Chapter 666: Gifts and Wands?
Chapter 666: Gifts and Wands?
On the first day back after the holidays, the sixth-year students sat in the Charms classroom. Professor Flitwick, who had goblin blood, raised his voice to be heard over the howling wind and rain outside. He waved his wand, and the noisy windows were sealed shut, bringing peace to the classroom.
"Alright, everyone, pay attention. The Final Exam is less than two months away", Flitwick said in his high-pitched voice, holding his wand. "Open your textbooks and read the second-to-last chapter."
The students silently took out their books and began reading, the tightly shut windows blocking out the raindrops and the dark sky, but the occasional rumble of thunder still found its way into their ears.
Ron and Hermione exchanged a worried glance as they flipped through their books.
"Harry will be fine", Ron whispered, a bit uneasily. Hermione slowly nodded. Beside them, a seat remained empty, reserved for Harry. It had been nearly two hours since they last saw him.
At the edge of the Forbidden Forest, in Hagrid's Hut.
Rain poured heavily onto the roof, making a loud pattering sound. Inside, Hagrid stood nervously by the fireplace, not even noticing the milk pot on the stove boiling over. The dog Fang whimpered softly.
"Are you a coward, not even recognizing Harry?" Hagrid growled at the frightened dog hiding behind him.
Before them, Felix, Dumbledore, and Professor Mcgonagall circled a tall stag, examining its condition.
"Are you alright, Harry?"
The stag bleated twice, then seemed to realize the language barrier and shook its antlered head. However, Felix and Dumbledore didn't relax. Felix's eyes turned grayish-white as he circled the stag slowly.
Dumbledore also stared intently, his sharp gaze seemingly piercing through the stag's brown-gray skin.
After about ten minutes, they stopped.
Felix and Dumbledore exchanged a look. "I didn't find any problems", Felix said. Dumbledore blinked. "Neither did I. But we need to observe him further."
"I'll stay. I have no classes this morning", Felix said, understanding the unspoken message.
Dumbledore and Professor Mcgonagall left together. As they pushed open the door, a lightning bolt illuminated the empty space in front of the hut, highlighting Professor Mcgonagall's puzzled expression. "Dumbledore, I don't understand..."
The door closed behind them.
"This rain is quite heavy", Hagrid muttered, then watched in surprise as the stag's antlers slowly retracted and its body straightened, transforming into a wizard. He walked over and enveloped Harry in a bear hug with his massive arm, then handed him a steaming cup.
"Drink some milk, you must be exhausted..."
"Thanks, Hagrid. If you ask me, I know why this rain is happening."
Harry muttered. At that moment, Felix peered out the window. They heard a high-pitched cry from above.
The rain gradually subsided.
Harry sipped the hot milk, his mind gradually settling after his first Animagus transformation. New thoughts began to form.
It had been two weeks since the last full moon, and he felt the stirrings of his Animagus form again. Everything seemed to fall into place this time. He learned from his previous experience and immediately reported it to Professor Mcgonagall, fearing another Stunning Spell might come his way.
It was clear that Professor Mcgonagall had the same concern. She quickly notified Professor Hep.
What followed was beyond Harry's expectations—Professor Hep arrived with Headmaster Dumbledore, who had been absent throughout the Easter break. Dumbledore's eyes sparkled with amusement, but his smile faded slightly when he saw Harry.
"Just a coincidence", Dumbledore explained briefly. "I promised to help gather some clouds."
The reason sounded plausible, as only a few thin clouds hung on the horizon. It should have been a sunny day, but after twenty minutes, the sky was filled with dark clouds. A massive shadow loomed over Harry, and he knew it was the Thunderbird.
In no time, lightning and thunder filled the air, and the rain poured down.
After retrieving the hidden potion, Dumbledore didn't let Harry transform immediately. Instead, he took Harry to Hagrid's Hut, where Harry took the red potion in the vegetable patch. Hagrid was flustered by the unexpected visitors, and the hut was in disarray. He marveled at Harry's transformation into a large stag.
For some reason, Harry felt the professors were a bit tense. This was understandable for Professor Mcgonagall, whose stern exterior hid a caring heart. But it was strange for Professor Hep and Dumbledore.
Especially compared to Hermione's transformation, where Professor Hep's expression was like someone enjoying a spring outing, pulling out various snacks from her pockets, a memory that stuck with Harry.
He was afraid that Professor would follow suit and pull another handful of weeds from his pocket to stuff into his mouth.
