Chapter 732: Potter
Chapter 732: Potter
It wasn't until nine o'clock in the evening that Harry finally managed to escape the endless rounds of drinks. There was no way around it; it was his last day on the job, and all his colleagues were in high spirits. The last thing he remembered was Hermione smiling at him, followed by a rapidly enlarging wine glass being shoved under his nose by Ron! Harry gritted his teeth, thinking about the red hair and freckles, unmistakable.
"Mr. Potter, you're awake? Ms. Granger asked us to bring you to the island", a voice said. Harry whipped his head around to see two staff members standing behind him. "Oh, thank you", he mumbled, rubbing his throbbing forehead.
"You're welcome. We were heading to the island anyway", the man replied, and they left.
Harry wandered aimlessly along the path, surrounded by blooming shrubs and towering trees. Thank you, Professor Sprout, and all the Herbology professors who contributed to the reforestation... After a short walk, he felt a bit more sober. Guided by the gentle glow of a magical lamp, he arrived at a public broom shed. Ten minutes later, Harry knocked on the door of his residence on Sky Island. The door opened, and Ginny stood there, hands on her hips, glaring at him.
"Who should I take revenge on?" she asked, like an angry she-cat.
"Ron", Harry said bluntly. Ginny seemed to be both amused and exasperated. "I knew it", she said, ushering him in and making him sit down. Harry noticed a half-written news article on the table.
"... Retired Viktor Krum misses out on the 426th Quidditch World Cup. In an interview, he expressed his disappointment at missing this major event in his career."
Harry sipped his tea as he read. From the kitchen came the clinking of dishes, and before he finished the article, Ginny emerged with scrambled eggs and sausages. "Thanks, dear!" Harry said, immediately digging in.
"Are the kids asleep?"
"Yep."
"Krum won't be playing in the tournament."
"Yeah, his stats have been dropping over the past few years. I suspect the intense training and constant matches have taken a toll on his body. I've analyzed his game footage—he's too focused on winning. A few years off might do him good", Ginny said with a professional eye. After graduating, she joined the Holyhead Harpies as a professional Quidditch player and later became a Quidditch columnist for the Daily Prophet.
"By the way, guess who I ran into today?" Ginny asked.
"Cough", Harry choked on the scrambled egg, asking with some concern, "Not Snape, I hope?"
"Why would you think that?" Ginny patted Harry on the back, and feeling the strength behind it, Harry decided not to mention that Snape might attend Lily's birthday party (he had called her a stupid girl).
"It was Luna, Luna!" she giggled, "She's busy taking care of a baby."
"What?" Harry said, disbelievingly, spitting out a half-chewed sausage. Then, he mused, "I bet it's a magical creature's offspring?"
Ginny cleared her throat.
"… They brought back a few sapphires and unknown feathers from the rainforest, which turned out to be the eggs of some unknown magical creature… Well, not exactly. Luna embedded one of the sapphires into her clothes, apparently on Rolf's suggestion. The egg hatched on its own while they were shopping, possibly due to the high magical activity on the island."
Harry was speechless.
"The bird is quite beautiful, it can emit a rainbow of light", Ginny said with a smile, "You should check it out. Luna turned the eggshell into a brooch, which I think perfectly matches her unique outfit..."
Late at night, Harry stood by the windowsill, gazing at the island's night view.
Ginny wrapped her arms around him from behind. They stood there in silence, enjoying the peaceful night. The deep blue sky was dotted with a few buildings shimmering with a faint glow, more brilliant than the stars at sea. Harry knew one of them belonged to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.
"What are you thinking about?" Ginny asked.
"Headmaster Dumbledore", Harry replied unexpectedly. Ginny looked up, puzzled, and Harry sighed, "It's only now that I realize what a valuable gift Dumbledore left me."
"A gift?"
"Yeah", Harry murmured, "Memories."
"Memories?"
"Yep", Harry said softly, "Professor Hep once reminded me, but I didn't pay much attention. I was just focused on completing Dumbledore's biography. During our graduation trip, I visited the places where he and Grindelwald had their final duel, in Brazil, the United States, and Nepal, following the legend's trail... The effects only became apparent in recent years. Professor Hep said that some of my magic is approaching Grand Wizard level, not just the Patronus. I often have sudden insights during training..."
"Let's find time to visit the school", Ginny said softly, "Luna mentioned that several professors are considering retirement."
"Sure", Harry hesitated, "But it's best to wait until after the World Cup. I'm swamped with work. Professor Hep said there might be an attempt to disrupt the opening ceremony."
"What?" Ginny gasped, "But—how—has this ever happened? Sky Island has never been attacked."
