The Burrow

The Living Room was packed with people: Kingsley, Lupin, Bill, Phoebe, George, Fred, Hermione, Ron, Anne, and even Professor McGonagall.

They had been waiting anxiously, but when Harry and his friends appeared, they froze in place, not moving an inch.

Then, Ron was the first to react.

He rushed over and grabbed Harry with such force that he almost broke his bones.

"You bastard!" His voice trembled. "I thought you weren't coming back!"

Harry was so tightly held that he could hardly breathe, but he didn't push him away.

He simply patted Ron on the back and whispered, "If you strangle him any longer, he'll die—"

Ron then let go of him, laughing as he punched him lightly.

Hermione walked over, her eyes red-rimmed, but she didn't cry.

She hugged Harry, then Cassandra, and then Tonks, Dyg, and Silva.

"You're still alive," she murmured. "That's wonderful—you're still alive—"

Kingsley walked over and shook hands with Harry.

"Well done, Harry," he said.

Lupin didn't say anything, he just patted Harry on the shoulder, but his eyes said it all.

Bill and Phoebe walked over. Bill hugged Harry tightly, Phoebe patted his shoulder without saying anything more.

George and Fred were unusually quiet, simply standing to the side watching Harry, their smiles much gentler than usual.

Professor McGonagall walked up to Harry, her usually stern face now filled with gentleness.

"Potter," she said, "Hogwarts is proud of you."

Harry nodded, then suddenly felt his eyes getting hot.

Anne stood at the back of the crowd, not moving. Harry noticed her and parted the crowd to walk towards her.

Anne looked at him, her lips moved, but she couldn't say a word.

Then, she threw herself into his arms and burst into tears.

"You promised me—you promised me—" she cried, "I thought you wouldn't come back—I thought—"

Harry gently hugged her, patted her back, and kissed her on the cheek.

"I promised you," he said. "I'm back."

Sebastian floated behind Anne, unusually refraining from making any comments. He simply watched Harry, that bastard, kiss his sister with gritted teeth.

Cassandra stood not far away, watching this scene, her lips twitching down imperceptibly a few times, but she didn't say anything more.

Just then, Mrs. Weasley rushed out of the Kitchen, a spatula in her hand.

She saw Harry, and the spatula fell to the ground with a thud.

"Harry!" She rushed over and hugged him tightly, "Good boy—good boy—"

Harry felt a little embarrassed by her hug, but he didn't struggle.

"Mrs. Weasley, I'm alright—"

"You're alright! Look at you, you're as pale as Nearly Headless Nick!" Mrs. Weasley released him, scrutinizing him closely, her eyes red-rimmed. "Are you hungry? Tired? Are you hurt? Where's Madam Pomfrey? Quickly, fetch her!"

"Mom, let him catch his breath," Ron said helplessly.

Mrs. Weasley then realized what was happening and nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, sit down, sit down. Ruby! Ruby! Quickly prepare some food! Prepare plenty!"

Ruby poked her head out of the Kitchen, saw Harry, and let out a delighted squeal. "young master Harry's back! Ruby get right to get things ready! Ruby the best food!"

She retreated into the Kitchen, and immediately the sound of ping-pong balls echoed from the table.

Harry was ushered to a seat on the sofa by the crowd. Ron sat to his left, Ron to his right, Anne Hermione and Cassandra in the armchairs opposite him. The others were either standing or sitting, filling the Living Room to capacity.

Kingsley stood in front of the fireplace and cleared his throat.

"Everyone," he said, "I know you're all excited and eager to know what happened. But Harry and his crew have just been through a tough battle and need rest. We can talk about it tomorrow."

Everyone nodded and dispersed.

Before leaving, Mrs. Weasley hugged Harry one last time and gave him a still-warm meat pie.

George and Fred winked at him and disappeared into the fireplace.

Professor McGonagall was the last to leave. She walked up to Harry, her eyes full of kindness.

"Get some rest, Potter," she said.

Harry nodded vigorously.

The door closed, and the Living Room finally became quiet.

Only Ron, Hermione, Anne, Cassandra, and Sebastian, who was floating in mid-air, remained.

"You guys should go and rest too," Harry said. "Really, I'm fine."

