Harry's Plan Is Thrown into Disarray Without Warning / Another Visit to the Lovers' Teahouse Means More Gossip

"Luna Lovegood, I've rescued Xenophilius Lovegood." He led Hermione to the girl and gently tidied her disheveled hair. "Don't worry, neither of us is hurt."

"Really?! Hmm..." Just a gentle sentence, but it broke Luna Lovegood's composure. Her body trembled violently, as if she wanted to throw herself off the stretcher, but she managed to stop herself.

So she simply held Harry's hand, pressed his palm against her face, and forced a smile as she said something to Harry...

Thank you~

Seeing her smile, Harry suddenly felt that all his previous hardships had been worthwhile.

Admittedly, Harry and Luna Lovegood's interaction might have drawn some strange looks from many people in the audience, but no one would be foolish enough to gossip at such a time.

Besides, Hermione Granger is used to all sorts of things, right? These onlookers are just happy to have some juicy gossip; why should they care about anything else?

Hmm... maybe only one person doesn't think that way.

Seeing the scene before her, Ginny Weasley felt a slight pang of sadness, along with a faint sense of resentment—some towards Hermione and Luna Lovegood, but mostly towards Harry.

At first, she thought that Harry had reserved all his tenderness for Hermione, but now she is increasingly realizing that there is another Luna Lovegood besides Hermione!

Therefore, what truly saddened Ginny was not that Harry was ignoring her because of Hermione.

It's not that Harry is a particularly faithful guy, or even a womanizing scumbag, but he still chooses to ignore her!

The fact that they wouldn't even share a crumb with her—this discovery shattered Ginny's girlish heart into a million pieces.

However, it was obvious that none of the three main characters, Hermione, Hugh, and Luna, noticed Ginny's thoughts. When they saw Luna Lovegood wake up and get up, Hermione immediately ran to take care of her.

At the same time, she couldn't resist boasting to Harry, "Let me tell you, Luna Lovegood really put in a lot of effort this time. If she hadn't Prophecy the crisis at Hogwarts after you left, we would have been in an even more passive position, and might not have even made it to your return!"

"Yes, when it comes to Prophet, Luna Lovegood is definitely far superior to the one the headmaster trusts," Harry nodded and said with a light laugh.

He glanced at the Divination professor in the crowd, whose face was somewhat ashen, pondered for a moment, and finally shook his head in resignation.

Although Trelawney made an outdated Prophecy, the fault did not lie with her. Ultimately, it was because Albus Dumbledore believed in superstition and stubbornly insisted on venturing into the Ministry of Magic.

But speaking of which, that Grim Reaper really is a busybody.

If it hadn't interfered, I might already know who the headmaster had encountered at the Ministry of Magic.

Sigh... I doubt Albus Dumbledore will tell me when he gets back...

The laughter and cheers in the Great Hall continued for a long time without ceasing. Soon after, Snape and Sirius arrived in the Great Hall with their men from the fourth floor. Seeing that everyone was safe and sound, the crowd erupted in even more enthusiastic cheers.

At this moment, Zouwu lay lazily beside Granger Siblings, Sirius laughed and boasted to Harry about his recent victory, Lovegood and his daughter embraced each other after their reunion, and the four heads of the house kept exchanging pleasantries. The whole Hogwarts was filled with a harmonious and joyful atmosphere.

However... the members of the Order of the Phoenix, who were ignored by everyone, couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.

They should have contributed greatly to this crisis, successfully helping Dumbledore escape his predicament, but the problem is... Albus Dumbledore didn't return to the school with them.

They were embarrassed to have missed the tail end of the Hogwarts defense battle, and now they felt awkward celebrating with the rest of the school.

The main reason, of course, is that when Dumbledore isn't at school, Harry is the most imposing figure in the entire Hogwarts. If he wants to ignore them, who among the other teachers and students would bother to pay attention to them?

"Alright, it's getting late, everyone should go back and rest." Feeling that it was about time, and mainly because Albus Dumbledore hadn't returned after waiting for a while, Harry decided not to let everyone linger in the Great Hall any longer.