After successfully transforming, Harry was led into the hut—reluctantly leaving the Pumpkin Patch behind, where the lush pumpkin sprouts had an unusual allure, and he realized he hadn’t eaten breakfast that morning. The professors took turns examining his body, as if his Animagus form wasn’t a stag but a delicate and fragile piece of porcelain.
There must be something we’re missing, Harry thought resentfully.
Before he knew it, the glass of milk was empty.
"Rest up, Harry. Let’s try again", Felix said. The rain had completely stopped, and a beam of sunlight shone through, illuminating the room. Harry put down his glass and stood up silently.
"Why don’t you rest a bit more and have a sausage or something", Hagrid suggested from the side.
"Hagrid, time is limited. Let’s get the important things done first", Felix replied. "After the training, I think Harry will prefer vegetables."
With that, he gestured for Harry to begin. Harry took a deep breath, pointed his wand at himself, and his heart began to beat strongly. A tall animal image appeared in his mind, and Harry embraced the feeling with all his might.
His body began to transform, his clothes and glasses melting into his body like liquid. He felt discomfort, but it was much better than the intense pain he had experienced the first time. He even managed to control the sudden urge to break through the window and run away.
In his stag form, some of his human features were retained. The fur around his eyes was a darker color, and upon closer inspection, it resembled Harry’s glasses. His wand fell to the floor.
Felix scrutinized Harry carefully.
A faint, pristine light surrounded the stag’s body, but beneath the white light, there was a layer of black glow, seemingly merging with the fur, making it hard to notice.
After a full ten minutes, Harry was allowed to transform back. He was panting, and the ease of the second transformation made him feel the pressure of the professor’s eyes.
"Professor, is something wrong?" Harry asked.
"Nothing obvious so far", Felix replied.
Before Harry began practicing his Animagus transformation, he and Dumbledore had considered the risks and concluded that it shouldn’t be a problem. Voldemort’s soul fragment was attached to Harry’s soul, not a specific part of his body, so theoretically, the Animagus transformation shouldn’t affect him much.
But it’s always better to be cautious.
After all, the soul fragment contained magic, and no one could guarantee that this magic wouldn’t participate in the transformation. However, given that the soul fragment had been dormant, the likelihood of this happening was minimal.
Next, they would test whether repeated transformations would activate the dormant soul fragment.
...
It wasn’t until after noon that Felix left Hagrid’s Hut. Harry checked the time and decided to stay and have lunch with Hagrid. Before long, the iron pot was filled with the aroma of mushrooms and wild vegetables.
"Knock, knock!"
A knock came from the door. Harry and Hagrid exchanged glances, and Harry went to open it. Outside stood Ron and Hermione. Before he could speak, Hermione eagerly said, "We ran into Professor Hep on the way."
"Quite a coincidence", Harry said with a smile.
The four of them stared at the mushroom soup, "Not enough", Hagrid mumbled, "I remember there were some cookies..." Hermione quickly pulled out a pile of snacks from her beaded purse, and Harry and Ron urged Hagrid not to bother.
"You’re well-prepared", Hagrid said in a deep voice, stirring the food in the pot. "I’ll grill some sausages, nice and greasy, your favorite."
Harry suddenly felt a wave of nausea. Professor Hep’s words had unfortunately come true.
He decided to look up what stags usually ate when he got back, but maybe he didn’t need to. He was already drawn to the Pumpkin Patch behind the hut...
"So, your transformation went smoothly? Dumbledore appeared too?" Ron asked with a clear purpose. Hagrid’s attention was diverted, and Harry mentioned that Dumbledore had appeared to "make some clouds." Ron and Hermione were skeptical.
"But if the professors say it’s fine, that means you can practice Animagus transformations in the future, right?" Ron whispered. "That’s great. I wonder when I’ll get to experience that." He couldn’t help but feel a bit envious.
"I’ve tried it twice, so it was naturally faster", Harry said.
Hermione suggested that Ron practice the Patronus Charm more often.
"Time is always short", Ron complained. "Professor Flitwick told us this morning that we only have six weeks until the exam, and then he assigned a two-foot essay."
They quickly moved on from the topic as the pot on the stove began to boil. The four of them happily enjoyed a hearty meal of mushroom and vegetable soup and grilled sausages, with Hagrid alone eating three-quarters of the food.
After eating and drinking, their conversation topics became more varied.
