Prophecy, and Cassandra's Valentine's Day Gift (8000)

Even if Gellert gets angry, it's no use; after all, he can't roast Jack.

In fact, while he was on edge, he wouldn't have gone so far as to yell and kill a parrot that looked like him.

To be honest, he actually quite liked this parrot that looked a lot like him.

Ever since learning of Jack's existence, Gellert would occasionally come to the Gryffindor's long table to tease Jack or feed him some of the supplements he had bought.

At first, Hermione was wary of Gellert, after all, she was worried that Gellert might harm Jack.

But as time went on, she let it go, allowing Gellert to come over and pet Jack whenever he had free time.

Young wizards at this age are incredibly mischievous; just as Snape earned the nickname "The Slicker-Haired Bat," Gellert also received the nickname "The Parrot."

However, everyone mostly uses affectionate nicknames for him, since he has already become one of the classmates.

On Saturday afternoon, Harry called Jack outside the Great Hall while Gellert was petting Jack.

"Assistant Gale," Harry said, "Would you mind coming out with me for a moment? I need to talk to you about something."

A sly glint flashed in Gellert's eyes.

"You can say whatever you need to say here, Harry."

"It's a rather personal matter." Harry emphasized the word "personal."

"Alright." Gellert reached out and ruffled the cockatoo's head. "Jack, I'm going out with this scarred... Harry for a bit. I'll be back in a bit."

Harry: ()?!

Were you trying to say "Scarhead" just now?

Gellert seemed to read Harry's mind. As he reached the Great Hall entrance, he politely nodded to the two girls who greeted him and said in an aria-like voice, "Actually, what I wanted to say was ' Scarhead Spectacled Beast '."

Harry decided to ignore him.

"So what do you want from me, Mr. Potter?" Gellert asked with a smile.

"About Cassandra," Harry said. "You seem to have promised us that once you arrived at the school, you would use your Prophecy to help us find Cassandra."

Gellert looked surprised.

"Oh..." he said suddenly, "I thought you were so engrossed in my sister's tenderness that you'd forgotten about your old flame—"

"Cassandra is my best friend," Harry tried to argue. "My best friend."

Gellert gave him a look of utter contempt, the kind of contempt that's extremely strong.

"I'll just consider her your best friend, Potter," he scoffed. "But... it's a wonder you still remember Cassandra. Oh, is it because my sister's been ignoring you lately that you're suddenly thinking about how good she is?"

At this point, Gellert looked as if he had suddenly realized something.

"You're such a jerk, Potter," he said, not forgetting to sow discord. "But I'm glad you realize that. My sister is just like that; she's very career-driven—you know? Neither you nor I will ever be number one in her heart..."

His Eyes of Prophecy darted around, a meaningful smile playing on his lips, as if he had glimpsed some interesting future.

Harry noticed Gellert's eyes darting around, and he knew the other man must have seen something.

"What did you see?" he asked with concern.

"It's nothing, it's not about Miss Malfoy." Gellert gave him a meaningful look, then turned and said, "Come with me, I think it's better to make the Prophecy in a more appropriate place."

The two walked one after the other to the fountain in the central courtyard.

At this time, the Scottish Highlands were still in winter, and the snow in the castles had not yet melted.

The fountain was also covered in snow. Even though this was a school in a magical world, it still followed the seasons, and the fountain was in its winter rest period.

Since the cold wind was still blowing hard outside, there weren't many classmates around, and the few people who did appear were just passing by. So it was a good opportunity for the two of them to chat about Cassandra.

Just as Harry reached the fountain, Hedwig appeared out of nowhere, fluttering her wings and landing on the bench next to Harry.

"Your bird is very good," Gellert complimented Hedwig. "She's beautiful—"

"It was a birthday present from Hagrid."

Harry's face lit up with happiness when Hagrid was mentioned.

Gellert raised an eyebrow noncommittally. After spending half a month together, he knew Hagrid inside and out.

Gellert actually quite liked this Legilimency master because he was completely innocent and someone Dumbledore trusted and relied on.

"Here." Harry looked at the fountain covered in snow and said reminiscingly, "Back in my first year, it was right here... Yes, Cassandra especially loved coming here to watch the fountain, and sometimes she would invite me along."

Gellert gave him a knowing look. "So you were very resistant back then, feeling like she was bullying you, right?"

Harry glanced up at Gellert but didn't say anything.

"Humans are complex creatures, Harry," Gellert said in a light tone. "Although you entered in '87, I'm actually a bit older than you—so I'm an elder in a way."

