Harry Potter and the Great Old Ones

Chapter 650 Back to school

Harry leaned closer for a better look, then suddenly burst out laughing. Several letters were dangling from the gold chain:

To my sweetheart!

“It looks great,” Harry said. “You must wear it in front of Fred and George.”

“If you tell them,” Ron said, pushing the necklace under his pillow where it was out of sight, “I…I…I’ll…”

"You stutter to me?" Harry scoffed. "Come on, why would I stutter?"

“How could she think I would like that kind of thing?” Ron shouted into the air, looking extremely shocked and confused.

“Well, think about it the other way around,” Harry said. “Did you ever tell her you liked wearing a necklace that said ‘My Sweetheart’ around your neck?”

“Uh…we didn’t talk much,” Ron said. “We were mostly…”

"Kiss?" Harry said.

“Yeah, that’s right,” Ron said, annoyed. “She kisses so much, I can’t stand it!”

“Maybe she likes you that way,” Harry teased. “You know, Lavender likes having little pets, like putting a leash on a puppy.”

Ron:
Upon hearing this, Ron's expression changed from shock to disgust.

“I’m going to break up with this crazy woman sooner or later.” Ron viciously rummaged through his stockings. Harry’s gifts included a sweater with a golden Snitch pattern on the front, knitted by Mrs. Weasley, and a large box of Weasley’s Joke Shop products from the twins.

As everyone sat down at the table to begin their Christmas breakfast, everyone was wearing new sweaters, except for Fleur Delacour and Mrs. Weasley herself. Mrs. Weasley clearly didn't want to waste a piece of clothing, and she was showing off a brand-new, deep blue wizard's hat adorned with tiny star-like diamonds and an eye-catching gold necklace.

“Fred and George, give them to me! Aren’t they beautiful?” Mrs. Weasley said.

“Well, we’re finding ourselves more and more grateful to you, Mom. We’re washing our own socks now,” George said, waving his hand cheerfully. “Right, Remus?”

Remus Lupin smiled helplessly.

Sirius Black also came downstairs, wearing a sweater as well.

But whether it was because the sweater didn't fit or for some other reason, Sirius kept scratching his cuffs and collar, as if the sweater made him very itchy.

"Good morning, Sirius!" Harry greeted him cheerfully.

"Good morning, Harry." Sirius stopped scratching himself, walked over, and reached out to pat Harry's head. "Did you sleep well last night?"

“Excellent,” Harry said.

"Hehe." Sirius happily and blissfully ruffled Harry's hair.

To Harry's surprise, Hermione was the last to arrive this morning.

"Good morning, Harry," Hermione greeted Harry, forcing herself to be cheerful.

“Good morning, Hermione,” Harry replied, “and your dark circles.”

"Huh?" Hermione touched her face. "Oh, it's nothing. I had a few drinks last night, and as a result, I couldn't sleep."

"Alright, hurry up and eat breakfast, hurry up and eat breakfast." Hermione quickly sat down and said, "I'm starving."

Harry instinctively felt that Hermione was acting strangely, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it, so he put aside his doubts and started eating breakfast.

They had a wonderful time in the days following Christmas; almost everyone except Hermione was immersed in the joyful Christmas atmosphere.

Although Voldemort is still on the run, to some extent, with Tyrell around, their only concern is whether she will become too centralized or too oppressive in her rule. Furthermore, with the continuation of Tyrell's rule, crime has decreased significantly throughout the wizarding world.

The Christmas spent in such a stable atmosphere made everyone feel much happier.

Even Sirius Black and Mrs. Weasley, who were initially quite opposed to Tyrell's rule, no longer had any complaints.

But good times always fly by, and before long, the start of the sixth grade came.

That afternoon, Ron, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny lined up in front of the fireplace in Kitchen No. 12 in Grimmauld Place to return to Hogwarts.

This time, instead of Tyella coming to pick them up, the Magic Federation specially connected a special "route" on the Floo Network to allow the students to return to school faster and more safely.

Only Mrs. Weasley was there to say goodbye, because Mr. Weasley, Charlie, Fred and George, Fleur and Bill had all gone to work.

Mrs. Weasley even shed tears when they parted, looking very reluctant to see this joyous Christmas come to an end.

“Don’t cry, Mom,” Ginny said, patting her back as her mother leaned on her shoulder. “It’s okay…”

“Oh, don’t worry about us,” Ron reassured him, as his mother gave him a big kiss on the cheek.

"I promise you'll take good care of yourself... and don't get into any trouble..." Mrs. Weasley choked up even more as she hugged Harry.

“I understand, Mrs. Weasley,” Harry said. “I like a peaceful and quiet life, you know that.”

Hearing Harry's assurance, Mrs. Weasley wiped her eyes, smiled faintly, and then took a step back. "Well then, all of you take care!"

Harry stepped into the green flames, shouting "Hogwarts!" He glanced one last time at the Burrow's kitchen and Mrs. Weasley's tear-streaked face before being engulfed in fire and spinning rapidly—

He also caught a glimpse of the hearth doors of other wizards.

Finally, the spinning slowed down, and it stopped inside Professor McGonagall's fireplace.

“Good evening, Potter.” McGonagall barely looked up. “Try not to bring any soot from the stove onto the carpet.”

“I will be careful, Professor,” Harry replied.

Harry adjusted his glasses and smoothed his hair, then Ron tumbled out of the fireplace, followed by Hermione, and then Ginny.

The three of them walked out of Professor McGonagall's office and headed towards the Gryffindor Tower.

Harry saw that the sun had already set outside the window, and in the distance he could see Hagrid feeding Buckbeak.

“The clown’s cane,” Ron exclaimed confidently as they reached the portrait of the fat lady.

“No!” the fat lady refused him.

“What do you mean by ‘no’?” Ron asked, puzzled.

“The password has changed,” she said. “And don’t shout so loudly.”

“We’ve been gone for a while, how would we know—”

“The new password is ‘Forbidden Favors’,” Tierra’s voice suddenly came, but Harry looked around and didn’t see Tierra.

“Very good.” The plump lady seemed to have gotten used to only hearing her voice but not seeing her. She moved forward, revealing the portrait opening.

(End of this chapter)