The year-end banquet has finally arrived.
All the members in the Chat Group logged into the group space.
They brought food and drinks, ready to join the Hogwarts dinner via Basil's live stream.
Basil also changed into a snow-white robe splashed with ink wash landscape paintings (made by Professor Duowei of the Hall of Virtue, who is a very good tailor; this was Basil's work uniform as the principal), and his hair was temporarily turned black. He looked refined and noble.
However, thanks to the "Sword of Truth and Good" at his waist, the male and female students who should have been infatuated with him only remained amazed for a moment before ignoring him.
At this moment, the Great Hall is newly decorated in red and gold, representing Gryffindor, and a huge banner depicting the Gryffindor lion hangs on the wall behind the main High Table.
The long tables in each house were full of people, Sirius sat next to Hagrid.
Snape was not present at all.
Quirrell's seat at the High Table was also empty, but everyone knew the reason through the Daily Prophet.
Everyone looked at Dumbledore, waiting for him to speak.
"Another year has passed!" Dumbledore said cheerfully. "Before we enjoy these delicious dishes, I must trouble you all to listen to an old man's cliché. What a wonderful year it has been!"
"Your little minds are definitely more sophisticated than before. The entire summer vacation awaits you, giving you time to digest all that information and clear your heads before the next semester begins."
"Now, as far as I know, we will first hold the House Cup awards ceremony. The specific scores of each house are as follows: fourth place, Hufflepuff, 352 points; third place, Ravenclaw, 426 points; second place, Slytherin, 472 points; first place, Gryffindor, 483 points."
A thunderous cheer and stomping erupted from the Gryffindor dining table.
Ron banged his wine glass on the table, and Harry clapped along in rhythm.
In a group setting, everyone reacts differently.
Madison leaned forward, his eyes seemingly sparkling with stars. "Hogwarts, my Hogwarts."
Zoe adjusted her hat brim, staring intently at Hermione's profile as she held Basil's hand, without uttering a word.
Beatrix wanted to point out that this was far inferior to the Eternal Ball, squinting as she searched for something to criticize. But the beautiful scenery—the star-lit ceiling, the suspended candles—left her speechless.
Sophie ate the chocolate made by Dotty, and also noticed Hermione's careless hand, but she just smiled dismissively.
They had all read the original novel, but they also knew what Basil had done that year, so they were not surprised by Dumbledore's announcement of the grades, Sirius's presence next to Hagrid, or Snape's absence.
Instead, they focused their attention on the surroundings of Basil or the decorations of the Great Hall itself.
But Hermione was different. She had a strong liking for Snape, who always shipped her and Basil.
She noticed Snape's absence immediately and was curious about it.
So when Dumbledore announced who won the House Cup, and he sat down with his plate filled with delicious food, she couldn't help but nudge Basil with her elbow.
"Do you know why Professor Snape isn't coming?"
Harry and Ron also perked up their ears.
In the group chat, Madison licked her lips. "Only at times like this do I realize that my sweetheart is still just a little boy. I so want to hold him in my arms and feed him milk." Zoe coughed lightly, and everyone else rolled their eyes.
Meanwhile, Basil, who was simultaneously focused on reality and the group space, scratched his cheek.
"You all probably already know, right?"
"Harry, didn't you already know from Hagrid why Snape hates you so much?"
"Sirius was so close to your father that he could be your godfather."
"From this, we can infer that Snape and Sirius had a very bad relationship."
"Not to mention, Sirius always calls Snape 'Snivellus'."
Upon hearing this, Harry lowered his head in disappointment.
The fact that his father was a bad guy seemed like a thing of the past.
If Basil hadn't mentioned it, he probably would have forgotten it long ago.
He suddenly realized that Sirius, who had recently been treating him like a son, was one of the people who had bullied Professor Snape back then. A member of that small group known as the Marauders.
Ron noticed Harry's low spirits for a while.
He put a few pieces of chicken on Harry's plate. "Harry, some people are just naturally easier to bully than others. Snape was obviously one of them. His sinister face, greasy hair, affected manner, every word he uttered seemed to spew Venom."