"Are you going to impart your life lessons to me?" Harry asked, glancing sideways.

"Dream on," Gellert chuckled. "We're sworn enemies, Harry —but don't worry, I have my principles too. I won't go back on my word."

"I know, because you're Veratia's brother," Harry said.

Gellert seemed to enjoy Harry's comment, and he gave a smug smile.

"Alright, let's get down to business—do you have any items related to her?" Gellert said. "If we had any items that Miss Malfoy used, perhaps the Prophecy would be more accurate."

Harry thought for a moment and remembered the Notebook Cassandra had left behind.

"There's a Notebook," he said. "Wait a moment, I'll go back and get it."

He turned and quickly left, returning to the Gryffindor Common Room to retrieve his treasured Notebook, which he then clutched in his arms and ran back to its original spot.

Gellert was still waiting for him in the same spot. When Harry ran over, Gellert didn't say anything, but just smiled and extended his hand.

"This is it." Harry handed the Notebook to Gellert. "This is the Notebook Cassandra used to use. Try to take a look and see if you can find any clues in Notebook."

Gellert didn't say anything, but held the Notebook in his hand and gently closed his eyes.

Nearly half an hour passed, and he still didn't open his eyes.

Just as Harry was getting a little impatient, Gellert opened his eyes and said softly, "What I saw... wasn't comprehensive. Your clues about Cassandra might be related to this Notebook, and... Merlin?"

At this point, Gellert frowned and looked at Harry.

"Finding clues about Miss Malfoy is closely related to Merlin —if you could figure out exactly how she was trying to travel through time, it might be the ultimate key to solving the mystery."

Merlin?

Harry rubbed his temples. Merlin... what's the connection between Merlin and Cassandra?

Could it be that what Cassandra stole from the family vault is related to Merlin?

but...

Harry thought of the trials of Merlin he had faced a hundred years ago, or rather, that Cassandra was somewhere at the site of Merlin's trials.

"Any other clues?" Harry asked again.

"That's all I can see for now, Potter," Gellert said with a chuckle. "Don't worry, I won't hide anything from you about this. I'm even more eager for Miss Malfoy to return than you are to see her."

Yes, he was absolutely sincere.

In Gellert's view, his sister's biggest rival was Miss Malfoy.

If Miss Malfoy had been willing to lower her pride even a little, her sister might not have had a chance at all.

Although Harry could sense Gellert's sincerity in this matter, he still instinctively felt that the other party was up to no good.

Time flies, and it seems like only yesterday that it was the second Friday of February.

After auditing classes for two weeks, Pabbie lost interest in attending, but she would occasionally take the time to audit Harry's classes.

She didn't really need to find any reason; after all, she was school board member, and it was just a matter of exercising her power a little.

As for Harry, he recently had a map of Britain in his hand, marking the locations of Merlin's trials across the country.

Veratia hasn't returned to Hogwarts recently, seemingly having completely immersed herself in the ocean of Muggle knowledge.

He had hoped that Veratia could help him mark the location of Merlin's trials on the map when she returned, but unfortunately...

However, the Merlin's trials ruins that Harry had visited were limited to the Scotland region... He planned to take advantage of this time to visit those locations again.

He yawned as he entered Dumbledore's office.

"Professor," Harry greeted him.

"Harry." Dumbledore looked up and noticed Harry's obvious dark circles under his eyes. He asked with concern, "What happened to you? You don't seem to have rested well?"

"I haven't been sleeping very well lately because I've been comparing and marking the locations of Merlin's trials," Harry said with a yawn.

"Merlin's trials?"

This wasn't the first time Dumbledore had heard the term, and he asked curiously, "What is that?"

"You don't know?" Harry asked curiously.

Dumbledore replied, "I've only heard about it from others, but I've never actually found the so-called ' Merlin's Trial'."

Harry thought to himself, "All the magical little games Merlin left behind that we could find in the Scottish Highlands have already been solved by me and Cassandra. It would be strange if you could find them."

"Lady. Nora Treadwell believed those things were some kind of pastime he left for his Slytherin, and you know, Merlin was known for his love of puzzles and mysteries," Harry said with a yawn. "Gellert's Prophecy said that Miss Malfoy Cassandra Malfoy's whereabouts seemed to be related to Merlin, so the first thing that came to mind was the Merlin's trials."

"Is that so?" Dumbledore became interested. "When I was young, I also tried to start the Merlin's trials, but unfortunately I could never find the right way. I spent a whole year in the Restricted Section and still couldn't find the correct method."

Harry, ever the astute observer, caught Dumbledore's words and asked suspiciously, "You mean, you spent a year in the Restricted Section?"