Harry was equally puzzled, but for a different reason. He recalled the small note Professor Hep had given him, which precisely recorded twelve coordinates on Sky Island, including the Wizard-Muggle Joint Hospital, the International Confederation of Wizards Headquarters, the Future World Company Headquarters, the Lunar Support Center, and several landmarks.
"It might be the location where the opening ceremony caused a disturbance", the professor said vaguely.
But as Ginny pointed out, how did the professor know such specific details? Memory magic? But the event hadn't happened yet; it was impossible to predict the future. While riding his broom around the island, Harry had an idea—perhaps inspired by Hermione. He suspected the professor might have a Time-Turner, but the problem was that the device could only go back in time, not see the future.
From the professor's attitude, it didn't seem to be a major issue.
"Maybe he found some clues", Harry shook his head, not voicing his doubts. "He assigned me to handle it, treating it like a test. I'm worried about the manpower; there are two hundred Aurors and a thousand Enforcers on the island, but compared to the influx of visitors during the Quidditch World Cup, it's still not enough."
Ginny thought hard, then her brows relaxed.
"How can it be insufficient? This is your home turf."
"My home turf?" Harry repeated, thinking. He wasn't sure if Ginny meant the island's residents, but they weren't fighters. Fighters... A thought flashed through his mind, and Harry's eyes brightened. "Hogwarts! The frontline lookout, the Ouroboros Club!"
Ginny smiled, adding:
"And the Order of the Phoenix. Sirius isn't complaining about his retirement being boring, is he?" "He's enjoying it", Harry said pointedly. "He even declined an invitation to the Special Wand Academy, refusing to be a Headmaster."
"But I bet he wouldn't turn down an unexpected adventure, right?" Ginny raised an eyebrow. Harry, thinking of his godfather's character, nodded in agreement. "That's true."
The Special Wand Academy was the only place on the island that taught magic, but its students were unique—Wizards who couldn't use magic normally (commonly known as Squibs), ranging from children to adults. Compared to other magical schools, the floating island had a significant advantage: it was the place with the highest concentration of Wizards in the world, and the island's ability to collect stray magic helped replenish the magic consumption within the special wands. Therefore, the number of students at this special school was limited, with no more than two thousand admitted each year from around the world, aiming to help Squibs master basic casting skills.
"Don't worry, I believe you can do it", Ginny encouraged. "You are the hero who defeated the Dark Lord."
Harry touched his nose, feeling it itch. He mumbled, "Not many people believe that, and Voldemort was quite weak back then—" Ginny covered his mouth, taking a while to let go.
"I also visited Astoria at the hospital", Ginny said, breathless, her arms hanging around Harry's neck.
Harry struggled to calm his racing heart and followed up on Ginny's words. "Is she okay?" He had met Astoria once last year, noticing her complexion was turning paler, typical of the Malfoy family.
"It's not good", Ginny said. "It's a unique curse, the specifics of which are unknown, but we can infer it's blood-related from the symptoms. This curse is intangible and has plagued the entire Greengrass family, just coincidentally choosing her. Her sister Daphne is fine."
Ginny hugged tighter, and Harry felt a bit suffocated but understood her fear. Harry couldn't help but recall the young girl who was two years his junior, standing on a prize puppet snake she won in a dueling competition, strolling around the Black Lake. She was open and cheerful, a stark contrast to her current frail state.
An unknown curse, Harry murmured to himself, his mind swirling with incomplete thoughts: the Greengrass family, the Malfoys, Professor Hep... Then, Ginny hesitated. "Albus has a new friend."
"You mean Scorpius?" Harry, lost in thought, blurted out.
Ginny looked at him suspiciously.
"When did you two become so close?"
...
In bed, Harry pondered what to do the next day:
First, he needed to report to the floating island's headquarters. Though the official appointment would take some time, he should start working on the task the professor had given him. Fortunately, he was familiar with the island's environment after all these years, but he should at least meet the foreign Aurors who had rotated in this year. He also needed to visit the twelve locations mentioned in the note—after returning from the hospital with no success, he first went to Lupin's place. Little Teddy was quite charming, much more well-behaved than his own two mischievous boys. Then he visited the Lunar Support Center, where he heard something about a Space Island project, but he was quickly recalled to take charge of his last mission before stepping down, so he didn't fully understand.
