Chapter 611 Bonfire Dinner

Several major events occurred around the last week of July.

The first was that the Ministry of Magic officially announced the lifting of the state of war. At this point, the stone hanging in the air finally fell to the ground. Even the wizarding people who had been secretly celebrating for a while could not contain their excitement and joy. They took to the streets again to cheer for peace, because it meant that the Ministry of Magic had given a formal conclusion and it also marked the end of the war. Also

announced was the investigation and evidence collection of wizard criminals who committed crimes during the war.

Some pure-blood families breathed a sigh of relief.

The second thing surprised everyone who heard it for the first time, and it had a wider impact-Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, took the initiative to resign from the position of President of the International Confederation of Wizards on the grounds of being too old.

"No wonder," Hagrid said in a muffled voice. He sat on the sofa in the living room of the Black mansion, occupying two seats by himself. "Those good-for-nothings keep complaining at international conferences about how much loss they have suffered. It's all nonsense! The time that You-Know-Who has been wreaking havoc outside has only been two months in total."

"What do they want?" Bill asked.

"A lot," Mr. Weasley wiped his glasses and said, "As you know, You-Know-Who first stole the snakewood wand of Ilvermorny School and killed their headmaster at the school gate; after being quiet for a while, he reappeared and robbed treasures from various countries everywhere-" "

Gringotts alone suffered a lot of losses." Bill interrupted.

"--Right," said Mr. Weasley, "It can be seen that the You-Know-Who is extremely interested in those legendary magical items with extraordinary power, such as the invisibility cloak that has been passed down for thousands of years, the African mask of the immortal, the Egyptian coffin of the god of death, the fairy spring water in Northern Europe..."

"Are these things really there?" Harry, who had been listening silently, asked, "I thought they were all fake, like, like--" He and Ron looked at each other, and Ron murmured, "Just like in fairy tales."

"Almost," Mr. Weasley frowned and said, "I doubt that any of them can match such a big name, they are all--all blown up. But the problem is, these things are gone now and can't be found..."

"Gone?" Mundungus repeated in a low voice, with a greedy and cunning look in his eyes, "Could it be hidden by the You-Know-Who? Is there a huge treasure somewhere in the UK?"

"It may have been destroyed or lost." Bill said, "Remember the time in Switzerland? In a black market, the goblin leader there claimed that he had vampire fangs that could make people fall into a state of suspended animation. It was so magical... In the end, it was confirmed that they were werewolf fangs. The You-Know-Who made a wasted trip and killed many people. In the end, there were only a few left alive..."

Mundungus made a sound mixed with ridicule and sympathy.

"It is obvious that the You-Know-Who wanted the real thing, and the old goblin hit a wall."

"But Voldemort also took away a lot of treasures, right?" Harry asked, "Maybe this means that those things are real, or at least they are effective."

Bill shrugged.

"I guess it is more likely that the You-Know-Who couldn't tell the authenticity for a while, and needed to go back and study it carefully. That is a delicate job. But... We can only guess. Anyway, in the end, only a few collections were found - from Bellatrix Lestrange."

"Ah." Ron said.

"Yeah, those third-rate tabloids, led by Rita Skeeter, made a big fuss about the illicit love between the Dark Lord and his most loyal believer... Nonsense, they should have seen what happened to that woman in the end..." "I

heard..." Mundungus said in a low voice, "It was Mr. He-ke-ke-Happ who first found her, right at the edge of the battlefield where Dumbledore and the You-Know-Who fought, hundreds of feet underground..."

"Don't have any bad ideas." Mr. Weasley warned him kindly.

"I know - how dare I," Mundungus muttered, "Mr. Hep is a great alchemist and the heir to Nick Flamel's fortune, how could he be interested in those junks..." Although he said so, he knew that Mr. Hep was very interested in old things, and he planned to ask him after a while. If Mr. Hep had the intention of "selling stolen goods", he would not mind going back to his old job, doing some dirty and tiring work for others, and making a profit from the difference. Are

n't people like him what those big shots need...

