Chapter 551: Halloween
Chapter 551: Halloween
On the other side, Felix was sitting on the sofa in his office, flipping through the newspapers from the past few days.
These articles gave him a sense of temporal disorientation. The front page featured Amelia Bones answering reporters' questions and announcing the end of the Ancient Runes Exchange. Felix hadn't attended, so the reporters often paired her image with a photo of him, sometimes showing 'Felix' visiting the neighboring office...
But flipping to another page, he saw the remains of the battle outside Hogsmeade Village: the earth was plowed and torn apart, resembling uneven furrows, with piles of earth, charred stones, and dark, deep holes and craters.
Felix wondered why they hadn't taken the time to fill it in.
At that moment, Wally wobbled and hopped onto the small table, pointing at Felix with a small finger, looking quite haughty.
"Chirp!"
"Are you challenging me to a duel?" Felix asked, amused.
Wally nodded seriously.
It pulled a wand from its little pocket. Felix stared at it for a few seconds before realizing it wasn't a real wand but an alchemy item.
Wally waved it with great flourish, the wooden stick making a whistling sound, and a whirlwind swept through the room, lifting Felix from the sofa.
Felix crossed his legs and sat on the whirlwind. "Hmm? Interesting. Is this an improved version of Fred and George Weasley's 'fake wand'?"
Wally's neck stiffened with guilt. No, it was Wally casting the spell!
Felix, hovering above the sofa, reached out and grabbed Wally by the nape of the neck, shaking it. Wally quickly covered its little pocket, and the fake wand fell into Felix's hand.
"Let's make some adjustments", Felix said, examining it for a long time. He had been busy recently, converting the magical abilities of magical creatures into Runic Script spells and then engaging in exchanges with representatives from various countries. It was time for a change of pace.
"I suddenly realized that Hermione Granger's theories are quite suitable for this. Magic frequency... another treasure trove."
Magical creatures do possess magic; otherwise, they couldn't use their quasi-magical abilities. Nifflers, despite being relatively weak, have a keen sense of smell and are excellent at digging and treasure-hunting. Their most notable ability is carrying a pocket that can store items.
But they do have magic, and that's enough.
"I need to test your magic frequency to create a personalized wand for you... what spells do you want to add?" Felix turned to Wally.
Its eyes gleamed with excitement.
"Chirp!!!"
That night, it happily received its new treasure. After a few tests, the results were surprisingly good. Wally couldn't bear to let it go, even sleeping with it in its arms. It couldn't wait to show it off the next day. From now on, it wouldn't just be a wandering merchant but a Niffler magician.
No one could just pick it up anymore.
Hmph.
The next day, Halloween finally arrived.
Harry walked into the Great Hall and was surprised to see a tall, robust figure at the entrance.
Hagrid was back.
Harry ran over excitedly. Hagrid's face was bruised, but fortunately, there were no new wounds. This seemed to indicate that Grawp's progress was going well. Harry couldn't help but wonder how he compared to Wally.
"Thank heavens, Hagrid, you finally decided to come out?" Harry said enthusiastically.
"Shh, keep your voice down", Hagrid said guiltily, bending down to try to hide himself, but he was too conspicuous. His actions looked rather comical. "I just got back to the school, remember? I had some business..."
"Regardless, you finally remembered to give us a class", Harry said.
"Right, I think the time is right", Hagrid scratched his chin and smiled.
"What's that?" Harry noticed a large wooden box by Hagrid's feet.
Hagrid was about to explain when Luna and Ginny walked in together. He quickly changed his words, "Oh, you mean that? It's a toolbox."
"Hi, Hagrid", Luna greeted enthusiastically, "Are you planning to come back and teach?"
Harry chuckled, as Luna had just asked the same question he had.
Hagrid looked a bit flustered and repeated his previous excuse, "I just got back to school. I was on leave for some personal matters."
"Firenze said—"
"He was mistaken", Hagrid said without hesitation.
"Oh", Luna didn't press further, seemingly accepting the reason. She changed the topic, "You should check the Forbidden Forest. The thestrals have a new king."
"Really?" Hagrid stared at her, looking somewhat skeptical.
Luna nodded solemnly.
"I'll ask Ook", Hagrid said half-doubtfully, "If there's a new thestral settling in the Forbidden Forest, I need to know if it's aggressive..."
"Ook is the most lively one, the one with the brightest eyes", Luna said cheerfully, "I call it Wulu, it sounds similar."
"I'm going in, Hagrid", Harry said, glancing at Ginny, who smiled at him. He hurried into the Great Hall and, after taking a few steps, couldn't resist looking back. Hagrid and Luna were chatting animatedly.
The Halloween feast began.
Harry saw Hagrid sitting with Professor Hep, the fork in his hand swinging back and forth over the napkin tied around his chest, as if he were about to start sewing. Then Hagrid picked up a plate of fried fish, glanced around furtively, and slipped it under the table.
"What's going on?" Ron asked, taking a big bite of a sausage and speaking with his mouth full.
"I think I know what Hagrid's box is for", Harry said. It was for the giant, Grawp.
"Look, they're so beautiful", Hagrid said, pointing at the bats hanging from the ceiling as decorations, "They remind me of thestrals. Their wings are almost identical, I mean, just in shape..."
"Truly remarkable", Felix said.
He reached out and pointed at a large roasted pumpkin on the table, which quickly shrank to the size of a small lantern.
"You can take it back", he said with a wink.
"Oh, uh, thank you", Hagrid said, leaning in and explaining in a gruff voice, "Little Grawp will like it."
"Who's Little Grawp?" Professor Flitwick interjected, his fork seemingly under a spell, as it was much longer than normal and had a hook at the end, pulling distant plates closer.
Hagrid looked envious and mumbled, "Someone I met in the Forbidden Forest. Need any help?"
"What?" Professor Flitwick asked.
Hagrid grabbed the fork and hooked nearby food items to the side, and Professor Flitwick exclaimed, "Enough, enough." Hagrid continued to grab more before stopping, muttering, "No problem, I can help you eat it."
Felix glanced at the staff table, where Snape, as usual, remained silent and didn't join in the conversation with his colleagues. Felix could guess that the past few days hadn't been easy for him, wondering if Voldemort had summoned him in private.
Professor Mcgonagall and Sirius Black were having a quiet conversation.
"Oh, no, probation is the lightest punishment", Professor Mcgonagall put down her fork and said sternly.
Finally, Felix focused on the central seat, which belonged to Dumbledore.
But it was empty.
(End of Chapter)
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