บท 119: Chapter 116
"I just…when you did…after whatever you did to save me…I thought you…you…" Hermione's eyes watered, and she looked like she was about to start crying.
"Hermione. No crying. Or else I start calling you Hermie. Forever."
Her tears promptly dried up as she punched Harry in the arm. "Ow! That hurt!" he said as he rubbed the sore spot.
"You deserved it." she simply said.
They spent the next few minutes catching up on all that had happened since Harry had been unconscious.
Hedwig had flamed in halfway through their talk and Harry told her Dumbledore's version of how Hedwig had found him.
And Hermione, after oohing and aahing over the beautiful Phoenix, told him of how there had been this entire Daily Prophet fire about how the stone was about to be destroyed and the Flamels were going to die. The news of what had happened in the school had been pressed into a paragraph in the seventh page because of all that.
Harry didn't doubt that Malfoy had a hand in suppressing the news to protect the school and the board.
"Its all pretty sad…how they have to die," Hermione said.
At that moment, Madam Pomfrey bustled over.
"You've had nearly fifteen minutes, now OUT," she said firmly.
After a nap, Harry felt nearly back to normal.
"I want to go to the feast," he told Madam Pomfrey as she straightened his many candy boxes. "Can I please go?"
"Professor Dumbledore says you are to be allowed to go," she said stiffly, as though in her opinion Dumbledore didn't realize how risky feasts could be.
Later, Harry found a handsome, leather-covered book beside his bed. It said that it was from Hagrid. Harry opened it curiously. It was full of wizard photographs. Smiling and waving at him from every page were his mother and father.
Sent owls off to all your parents' old school friends, asking for photos . . . knew you didn't have any, the note said. Harry had choked up with tears.
Harry made his way down to the end-of-year feast alone that night. He had been held up by Madam Pomfrey's fussing about, insisting on giving him one last checkup, so the Great Hall was already full. It was decked out in the Slytherin colors of green and silver to celebrate Slytherin's winning the house cup for the seventh year in a row. A huge banner showing the Slytherin serpent covered the wall behind the High Table.
When Harry walked in there was a sudden hush, and then everybody started talking loudly at once. He slipped into a seat between Terry and Hermione and tried to ignore the fact that people were standing up to look at him.
Fortunately, Dumbledore arrived moments later. The babble died away.
"Another year gone!" Dumbledore said cheerfully, "And I must trouble you with an old man's wheezing waffle before we sink our teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully, your heads are all a little fuller than they were…you have the whole summer ahead to get them nice and empty before next year starts…"
"Now, as I understand it, the house cup here needs awarding, and the points stand thus: In fourth place, Gryffindor, with three hundred and twelve points; in third, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and fifty-two; Ravenclaw has four hundred and twenty-six and Slytherin, four hundred and seventy- two."
A storm of cheering and stamping broke out from the Slytherin table. Harry could see Draco banging his goblet on the table. He remembered the quest he had about winning the house cup. The thought of failing made his stomach churn a bit.
"Yes, Yes, well done, Slytherin," said Dumbledore. "However, recent events must be taken into account."
The room went very still. The Slytherins' smiles faded a little.
"Ahem," said Dumbledore. "I have a few last-minute points to dish out. Let me see. Yes... To Harry Potter for outstanding courage, a cunning mind, brilliant use of logic, true loyalty to his friends and much more . . . I award a woefully insufficient one hundred points."
Ping!
Quest Success!
You da MVP bruh! Win your house the house cup!
Reward,
Respect from the teachers
Your housemates love you
10% more chance of getting laid.
50,000 Exp
"Which means, Dumbledore called over the storm of applause, "that we need a little change of decoration." He clapped his hands. In an instant, the green hangings became blue and the silver became bronze; the huge Slytherin serpent vanished and a mighty Ravenclaw eagle took its place.
A maddening amount of noise erupted from the Ravenclaw table. Everyone stood up to yell and cheer as Harry had to use dozens of well-placed banishing charms to keep his housemates from crushing him. Even Hufflepuff and Gryffindor joined in, elated at breaking the streak of Slytherin wins.
Draco glared at Harry for a second before raising his goblet in congratulations. Harry raised his own goblet back in acknowledgment with a chuckle.
It was a good night.
Harry had almost forgotten that the exam results were still to come, but come they did. Harry of course, had one of the best grades of the first years, with Hermione being the only one barely beating him. Even Neville scraped through, his good Herbology mark making up for his abysmal Potions one.
And suddenly, their wardrobes were empty, their trunks were packed, Neville's toad was found lurking in a corner of the toilets. Notes were handed out to all students, warning them not to use magic over the holidays.
Hagrid was there to take them down to the fleet of boats that sailed across the lake and soon Harry, with all his friends and Hedwig, was boarding the Hogwarts Express.
They spent the time talking and laughing as the countryside became greener and tidier. Harry had just lost a game of exploding snap against Terry when suddenly a small owl fluttered through the open window and dropped a letter into Harry's hands before fluttering away.
Harry picked it up and read it.
Dear Harry,
This is to inform you of the final selection of the family in the issue of your custody being transferred.
I will not lie, it has been quite dramatic. A surprise contender for your custody made themselves known a few days ago. Unknown to the Ministry, there has been a French branch of the Potter family since the early 1400s. And now that they have decided to move back to Britain, they're eligible for your custody. With the proof of familial relationship by our extremely reliable Office of Magical Heritage and them having enough resources to easily raise a child, they were the perfect candidates.
Having met them personally, I assure you Harry that Nick and Ellie Potter are good people and hopefully, will provide a great atmosphere for a growing boy like you. I apologize for the late news and hope to see you at the Ministry for that tour I promised this summer.
Hoping you are well.
Yours sincerely,
Cornelius Fudge
Minister of Magic
Enclosed was a wizarding photo of a brown-haired middle-aged couple. The woman happily waved at him from the photo.
Who were these people? Why hadn't they come forward earlier? How was he going to live with people he didn't even know?
"Who is it from Harry?" Ron asked
"Just a note from my book supplier telling me he sold out." Harry said.
A smile spread on his face he watched as Hermione suggested her own favorite book supplier and Terry suggested his own. Ron chucked a chess board at the two in response and Dean started laughing his ass off.
'As long as I have friends like these,' he thought, "I'll manage."
They collectively gobbled up twelve packs of Bettie Bott's Every Flavor Beans as they sped past Muggle towns, and soon they were pulling off their robes and putting on jackets and coats as the train pulled into platform nine and three-quarters at King's Cross Station.
Harry's hand clenched the letter. His stomach was a bundle of nerves. He quickly said goodbye to his friends, who went off to find their parents in the crowded platform, before scanning the entire platform for the faces in the photo.
He froze as he caught sight of the couple waving at him. His mind entirely short-circuited as he read the floating words above the man's head.
Nicholas Flamel
Lv-?
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