"In addition to the recovery of stolen goods, I heard that some small countries have heard from somewhere that the mysterious man is not dead, and they want to join the trial. In short, the scene is a mess. Oh, by the way, wasn't an international Auror team established at that time? Many people died? These are all problems."

At two or three in the afternoon, more and more people came.

Some stayed to chat, and some went to the Burrow through the fireplace after saying hello.

With the end of the war, the Order of the Phoenix has also completed its mission. They volunteered to run for a noble mission, and now it is time to be quiet again, just like at the end of the first war.

Before parting, they plan to hold a bonfire party.

"Are we going to dance with torches in the living room?" Tonks asked happily, "I don't mind-"

"I don't mind either," said Sirius, "but this is a place to chat, and the formal banquet is over at the Burrow. I just went to take a look, and Molly and her group were busy, so I took the opportunity to chop wood to get some fresh air."

"Mom must have made everyone run around." Ron sighed in understanding.

"Don't say that," Mr. Weasley said with a hint of reproach, "Your mother is very happy. She always said that it was God's blessing that no one in the family was injured--" "

Then what am I?" Ron said indignantly, "I still have the scar of the Cruciatus Curse on my chest."

"No, you don't." Harry said subconsciously.

The people in the room laughed happily. Harry came to his senses and apologized to Ron again and again. He had just sorted out some things in his mind and his mind was not in the right state.

Tonks also smiled and said to Lupin who was holding his arm, "I'll go over there and take a look. Help... dear."

Lupin smiled and nodded. After watching her disappear in the fireplace, his face became sad. Sirius came over and put his hand on his shoulder and said loudly, "Don't think too much! Today is a happy day. Harry and I plan to go out for a trip in August. Do you want to relax together? He also wrote a book..."

"You wrote a book?" Hagrid roared.

"You wrote a book?" Ron's eyes widened.

Harry glared at Sirius, and he promised not to tell anyone! But Sirius had already taken his good friend upstairs, saying that he wanted to have a good drink. Harry nodded hesitantly amid the interested looks of the crowd.

"What's it about?" Bill asked with interest.

"The Patronus," Harry said dully. Actually, it was not just the Patronus, but also his thoughts on other aspects, such as the Disarming Charm, Illumination, Rune Magic, Quidditch Flying, and his understanding of combat, and even the knowledge he received from Voldemort's mind. This was an idea that came to him a few days before the holiday. If death was waiting for him in the near future, he would at least do something and leave something behind.

However, he was most confident in the Patronus Charm, and he was more confident when he spoke it out.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief when he didn't hear any sneers.

At this time, Mr. Weasley said with a smile: "I heard that the examiners of the Examination Authority were in a dilemma this year. In addition to Harry's subversive understanding of the Patronus magic, no one dared to make a conclusion. In addition, many students wrote down the knowledge of magic spells that had not yet been announced, which made many examiners scratch their heads."

"Is that true?" Harry asked. He was eager to lead the topic elsewhere and not to wander in dangerous waters. Although he saw Ron's eyes and knew that he would ask sooner or later-because Ron knew him best, even better than Sirius.

"If you think about it carefully, it's not difficult to understand. The ancient magic discipline is changing with each passing day, and many research results are completed by students. I heard that more than half of the people invited to the ancient magic yearbook in mid-August are under 20 years old."

Harry and Ron smacked their lips.

"Did you receive the invitation?"

"Yes." The two said honestly.

"That's it."

Mr. Weasley and Bill sat for a while and left. Then Sirius took Remus, whose face was a little ruddy, and left. Harry and Ron stayed here, watching the time pass by little by little. Finally, there was a noise in the hallway of the old house, and then they heard Hermione's voice.

She rushed in like a gust of wind.

"Harry! Ron! Oh, how was your vacation?" Hermione's eyebrows were full of joy, and she said like a machine gun: "I just returned to China two days ago and am now interning at the Castle of Swords. I almost forgot the time. The things in it are so fascinating. I didn't expect that what I found would come in handy... Oh, by the way, how are your grades-"

Harry and Ron smiled at each other.

"I knew you would definitely ask this question."

"Exchange."

Harry took out a crumpled envelope from his pocket and unfolded it. Hermione and Ron leaned over to take a look.