"Even if it weren't your father and his group causing him trouble, someone else would have."
"Hagrid also said that your father and his ilk were very popular back in the day."
Bang! Harry slammed his hand on the table.
Everyone around looked over, including Dumbledore in the High Table.
But Harry seemed oblivious, his eyes reddening as he said, word by word, "You simply don't understand!"
"Harry Potter is a freak! His hair is a mess, his clothes are too big, his shoes don't fit. He deserves to be bullied!"
"I've heard that many times."
"Finally, the Dudley Legion is also very popular at school!"
He stood up and then hurriedly left the Great Hall.
He only left behind the words, "Sorry, I'm full."
Ron hesitated for a moment, then grabbed a few pies and left the Great Hall as well.
Then came Sirius.
In the group space.
What's wrong with this little boy?
Beatrix was completely baffled. The original storyline, which involved forming cliques and bullying others, made it impossible for her to understand Harry. Even though she had quickly finished reading the entire Harry Potter series using the Baruffio's Brain Elixir (medium) she had redeemed.
"He played the role of Snape in Muggle elementary school."
Madison, surprisingly, understood perfectly. Having discovered her special abilities and possessing a space identical to the Ravenclaw Common Room Harry Potter, she had been exploited by her parents during her childhood, so she poured all her energy into Harry Potter. She knew everything in the books by heart and understood them deeply.
No one knows Harry Potter better than her.
Zoe merely raised an eyebrow, continuing her attempt to kill Hermione with her gaze.
Sophie was quite worried, but her concern was clearly directed at Basil. "Basil's friend isn't eating because of what he said. Won't he feel guilty?"
"Are you alright?" In the real world, Hermione also held Basil's hand and asked with concern.
"This has nothing to do with you, Basil."
Basil was speechless. When did he become so fragile? Hermione couldn't possibly be so clueless about him, could she?
But the next second, Hermione's increasingly unrestrained hand revealed the reason.
Good grief, you're looking for an opportunity to take advantage of me, aren't you!
"Bitch!" X4
Hermione's actions were so obvious that everyone in the group noticed them and voiced their genuine complaints. Even Madison, who was trying to clear her mind and pretend she was Hogwarts student, couldn't help but comment.
The extra highlights of Hermione in the movie version made Madison already harbor ill will towards the fictional Hermione. Her encounter with Emma in Hollywood, where Madison's mockery of her left a lasting impression (Madison's overly friendly interactions with Rowling on social media and her criticisms of the Harry Potter movies greatly displeased Emma).
So Madison's "bitch!" was the loudest, to the point that she started gritting her teeth.
"Madison?" Sophie turned her head in surprise. In her mind, Madison was a very generous person. She was more than happy to share Basil. That was also how it was in the original storyline. "You simply dislike Hermione Granger?"
Madison narrowed his eyes. "It wasn't this Hermione. I was just taking it out on her."
She then uploaded the complete Movie Harry Potter World and recounted her unpleasant experience after meeting Emma Watson.
Upon hearing this, Basil stopped trying to stop Hermione from touching him.
He suddenly had an urge to go to Madison's world. That sense of displacement, that feeling of déjà vu from his own original world, was something he couldn't escape.
Are there graves for my father and mother in Phoenix Mountain Cemetery in Youzhou?
Is there a Li Lin who is currently a first-year high school student at Youzhou No. 4 Middle School?
Frustrated, his gaze suddenly drifted to the live streaming system of the Chat Group.
His eyes were originally integrated with the system's Magic Camera, capable of recording everything that happened, like taking photos and videos, and storing it in the album of his brain.
And it points directly to the origin of magic.
The ability to directly point to the origin of magic was something he noticed after the destruction of the Sword of Truth and Good, when he discovered that the Grimoire could still be used to create cards.
The most crucial Grimoire in creating cards is inscription, which involves inscribing the information from the original template onto the created card.
If his eyes weren't integrated with the Magic Camera, he could only act on the spot. He could use the power of the [Grimoire] to perceive all the information about the spells, creatures, and items to be inscribed.
With the eyes fused with the Magic Camera, the "photos" it takes completely record all the information of the original template. Even if the original template is destroyed, it can be recreated through the "photos".