"Professor Barty Crouch Jr. is also well-versed in the Patronus Charm. He said advanced Patronuses can have additional magic attached", Harry said after swallowing a bite of chocolate cauldron cake, patting his bloated stomach, feeling quite full.
Mentioning magic, Hermione immediately perked up.
"There's a possibility", she analyzed slowly. "Remember? Professor Hep can incorporate Ancient Runes into his Patronus, but he almost completely reconstructed the magic using Memory Nodes..."
"Speaking of Professor Barty", Hagrid seemed to recall something, "I forgot to send him an Easter egg. The poor man... I remember him saying he was from abroad, so he might not have received any gifts."
"Dumbledore did", Harry said immediately. "I saw the wrapping and card in his office. Um—Neville and I sent one too."
"Oh, that's good", Hagrid seemed relieved. "Dumbledore is indeed considerate in that way. He also sent Severus a gift, on the morning after Easter, I think..."
"Wait a moment!" Harry interrupted hastily. "You mean the morning after Easter?"
"Yes." Hagrid looked at him curiously.
"But Dumbledore didn't—" Harry was a bit confused. Dumbledore had told him he would be staying with his brother for the entire holiday, dealing with important matters.
"Maybe he came back in between", Hermione whispered.
"Right, Hogsmeade is so close to the school. He could have come back during a morning walk", Ron added.
Harry was almost convinced, though a lingering doubt still nagged at him. He asked Hagrid, "Did you see them? What did they say?"
"I don't know. I had just returned from deep in the Forbidden Forest. Grawp is building his own house now, cough—when I saw them talking, I walked away", Hagrid grumbled. "Do I look like someone who eavesdrops? And my size doesn't allow it..."
Ron snickered, quickly covering his mouth. "Sorry, Hagrid—didn't mean to."
"What about their actions? You said Snape received a gift?" Harry pressed on.
"You're quite curious, aren't you?" Hagrid gave him a stern look but then seemed to recall. "Well, I just caught a glimpse—Snape didn't look too good... Dumbledore, on the other hand, sounded cheerful and was insisting he take something. I assume it was a gift, right?"
Harry thought about it.
"So, you didn't actually see Snape holding a round Easter egg, just heard a few words... Could Dumbledore have been trying to give him something else?"
"What could it be?" Hagrid countered, tugging at his beard.
"I don't know, maybe a Christmas hat?" Harry guessed randomly. He suddenly realized his memories of Snape had faded over the past few months. He hadn't seen him much, and his most vivid memory was from Christmas.
They discussed it a bit more but didn't come up with any useful ideas. They bid Hagrid farewell and headed toward the castle.
"Maybe it was just a regular gift", Ron said, noticing Harry's distracted demeanor. "Think about it, Snape probably doesn't get many gifts. Besides Dumbledore, I suppose only Professor Hep and maybe Malfoy would."
"Or—Voldemort's wand!" Harry said suddenly, a jolt of excitement coursing through him.
He had been thinking about what important item Dumbledore could have given away. He considered the Pensieve, Horcrux containers, the Resurrection Stone, the funny-sounding silverware on his desk, and even a book, but dismissed them one by one as either unlikely or insignificant.
But then he remembered the wand Dumbledore had been examining on his desk during their first lesson.
Ron and Hermione exchanged glances. Harry, however, was excited and continued, "Headmaster Dumbledore had that wand long before Voldemort's resurrection! At the time, Mr. Crouch Sr. was under the Imperius and Confundus Curses, serving the weakened Voldemort, while his son, Barty Crouch Jr., was impersonating Mad-Eye Moody at the school. On Christmas Day, Headmaster and Professor Hep launched a surprise raid on the Crouch residence, and the wand was one of the spoils."
He went on excitedly, "And the wand itself is significant. It was Voldemort's first wand, with a Phoenix feather core from Fawkes. If it hadn't been lost, he might not have sought a new one..."
"But why? Why would Dumbledore give Voldemort's wand to Snape? Snape can't use it", Ron asked.
"Right, why?" Harry murmured.
"Harry, you could ask Headmaster Dumbledore directly. You have plenty of opportunities", Hermione suggested, referring to their private lessons.
"I—", Harry hesitated, unsure and indecisive.
"I'm not sure. If Headmaster Dumbledore sneaked back, he clearly didn't want a third person to know about his conversation with Snape, right? I might not get any answers—"
He suddenly stopped, eyes wide. A large silver creature with long horns flashed past them, heading straight for the castle.
(End of Chapter)
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