Chapter 475: A Memory
Chapter 475: A Memory
"You're talking about the same thing", Ginny observed, shaking her bright, fiery hair and counting on her fingers. "In the early stages, try to get the trophy—either by claiming it yourself or taking it from others. Then, maintain your mobility—" She tilted her head toward Hermione, "—while searching for teammates and being cautious of ambushes. You also need to avoid the maze's traps and dangerous creatures—"
Ron nodded solemnly from the side, indicating that he had the same thoughts.
"—and in the final stage", Ginny's gaze lingered on Harry, "as time goes on, all the champions will get closer to the trophy. It's likely that you won't take a few steps without encountering a new enemy, so you must be quick and decisive in dealing with them!"
She made a fierce gesture, and Harry thought she looked incredibly cool today.
"Actually, we could also rely on luck", Ron suggested with a serious tone. "We need to consider the best-case scenario. Didn't you forget? We are the first ones to enter the maze. If we're lucky enough, we might not even encounter anyone else..."
...
They discussed in the corner for the entire day. In the evening, Professor Mcgonagall, who rarely appeared in the common room, called Harry and Ron out, leaving Hermione and Ginny puzzled. They returned just before lights-out, their faces beaming with barely concealed joy.
"What did Professor Mcgonagall tell you?" Hermione lifted her head from a pile of thick papers, her eyes unfocused as she stared at the space between Harry and Ron. She had spent a lot of time re-examining the rules.
"It's the Anti-Dark Magic Alliance", Harry said excitedly, handing over a certificate. Hermione and Ginny leaned in to look, and Ginny let out a short scream. "You've become an official member of the Anti-Dark Magic Alliance? Harry, is this real?"
"Me too", Ron reminded her.
But Ginny ignored him and turned to Harry. "Do you know what this means?"
"Um, it means... I've joined a magical organization?" Harry answered hesitantly.
"No, of course not!" Ginny's fiery hair began to dance again. "Listen, it's an official member, not an honorary one! There's a big difference—"
"I think I remember something..." Ron pondered, "Someone mentioned this to me before, several times."
"It was Lockhart", Hermione, as reliable as ever, chimed in.
"Right! He said he was an honorary member of the Anti-Dark Magic Alliance, not an official one... What does that mean?" Ron stared at his certificate, hoping for a perfect explanation.
"Official members have to pass an examination or make significant contributions, preferably something that can be widely recognized", Ginny, who knew more about this than Ron, explained. "I guess Lockhart refused to demonstrate his abilities because he doesn't have any!"
Harry was thrilled and revealed more details: "The Anti-Dark Magic Alliance told me that if I plan to become an Auror or a similar profession in the future, they can write me a recommendation letter, even if I'm missing one or two O.W.L.s—"
"But you won't take shortcuts, will you?" Hermione looked at him sternly.
"No", Harry said, though he thought the Anti-Dark Magic Alliance's promise was a good insurance policy.
"The only downside is that Malfoy also received this honor", Ron said, "How ironic, right? During the Quidditch World Cup chaos, he hinted that his father was involved in the riots."
"Why didn't Professor Hep catch him too!"
After a while, Ginny yawned gracefully and went to the girls' dormitory to sleep.
Harry and Ron happily examined their certificates, tracing the patterns and seals. No matter how many times they looked, they still loved them. After lights-out, Ron said to Harry, "I think being an Auror would be great." Neville, who had been listening, couldn't help but join in. "Actually, I, um, also want to be an Auror", he said, "Of course, being a professor is nice too."
Harry was surprised to find that three people in their dormitory wanted to become Aurors. Soon, Seamus and Dean also joined the discussion, and they didn't go to sleep until the wee hours of the morning.
In a half-dream state, Harry imagined himself becoming an Auror: Ron and Hermione were by his side, with Neville, Seamus, and Dean around him. To his surprise, Luna, Ginny, and even Draco Malfoy appeared in the crowd.
Malfoy? Even in his sleep, Harry found it absurd. He muttered in his sleep, and soon the images disappeared. He found himself standing in an ancient room, sensing a familiar smell like that of Grimmauld Place, though it was definitely not the same place.
He sat on a sofa, talking to someone: "Well done, Yaxley, you have proven your loyalty once again..."
Harry turned over, and his Occlumency skills kicked in, plunging him back into a sweet dream.
...
As June arrived, time seemed to accelerate. After the fifth and seventh-year Wizarding Exams, the Final Exams for other grades officially began. This also meant that the third task of the Triwizard Tournament was approaching—scheduled for the last evening of the exams.
The atmosphere in the castle became tense yet excited. On the third day, after the Ancient Runes exam, Felix overheard a student say to a friend, "Just four more days, and we can watch the final match, then have a week of fun before the long and wonderful summer break!"
He couldn't agree more.
For the first two-thirds of June, he had a great time. The transformation process was mostly complete, and although he couldn't see any practical use for it yet, there were no obstacles, indicating everything was going smoothly.
On the morning of June 21st, while he was supervising the fourth-year exams, Hermione insisted on spending twenty minutes completing her paper. Then, she took out her Runic Script notebook to work on the Time-Turner disassembly plan she had devised based on Nicolas Flamel's research. From her recent questions, Felix deduced that she would likely finish before the end of the school year.
What he didn't expect was that Hermione handed him an essay at the end of the exam.
"Professor, this is my design. I made some adjustments to Nicolas Flamel's research. Although the process is more complicated, it allows me to avoid advanced alchemical techniques."
"I don't see any issues. It's a very clever transformation, especially suited to your magical characteristics, Hermione Granger", Felix said after a thorough inspection.
Hermione left the office, satisfied.
Before going to bed, an owl landed outside the window, pecking at the window frame insistently.
After Felix opened the window, the brown owl, with an Owl Post leg band, circled the room once, dropped a palm-sized package, and flew away without a backward glance.
Opening the package, he found a small glass vial about the size of a thumb. Felix held the transparent vial up to the magical lamp on the ceiling, gazing at it for a moment. Inside the vial, some silvery substance swirled slowly, neither solid nor liquid.
It was a memory.
Whose memory could it be? Felix's lips curved slightly; he was intrigued by the owner of the memory.
Felix tapped the vial's stopper with his wand, and the sealed stopper immediately popped off. The black jade wand in his hand rotated slightly, wrapping the silvery strands around the tip. Then he threw them into the air, and a scene abruptly appeared:
In the scene, Felix's body was shattered by a burst of green light, and a cold voice echoed in the office—
"Avada Kedavra!"
"Chirp!" Valen was so startled that he froze for a few seconds before jumping into Felix's arms, covering his eyes and clutching tightly at Felix's chest.
"It's okay", Felix whispered, soothing him. He watched the light gradually fade, then caught the memory as it transformed back into silvery strands, rolling them between his fingers, lost in thought.
(End of Chapter)
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