He waved for the students to disperse, then turned to Sturgis Podmore, the only person in the Order of the Phoenix he was somewhat familiar with. "As for the Headmaster's friends... Mr. Podmore, how about you take them to the Hog's Head Inn for the night?"

"Alright... let's wait until Dumbledore returns." Sturgis clearly felt it would be awkward to stay any longer, so he accepted Harry's suggestion.

But at this moment, no one knew that the owner of Hog's Head Inn was in a terrible mood... in fact, he was grieving.

The already somewhat decaying bar door had been gnawed to pieces by the intruding Inferi, and the already dilapidated lobby was now a complete mess. On the wall behind the bar, the portrait of the girl that used to hang there was gone, leaving only a violently collapsed entrance to a secret passage and a series of messy footprints.

Meanwhile, the bar owner Aberforth Dumbledore, was slumped on the floor next to the bar, clutching the portrait that had been torn to pieces.

Heartbroken, he pounded his fists on the mess around him until his palms were covered in blood, and he continued to wail in agony.

"Ariana Dumbledore... no, why is this happening?! Ahhh!!"

(P. S. Um... There's a secret passage behind Ariana Dumbledore's portrait in the Hog's Head Inn that leads directly to the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts. In the seventh book, Neville and the others often used that passage to get food from the Hog's Head Inn when they were hiding in the Room of Requirement. That's all~)

Chapter 498 Harry's plans were disrupted unexpectedly

It's obvious that Dumbledore must have returned to the school around midnight yesterday.

Because early the next morning, Will rushed to the doorman's hut, wanting Harry to come with him immediately to the common room of Eagle House.

When they arrived together, Harry found that Professor Flitwick had already gathered all the students together, seemingly holding a morning meeting.

"Haha, great! Harry, you've finally arrived!" Upon seeing his most outstanding student, the old man's face immediately lit up with joy, and he greeted Harry from afar.

"I'm sorry, Professor, I've taken up everyone's time." Harry hurried over to the students. "What happened?"

"Headmaster Dumbledore has brought back a provisional decision from the Ministry of Magic, which I must announce on his behalf," Professor Flitwick explained to the students. "The remaining OWLs and NEWTs exams will be temporarily cancelled."

"Huh? Why was it canceled?" "What about our grades?"

Professor Flitwick's news naturally sparked discussion among the students of Eagle House, especially those in the fifth to seventh years, whose impact was absolutely enormous.

Harry also had many questions. "Professor, there are at least four OWLs and NEWTs exams left, why were they suddenly canceled? And if the exams can't be taken now, how will the seventh-year students find jobs?"

"The Ministry of Magic's reason is that due to an unforeseen accident, the Wizarding Management Bureau cannot immediately conduct the remaining qualification exams," Professor Flitwick said helplessly. "Harry, this situation is, after all, exceptional..."

The situation is special... Indeed, this situation is quite special.

After the event ended last night, Harry did ask Professor Flitwick for details, but the professor couldn't give him a clear answer either.

So in the end, Harry knew nothing about the details except that there was a vampire named Herbert behind Peter Pettigrew, that this guy controlled a group of high-ranking officials in the Ministry of Magic and set up an ambush, and that he was eventually blasted to smithereens by Albus Dumbledore's side.

Why the other party would go to such lengths to plot against Albus Dumbledore... no, it should be said that they wanted to target him, and what exactly was their relationship with Albus Dumbledore? These are all mysteries that remain unsolved.

Perhaps... his teacher Nicolas Flamel, knows something?

"In short, the Ministry of Magic has decided to postpone the remaining portions of the two certification exams until a week before the start of the next school year, and guarantees that everyone's results will be assessed before the start of the semester," Professor Flitwick continued. "As for the seventh-year graduates who urgently need NEWTs certificates for employment, the school will issue recommendation letters during the summer to recommend you for trial positions at relevant companies. After the exam results are released in September, your employers will decide whether to retain you."

"But Professor, even so, it's not fair to the seventh-year students. They can't possibly be unaffected when they're looking for jobs!" Hermione immediately shook her head in rebuttal.