Ordinary Wizarding Level Examination Results

Passing Grades: Excellent (O); Good (E); Pass (A);

Failure Grades: Poor (P); Very Poor (D); Extremely Poor (T);

Harry James Potter's results are as follows:

Astronomy: A

Care of Magical Creatures: E

Charms: O

Defense Against the Dark Arts: O

Divination: P

Herbology: E

History of Magic: D

Potions: O

Transfiguration: O

Ancient Runes: O

...

"Tsk, even after I've seen it, I still find it hard to believe. That's five excellent grades." Ron shook his head and said.

"Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Potions, Charms, Ancient Runes..." Hermione thought for a while and said, "It's completely possible to get an Auror's certificate."

"In a word, Harry performed above his level in all subjects that have to do with practice. So did I." Ron frowned, "This will make us look strong... I really want to break this rule."

Harry smiled, he was very satisfied with his results.

"Ron, what about you?" Hermione asked.

"I'm about the same as Harry, except for my Potions results, where I got a good grade." Ron shrugged, "Maybe I can't go to Snape's advanced class, but that's just fine."

"Oh, uh," Hermione said cautiously, "You can take the exam again this year... Don't give up, even for the dream of becoming an Auror."

But Ron didn't look disappointed at all, on the contrary, he was smiling.

"Have you forgotten?" He said happily, "Harry and I are official members of the Anti-Dark Arts League, they won't refuse to write one or two letters of introduction... I got the best result, I don't have to take Snape's class, and it hasn't had any impact!"

Hermione pursed her lips, but didn't raise any objections. They had discussed this issue specifically a long time ago, and in the end, no one convinced the other.

"What about you, Hermione?"

"Oh, it's okay." Hermione whispered.

"Come on! Just tell us which exam you didn't get a good grade in." Ron said, and Hermione opened her mouth. "All good grades!?" Ron roared, "Are you still not satisfied?" Hermione shook her head quickly, her eyes curved into crescents.

They packed up, locked the door, and went to the Burrow through the fireplace. As soon as they came out, they were pulled away by Sirius and the Weasley twins, "Come and help us, we are so busy, we have to set up spells around the venue. If we don't finish, there will be no food."

"Defensive spell?" Harry asked puzzledly, is it necessary?

"Muggle Repelling Spell," Fred said with a smile, "We plan to make a big noise tonight, in order to prevent people in the village from coming here out of curiosity..."

They came to the orchard, Charlie, Bill and Lupin were setting up the tent, Fleur leaned against Bill, "Dear, what do you say we do the same at the wedding? But we have to add a small fountain and an ice crystal sculpture..."

Ginny's face was long, and when she saw Harry and the others coming, she breathed a sigh of relief and ran over to pretend to chant the spell.

Everyone separated. Fred and George seemed to have found a goblin hole. They squatted on the ground and pinched their throats to greet: "Is anyone home? I lost some fruit..."

Harry and Sirius came together. Harry whispered: "What did you talk about with Remus?"

"Adults' troubles." Sirius waved his wand lazily.

"Tell me about it." Harry said.

"Ah, you know Kreacher, right?"

Harry nodded.

"Thanks to the genius brain of our Mr. Hap, Bellatrix's exact location was found through Kreacher, but this is not the end. With the death of my cousin, Kreacher lost his master again..."

"Well, so he is free?" Harry guessed.

"You have got to the point, but the process is not that easy," Sirius said, "According to the tradition of the Black family, Kreacher automatically becomes the next member with the right of inheritance, that is, Narcissa Black."

Harry's eyes widened and he could not help shouting, "How can that be? Look at how they treated Dobby!"

"Yeah, so Felix came to them, and the family very reasonably gave up the right of inheritance, so...well, Kreacher fell into the hands of Narcissa's sister, Tonks' mother." "

Felix didn't expect it, but fortunately they are all acquaintances. Remus came to explain the situation--" "

Something went wrong? They refused to let him go?"

"Not really, their family is very friendly, and they even invited Remus to stay for dinner." Sirius said with a slightly bitter tone, "But Tonks was there that day, and they noticed that their daughter's attitude was different. When they asked about it, they could no longer hide their daughter's emotional problems, and they had a 'small' quarrel." His thumb and index finger were almost touching, leaving only a gap.

