A Little Interlude After the Return Trip / No Need to Wipe Them All Out...

"Was that bizarre transmutation circle just now what the teacher wanted me to see...?"

Harry used Mending Charm to repair the damaged chapel floor and immediately Apparition away from the spot, though he was still immersed in the shock of the blood-red transmutation circle.

He looked down at the Sorcerer's Stone in his hand. The stone, which had been somewhat dull, now had a renewed crystalline luster, as if it had been given a new lease on life.

It must have replenished some of the 'energy' it had previously consumed...

So, that's the real reason why Rowena was angry.

His teacher, Nicolas Flamel, had once walked such a pilgrimage route, searching in every monastery and church ruin for... the 'energy' that could be used to power the Sorcerer's Stone.

As for what these 'energies' actually are, it's hard to say in Armenia, but in Europe as a whole, Harry thinks a single historical event can sum it up.

Medieval witch hunts.

A thousand years filled with darkness and turmoil saw not only wizards being 'hunted,' but also ordinary people in many other ways...

The final result was this seemingly omnipotent divine object... the Sorcerer's Stone, or more accurately, the Philosopher's Stone.

Indeed, the word 'wise man' originally came from a religious term, referring to a messenger of God.

The messenger of God, acting on God's will, held a blood-red stone in his hand, demonstrating to the world his omnipotent power.

It brings joy to suffering, victory to battle, and rebirth to the dead. This is the promise of the blood-red stone, which people respectfully call... the Philosopher's Stone.

Harry didn't know how his teacher had managed to create the Sorcerer's Stone using the guidance of the Book of Abraham, but that wasn't really important.

Moreover, he never believed that Nicolas Flamel sent him on this pilgrimage simply to recharge the Sorcerer's Stone.

My teacher certainly wouldn't be that kind of person.

Otherwise, how could he possibly agree to Dumbledore's request at the end of the original story, * The Sorcerer's Stone *, to completely destroy the Sorcerer's Stone and personally end his and his mentor's near-eternal lives?

"Hmm..."

A sudden, sharp pain shot through her mind. As if sensing what was happening outside, Rowena's notebook, which had been silent for two days, reappeared with a line of delicate handwriting filled with anger.

'Are you satisfied now? That old man's plan succeeded. The Philosopher's Stone has absorbed another portion of the power of souls, so you can easily continue refining it!'

"Rowena, shouldn't you wait until we get back before making a decision?" Harry remained unmoved by the mockery and accusations from the Founders of the house.

"I absolutely trust my teacher! And I'm certain that this is a test he's set for me, and in the end, I will have to make the decision!"

'You... you really believe him that much?' Rowena's last words in the notebook seemed quite surprised.

"Rowena, don't you really understand...? I believe in more than just him."

Harry shook his head slightly, not wanting to say anything more. Instead, he gripped the Sorcerer's Stone tightly, activated the Portkey, and had it take him back to the nursing home.

Having successfully uncovered the secret of the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry's journey can now come to an end...

Harry's trip lasted only three days, and the nursing home remained largely unchanged. However, when he returned to his room to rest, he found a blonde girl helping to tidy up.

"Luna Lovegood, what are you doing here?" Harry asked curiously, leaning closer. "I thought you and Hermione were at home."

"There's no point in us going home without you. We might as well share some of the work here," Luna Lovegood explained softly. "Know-it-all went back to school to teach students. Many people aren't planning to go home for the Easter holidays, so she's quite busy."

"I see..." Hearing Luna Lovegood say that, Harry realized that the Easter holidays had already begun.

"Was the place you went to very interesting?" Luna Lovegood suddenly asked, a hint of curiosity in her voice.

"It's alright, mostly religious stuff, which I don't really understand. The scenery is nice, though, and there are lots of cute little things... Oh, right!"

At this point, Harry suddenly remembered something and quickly took out a small ornament from his ring.

It was a pitch-black tree stump, with a shiny black raven perched on its sole branch, making the whole scene look incredibly lifelike.

"This is an obsidian I found at a vendor's place while I was traveling. I just casually made it into a shape and gave it to you." Harry smiled as he placed the ornament in Luna Lovegood's hands.

"It looks exquisite, thank you then." Luna Lovegood seemed to be in a good mood, and her voice became very pleasant.