Take Penelope Clearwater, Ravenclaw alumna, as an example. This recent graduate came from an ordinary background, but she became Prefect, then the president of the student council, and achieved an 'O' in all seven of her major OWLs. She was definitely a top student with an aura of excellence, wasn't she?

However, if she doesn't have a NEWTs certificate and only relies on a recommendation letter from her school to find a job, she will definitely run into obstacles in many places.

Because Hogwarts' so-called recommendation letters are probably only useful within the Ministry of Magic and some of its subordinate official or government-backed units, and their effectiveness is likely limited to within Britain.

If a seventh-grader wants to switch fields or even go abroad... like getting a job at Gringotts, which is controlled by Goblin, they won't even give you a second glance if you can't produce solid academic credentials.

"Hermione, I know this might be unfair, but the Ministry of Magic has already made its decision," Professor Flitwick said helplessly. "So let's think about it another way. It's not necessarily a bad thing. At least everyone has an extra summer vacation, and maybe they'll get better grades then."

However, this will cost you your entire summer vacation...

Harry shrugged inwardly and pulled Hermione, who was about to say something, back to his side.

Albus Dumbledore couldn't possibly be unaware that such a decision would lead to injustice, yet he still chose to agree, which indicates that he had already reached a consensus with the Ministry of Magic in private.

Moreover, he clearly doesn't want to accept any criticism right now; otherwise, he wouldn't have acted out of character by asking Professor Flitwick to issue this school-wide notice, which should have been announced uniformly.

Harry guessed that the other three houses were probably in similar situations now. Some students might be dissatisfied, but the decision would not change.

But this would completely disrupt my plans.

Harry had originally planned to rest and prepare during the summer vacation. Apart from retrieving Regulus's body and waiting for the Muggle Studies practice exam on 'Catching Lightning', his main task was to stay home and stay with his parents until the Quidditch World Cup ended.

He will wait until his parents have completely left Britain and have no worries before setting off for Albania.

Even if Harry spends a little more time in Albania, it doesn't matter; he can just go to Hogwarts a bit later.

But now that the Ministry of Magic has done this, Harry's trip to Albania has to be brought forward, and it will inevitably be much more rushed than expected.

The biggest problem is the Quidditch World Cup. Harry promised to meet with China during the Quidditch World Cup finals. The other person is a friend of his grandfather, who is also an elder in his family. Moreover, it concerns his adoptive parents' upcoming trip to China. Harry absolutely cannot break his promise.

Therefore, if the Quidditch World Cup is delayed for too long, Harry will likely have to miss his History of Magic (O.W.L. Exam.

What the hell?

Harry, deep in thought, frowned deeply. He suddenly realized that the Ministry of Magic's decision seemed to be very unfriendly to him.

So... this can't be someone deliberately targeting me, right?

Of course, Harry was just thinking about it casually, after all, he didn't think that the Ministry of Magic was so powerful that it could completely control his every move.

The fact that he wanted to send his parents out of Britain was currently only known to him and Hermione; and the fact that he wanted to take his parents to the Quidditch World Cup was known only to Sirius, Lupin, and a handful of others...

At that moment, Harry inadvertently overlooked the fact that for truly shrewd and calculating individuals, even the slightest abnormality would be enough to raise their suspicions.

For example, a former Werewolf professor, worried that he wouldn't be able to accompany Harry and Sirius on their 'body search' trip, told a teacher he had always trusted.

And during his conversation with the Black Society professor, that teacher 'accidentally' saw through Legilimency that Harry was going to take his foster parents to the Quidditch World Cup.

It's important to know that Harry has been doing everything in his power to prevent the Mr. and Mrs. Granger from having any contact with the Wizarding World for the past few years...

So why is he behaving so strangely this time?

Chapter 499: There's some juicy gossip to be had at the lovers' teahouse again.

"In short, that's the situation now. The school has decided to hold the year-end banquet tonight, and summer vacation will officially begin tomorrow."