Harry took a deep breath, avoiding Ginny's gaze, and lip-synced.

"Werewolf?"

"Yeah," Sirius whispered, "Actually, judging from Tonks's condition, she has the confidence to convince her parents. The problem is Remus, who is under a lot of pressure. You may not know that there is a chance that the offspring of a werewolf will be inherited, but it's just a chance, but Remus... he can't afford the price." For

the next period of time, Harry was absent-minded the whole time, occasionally glancing at Remus, who smiled gently and set up a huge tent with others, using Transfiguration to create tables, chairs and benches. Even if Voldemort fell, everyone has their own troubles.

Just like Harry himself, he deliberately avoided Ginny, not knowing how to respond to this feeling.

At eight o'clock in the evening, the dinner officially began.

Hundreds of wizards sat under the huge tent propped up by wooden stakes, and people kept Apparating over. Harry finally saw Ron's great aunt Muriel, who had a hooked nose, red eyes, a pink feather hat, and looked very bad-tempered.

As soon as she arrived, she found fault with the tables, chairs and decorations on them. "Look at this tablecloth. It hasn't been washed for many years. It stinks..."

"Actually, Fred used a skunk to turn it into something. There weren't enough things at home." Ron whispered to Harry. Harry quickly jumped aside, determined not to take any food from that table.

Aunt Muriel noticed them.

"Harry Potter? Yes, I saw the scar, lucky boy, can your scar glow?" Harry frowned, very dissatisfied with this statement. But the old witch turned her attention to Ron, "But he's not as lucky as him. Let me tell you this, when I found myself hearing the name of the Weasley family's youngest son from those old sisters, I knew how much water there was in the rumors... Can't the Dark Lord beat two little kids?"

She kept nagging. When she pretended to be mysterious and asked Ron how much the Order of Merlin cost, both of them couldn't hold back their anger. Hermione kept interrupting, and Muriel said that her "teeth were too protruding and her hair was too messy."

"Let me see your ankle, little girl." Hermione walked aside angrily, and then the rescue finally came.

"Aunt Muriel? We've been looking for you everywhere!"

Fred and George fell from the sky and almost took her away.

"What a touching brotherhood." Ron said with emotion.

They found a seat (stayed away from Muriel and the table covered with a skunk tablecloth) and sat down. Plates of food fell from the sky, beautiful music sounded, and the dinner began.

People were obviously not paying attention to eating. Buzzing voices and laughter came from everywhere. Harry turned his head and looked around. Fred and George were performing magic tricks for Fleur's French relatives. The table was full of young people, so their jokes were very popular.

"Let me put it this way. If Uncle Bilrus were still here, he would drink a whole bottle of fire whiskey in one breath, then run to the dance floor, lift up his robes, and take out bunches of flowers from his - well, you know -"

Harry also found that Aunt Muriel was placed at the table of distant relatives of the Weasley family. She spoke loudly about the similarities between "goblins and Weasleys", but no one was happy to support her. Their faces seemed to be frozen. From his angle, he could see Mafalda supporting her chin with one hand, her head half tilted, and the other hand hidden under the table, throwing a bunch of dazzling sparks with her wand.

Harry also saw a few classmates.

Neville was caught by a fierce-looking old wizard halfway toward them. He waved desperately toward Harry and followed his great-uncle. Ron shrank his neck and muttered, "All the elders in the world are the same. Wait and see, maybe we can see Neville breathing fire rings in a while!"

Across from their table, Tonks, Lupin, Hagrid, and Sirius sat together. It was obvious that many people were skeptical about getting close to Hagrid, perhaps because his hands could pull their heads off like picking grapes.

"Is there a new professor in the school?" Lupin asked.

"Yes, his last name is Bagshot," Hagrid replied, waving a pair of lobster claws.

Harry asked with concern, "How is he now? I mean, is he okay?"

"Not really sure -" Hagrid frowned, "He seems to be fine, but he seldom comes out. I've seen him a few times in the hall - but occasionally I can see him basking in the sun on the second-floor balcony."