"Haha, want a piece of candy?" Dumbledore pulled an Orange C-Filled Candy from the candy jar. "Here you go, it's delicious..."

"You changed the subject so clumsily," Harry thought, taking the candy.

Harry didn't continue to expose Dumbledore, choosing to save face for him, since he still needed his help.

"Unlocking Merlin's Trial may require the inheritance of Ancient Magic. I don't think Merlin is as Lady. Treadwell said, and this game is not intended for the Slytherin students."

Harry didn't make any definitive statements, after all, Pabbie couldn't undergo Merlin's trials back then, but Cassandra could.

"So that's how it is." Dumbledore exclaimed in sudden realization, "No wonder..."

Harry then said, "I'd like to ask you for a leave of absence, Professor."

"You want to search for the ruins of Merlin's trials, don't you?" Dumbledore asked with a smile.

"Yes," Harry didn't deny it. "It's crucial to me."

Is it crucial?

Although Dumbledore wanted to bring Harry and Veratia together, he would still respect Harry's wishes as much as possible.

He didn't try to persuade him, but instead said to Harry, "I understand how you feel, Harry, but I still have a small suggestion—"

"You said it," Harry said, looking at Dumbledore.

"I think you should bring Miss Grindelwald with you while you search for Merlin's ruins. On the one hand, more people mean more strength, and on the other hand..."

Dumbledore paused for a moment, then continued, "Are these 'trials' one-time only?"

"Probably, but I'm not entirely sure." Harry thought for a moment, then said, "There's a site of Merlin's trials not far south of Hogwarts. I remember that after passing the trial, I couldn't trigger it again when I went back... But who knows what will happen in a hundred years?"

"That's right." Dumbledore nodded as if he understood.

"As for Veratia, I'd better not bother her for now," Harry said. "She's been busy absorbing knowledge about the Muggle world lately, and she's too busy to do anything else. I'll handle finding Cassandra myself."

"Alright."

Dumbledore didn't try to persuade him further. After Harry left, he was still thinking about whether he should write a letter to Grindelwald explaining the situation.

In the afternoon, Harry was so tired that he lay down on the long table in the Great Hall, intending to take a nap until dinner.

"What's wrong with Harry?" Hermione and the others asked curiously as they passed by Harry.

"He's probably asleep," Ron said softly, gently placing the book on the long table. He told Hermione, "Keep your voice down, don't wake him."

After saying that, Ron sat down next to Hermione and continued, "He didn't seem to sleep much last night. When I got up this morning, I found him still drawing and writing on a map. I don't know what he was doing."

"Really?" Hermione took Jack off her shoulder and placed him on the table, then took a thick book out of her bag and placed it on the table as well.

Ron noticed the thick book and muttered in shock, "Merlin's stinky socks..."

Hermione gave him a warning look.

Ron, warned by the look in his eyes, then remembered that his best friend was catching up on sleep. He shrugged, stood up, and was about to ask Ginny what she wanted to eat for dinner.

As soon as he stood up, the Twins surrounded him.

"Ronnie little darling?" Fred whispered in Ron's ear, then glanced mischievously at Hermione, who was engrossed in her book. "Valentine's Day is the day after tomorrow. Tell me, have you prepared any gifts for your girlfriend yet?"

"A little girlfriend?" Ron was stunned. "What little girlfriend? What are you talking about?"

George reached out and patted Ron on the back. "Are you still playing dumb? Let me tell you, Mom already knows, and says you're completely under Miss Granger's thumb..."

Ron's face flushed red, and he stammered, "What control? What are you talking about? I don't understand..."

What followed was a string of incomprehensible words, saying that disciplining my studies didn't count as discipline, that she was just concerned about my academic performance, and for a moment the air was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

Jack seemed quite happy too; it walked across the long table, its feet making soft pattering sounds.

It shook its head, its crest swaying back and forth, and leisurely murmured, "Aiya aiya aiya~".

"Huh?" It saw the Notebook next to Harry.

The parrot couldn't understand what it was, but it had plenty of curiosity.

So Jack stuck out his mouth, intending to probe what was going on with the Notebook.

Hermione, who was engrossed in reading, suddenly heard a loud "hiss".

Not only did she notice, but Ron, who was arguing with his Twins brother that "that's not my girlfriend," also heard it.

They turned to look in the direction the sound came from and found that Jack had torn the Notebook next to Harry to shreds.

Jack realized he had done something wrong and ran back to Hermione's side, making a spring-like trembling sound as he ran.