After confirming that everyone was aware of the exam schedule change, Professor Flitwick concluded, "Furthermore, due to the riots that occurred at both the school and Hogsmeade Village last night, the headmaster has granted special permission for students in their third year and above to be allowed to spend their days in Hogsmeade Village. Students staying at school or going out can also help with some repairs to the school and the villagers of Hogsmeade if they wish... Of course, this is entirely voluntary; the school's intention is to give you some time to relax."

"Wait a minute, Professor Flitwick," just as everyone was about to leave, third-year student Terry Boot suddenly raised a question, "It's our duty to help the school and villagers with repairs, and we weren't expecting any reward, but what about last night? Granger saved us all, isn't the school going to acknowledge that at all?"

"Regarding this matter... well, Headmaster Dumbledore will certainly make a formal announcement at the year-end banquet... In any case, everyone, please disperse for now."

Professor Flitwick seemed stumped by Terry Boot's question. Instead of giving a direct answer, he stammered and dismissed the students from Eagle House.

Once the common room was mostly empty, he approached Harry with a conflicted and apologetic expression. "Uh... Harry, I did suggest giving you and Hermione extra points, but the headmaster... he ultimately refused. He said you mentioned in your first year that students shouldn't earn points for 'saving the school from a crisis,' so..."

"It's alright, Professor." Harry shook his head nonchalantly. "Just don't be angry that I lost the House Cup."

"How could I?!" Professor Flitwick quickly retorted. "Our Ravenclaw students wouldn't fight tooth and nail over a trophy. Besides, the help you've given the students this year is far more valuable than any trophy!"

Professor Flitwick wasn't blindly praising Harry; the mere fact that Spirit of Rowena had answered one question for everyone in the house was enough to make the entire Eagle House extremely grateful to Harry.

Furthermore, Hermione is one of the few students who continues to keep her notes in the common room, and a large part of the novel insights and magical knowledge in her notes clearly comes from Harry.

It should be said that since the incident with the Spirit of Rowena, Professor Flitwick has gradually seen a change in the students of Eagle House.

They no longer valued the insignificant House Cup as much as before, but instead focused more on studying and improving their own knowledge and abilities.

The reason Terry Boot said those things was simply because he felt the school's handling of the situation was unfair and he wanted to stand up for the two Granger.

In short, Professor Flitwick felt that the students of Eagle House were finally beginning to rediscover the essence of Ravenclaw.

Learned, wise, fair, and farsighted; not concerned with short-term gains or losses; always believing that exceptional intelligence is humanity's greatest wealth.

This is what a wise Ravenclaw should be like.

The changes that Professor Flitwick sees in the students today are largely due to Harry.

After the morning house meeting, Harry and Hermione went to the Hospital Wing to check on Luna Lovegood's recovery.

Luna Lovegood suffered a mental breakdown yesterday due to excessive Divination, but fortunately she is mostly fine and recovered after a night's rest, though she is still a little weak.

Xenophilius at the hospital all night, and when Harry and Hermione arrived, the father and daughter were having breakfast together.

After a few brief pleasantries, Harry felt that Luna Lovegood's current state made it unnecessary for her to attend the year-end banquet, so he Eliezer take the Lovegood home ahead of time.

Before they left, they agreed to meet again at the Quidditch World Cup.

Anyway, it's just a matter of getting Sirius to buy a couple more tickets. No problem, I'm a rich godfather!

After that, Harry went to check on Lupin and, despite Lupin's objections, stuck another needle into his buttocks.

And so, one more person was unable to attend the dinner party.

Lupin: I might not be a purebred, but Harry, you're definitely a real dog!

Where should we go next?

After leaving the Hospital Wing, it was still not noon. Hermione, who had been busy all semester, was a little unaccustomed to the sudden leisure.

"Hmm... how about we go to Hogsmeade Village and... maybe have a date?" Harry for a moment and realized that Hogsmeade Village seemed to be the only place they could visit these days.

And so, the two hit it off immediately.

Speaking of Hogsmeade Village, Harry didn't find it particularly special the last time he visited, and after the disaster this time, there should have been even less to see, but he and Hermione still spent a long time there.