Chapter 955: The Feast and Revelry
Chapter 955: The Feast and Revelry
Hogwarts resumed classes, and the first day back was dedicated to exam preparations.
To be honest, for a fleeting moment, when the owls delivered this news to every young wizard's home, the collective resentment momentarily overshadowed the joy that followed Voldemort's defeat.
For the students, while Voldemort was terrifying, those lengthy assignments spanning several feet were even more fearsome.
Especially for the fifth and seventh-year students.
"We defeated...Voldemort," Ron complained in the Hogwarts Great Hall. "Can't the professors at least give us an O on our N.E.W.T results for such a brilliant achievement?"
Although his voice lacked confidence, Ron had indeed managed to say Voldemort's name in its entirety.
This change delighted Harry, who always believed that overcoming fear of Voldemort was essential to defeating him.
Previously, Ron would tremble at the mere mention of his name, let alone saying it.
This was a positive transformation.
However, while Harry was pleased, it didn't stop him from dousing Ron's enthusiasm.
"I have to be fair," he patted his friend's shoulder. "We didn't defeat Voldemort. It was Kyle and the professors who fought him."
"Yes, that's true...but we were also involved...we showed great courage..." Ron stiffened his neck, recounting the number of Death Eaters he had defeated in the battle and the numerous close calls he had experienced.
His story was thrilling, but Harry and Hermione beside him showed complete disinterest.
Even Neville, who was usually the most polite, turned away.
After all, they had heard this story countless times over the past few days, and Hermione could recite it word for word.
"Stop, Ron, we really don't want to hear about your encounters with Death Eaters anymore," Hermione interrupted mercilessly.
"And I must tell you, the decision to reopen the school was a joint agreement between Headmistress McGonagall, all the trustees, and the Ministry of Magic. Most of us supported this decision."
"Oh, Harry, what did she just say?" Ron exclaimed with his mouth wide open. "Most people supported it?
"Didn't she realize that among all the people here, only she supports this decision?"
Hermione's face gradually darkened.
Harry wanted to consider his friend's feelings, but he couldn't bring himself to say such insincere words.
The others also turned their heads away, except for Ginny, who supported her sister loyally.
This was probably because Ginny was in her sixth year, a year without any significant exams, and her own grades were sufficient to handle the final exams, so whether school resumed or not didn't matter to her.
But this wasn't important. The decision to reopen the school wasn't made by a student vote. Even if the students had voted overwhelmingly, the Hogwarts Express still departed on time, arriving punctually at Hogsmeade Station in the evening.
Minerva McGonagall, who had been busy these past few days, made a special trip back at this time and stood at the entrance to the Great Hall, observing the returning students.
Among the crowd, a rotund figure stood out.
Slughorn, panting, climbed the stone steps and reached the entrance to the Great Hall. "Minerva, why did you suddenly decide to bring the students back..."
He had just returned home yesterday and came with the students on the train...Judging from the frosting residue on his collar, he had likely monopolized the food trolley again. Instead of using Side-Along Apparition, which would have been more convenient, he insisted on taking the train, which took a whole day to reach Hogwarts. This alone proved that the Slughorn before them was the real deal and not someone impersonating him with Polyjuice Potion.
"The students should continue their studies, Horace," Professor McGonagall glanced at him.
"But that person..."
"Voldemort won't come here," Professor McGonagall said before he could finish. "We've received definite news, and only then did we make the decision to reopen the school.
"There's still some time before the feast begins, Horace. I suggest you change your clothes."
"Oh, alright..." Slughorn clearly hadn't fully understood Professor McGonagall's meaning.
Why wouldn't Voldemort come to Hogwarts...Did the Ministry of Magic receive new information? Or have they found him? Why hasn't anyone from the Ministry mentioned it to him...
Slughorn wanted to ask more, but at that moment, a group of students rushed in from outside, forcing him to move forward into the Great Hall.
Despite the hastily organized feast, the scene was far from shabby. Almost all the professors were present, along with notable guests like Bill Weasley, Oliver Wood, Cedric Diggory, and others.
These individuals had all performed exceptionally during the previous war and were invited to the feast as distinguished alumni.
Fred and George Weasley were also in attendance, but during the peak of the festivities, they spent over twenty minutes promoting Weasley's Wizard Wheezes through a hilarious pantomime. Professor McGonagall, unable to tolerate their antics any longer, silenced them with a spell.
Even so, their comical act had everyone in stitches, and the intermittent flashes of the shop's logo on their chests quickly attracted a large group of new customers.
Professor McGonagall pretended not to notice, turning a blind eye to their antics.
The feast was not only a welcome back celebration for the students but also a victory celebration for defeating Voldemort for the first time. Professor McGonagall granted everyone maximum leniency.
In fact, if Fred and George had kept their voices slightly lower and refrained from running around, they might not have been silenced at all.
Inspired by the Weasley brothers, more people joined the revelry. The atmosphere needed this celebration to dispel the gloom that Voldemort had cast upon everyone.
Everyone was in high spirits, with cheers and laughter echoing like waves, nearly shattering the recently repaired magical ceiling.
Well, everyone except for Slytherin...
A peculiar scene unfolded in the Great Hall. While the long tables of the other three houses were bustling with excitement, Slytherin was as quiet as if they were attending a History of Magic class.
Slytherin also had the lowest attendance among the houses, with over half of their seats empty. Many of those absent had openly or secretly supported Voldemort.
Of course, Professor McGonagall did not exclude them simply because of a few words from the students. As long as they had not taken any specific actions to harm their peers, she treated them equally and sent them owls.
Whether those who did not attend had not received the invitation or had other reasons, no one knew.