It lowered its head and tucked it into Hermione's sleeve.

"Good heavens, Jack!" Hermione exclaimed in disbelief, pulling Jack's head out of her sleeve. "Look what you've done!"

The cover of the Notebook in front of me had been completely torn off, and it was now completely disconnected from the notes inside, as helplessly split in two like a sunflower seed shell with the kernel removed.

Harry was still asleep, completely unaware that the Notebook Cassandra had left behind had been torn to shreds.

"Good heavens..." Ron glanced at Parrot Jack, then at Hermione. "Jack's really in trouble now... What should we do? Should we wake Harry?"

The Twins, laughing and joking, stood on either side of Hermione and Ron, respectively.

"I'm telling you two," Fred said, George immediately followed up, "Have you forgotten that magic exists?"

"Why not try the miraculous Reparo?" they both said in unison.

Hermione then remembered the spell, so she took out her wand and pointed it at the Notebook.

"Reparo!"

The tip of the wand lit up, but the Notebook did not respond.

"What should I do?" she asked, her face contorted with despair, completely at a loss.

"Let's wake up the owner of the Notebook," the Twins said in unison.

"Harry, Harry?"

Having no idea what to do, Hermione reached out and nudged Harry, trying to shake him awake.

Harry, who had been shoved, opened his sleepy eyes, unaware of what had happened.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Hermione was a little embarrassed.

She pointed to the torn Notebook on the table and said, "Well, Jack messed up; he tore your Notebook..."

Harry followed Hermione's finger and saw the Notebook with its cover torn off.

His mind went blank for a moment.

"Perhaps we can use the Repairing Charms," Harry said, pulling out his wand and pointing it at the Notebook.

But the Charms passed, and nothing happened.

"I'm sorry, Harry," Hermione said softly, "It's my fault, I shouldn't have let Jack out like that..."

As she spoke, she began to sob softly.

She didn't know what the Notebook was, but she knew Notebook seemed very important to Harry, otherwise he wouldn't be inseparable from it.

Good heavens, just thinking about it makes Hermione feel suffocated.

Putting yourself in her shoes, you'd probably be furious if it were her.

"I share the responsibility, Harry." Ron stood beside Hermione, sharing her burden. "If I could also keep an eye on Jack..."

Harry looked at Ron and Hermione with gentle eyes and smiled, saying, "Alright, it's not your fault. It's just a Notebook... Besides, the contents aren't damaged, are they?"

"No, Harry, I can't forgive myself..." Hermione whispered.

She felt genuinely guilty. If the Notebook could be repaired by the Charms, that would be one thing, but for some reason, the Charms had no effect whatsoever.

However, she did not place all the blame on Jack. While the Notebook was indeed destroyed by Jack, her carelessness as the owner also played a part.

"Alright, sit down and continue reading." Harry smiled gently at them.

but,

Is it just a Notebook?

He felt a little sad.

I could almost hear Mr. Septimus's voice.

"You can't even protect her, kid! You can't even protect her belongings!"

Harry sat on the stool in a daze, reaching out to pick up the Notebook cover and notes from either side.

Although Ron and Hermione had already sat down, they still looked at Harry with concern.

Jack also peeked at Harry, only to be lightly flicked on the forehead by Hermione.

However, Harry spotted a note tucked inside the Notebook cover.

This spot would never be discovered unless the cover was torn.

Note?

He quickly picked up the note, opened it, and read it.

It's Cassandra's deposit certificate!

A deposit slip at Gringotts!

He looked up in surprise and saw Hermione holding Jack.

Jack thought he had messed up by tearing up Cassandra's Notebook, but unexpectedly, this twist of fate helped him find something important!

Perhaps Cassandra's vault holds crucial clues to her destiny!

Who said Jack caused trouble? He actually did a great job!

No wonder the Notebook cover couldn't be repaired; it seems Cassandra did it on purpose.

It should be said that the Notebook's cover and the notes inside are not a set, which is why it cannot be repaired by the restoration Charms.

"Hermione, give me Jack," he said happily.

Hermione shook her head frantically. "No, Harry, it's my fault, Jack... Jack she..."

"No, I want to thank it for helping me a lot!" Harry laughed happily. "Without it, I wouldn't have found something so important!"

Hermione looked at Harry with some skepticism, but seeing that his expression didn't seem fake, she hesitantly handed Jack over.

Harry happily lifted Jack up, just like the baboon elders who lifted Simba.

He brought Jack to his lips and kissed him, then subconsciously sucked hard on Jack's breasts, just like he sucked on Hedwig.

