Farewell, the Illusion of a Wasted Year

As the semester officially came to an end, the Hogwarts students packed up their belongings and sent them to the Entrance Hall, where they waited for a special carriage to take them to Hogsmeade Station.

Many senior students bid farewell to Durmstrang and Beauxbatons outside the Entrance Hall; after all, they had spent most of their lives together, and their friendship was still intact.

Aaron sat listlessly on his suitcase, holding Abei in his arms, wondering what kind of world trip he would take this holiday and when he would leave.

On his first two journeys, he and a group of dwarves fought bravely against a dragon and participated in a great war.

The excitement was off the charts, and the rewards were unforgettable.

But it was just too tough. He was exposed to the elements, chased by enemies, imprisoned, and even had his temper flare up several times by the stubborn dwarf king. It was simply not something a teenager could endure.

"I hope I won't suffer too much this time!" Aaron thought to himself, hoping that Professor Trelawney would say that the first Divination was true.

A short trip won't take up too much time.

Just then, Phoebe came over with her younger sister Gabrielle. "Are you here alone?"

"And them too." Aaron pointed to a corner a few meters away, where Harry, Ron, Hermione were sitting together.

"Will we have a chance to meet again?" Phoebe asked somewhat shyly. "I hope to find a job here and improve my English."

"You speak English quite well."

However, jobs are hard to find. If you need help, you can find me in Diagon Alley.

"Diagon Alley?" Phoebe's eyes lit up. "Do you live in Diagon Alley?"

"What are you thinking about?" Aaron glanced at him. "I work in Diagon Alley, at a fairly well-known beverage shop. I opened it myself when I was eight years old."

"Eight years old?" Gabrielle asked incredulously. "So you were already earning money when you were eight?"

"It's nothing, nothing at all," Aaron said modestly, waving his hand. "Although he earns less in a month than I do in pocket money, he's still a respectable individual business owner."

From that day on, I was barely financially independent, and I had a net income of two or three thousand Galleon.

I'm quite familiar with the shops in Diagon Alley, so it shouldn't be difficult for me to recommend a job that includes meals and accommodation.

However, I might have to travel out of town this holiday. If I'm not there, you can work as a temporary sales clerk at my uncle's Ollivanders Wand Shop.

"Okay." Phoebe smiled happily, then quickly kissed Aaron on the cheek.

Aaron:...

Damn it! I got taken advantage of again.

"Hmph!" Hermione unconsciously let out a cold snort.

"Is this your girlfriend?" Phoebe asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No," Hermione said, blushing. "Not yet."

Phoebe blinked, as if she understood something, and revealed a meaningful smile.

Goodbye, Harry.

"It was a pleasure to meet you all." Phoebe waved to Harry, then pulled Gabrielle across the lawn and into the Beauxbatons carriage.

Her silver hair was dazzling in the sunlight, and she seemed somewhat distracted when looking at Ron.

"Ron, stop looking, he's already gone," Harry teased.

Ron realized what was happening, a blush creeping onto his face. He immediately changed the subject, "Beauxbatons can ride in a carriage, but what about the Durmstrang? Can they even sail without Karkaroff and the others?"

"Haha!" Aaron laughed unkindly. "You mean Karkaroff will personally steer the ship?"

"Don't be ridiculous. If he were really willing to do all that for the sake of learning, he wouldn't have run away so decisively."

"You're right." Krum walked over and said with a stern face, "He's been in the cabin the whole time; we've been doing all the work."

"You see, just as I expected." Aaron shrugged, then looked at Krum. "You've come to say goodbye too?"

Krum nodded. "I'll probably still Bulgaria Seeker after I graduate. Let me know if you want to watch Quidditch Match sometime."

"Tickets? I can still get them."

"I guess I won't need it," Aaron thought to himself. He wasn't very interested in Quidditch, and besides, he could get a ticket much more easily than anyone else.

However, he didn't show the slightest disgust on his face. Instead, he nodded excitedly and said, "I understand."

Krum breathed a sigh of relief and turned to look at Hermione. "Can I say a few words to you?"

"Uh..." Hermione paused for a moment, then subtly took half a step closer to Aaron. "Let's say it here!"

Krum's pupils widened slightly, and for some reason, he felt his heart skip a beat.

Are you serious about taking that half-step movement?

"Hey!" Krum pulled out a slip of paper. "This is for you. Remember to write to me during Summer Holiday vacation."

After saying that, without waiting for Hermione to react, he quickly turned and left.

"Viktor," Ron stared in disbelief, "He...he's not interested in you, is he? His taste is..."

He was halfway through his sentence when he met Hermione's sharp gaze and immediately chose to speak from the heart, "That's some serious taste! You're the Gryffindor house!"