"You could try using Transfiguration on it," Harry said, taking out his wand and tapping the ornament lightly. "Like this..."

A ripple of magic spread out, and the raven on the branch came to life. It flapped its wings and flew away from the branch, circled around Luna Lovegood a few times, and then landed lightly on her shoulder.

"Great, you can do that too! My Thestral won't move." Luna Lovegood's eyes lit up. She reached out and teased the raven ornament on her shoulder, a clearly happy smile spreading across her face.

Watching the girl play with the tiny bird, no bigger than a fingertip, Harry felt more and more that the person standing before him was an innocent and carefree elf, and he couldn't bear to look away for even a moment...

"Luna Lovegood..." he whispered unconsciously.

"What's wrong?"

However, when the girl looked at him with her big, calm eyes, they pulled him back to reality from his reverie.

"It's nothing, as long as you're happy..." Harry shrugged slightly, looking a little helpless. "How has everyone been while I was gone?"

"They should all be doing alright... Also, Sirius and Phoebe brought someone else back with them when they went shopping yesterday..."

"Wait a minute!" Harry was taken aback. "My godfather and... Phoebe? No, what are they doing out shopping together?"

"They supposedly went to see Lupin, but they left two people, leaving Gabrielle behind."

Luna Lovegood's tone was so calm, so calm, that Harry felt she was practically confirming that the two guys were having an affair...

"When they returned, they brought another person with them. Apparently, they happened to see this person escape from Knockturn Alley when they were at the entrance of Gringotts."

"The other person is..." Harry frowned slightly.

"It's Ludo Bagman," Luna Lovegood whispered a name. "He's also being kept in the cellar of the nursing home, guarded by a House-elf. He looked quite disheveled when he was brought here."

"Oh, I see. I'll go check on him then."

Having just returned, Harry didn't want to immediately go to the teacher to discuss such serious matters; it would be better to shift his focus first.

Since Ludo Bagman has been coincidentally sent here, why not go and meet this 'teammate' who has made great contributions to our side?

Chapter 723 There's no need to kill them all.

In the nursing home's cellar, Ludo Bagman had been living in constant fear ever since he was brought back.

Although the people here didn't make things difficult for him and even provided him with plenty of food and what he considered a fairly good place to stay, he was still filled with anxiety, fearing that a nightmare might strike at any moment.

In less than a month since the end of the second round of the Triwizard Tournament, the entire Wizarding World has experienced a major upheaval.

The downfall of Cornelius Fudge dealt a heavy blow to the Britain Wizarding World; the vice president of the International Confederation of Wizards was dismissed and investigated; and the Romanian Dragon Sanctuary was also implicated...

Therefore, just by looking at what happened to these people, it's clear that Harry Granger never showed any leniency towards those who opposed him.

Tragically, Ludo Bagman himself was among those who opposed Harry.

Ludo is now truly regretting it. If he had known it would turn out this way, he would never have opened the Quidditch World Cup betting odds, nor would he have taken charge of the Triwizard Tournament preparations!

In short, he would never, under any circumstances, offend that scoundrel Harry Granger!

If none of that had happened, he wouldn't have ended up in such a miserable state...

Harry Granger isn't at the nursing home lately, but he'll be back soon.

At that time, I...

Squeak~

Sometimes, what you fear most is exactly what happens. Just as Ludo Bagman was filled with fear and wild thoughts, the House-elf guarding the door suddenly opened it.

Instinctively looking up, Ludo immediately saw the person he feared most at that moment!

"Ha... Harry Granger! What brings you here?!"

He sprang up like a fat rabbit, so panicked he could barely speak.

Before Harry could even enter, Ludo looked around for a place to hide, but the cellar was completely exposed, and he had nowhere to escape!

"Ludo Bagman ...I didn't expect to see you again." Harry smiled slightly at the nervous guy, and he strolled lightly into the room, whereupon the latter trembled even more violently.

"What... what are you going to do to me? Don't come any closer... I... I beg you!"

Terrified, Ludo fell to his knees in front of Harry with a thud, curling up as if he wanted to bury his head in his crotch.

"I'm in such a terrible state right now, please spare my life! I'll never do it again... I really won't dare to oppose you again!"

At this moment, all external things like adult dignity and the prestige of a renowned wizard had long been cast aside by him.

