Chapter 351: End of Term
Chapter 351: End of Term
Liam and Hermione left the Forbidden Forest and walked along its edge to the front of Hagrid's Hut. The sunlight outside the forest was bright and cheerful, lifting their spirits.
As they approached the door of Hagrid's Hut, Fang jumped out from the open door, barking happily and wagging his tail.
"Who's there?" Hagrid asked as he walked to the door. "Liam!" He hurried over to greet them, giving Liam a hearty hug with his massive arm. "It's great to see you, mate. Really great to see you."
They stepped into Hagrid's hut and saw two large, bucket-sized teacups and saucers on the wooden table by the fire pit.
"Olympe and I had a cup of tea", Hagrid said. "She just left."
"Sounds like your relationship is improving", Liam teased. Hagrid immediately blushed, the small patch of skin not covered by his beard turning red.
"I really have to thank you for your advice. She's had a tough time over the years. I almost caused her more trouble. But now, through our conversations, I've found we have a lot in common", Hagrid said cheerfully, fetching a few more cups from the cupboard. He brewed the tea and brought out a plate of rock cakes for Liam and Hermione, then leaned back in his chair, his dark eyes scrutinizing Liam closely.
"How does it feel to be the Triwizard Tournament champion? I heard you invested most of the prize money in the Weasley Twins' business. I hope for your sake they manage to avoid getting a scolding from Molly—"
"You know Mrs. Weasley?" Hermione asked, surprised.
"Of course I do", Hagrid nodded. "As you know, I've been the gamekeeper at Hogwarts since I was young. The first time I met Molly, she was a Prewett first-year student. Even back then, her strong personality was already evident—"
Listening to Hagrid's stories from the past, Liam and Hermione realized that this Half-Giant, though looking middle-aged, was actually from Voldemort's generation and was now in his sixties. Of course, his Giant bloodline granted him a longer lifespan, so physiologically, he was still in his middle years.
"By the way, what did Madame Maxime want with you? It couldn't have just been for a chat, right?" Liam asked as Hagrid paused after recounting some of his past.
"She's got a job for me this summer", Hagrid said, "but it's confidential. I can't say more, even though I know you two have been invited by Dumbledore. Olympe—Madame Maxime—might be working with me. I think she will; it looks like I've convinced her."
"Does this have anything to do with the Dark Lord?" Hermione asked curiously.
"Probably", he said vaguely, "but I'm not going to say more. Don't ask me again."
It seemed that Hagrid was still being sent to negotiate with the Giants this year, though they hoped his luck would be better this time. After chatting for a while longer, Liam and Hermione said goodbye to Hagrid and headed back to the castle for lunch.
That afternoon, when Liam and Hermione entered the Great Hall, they noticed that the usual house banners for the winning house were gone. Instead, the Great Hall was adorned with the Hogwarts crest and the emblems and colors of all four houses.
Dumbledore first announced the winner of the House Cup. Gryffindor College, thanks to Liam's victory in the Triwizard Tournament, narrowly beat Ravenclaw to win the House Cup. The Gryffindor students raised their glasses in celebration. After everyone had finished toasting, Dumbledore tapped his glass.
"Another year has come to an end", Dumbledore said, looking around at everyone. "But at the same time, I must once again solemnly inform you all of something—dark times may be upon us soon."
After much consideration, Dumbledore decided to keep the news of Voldemort's return confidential in public for now, only revealing this fact to those who would listen to him. To the general public, he chose to use vague warnings about the impending darkness. Of course, this might also be because, although Voldemort's resurrection had caused significant problems, no one had been killed. Therefore, Dumbledore felt it unnecessary to adopt the extreme measures seen in the original story when announcing this news.
A murmur rippled through the Great Hall, but it quickly died down. This wasn't the first time Dumbledore had made such an announcement, but the gravity with which he delivered this message this time around made everyone take notice. Given the recent events, most people were inclined to believe what Dumbledore was saying.
"The Ministry of Magic does not wish me to tell you this", Dumbledore continued. "Some of your parents might be shocked by my actions—either because they cannot accept that the peace of the past decade has ended, or because they believe I should not burden you with this information, considering your young age. However, I believe that honesty is always better than lies. If we try to hide this news, we might be caught unprepared and suffer even greater harm."
Every face in the Great Hall turned toward Dumbledore, each one etched with shock. The students here had grown up in a time of peace, and the sudden announcement of an impending war was naturally hard to accept.
"The Triwizard Tournament is designed to enhance and promote understanding among the Wizarding World. Given the current situation—given the threat of war that looms over us—this connection is more important than ever", Dumbledore said.
Dumbledore looked at Madame Maxime and Hagrid, at the slightly panicked Karkaroff sitting at the staff table, at Fleur Delacour and her Beauxbatons classmates, and at Viktor Krum and his Durmstrang peers at the Slytherin table.
Krum appeared tense and even a bit frightened, as if he expected Dumbledore to say something harsh.
"Every guest in this Great Hall", Dumbledore said, his gaze resting on the Durmstrang students, "is welcome to return whenever they wish. I repeat, given that this war is likely to extend beyond the borders of Britain and may be on a scale beyond anyone's expectations, we must stand united. Divided, we will be weak. In war, it is not enough to hide and protect oneself. We must show the same unbreakable friendship and trust to stand against it. As long as we share a common goal and open our hearts, differences in custom and language will not be barriers."
"I believe—though I hope I am wrong—that we will all face dark and difficult times. But remember, as long as we keep hope in our hearts, we will ultimately triumph."
It seemed that even though Professor Dumbledore had decided to withhold the news of Voldemort's return to unite more people, he still used a heavy tone to describe a darker future, hoping to raise everyone's awareness.
Liam understood that it was Professor Dumbledore's sense of responsibility that led him to strike a balance between raising awareness and uniting the majority. This approach could rally the most people while also raising their vigilance. However, it would inevitably lead to opposition from the Ministry of Magic, but it would likely be better than the entire Wizarding World's opposition in the original story.
With this thought, Liam felt a bit relieved. As long as things were better than in the original story, that was enough.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