To be fair, Hedwig is an owl, so taking a couple of puffs is fine... but Jack...

Harry quickly handed Jack to Ron and started coughing violently.

This damn feather powder is all over his throat.

Hermione was amused by Harry and stopped crying. She had thought Harry was just comforting her, but now she realized that what Harry said was true.

However, she still held Jack's beak tightly with two fingers, and decided in her heart that she would definitely keep a closer eye on Jack in the future to prevent it from causing trouble again!

Draco had come over as soon as the Notebook cover was torn off. He stared at Jack Bird with displeasure, but didn't say a word.

After all, Harry hadn't said anything, so he had no grounds to argue—even though the Notebook belonged to his great-aunt, he believed that Harry and his great-aunt were closer in terms of kinship.

However, after Harry discovered the gold voucher, Draco pulled off a brilliant change of heart.

He decided in his heart that he would write to his father right now and ask him to get some supplements for parrots.

Since tomorrow is the weekend and there are no classes this afternoon, Harry plans to go to Gringotts.

Dumbledore ago granted him special permission to freely enter and Hogwarts —but Harry didn't have Phoenix and couldn't Apparition inside the castle, so he could only Apparition outside the castle.

"Harry".

Draco caught up, panting. He had been following Harry ever since they came out of the Great Hall.

After all, it belonged to his great-aunt, and he felt he had to take this opportunity to get closer to Harry.

And let's also take this opportunity to strengthen the bond between the two sides—about Great-Aunt and Harry.

"So that really is my great-aunt's savings certificate?" he asked curiously. "Is it her savings certificate at Gringotts?"

"Yes." Harry didn't try to hide anything.

"Cool," Draco said with a laugh. "I always thought there was something about her in the family vault, but Dad searched several times during the holidays and couldn't find a trace of her... Turns out she had another vault."

"Speaking of which, Valentine's Day is just around the corner, Harry," Draco began, trying to make conversation again. "You know what? I've received several Valentine's Day gifts—some from Pansy, and several from Slytherin upperclassmen, but I don't know who to give them to, since I don't have anyone I like... I bet you've received one too, right? Miss Grindelwald will probably bring you a gift from the Muggle world, won't she?"

Harry: ()?!

So you've caught my eye, haven't you?!

That's really bringing up the very thing I shouldn't have said...

Draco's reminder made him realize that Valentine's Day was just around the corner.

Today is February 12th, and Sunday is February 14th, the classic Valentine's Day.

People will give gifts to their crushes as a hint—or rather, a direct indication.

Draco noticed the subtle change in Harry's expression and immediately understood that Miss Grindelwald hadn't given him a gift!

OK!

This is wonderful!

Although he didn't know why Miss Grindelwald hadn't given Harry a gift, he knew that now was the perfect opportunity—an opportunity to help his great-aunt!

Draco's brain started working at overclock, preparing to deliver the strongest assist.

"I think this must be a Valentine's Day gift from my great-aunt, Harry."

At this point, Draco forced a sad expression.

"Think about it, why now of all times? On the eve of Valentine's Day... Good heavens, perhaps this is Merlin's guidance."

Harry was stunned for a moment after Draco said that.

Don't tell me, you really shouldn't tell me.

"How could that be?" Harry waved his hand, feigning disbelief. "It's just a coincidence. Nobody expected Jack to tear up the Notebook at this time, not even Cassandra herself."

"Are you still denying it?" Draco looked at Harry with a hint of exasperation. "Good heavens, Potter! You really disappoint me! Why don't you take a good look at your Scarhead and think carefully about what could possibly drive a young girl to abandon her loving father and brother, risking her life to travel through time a hundred years to find you!"

This was the first time he had called Harry "Potter" since learning Harry's identity.

Draco was really going all out to protect his great-aunt.

What was that saying again?

The Malfoy family: family comes first.

Even though she was a great-aunt he had never met, Draco still instinctively wanted to protect her.

Harry opened his mouth, but Draco's words left him speechless.

"Think about this! You're not the nobody Muggle-born orphan wizard you were a hundred years ago when you first met her!" Draco roared. "You're the legendary wizard of a hundred years ago! The Savior defeated the strongest Dark Wizard of this century! What are you doubting, Potter!"

After saying that, Draco turned and walked away angrily without looking back.

Veratia, who was attending Muggle School, sneezed twice.

Strange, why is a wizard sneezing?

She gently rubbed her nose.

However, what she never expected was that even when trapped somewhere and her life hanging in the balance, Cassandra was able to pull off a classic comeback.

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(The next chapter will be updated around 8 PM)