He now only hoped that Harry would be lenient and not stoop to the level of a tiny insect like himself...

"Get up first," Harry said calmly upon seeing this.

"Please! Spare me, I really won't..."

"I said get up first!" Seeing that the other person was still howling, Harry shouted again with a stronger tone.

The latter then shakily got up from the ground, but he didn't dare to sit down. He could only cower and hunch over, not daring to look Harry in the eye.

"Sit down." Harry gestured to the stool next to Ludo, then conjured up a chair for himself.

"Okay..." Ludo nodded like a chick pecking at rice, slowly sitting down on the stool, but he still didn't dare to sit down completely.

"How have you been these days?" Harry asked softly after they sat down.

"I..." Ludo was so nervous that he didn't dare answer Harry's question.

"To tell the truth."

"It's...it's not good at all..." Ludo's voice was filled with regret and fear. "Fudge not only failed to bring you down, but he also got himself into trouble, and my situation has become terrible. His house was ransacked, and he was dismissed from his job, so he keeps pressing me for money back and has even threatened to hire someone to kill me, even if it means going bankrupt... Besides him, there are many other creditors, especially those Goblin, they're all causing me trouble too."

"I... I ran for many days, and in the end I almost couldn't escape in Knockturn Alley. When I barely managed to get out, I met Blake, and then I was brought here..."

When Sirius was mentioned last time, Ludo was afraid, but his eyes also showed gratitude.

Last night, when he learned that Harry wasn't there, he finally had the most restful sleep he'd had in a month.

"Have you borrowed money from anyone recently, or gambled again?" Harry ignored Ludo's ulterior motives and continued to ask.

"No, it hasn't happened since then!" Ludo hurriedly waved his hands to explain, "My reputation is completely ruined, no one will lend me money now... As for gambling, I... to be honest, I dare not touch it again! Lord Granger, I really know I was wrong, please forgive me this time..."

"Can."

"Wh... what?" Ludo thought his pleading was a waste of time, but to his surprise, Harry nodded readily!

"I said yes," Harry nodded. "The Daily Prophet will become my business from now on. You can be a commentator in the sports section. With your expertise, making a living shouldn't be difficult."

"You... you're telling the truth?" Ludo could hardly believe his ears. "You're not going to retaliate against me, but instead you're going to offer me a job?"

"Of course I have conditions," Harry continued calmly. "First, I can help you pay off your debts, but I will deduct one-third of your monthly salary as a loan from me."

"Absolutely no problem, thank you so much! Oh, you're simply..."

"Second!" Harry raised his voice, silencing Ludo's impending praise, and looked sternly at the delighted boy before him, "From this day forward, if you ever dare to dabble in loan sharking or gambling again, I'll cut off both your hands and feed them to the Acromantula!!"

"I won't dare! I absolutely won't dare!!" Ludo hurriedly and frantically swore an oath, "You tricked me like that before, how could I still... um."

As he spoke, Ludo suddenly realized that the loan shark who had ripped him off was actually Harry, and he quickly covered his mouth.

Harry, however, didn't care about that and continued, "Also, I have a personal request. You used to be Quidditch national player, so why don't you be my cousin's personal coach in your spare time? I can pay you extra."

"Ah, that won't be necessary..." Ludo nervously rubbed his hands together. "It would be my honor to guide your cousin..."

Do you think I'd bother taking advantage of you like that?

"No! That's absolutely not what I meant!" Ludo quickly corrected himself upon hearing this.

However, after the initial surprise, he felt utterly incredulous and cautiously asked Harry, "Uh... Lord Granger, are you really just going to let me go like this?"

"Besides tipping Fudge off, you haven't done anything else." Harry's expression remained calm, but his tone gradually turned colder. "Of course, even if you wanted to betray me again, it wouldn't matter; it would just mean more bastards would suffer along with you."

Ha... betrayal?

Putting aside the question of whether Ludo would dare to do it, even if he did betray Harry again, wouldn't he just be betraying Harry's enemies?

Chapter 724 The Resurrection Holiday Sweeps Through with 'Bad News'

Harry was merely doing this as a favor, giving Ludo Bagman a chance to reform.

He had really forgotten about this guy, but who would have thought Sirius would run into him again?