Chapter 174: Slug Club
Saturday night.
Harry and the others purposely skipped dinner in the Great Hall, because they wanted to leave room in their stomachs for Horace's party.
They figured that since it was hosted by someone famous like Horace, the party food shouldn't be worse than Hogwarts', and it might even turn out to be some kind of delicacies.
Just like that, with excited feelings, the group arrived on time in front of Horace's office door.
Harry gently knocked on the door.
Soon, Horace's voice came from inside, "Coming!"
Horace opened the door and saw Harry and his group.
"Welcome! Come right in, you're the last ones."
Harry looked through the doorway; there were already over twenty students inside.
And Harry could call out the names of most of them. After all, those invited by Horace were either outstanding students from each grade, descendants of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, or children of some high-ranking officials.
Furthermore, the place had long been remodeled by Horace. A large space had been deliberately cleared out, with several tables and chairs placed around. There were various fruits, drinks, desserts, and so on on the tables. The students were all near the tables, chatting in groups of two or three.
Harry quickly spotted Draco, who was wearing an expensive formal robe and had his hair combed meticulously.
Beside him were Astoria and Daphne, who were also celebrities in Slytherin.
"Potter, you guys are way too slow."
Draco was holding a glass of red wine, swirling it while looking at Harry and the others with a smile.
Ron rolled his eyes, "Look at you, still swirling a red wine glass. Anyone who didn't know would think you were some decent person!"
Draco immediately broke his composure and cursed at Ron.
"I am a decent person to begin with! And what's wrong with me drinking red wine? Do you even know how to drink it?"
Just as the two were about to start a fight, Horace clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention over.
After that was a long speech, which didn't stop until Ron's stomach growled. Then he snapped his fingers, and a lot of food appeared on the tables.
Ron took an excited look, and then quickly noticed something was wrong.
Because the food on the table was all items that frequently appeared at Hogwarts' dinners! In other words, they were still eating those same few things, and Ron immediately slumped in dejection.
Although Hogwarts' food was good, when you had eaten it for a full five years, you would find that sometimes seeing it made you lose your appetite immediately.
Of course, Hogwarts would introduce some new dishes from time to time! But it didn't help much; most of them were those tired-of foods, and the update speed was too slow, far lagging behind the speed of getting tired of them.
"Sigh."
After sighing, Ron grabbed a chicken leg in each hand, then took a bite on the left and a bite on the right. Soon his mouth was piled full of chicken legs, showing no sign of being tired of them at all.
But Harry and the others casually perfunctorily ate a few bites; they weren't like Ron, who could still eat chicken legs with such enthusiasm.
When everyone finished eating, Horace started playing music, and then invited a girl to dance.
This was a regular program of the party. Fortunately, Harryhad specially practiced it during the Triwizard Tournament. So he invited Ginny to come forward and dance, and afterwards Draco also invited Astoria.
Unable to find a dance partner, Ron could only sit on a chair, eating desserts while drinking Butterbeer.
"Hello, Ron Weasley."
A crisp voice came from behind Ron. Ron turned around and saw—it was Daphne of Slytherin.
"What's wrong? Is something the matter?"
Ron asked while chewing the cake in his mouth.
"I just wanted to see what the person ranked ahead of me looks like."
Daphne's grades last year were just behind Hode's Seven, ranking eighth.
Therefore, after Harry and his group came in, Daphne had been observing them.
Although she knew she couldn't compare to absolute geniuses like Hode, Hermione, Harry, and Ariana.
But even guys who looked not very smart like Ron and Neville could rank ahead of her, which really unconvinced her.
Upon hearing Daphne's words, Ron finally remembered—Daphne happened to be right below their group.
Looking at Daphne, whose appearance was no less than Astoria's and who was even more mature than Astoria, Ron immediately put down the food in his hand, quickly wiped his hands, and extended one towards Daphne.
"Hello, Number Eight."
Daphne:... Hard! Fists are hard!
Daphne didn't expect that, as the campus belle of Slytherin, when she took the initiative to greet Ron, the other party directly exposed her shortcoming! Calling her Number Eight!
If this isn't provocation, what is?
And Ron really didn't mean it that way; it was just because he had heard the term 'Number Eight' from Hode's mouth before, and then hearing Daphne say she was ranked behind him, he subconsciously blurted out the word Number Eight.
"What do you mean?"
Daphne looked at Ron with a fake smile, the veins on her forehead bulging wildly.
"Uh... a slip of the tongue! How about the two of us start over again?"
Looking at Ron's foolish appearance, Daphne swallowed her anger right back into her stomach.
"Forget it, I want to know how you managed to score so high?"
Facing Daphne's question, Ron opened his mouth and said:
"There's no special reason, just studying, studying, and studying more. But thanks to the foundation laid by Hodeand Uncle James' tutoring, I was able to achieve such good grades."
Daphne opened her eyes wide and said somewhat surprised: "Hode actually teaches you? Why?"
"Hode not only taught me, but also Harry, Draco, and them. But Hode didn't teach much; most of it was still taught by Jax."
Hearing this, Daphne finally understood why Neville, who had performed very poorly in the first year, and Draco, whose performance was mediocre, suddenly advanced by leaps and bounds and surpassed her all at once.
So it turned out Hode was helping them; that made complete sense. After all, with Hode's strength, even if you said he could teach Goyle and Crabbe into talents, Daphnewould dare to believe it.
Hode: Sorry, if I didn't use divine power to remodel their brains, I really couldn't do it!
Afterwards, Daphne chatted with Ron for a while, mostly talking about what magic Ron could do now.
To Daphne's surprise, she didn't expect Ron to know so many high-level spells! Then Daphne asked Ron if he could teach her.
It was also the first time Ron encountered a beauty wanting to consult him about magic. Ron immediately became excited, and then the two agreed that every Sunday, Ron would teach her some high-level magic.
When the music ended, Harry and the others also stopped dancing. Horace let everyone discuss freely, while he came to Harry's side.
"How is it, Harry? My Slug Club isn't bad, right?"
"Yes, Professor."
Harry's mouth twitched slightly. To be honest, Harrysimply wanted to come to Horace's place to eat something good!
The result turned out to be just Hogwarts' food, which made him lose interest in the Slug Club. As for making friends with celebrities... Harry dared to say that the most famous and outstanding people here were the few of them.
As The Savior, himself who killed Voldemort with his own hands; Dumbledore's only sister, