great-warnovel Chapter 61 Post-War
Chapter 61 Post-War
The Soul Bell ceremony is scheduled for next Tuesday evening. There are too many things to deal with right now. Hermione also needs time to modify the bell, while Dumbledore has to fully cooperate with Pomfrey to stabilize Professor McGonagall's condition and guard against Voldemort's comeback, taking advantage of Hogwarts' weakest moment to strike again.
The school became bustling, but not in the classrooms. The medical wing was filled with students, and there wasn't enough space, so they temporarily enlarged the room several times with magic. Although they were able to exchange fire with the Green Flame Party, they were still children who hadn't even left school yet. They were no match for these thugs roaming the wasteland. Fortunately, no students died. The most serious injury was just a broken neck, which was quickly taken back and brought out of danger.
Lily and Professor Sprout replaced Ms. Pomfrey and were extremely busy, with some upperclassmen who had some knowledge of healing magic becoming their assistants.
All Transfiguration classes, as well as some Potions and Herbs classes, were turned into self-study sessions, supervised by upperclassmen, with the children doing their own homework. There was no other way; Flitwick, the only one available, couldn't possibly teach all the classes himself.
The professors were so busy they wished they each had a time-twister. Once the students were no longer under supervision, they immediately became like chattering ducks, making a racket that was incredibly annoying.
The giant spiders crawled back underground, turning Slytherin's Chambers into a new lair. All traces of the basilisk were completely erased, and the entrance to it was found, serving as the spiders' gateway.
Hagrid stayed outside. Although the students were still slightly afraid of him, his imposing defiance of Voldemort and his heroic figure leading the spider swarm in charge deeply attracted many boys. They often surrounded this tall spider giant, asking him all sorts of questions out of curiosity.
"Can we touch him?"
"His name is Aragog? I've read about it in a book. The eight-eyed giant spider can talk," a boy asked curiously.
"Unfortunately, because he became one with me, his nerves were compressed, and he can no longer speak," Hagrid explained patiently.
"Were you in the castle's basement all along? Guarding the Shining Stone for Dumbledore? You're a true unsung hero!" A child sincerely praised him, and Hagrid immediately blushed.
"What do your spiders eat? Rocks?"
"Idiot, the eight-eyed giant spider eats meat!"
"But where will we find enough food to feed so many spiders!"
Hagrid laughed heartily: "They've been modified by splendidite, so even without food, they can survive for a long time by absorbing the splendidite energy from the castle and the radiation in the air. Of course, Aragog sends his descendants out to hunt, and as Hogwarts moves around, their diet changes every day."
He counted on his fingers: "Sometimes it's snakes, sometimes rats, sometimes unlucky birds, or crazy mutant beasts. In short, they can eat anything and are not afraid of toxins or decay."
"When did you become like this? To defeat a powerful enemy?"
Hagrid scratched his head: "Ha, it was indeed a fierce battle. I suffered irreparable injuries and terrible toxins. To save me, Aragog injected the venom of the Octopod Spider into my body, creating a delicate balance, but that also meant that I had to live in symbiosis with him."
"Isn't that really cool!"
Unbeknownst to them, his image had changed, and the students aspired to be like him, leading a pack of ferocious beasts to protect Hogwarts and the people who mattered to them.
Harry and Ron stood guard beside Hagrid like bodyguards, swaggering around and telling everyone they met, "This is our best friend. We were already close friends before you even knew him!"
Ron showed no fear of spiders whatsoever, affectionately patting Aragog's hairy legs while complaining that Hagrid hadn't told them the truth sooner.
Harry was somewhat dejected. He was still regretting not being able to join the fight. If he had rushed out earlier, he wouldn't have missed the chance to even beat the dog when it was down.
Draco, who was with them, was now isolated. Although the professors did not reveal much to the students, Hagrid's loud voice was loud enough for Voldemort in the sky to hear clearly. All the students knew that Lucius Malfoy, the head of Slytherin, was the traitor who almost caused Hogwarts to fall!
They naturally began to hate Draco, and even Daphne was caught in the crossfire. But Draco's situation was more serious. He was no longer a Hogwarts student and, without the protection of a contract, he was very likely to be seriously harmed by the pranks of others.
The two wizards Lucius sent to protect Draco were also imprisoned, just like the Death Eaters, in the dungeon beneath the castle. They could have escaped earlier in the chaos, but fearing punishment from Lucius for failing to find Draco, they wandered around the castle for a long time and were attacked by ghosts. They only escaped when Hermione knocked Lucius unconscious and the ghosts returned to Dumbledore's body. Otherwise, these two unfortunate souls might have been the only two wizards to die in the school.
But they were indeed innocent. Filch took the time to briefly interrogate the two men, and when they learned of Lucius's actions, they were shocked. They rushed to tell Filch that they knew nothing about it and that they were only ordered to take Malfoy home. The two men were originally high-achieving graduates of Slytherin and were considered elites with considerable strength in Malfoy Castle, which is why Lucius entrusted them with such an important task. Who would have thought that their headmaster would harbor such a huge evil scheme?
In the following days, order was gradually restored at the school. Thanks to Professor Sprout's generous supply of herbs, the students quickly recovered their health, although Mrs. Potter's dark circles under her eyes were visibly more pronounced.
Apart from Transfiguration, all other subjects had resumed their previous schedules. Everyone was concerned about Professor McGonagall, who had fallen last, until Sprout confidently assured everyone that they would see the energetic Vice Principal again next month, which put their minds at ease.
Only then did they realize that this seemingly serious and intimidating Transfiguration professor was actually incredibly powerful, capable of easily transforming rocks into creatures of the level of chimeras or dragons, and had fought Voldemort for a long time, making him arguably the strongest person after Dumbledore.
Mundungus, who was rescued, has suffered too much torment and will probably have to stay in the medical wing for a long time before he has any hope of recovery.
Hogwarts resumed its journey, but the outside world was unaware of what was happening at the school.
Draco's mother, Narcissa Malfoy, waited anxiously at home for several days without her son and husband returning. Finally, she couldn't bear it any longer and went to Hogwarts herself, only to find out that her husband had actually collaborated with Voldemort in a plot to overthrow Hogwarts.
Professor Sprout greeted her warmly and told her that Draco was doing well, but if he wanted to continue attending Hogwarts, he would need to hold the entrance ceremony again. As for Lucius, he was currently imprisoned in the dungeon and would have to face a just trial with the other Death Eaters later.
When Narcissa returned to Malfoy Castle with a sorrowful expression, the shocking news immediately spread throughout the wizarding world, and predictably, a new upheaval was about to begin.