Just like the creation of the Sword of Truth and Good, the Deathly Hallows: Invisibility Cloak and the Deathly Hallows Wand of Destiny were also created using original templates stored in the Grimoire —pictures of them.
Therefore, it's perfectly normal for someone with Magic Camera to connect with the group live streaming function, and they can also control whether or not to connect.
But this also means that he can livestream everything happening in the third-floor corridor of Hogwarts to the group chat.
In the corridor on the third floor.
Harry was cornered by Ron and Sirius.
Ron ate the pie while panting heavily.
Sirius's eyes were full of concern. "Harry, what's wrong?"
Seeing that expression on James's face reminded me of when I saw Lily and Snape walking hand in hand by the lake back in our first year.
Of course, Snape was pranked the very next day for walking into the Potions Classroom with his left foot.
Seeing that Harry did not answer, he gestured to Ron to explain the reason.
Ron: "Harry knows you're a bad guy. He was Snape in elementary school."
Sirius punched the wall. "Who is it? I'm going to kill him!"
Ron took a step back. "What do you mean? If it's the person who told Harry the message, you probably couldn't do it. Could you kill the portrait in the castle?"
Sirius shook his head. "I'm talking about the people who bullied Harry!"
Now, whenever he replaces the various embarrassing images of Snape in his mind with James's face, he feels like killing someone.
It was normal for them to teach Snape a lesson; at that time, all the Slytherin were Death Eater trainees, and it was all because Snape and Lily got so close. Who knew Snape would later turn out to be a good person?
But it's unfair that Harry suffered the same fate! Harry is so kind! So handsome!
How could that despicable bastard be so heartless and dare to do such a thing?
"Harry!" Sirius put his hands on Harry's shoulders. "Did they make you drink toilet water?"
Harry shook his head.
"They took off your underwear in public?"
Harry shook his head and clenched his fists.
"They lectured you in front of the people you like, making you crawl on the ground like a dog?"
Harry shook his head and landed an uppercut on Sirius's chin.
He said disappointedly, "I didn't expect you to be so much worse than Dudley."
Ron nodded as he ate his pie. "Of course. Dudley is your cousin, after all."
Sirius covered his chin and blurted out, "So that bastard is the Dursley family kid?"
He then explained, "We only did that to Snape. Sometimes he would sneak up on us and teach us a lesson."
Harry smiled dismissively. "You?"
Sirius said in a soothing tone, "Snape is good at this. He's a little monster who's obsessed with Dark Magic. James, on the other hand, is very popular, good at Quidditch, and good at almost anything. The only thing he's not good at is Dark Magic."
"How can you ask James to compare his weaknesses to Snape's strengths?"
"He can also call his evil friends, can't he?"
Seeing that Harry did not react, he continued, "You may not know, but Snape was once a member of the Death Eater."
"And James, Lily, and I are proud members of the Order of the Phoenix, standing on the front lines of the war against the dark wizards."
Harry staggered and leaned against the wall behind him. "Based on what you said, I think it's more like you forced him to join. He was isolated and helpless, so he had no choice but to join the Death Eater."
Hagrid said that Snape only chose Slytherin because he grew up in the Muggle World and didn't understand the situation in the Wizarding World at that time.
"My mother was Mudblood in the eyes of the Death Eater, and Snape, who was friends with my mother, was already isolated in Slytherin."
"It's you who have been forcing him to make a choice."
"And he's definitely not Death Eater anymore. The fact that Dumbledore trusts him and he teaches at the school might mean he's become a spy for the Order of the Phoenix."
"After you stop coercing me."
"No, Potter." Snape descended the fourth-floor stairs, a silver object in his hand, his face expressionless. "That stupid dog is right. I am a monster obsessed with Dark Magic. A complete and utter villain."
"My allegiance to Dumbledore is solely based on self-interest. The Dark Lord can't give me what I want."
"And he was destined to fail."
Then, he went up the stairs from the third floor to the second floor and disappeared from the three people's sight.
His appearance was so abrupt that Sirius stood frozen for a moment. (Forgot to curse the Snivellus.)