dead, the war is over."
"I think everyone should thank you!" Katrina stepped forward and gave Albert a big hug. "Your sister just went to the kitchen. She should be back soon..."
Before she could finish her sentence, they heard hurried footsteps, and a familiar scent wafted through the air as Isabelle rushed out of the cabin and threw herself into his arms.
Albert reached out and embraced her, whispering, "I'm back."
Isabelle smiled and lifted her head, her eyes shining as she looked at Albert, and then she kissed him. After a long while, they parted, both wearing brilliant smiles.
"Welcome home."
(End of the Book) And so, this book comes to an end. If you don't want to read the subsequent story, consider this the conclusion.
I will write an epilogue tomorrow (if there's anything to say, it will be said there), and then I will continue with the next volume (not sure how much I'll write), as I promised before.
(End of Chapter)
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