"Right, Harry?"

"Yes, that's it."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Please don't get the wrong idea, he and I are just ordinary friends, okay?"

The two looked at each other and nodded in unison.

"And you, do you understand now?" Hermione asked, looking at Aaron.

"Uh... I understand."

Hermione nodded in satisfaction. "Good that you understand. My relationship with Krum isn't as good as theirs!"

Harry and Ron exchanged a wry smile.

It's fine to emphasize it once, but there's no need to compare them!

"Aaron, Harry."

Cedric strode up the steps, followed by Qiu Zhang of Ravenclaw.

Harry's face immediately fell when he saw this, perfectly understanding Krum's feelings just now.

Ron patted him on the shoulder sympathetically. No need to think about it, she's definitely taken.

Harry forced a smile, suppressing his heartache. "You two are here... to say goodbye."

"Cedric is graduating today and came here specifically to say goodbye. I still have two more years of school to go!" Qiu Zhang explained, then gave Aaron a grateful look. "Although he didn't say it explicitly, I can guess that you saved their lives."

"Of course," Aaron said with a smile, "But you can't just say things like that."

"I see."

Cedric shook hands with the two men. "I might go to work at the Ministry of Ministry of Magic, but not for Fudge. Dumbledore might need the Ministry of Magic's help to fight against the You-Know-Who."

Harry's expression immediately turned serious, and he said he wouldn't be sleepy if he talked about dealing with the Dark Lords.

"Good luck, Cedric."

"You also need to be careful. I think the You-Know-Who definitely won't let you go."

Harry nodded solemnly. What was bound to happen had happened, and he had been mentally prepared for it these past few days.

Before long, a caravan of Thestral pulled a carriage over.

The students put their suitcases on the carriage and rode to Hogsmeade Station.

Aaron put his suitcase away and found an empty private room to sit down.

The train slowly moved forward, the scenery outside rushing past, but Aaron had no heart to appreciate it.

"Sir, open your personal panel."

"Yes, host."

[Host: Aaron Gaius]

[Magical Energy: Body 6140, Elementary Archmage; Thought Form 6140, Elementary Archmage; Total 12280 (Beginner Grand Archmage, a rare existence in the Magic World)]

[Talent: Once in a Millennium (Increases Magical Energy by 4 points daily, physical body by 2 points, Thought Form by 2 points)]

[Items: Moon Drop (2/3 can remove any negative spells), Resurrection Potion (can resurrect any creature that died within one hour)]

[Magic Points: 615]

"If it weren't for Xu Wei obtaining the Dog Talisman, I would feel like all my hard work had been for nothing."

"There has been progress, but it's not very noticeable," the system said very seriously. "And the host still has more than six weeks' worth of Magic Points, which is enough to buy a lot of things."

"Come on! Don't think I can't see through you, you're just trying to get me to spend money." Aaron said painfully, counting on his fingers. "Seraphim's Shield, five weeks, Dog Talisman, three thousand."

"Today I've spent 3,500 Magic Points. If Magical Energy use all of that, my strength would have made a small breakthrough."

"The improvement in combat power is far less than the Immortal Divine Power, so three thousand Magic Points are well worth it," the leader said confidently. "Moreover, the Seraphim's Shield can block the Killing Curse, so five weeks' worth of Magic Points are well worth it."

Aaron took a deep breath and said speechlessly, "What you said makes sense, and I have no way to refute it."

Don't even think about it with my current amount of Magic Points. I need to save them up and accumulate 1,000 points to exchange for the Aaron's Eye.

In other words, it's not that I don't consume, it's just that I want to consume better.

System:...

"Perhaps I shouldn't say that, but if the host wants to forge a Divine Artifact, there are still materials worth buying in the shop."

Aaron paused for a moment, then a bitter smile appeared on his face.

"You're ruthless. Even capitalists aren't as good at this kind of thing."

"Polite."

Aaron was speechless. He had personally obtained those two materials; didn't he know that?

Once the leader mentioned it, he couldn't possibly ignore it even if he wanted to, so...

Thank you for your patronage. Welcome to visit us again.

"For some reason, I feel even more heartbroken."

The sound of money disappearing reached Aaron's ears, and his Magic Points dropped by two-thirds in six weeks.

A rectangular prism, silver with black undertones, appeared on the table. It was perfectly regular and without any flaws.

There was also a bright red, multifaceted crystal that felt hot just by getting close to it.

Heavy Silver and Fire Element Crystal both cost two weeks' worth of Magic Points.

Both items are extremely valuable. One can enhance the weapon's toughness, while the other can imbue it with fire elemental abilities. They are rare materials even in the Magic World, but in his case, they can only add bricks and tiles to that unfinished Divine Artifact.