Harry's thoughts began to wander:
At the farewell dinner, Ron said he didn't want a promotion anymore, being a department head was fine, and he didn't want to work as hard as Percy, who was determined to become a Minister of Magic as a family mission. Percy already had gray hair. It was clear to everyone that Hermione, as a Senior Undersecretary, had a better chance... Harry thought about the Malfoys and Astoria. Half-asleep, he made a decision to talk to Professor Hep, no, better to ask Hermione first... The professor's current state was a bit scary. Harry shuddered. If not for knowing no one could harm him, he would have suspected the professor had turned into a ghost.
He mumbled a couple of times, pushing aside the unreliable thought. From the corner came the murmur of a baby, Lily Potter turning over in her sleep. Harry inhaled the scent of Ginny's hair and gradually drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, Harry was woken by the baby's cries. He yawned, put on his glasses, and saw Ginny, still in her nightgown, tending to their little daughter. "Look", Ginny said excitedly. Harry watched the baby wet her lips with saliva, opening and closing her mouth like a little fish, blowing a bubble. She giggled to herself.
"That's funny", Harry said. "It reminds me of the merpeople in the Black Lake."
During breakfast, the family sat together, eating and watching the magical television. An enthusiastic voice was reporting the morning news. "Eight million people are expected to visit the island! No wonder, though. While the Sky Island has been hosting visitors from all over the world, this is the first time it's opening up on such a large scale. Imagine it—ten thousand people per square kilometer. I hear that's common in big cities, so are they living in sardine cans?"
It was Lee Jordan, and Harry felt a sense of nostalgia as he looked at the nearly unchanged TV host.
Lee Jordan was among the second batch to visit the island. Over the years, the Sky Island had undergone several significant transformations, each phase introducing profound measures. Starting with Professor Hep's creation of the island, a third of a thousand American Wizard families decided to stay, forming the first group of residents along with Wizards who chose to remain after the Christmas bonfire night.
The second phase was marked by the relocation of the Future World Company Headquarters. Many scientists were invited to collaborate on the integration of magic and science. Spells like the Permanent Sticking Charm shone during this period, and the scientists' machine-assisted abilities, which rivaled magic, amazed the Wizards. With the International Confederation of Wizards Headquarters and various large enterprises and national organizations setting up on the island, there was a severe shortage of Wizards, leading to a global recruitment drive for Wizards to settle and work on the island.
Notably, this included many Squibs.
But they preferred to call themselves "Low-Magic Wizards." A notable representative was Winnie Valentine, a teacher at the Special Wand Academy, who coined the term. Her teaching philosophy was "integrating Wizards into all professions", and she was expected to win the 'Dumbledore Award' next year.
"... A new wave of movie fever is sweeping the world. You know which movie I'm talking about, right? Yes, it's 'Harry Potter.'" The two children at the table immediately perked up. "Mafalda Prewett, who is four years younger than me, has been rumored not to have received an invitation to Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley's wedding, but my good friend tells me it's nonsense. She just missed the oath ceremony because she fell ill suddenly and couldn't ride a broom..."
Harry and Ginny exchanged a smile.
Six-year-old James looked around, exclaiming, "So, did you do it? Or was it Uncle Fred or Uncle George? Wow, I've always told Teddy I admire her—"
"It's not a big deal", Ginny said nonchalantly. "You admire the stories she wrote, which are about your father." She leaned over to look at the crib, where the baby was blinking her bright eyes at her. Ginny frowned, "That's strange, the milk in the bottle hasn't gone down at all."
She tried the bottle, but the baby kept dodging the nipple, her eyebrows furrowed, and her limbs flailing. Ginny looked at James with a suspicious eye. He was undoubtedly the most mischievous and energetic in the family—seemingly influenced by his godfather.
James swore, "It wasn't me!" His gaze shifted to Albus. "I heard Albus say he misses the taste of the nipple." James grinned mockingly, seeing it as a sign of immaturity. Harry, however, understood the cause. Was this a sign of a potion master's talent? But maybe it could convince Ginny... Five-year-old Albus immediately turned red and lowered his head, putting down his knife and fork and whispering, "I, I'm finished."
"Can I go play near the hospital?"
Harry and Ginny exchanged a glance. "To see a friend?" "Oh, yeah", Albus said evasively. "Come back early this afternoon. We're visiting the Lupins."
"I don't think he'll have time for us", James said seriously. "He's busy taking care of those furry... " He saw his mom's look and covered his mouth with both hands, muttering through his fingers, "I mean, Fuzzles."
Harry couldn't help but laugh. He took out his wand and with a flick, a thin golden thread wrapped around Albus's hem. Another flick, and a second thread wrapped around James.
"What's that?" the two brothers asked in unison.
"Trace Thread", Harry answered.
"Cool!" James gave a thumbs-up.
(End of Chapter)
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