Harry felt a little relieved. Professor Hep spoke to him vaguely, as if he was deliberately watching his fun, although he didn't know what the fun was.

"Have you found a new professor?" Ron asked somewhat disappointedly, "I thought no one could be recruited and Sirius could go back!" His voice was a little loud, and Sirius turned around and smiled after hearing it: "I was exhausted after teaching you that year, and I haven't rested enough."

"Sirius?" Hermione couldn't help asking, "What does it feel like to be an Animagus?"

"Yes," Ron's eyes lit up, "but you promised that as long as you get an excellent, you will tell us how to practice Animagus!"

"Oh, can't wait?" Sirius said slowly, weighing them, "You are barely qualified, but don't worry, go to Felix for detailed knowledge, I won't get involved, but I can tell you some precautions..."

In Harry's opinion, Sirius was showing off rather than imparting experience.

"...Starting from the full moon, you have to put a leaf of mandrake in your mouth, and you can't spit it out in the meantime until the next full moon. Think about it, you might fail in your sleep talk, and this is just the first step. But James and I found a way, using a Stunning Spell, plus a Petrifying Spell... But this can only work at night. There was a time when James especially liked to tell jokes to people..."

Hermione listened carefully, and her hand touched the beaded bag several times, as if she wanted to take notes, but she forced herself to hold back.

"It sounds troublesome." Ron frowned and said, obviously wanting to back out.

Harry also felt that it was not worth it. After all, Animagus can only turn into ordinary animals. He suddenly thought of Professor Happ, who could turn into a swift, but the professor had denied that he had learned Animagus...

He thought that it would be quite convenient if he could turn into a bird, but Animagus could not control what animal it turned into. Maybe he would spend a lot of effort and finally find that he turned into a toad, and Harry would definitely be fed up.

Then his mood became depressed. With the pressure of the Horcrux, it seemed unnecessary for him to spend time learning new knowledge.

At this time, Sirius leaned over, approached the three people and said in a low voice: "Believe me, it is absolutely worth it. Once you learn Animagus, the door to Transfiguration will be completely opened to you... Half of the content of the advanced Transfiguration class is related to human body transformation. If you know Animagus, you will find yourself like a duck in water."

He blinked, sat up straight and said: "That's how I got my NEWTs certificate. In fact, I didn't spend much energy on it."

...

"There are so many people here." Hermione looked around and said.

Harry shook his head slightly, and he whispered, "The Order of the Phoenix is ​​going to disband."

"Disband?" Hermione was surprised at first, she had just heard the news, and then slowly came to her senses, "Indeed... Voldemort has fallen, but where are they going?" Hermione looked at the busy people coming and going, Dedalus Diggle, Emmeline Vance, Hestia Jones...

"There are always places to go. As far as I know - Remus returned to Sword Castle, Tonks and Kingsley returned to the Ministry of Magic, I heard that Ms. Bones invited Neville's parents to be Aurors, but they refused and planned to open a small shop... Alastor, who was originally retired, became an Auror instructor, but no longer went on missions; in short, everyone has their own way of living."

"That's right," Lupin agreed, "Voldemort's fall will only make us better off."

Halfway through the banquet, Ms. Bones appeared in a hurry. She smiled appropriately at everyone she saw, but in the blink of an eye, she found an opportunity to drag Hermione away.

When Harry and Ron saw Hermione again, they were almost done with dinner.

"You two have been talking for quite some time, is it possible that the Ministry of Magic can't wait to recruit you?" Ron said teasingly, still laughing at Hermione's awkwardness when she talked about her grades.

"Huh," Hermione said, "It has nothing to do with my grades. But she does want me to

join the Ministry of Magic after I graduate--" "Which department?" Harry asked with interest.

"I guess it might be Assistant to the Minister, which is the best position," Ron said, looking at Hermione uncertainly.

Hermione shook her head, "It's the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures."

"That's one of the worst choices, Hermione." Ron said in surprise, "The people in it are either sent there, or they really like those magical creatures..." He glanced at Hagrid not far away, "Maybe Hagrid will like certain positions from the bottom of his heart, but I bet he will break his colleagues' ribs in less than three days-those executioners..."

