great-warnovel Chapter 410 A Brief Respite
Chapter 410 A Brief Respite
Chapter 410 A Brief Respite
June arrived at a leisurely pace.
The letter from Hogwarts informed Hermione that it was already the month of review and exams.
The students became busy, and the pressure of studying greatly reduced the time they had to watch Quidditch matches.
Gryffindor is again in first place in the House Cup standings this year, which means that Harry and his friends have a high probability of being selected as the school team to participate in the Quidditch World Cup exhibition match.
This excited the boys, and they dared not be careless at all. No matter how busy they were with reviewing and exams, they had to take time out every day to train.
Lily was very unhappy about this, saying that the exhibition match was still after the finals and would not start until mid-August, giving them most of the summer vacation to have fun.
However, the newly appointed Transfiguration professor James had a different opinion. Representing Hogwarts in the World Cup was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a student, and it was acceptable even if they failed some of their third-year exams.
As a result, both father and son were pulled by the ears and lectured by Ms. Lily.
In recent days, with the start of the qualifying tournament, the number of people in New Hogsmeade has been increasing. The influx of spectators from all over the world has acted as a shot in the arm, greatly stimulating consumption and turning this beautiful but deserted city into a bustling metropolis.
Beauxbatons and the other forces involved in the construction made a fortune, which made them realize that cooperating with Hogwarts was an incredibly wise move.
The new Paris Power team led by Krum and the Irish Green Eagles team joined by Wood are currently the teams with the highest points. Although other teams have also had their wins and losses, it is unlikely that they will be able to compete with the two of them for the championship unless something unexpected happens.
This sport was originally popular only in wizarding society, but now even Muggles in the city are starting to enjoy talking about the wins and losses of each team.
Although they couldn't use flying brooms, they could still tell who had better skills and whose broom performed better.
With the introduction of the pyroxene-handled broom developed by Hilmi and Sirius, the problem of Muggles being unable to use brooms was solved.
This new broom doesn't require wizard magic to activate; simply twisting the broom handle made of pyroxene allows it to carry people into the air. It's equipped with a cushioning charm, braking charm, and insulation charm, all powered by the pyroxene crystal.
If there are any drawbacks, they are only the short range, the need for frequent recharging, and the slightly lower maximum speed.
However, using this broom to get Muggles involved in the fun of Quidditch is no problem at all. Hogsmeade has nearly ten thousand former Soviet soldiers who are physically strong, militarily trained, and whose teamwork and understanding with their teammates are no less than that of regular players.
With just a little practice, they shone brightly in spontaneously organized small competitions.
It is said that they are already considering forming a formal Quidditch team to prepare for the next World Cup in four years, which would make the competition even more intense.
Not only Muggles, but Gonuk also considered forming a goblin team. Although these short guys were slightly lacking in hitting power, they could ride smaller brooms, reducing weight and size, and thus focusing more on speed and agility.
Even the mermaids underwater are applying to host underwater Quidditch, adding a new branch to the sport.
Hermione was glad she didn't bring her score to the new Paris Saint-Germain; it was well-fed every day at Hogsmeade and its growth was remarkable.
Everything was fine at home, which made Hermione feel a little lonely. These days she spends her days studying magic and learning about Muggle technology in the library. When she gets really bored, she takes a walk in New Paris.
By order of Grindelwald, most places were open to her, and most of the wizards there knew her, maintaining a respectful yet distant attitude towards her.
Regulus did intend to invite her to visit Black Manor, but Hermione didn't want to get too close to the Saints and declined all invitations, including those from old Nigel. Although the old man had a very unpleasant falling out with Hermione in Volgograd, he still wanted to mend their relationship afterward.
On the eastern side of the world, the Soviet Union did not react much to the fall of Volgograd. The UMNO had made all the preparations for retaliation, but no corresponding attack came. It was as if the Muggles had been hurt and had given up.
Hermione showed only a tiny bit of interest in the battle, and Grindelwald generously offered her the privilege of going to the first floor of the Iron Tower to listen to the Saints' meeting from behind the curtain, and even freely browsing the battle briefings.
Hermione knew this was the Dark Lord's strategy to continue manipulating her thinking, so she never went.
The war between the UMNO and the Soviet Union thus entered a period of calm again, just like many truces in the past fifty years. But both sides knew that this was only a brief calm before real retaliation, and the war could not truly end until the other side was completely eliminated.
Grindelwald has not provided any new information regarding Voldemort. His third eye is unstable, and he also has to choose a less important person from among many doomed futures, which is undoubtedly a delicate task.
During this time, Hermione also gained some new insights into the Dark Lord's mental illness.
He would occasionally erupt in sudden rage, roaring deafeningly from the top of the Eiffel Tower, the turbulent steel pulling at the earth, the black sun scattering streaks of fierce fire, burning parts of old Paris once more.
The first time this happened, Hermione was ready to rush over and subdue him, but the house-elf stopped her.
"Just hide quietly for a while. The more you interfere, the more your great master's anger will burn."
Sure enough, just as the little elf had said, the whole city was quiet, no one was walking on the streets, everyone was hiding at home, waiting for the Dark Lord to vent his anger.
Not long after, less than half an hour later, the commotion at the top of the tower gradually subsided, and the scattered flames flew back and merged into the dark sun. The city was restarted again, and everything continued to operate as if nothing had happened.
When Grindelwald came to the second floor to find her again, he was as calm as a normal person, showing no signs of the mad demon king.
"There's something I need your help with. Don't worry, it's about saving someone." The old man forced a smile onto his pale face.
"Is it another case like Regulus, where saving people is just a pretext?" Hermione put down the curse-breaking sword she was studying.
Grindelwald shook his head: "I won't lie to you this time."
He put down the file folder in his hand: "I suppose you already know about the South American rainforest that is still burning."
"Oh, so this time you're cleaning up your mess? Remembering the mistakes you made when you went crazy?"
Grindelwald wasn't angry. He continued, "The fire watchers are losing control of the fires in some areas. There's a village ruled by local sorcerers who refuse to cooperate with the relocation efforts, but we don't want them to be burned alive in the flames. That would damage the reputation of the Bastard Party."