"I'm not leaving," Anne said stubbornly.

Ron shook his head too. "I'm not leaving either. What if you need something in the middle of the night?"

Hermione sighed and looked at Cassandra: "Why don't you try to talk to them?"

Cassandra picked up her teacup and said slowly, "Let them stay; we can't get rid of them anyway."

Ron chuckled. "Cassandra understands best."

Harry shook his head helplessly, but didn't say anything more.

Ruby out carrying a large tray of food: hot soup, toast, stew, and pudding, filling the table to the brim.

"Eat more, young master Harry!" she said. "Ruby made something nourishing!"

Harry looked at the table full of food, and then at the people around him, and a warm feeling welled up inside him.

This is home.

This is what he would risk his life to protect.

It was late at night. Ron was asleep on the sofa, snoring softly. Hermione leaned on his shoulder, her eyes closed, breathing evenly.

Anne nestled next to Harry like a kitten, already fast asleep.

Sebastian hovered above her head, his expression unfriendly as he warily eyed Harry.

Cassandra sat in the armchair opposite, her gaze fixed on Harry.

Harry looked at her and said softly, "Why aren't you asleep yet?"

"I'm not sleepy," she said. "And you?"

"I can't sleep," Harry said. "I keep thinking about what just happened as soon as I close my eyes."

Cassandra was silent for a moment, then said, "That's normal. It always takes time to calm down after a major battle."

Harry nodded, and the two of them stared at each other silently without saying a word.

Moonlight streamed through the window and into the Living Room.

The fire in the fireplace flickered gently, making a warm crackling sound.

"Cass," Harry suddenly called her name softly.

"Um?"

"Once everything is settled," he said, "Let's go on a trip together."

"Okay." Cassandra nodded with a light laugh.

Harry smiled.

He leaned back on the sofa, watching the flames in the fireplace, feeling the breathing of the person beside him, and listening to the occasional sounds of the London night coming from outside the window.

It's finally over, and I can finally rest.

He closed his eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep.

The next day, sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains and fell on Harry's face.

He opened his eyes and found himself lying in his bedroom bed, not on the Living Room sofa. The blankets were neatly tucked in, and the pillows were very comfortable.

He paused for a moment, then sat up.

Who brought him up here?

I guess it's Ruby.

He went out of his room and downstairs. In the Living Room, Ron was already awake and wolfing down his breakfast at the dining table. Hermione was beside him, slowly sipping her tea. Anne sat by the window, staring blankly outside, with Sebastian floating behind her.

Cassandra sat in her usual armchair, holding a book in her hands.

Everyone looked up when they saw Harry come down.

"Good morning," Harry said.

"Early? It's almost noon," Ron mumbled, his mouth full of food. "Come on over and have breakfast—no, lunch."

Harry went over and sat down at the table. Ruby immediately brought him hot fried eggs, bacon, and toast.

"Please eat more, young master Harry!" she said.

Harry smiled and nodded, then began to eat.

The meal was unusually quiet; no one discussed Voldemort, the Temple of the Sun, or yesterday's battle.

They chatted occasionally about the weather and Ruby's cooking, just like any ordinary morning.

In the afternoon, Kingsley arrived.

He sat opposite Harry, his expression serious, but his eyes seemed quite relaxed.

"The Confederation has confirmed it," he said. "Voldemort's remaining forces are being wiped out. The Dark Wizard Gang in South America are leaderless; some have surrendered, and others have scattered and fled. Within a month, order will be restored throughout South America."

Harry nodded.

"And," Kingsley said, "the American Ministry of Magic sent a letter of thanks, saying that the consequences would have been unimaginable without you. They also asked if you could give a speech in America?"

"A speech?" Harry was taken aback.

"It's fine if you don't want to go," Kingsley said. "I can refuse for you."

After Kingsley left in the afternoon, the Living Room fell silent.

Sunlight streamed through the window, casting warm dappled patterns on the floor. Ron leaned back on the sofa, patting his round belly, and let out a satisfied sigh.

"By the way," Hermione suddenly spoke up, "What's the date today?"

Ron paused for a moment, scratched his head, and said, "I don't know... maybe it's sometime in August?"

"August 18th," Cassandra said calmly.