The remaining Slytherins, feeling awkward, refrained from joining the festivities, choosing to stand on the sidelines. This made the atmosphere increasingly uncomfortable.
However, no one paid much attention to them.
Everyone understood that just because Professor McGonagall was lenient, it did not mean everyone could ignore what had happened. During the war, not a single Slytherin had participated, and they remembered this well.
Moreover, if the outcome of the war had been different, the Slytherins' celebration would have been even more outrageous.
It was only due to the strict supervision of the professors that no one directly confronted and punched the Slytherins.
Professor McGonagall intercepted five Weasley's Wildfire Fireworks that were about to be thrown at the Slytherin table, including three Dungbombs.
True to their name, these fireworks would indiscriminately spray quality dung in all directions upon explosion... The dung was described as 'quality' because Fred and George, considering that others were still eating, had removed the stinking grass in advance.
Otherwise, this would have been an enhanced version of Dungbombs.
Even in their weakened state, they were confiscated mercilessly. Professor McGonagall would not allow the Slytherin students to become targets.
Although they had made certain wrong decisions, it did not represent the entire house or Slytherin as a whole.
Professor Slughorn had actively participated in the war, as had Severus Snape, and the silent Diana, who arrived later, was also a Slytherin graduate...
In a sense, Slytherin had also made significant contributions during this war.
The feast lasted longer than any previous one, with desserts, cookies, and small cakes being served in endless rounds.
As the feast drew to a close, the sudden appearance of the Minister of Magic, Amelia Bones, pushed the atmosphere to its peak.
The Minister seemed to have heard about the event and made a special appearance.
She did not stay long, only having a piece of cake and a toast of pumpkin juice with Professor McGonagall before departing in a hurry.
By midnight, when the feast finally ended, the Great Hall was in disarray.
"This is great... We should have more of these events," Fred said, feeling a bit reluctant to leave as he stood outside.
George, Kyle, Conna, and Cedric were also there, having reunited at Hogwarts once again.
"Are you guys heading back or staying for the night?" Kyle asked. "If you want to stay, I can ask the house-elves to move some extra beds into my cabin."
"Forget it, we don't want to live in some shabby wooden hut." Fred shot Kyle a disdainful look, though it was unclear if it was aimed at Kyle or the hut.
"We have more important things to do," George waved a thick stack of parchments in his hand.
"We just received a new order."
"The customers are eagerly awaiting the delivery of their desired products."
"We promised to have them delivered by tomorrow."
"So tonight, we might have to celebrate Christmas again."
"To deliver all these goods, we'll need at least a hundred owls."
They rubbed their foreheads, wearing expressions of pain mixed with pleasure.
"In that case, why don't you use the Extendable Charm?" Cona suggested, standing next to Kyle. "First, gather all the items together and send them, then find someone to help deliver them to the customers."
"It shouldn't be difficult for you. The people are already here, and if you hire Ron, it would only cost you two Galleons."
"That's a good idea," Fred said, "but it will reduce the surprise."
"Surprise?"
"The excitement the little customers feel when they see the owls flying towards them," George explained. "This surprise is part of our product."
"Oh... alright."
Although Cona didn't understand the difference between owls and Ron's delivery, she trusted that they had their reasons.
"And the most important reason we insist on using owls..." Fred began mysteriously.
George immediately understood, "Even if it's only two Galleons, we don't want to give it to Ron."
"Hey!" Both of them smiled mischievously.
"It's Ron's karma to be your brother," Kyle quipped, pulling at the corner of his mouth. He suspected this might be the main reason.
"No, no, no," Fred shook his finger. "It's his luck."
"This is special treatment from his brothers," George said seriously. "You should know that we're willing to pay ten times more Galleons for him."
"Good thing Ron isn't here," Cedric couldn't help but say, though he was already accustomed to the unique familial relationships in the Weasley family.
And this seemed to be a family trait.
He still remembered when Charlie was training them as Beaters during their first year. He had used a real Quaffle.
Normally, first-year Beaters in training would use enchanted Bludgers, but Charlie had brought out a real Quaffle for the two first-year students who couldn't even join a Quidditch team.
It was said that Fred had set a record for the farthest distance hit, nearly thirty feet.
Yes, Beater Fred had been hit by the Quaffle and flown thirty feet, but instead of being angry, he had bragged about it for a long time.
Perhaps this was the unique way the Weasley family interacted.
After Fred and George left, Kyle turned to Cedric on the other side.
"I should be heading back too," Cedric shrugged. "There's still a lot of work at the Ministry, and I can't leave it all to my dad. Also, I have to pick Autumn up from St. Mungo's tomorrow morning."
"Wait, what did you just say?" Cona was taken aback. "Why is Autumn at St. Mungo's? Didn't she leave Britain with her family?"
"Didn't I tell you?" Cedric blinked.
"No," everyone except Cedric replied.
"Well," Cedric shrugged, "that was their original plan, but Autumn's parents changed their minds and decided to stay."
"But I don't remember seeing her at Hogwarts," George said softly. "Did I miss something?"
"No, Autumn didn't come to Hogwarts," Cedric explained. "When the war at Hogwarts started, Minister Bones also began fighting the traitors within the Ministry. At that time, Autumn and her mother happened to be at the Ministry for some business."
"I see," Kyle nodded in realization.
Indeed, during the initial outbreak of the war, the Ministry had been late to join the fight.
"How is Autumn...?" Cona asked with concern.
"Autumn is fine," Cedric shook his head. "It's mainly her mother who was injured. Later, Minister Bones arranged for Autumn to stay at the Ministry to take care of her mother."
"Can we go and see her?"
"Of course, if you want to."
...
(End of Chapter)
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