"It's not what you think." Hermione shook her head, "She talked to me about SPEW--" "What?" Harry and Ron shouted in unison. "--Don't interrupt. There's also the Pan-Magic Union. You know, I've written a few papers... She hinted to me that the Ministry of Magic will set up a new department around this in the future."

"Oh, my God." Ron said softly.

"But why?" Harry asked puzzled. "

It is said that it is related to a report submitted by Professor Hep," Hermione said softly, "I heard anxiety and caution in her tone."

"Yes, she has begun to ask students for help," Ron said, "You still have two years to graduate."

"Ms. Bones said that she would have to wait until the trial and the awarding of honors are over before preparing for this matter, which may take several months." Hermione said with full fighting spirit: "She suggested that I have time to think more about this and keep in touch with her... Oh, I guess no matter what the professor's report is about, it must be of great significance."

Clusters of bonfires were lit and placed around the tent. The sky was clear and starry.

Some people were dancing around the bonfire, and Harry joined them in swaying his body, until he heard his great-aunt Muriel say that he danced "like a bear that had stolen corn." He went to the other side of the tent in a sullen mood to watch Neville perform the Light and Fire Charm.

The bright, glowing white flames drew cheers, and Harry clapped along with the onlookers.

Luna and her father were dancing happily in the distance. They were wearing goose yellow clothes, like two fluttering butterflies, and they were particularly conspicuous by the bonfire. Cedric sat with his parents, watching with a slight smile.

Ron was chatting with Collins, who came with Ms. Bones.

"I'm about to become an official Auror." She said with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, congratulations." Ron said dryly.

Harry keenly noticed that a few people were not here, and he shared this idea with Hermione who was left alone.

"The Malfoys, Professor Snape, Professor Happ, Headmaster Dumbledore... None of them came. I can understand the first two, but why didn't Professor Happ and Headmaster Dumbledore show up? This really shouldn't be..."

Hermione couldn't give a reason.

"Maybe something happened?" She said softly, "I haven't seen the professor in the past few days in Sword Castle, but I think the opportunity will come soon."

"What's the matter?" Harry asked puzzled.

"Ancient Magic Yearbook, and the 'Future World' company will have a big event soon. The professor will definitely be there." Hermione said confidently.

Harry thought of Voldemort. Maybe he has diverted most of their attention?

A picture emerged in his mind: two people are now in a cave with cold wind blowing, or in a gloomy and terrifying cell, chatting with the tied Voldemort... Thinking of this, the resentment buried deep in his heart is not so great.

His fate has nothing to do with these people. If he must hate, he can only hate Voldemort alone.

But the truth is slightly different from his thoughts.

Felix was sitting at the school dining table carelessly, bickering with Grindelwald from time to time. This kind of day has been going on for a while, especially after he conveyed Harry's greetings to the old man, Grindelwald was dissatisfied with everything.

Professor McGonagall had a deep understanding of the rebellious character of her new colleague and was no longer surprised. For example, today, they talked about the school system of Hogwarts.

"It's too backward and too closed," Grindelwald said with half-closed eyes: "As early as half a century ago, someone spent nearly ten years to perfect a "Wizard Code", which made detailed regulations on the rights and obligations of wizards. The foundation of the foundation is school education..."

"Professor Bagshot," Professor McGonagall said dissatisfiedly. Since it concerns the honor of Hogwarts, she couldn't shut herself up, but said vehemently: "Maybe I am ignorant - but I have never heard of this law."

"Because it has never been circulated in the UK, and it has suffered a devastating blow abroad." Grindelwald raised his voice slightly, and said slowly: "And another reason is that the code has another name, a name that is not allowed to exist, a name erased by history, "The Grindelwald Code." "

Hiss!" Professor McGonagall took a heavy breath, and her fork fell on the plate. She widened her eyes, "Mr. Bagshot, we never mention this person!"

"Never mention it." Grindelwald repeated in a low voice, slowly raised the goblet, "Can you see the whole picture of the world when you close your eyes, ma'am?"