Chapter 165: The Leaf
Chapter 165: The Leaf
As the bell rang to signal the end of class, the mist that had enveloped the room dissipated.
Voldemort stared at Dumbledore, and the latter returned his gaze.
Through the thin lenses of his glasses, Dumbledore's eyes seemed like a deep blue sea.
"You showed me Voldemort's life..." Voldemort chose his words carefully. "...Why?"
Dumbledore extended his palm, and a leaf floating outside drifted gracefully into his hand.
"Look at this leaf, child. What do you see?"
Dumbledore answered his own question. "Some would say it's green, others might think of nature or the environment. To some, it's aesthetically pleasing, while others may view it as food for insects. There are those who would reflect on the passing of time and the cycle of life, and then there are those who would simply say, it's just a leaf."
He paused briefly before repeating, "It's just a leaf, Voldemort."
"What it signifies is up to you."
Placing the leaf in Voldemort's palm, Dumbledore smiled and said, "Lunchtime is approaching. Let's not miss the brandy-soaked fruit pudding today."
As Dumbledore left, Voldemort stared at the leaf in his palm, deep in thought.
In the story, Dumbledore had taken Harry on a journey through memories connected to Voldemort, analyzing the human elements and vulnerabilities reflected in those memories to guide Harry toward finding the Horcruxes and defeating Voldemort in the future.
But what Dumbledore had shown him was Voldemort's life trajectory. Without tedious details or lengthy lectures, he had simply presented it and left the interpretations to him.
Had their "club activities" been discovered by Dumbledore? Or had he deduced something from Voldemort's push for a retrial in Sirius Black's case?
Voldemort pondered for a while, then used the leaf as a bookmark before closing the book.
Regardless of Dumbledore's intentions, Voldemort would not change his approach.
...
The next morning, a swarm of owls delivering mail descended upon Hogwarts, dropping thick newspapers onto the breakfast tables.
Voldemort opened The Prophet to find a photo of Harry embracing Sirius Black on the front page, with Lupin smiling in the corner, his face only partially visible.
In one corner was a small photo of Peter Pettigrew in prison garb.
"Look, Sirius Black has been proven innocent! Peter Pettigrew has been sentenced to life imprisonment!" Padma exclaimed to Michael as she flipped through the newspaper.
Cheers erupted from the Gryffindor table, and the Weasley twins, donning bizarre hats, jumped on their chairs in excitement.
Having participated in the capture of Peter, they had been closely following the case, and now, with the ideal outcome, they rejoiced as if they themselves had been set free.
However, their other two brothers weren't as thrilled. Ron and Percy wore grim expressions, seemingly considering it a disgrace that Peter had once been their pet.
"It's unbelievable," one of Percy's dorm mates exclaimed loudly. "We used to share a dormitory with that creepy guy! Percy, I will never keep a rat as a pet in my life!"
Percy's face darkened as the surrounding students burst into laughter.
Some girls were also whispering among themselves.
Not far away, Cho Chang was speaking to her friends. "Marietta, I have nothing against hamsters, but... well... could you please not keep it in the dormitory?"
Marietta looked a bit uncomfortable. "Don't mention it. I'll send it back later and ask my mom to keep it in the garden."
"Shall we use an owl?" Autumn Zhang asked hesitantly. "Won't it get eaten?"
"Don't worry, I'll send it back in a cage..." Marietta replied.
Since they could use the school's public owls to send mail, many girls preferred to keep fluffy hamsters or mice as pets. On nice days, they would even take them out and hold them in their hands to play.
However, after Peter's case, the number of rodent pets in the school had decreased by more than half. Even those owners who were reluctant to send their pets away no longer kept them in the dormitories.
As a result, the two vacant dormitories in Ravenclaw Tower became a place for everyone to keep their pets. Some even preferred to let their cats stay in the common room instead of their dorm rooms.
The situation in Ravenclaw was slightly better, as there were fewer students and fewer pets. It was said that in Gryffindor, arguments over pets were a frequent occurrence.
"Hey, Draco!" came a shrill voice from the Slytherin table. "I heard Sirius Black is your uncle? Now that he's been acquitted, you must be very happy."
Draco Malfoy's face immediately darkened.
"Sirius Black is the last heir of the Black family, but unfortunately, he's a pure-blood traitor who has been struck off the family tree," added Morton, another Slytherin student, with deliberate emphasis.
Several students snickered with malicious intent.
"Shut up, all of you," Marcus Flint, in the spirit of fair play, interjected. "What does a disowned traitor have to do with the Malfoys? Draco has never even met that man."
Vied looked up, his gaze traveling across the long table to the figure sitting diagonally opposite him.
Draco Malfoy had his back to them, so they couldn't make out his expression, but Vied noticed that the hand he had placed under the table was tightly clutching his wand, the tip trembling slightly.
"Vied!" Michael nudged his shoulder and said, "Let's skip studying this morning and head to the game field instead."
"Okay." Vied glanced over at Draco once more before putting down his fork. The two of them left the Great Hall together.
The grass on the ground was slightly damp, but not muddy. Most of the plants had turned yellow, and fallen leaves covered the ground, making it feel like walking on a soft, thick carpet.
A group of over a dozen students had already gathered at the game field, waiting for the previous players to finish their match. Upon seeing Vied, their faces paled in unison.
"So, which game would you like to play?" Professor Flitwick asked cheerfully, his wand in hand. "A duel or a battle royale?"
A girl hesitantly raised her hand and asked, "If it's a battle royale, will it be the Vied version or the Professor version?"
Professor Flitwick beamed at Vied and said, "Of course, it will be the Professor's version, as Vied is also a player today."
Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief and exclaimed, "Battle royale! We choose the battle royale!"
Vied's face darkened as Michael let out a snort of laughter beside him.
"Very well," Professor Flitwick said as he pressed the timer. "You have five minutes to prepare."
The students rushed into the game field, those who had pre-arranged their teams sticking together. They drew out their wands and began moving objects around to construct defensive fortresses.
The game field's environment had become increasingly complex, thanks to the ingenuity of these students.
"Let's go..." Michael pulled Vied along as they dashed into the field, adding, "We need to find cover first... You'll understand why the Professor's battle royale is so popular once you've experienced it!"
(End of Chapter)
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