The Living Room fell silent for a moment.

Then Ron sat bolt upright. "August 18th?! That means—"

"School Opening on September 1st," Hermione continued, "Sixteen days to go."

The group looked at each other in bewilderment.

In those five days, they experienced so much that they almost forgot the outside world was still functioning normally and that Hogwarts was still waiting for them.

"Seventh grade," Anne suddenly said, "I'm going to be in seventh grade."

There was a hint of disbelief in her voice. Indeed, for a girl who had dropped out of school at the end of fourth grade due to Dark Magic Curse and who treated every day as if it were her last, it seemed somewhat unreal that she could successfully advance to seventh grade.

"Seventh grade," Ron said with a bitter face, "We just finished our 0. WLs exams not long ago, and now we have to start preparing for NEWTs. Merlin— "

"You never liked studying anyway, so what's the difference?" Hermione bluntly exposed.

Ron opened his mouth, but was speechless.

Harry didn't speak; it was his final year at Hogwarts, seventh year. If it weren't for all this, he would probably be like any other seventh-year student, busy preparing for the N.E.W.T. Exams, thinking about where he would go after graduation, and dreaming about life as an adult.

But now, all of that seems so far away.

"Are you planning to go back?" Cassandra suddenly asked.

Harry looked at her.

" Of Hogwarts," he said, "Hogwarts is my home."

Cassandra nodded and said nothing more.

Anne turned her head from the window. "Will you go back to school?"

Harry thought for a moment, "We should go back to school, after all, it's our final year."

1

Beside her, Mrs. Weasley arrived again.

She brought a whole bunch of things: newly knitted sweaters, homemade jam, meat pies, Pumpkin Pasty, and a big bag of clothes for Ron to change into.

"We're going back to our the Burrow tomorrow," she said. "You guys should rest well for the next few days and be fully refreshed before School Opening."

"What the heck?" Ron was stunned.

"Yes, today," Mrs. Weasley said. "Arthur will come to pick you up. You should come home before School Opening, right?"

Ron scratched his head, and it seemed that was indeed the case.

Mrs. Weasley walked up to Harry and looked him over carefully.

Her eyes were filled with heartache, but also with relief.

"Good boy," she said softly, "You've lost weight. Eat more these next few days and get back in shape."

Harry nodded, feeling a warm glow inside.

Mrs. Weasley then looked at Cassandra, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Miss Malfoy, please come too. The Burrow may not be as grand as Malfoy Manor, but it's a warm welcome to you."

Cassandra was taken aback. She clearly hadn't expected Mrs. Weasley to invite her.

"I—" She opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say.

"Come on," Harry said. "The Burrow quite nice. Ron's room is messy, but Mrs. Weasley's cooking is absolutely superb."

"Hey, what do you mean my room is messy?" Ron protested.

"Isn't that right?" Hermione said expressionlessly.

Ron shut up.

Cassandra looked at them, narrowed her eyes, and smiled.

"Okay," she said. "Thank you, Mrs. Weasley."

August 19th, early morning.

The Burrow.

Standing in front of that crooked house, Cassandra truly witnessed for the first time what Weasley lifestyle was like.

A chicken ran past her feet, clucking as it dashed toward the distant fields.

Several Goblin peeked out from the flowerbed, and when they saw her, they let out sharp, mocking laughs.

The sheets hanging on the clothesline fluttered in the wind, one of which was particularly striking in the Magical World —it bore the inscription "Gryffindor will win."

No need to guess, no need to look, it's Ron's clothes.

"Welcome to the Burrow!" Ron said, opening his arms wide with pride.

Cassandra looked at the crooked house, then glanced at Harry was standing with his hands on his hips.

"Very special." She ultimately gave a somewhat neutral assessment.

"It's particularly crooked, isn't it?" George poked his head out of the doorway and said with a grin, "My dad says it has an artistic feel to it."

"Artistic sense?" Fred chimed in, "He's referring to the random aesthetics of magical architecture."

At this point, the two exchanged a glance and said in unison, "Of course, we both think he's talking nonsense."

"Come in!" Mrs. Weasley's voice came from inside the house. "Don't stand in the doorway! By the way, Harry, have you told Ms. Grindelwald that you're coming to the Burrow?"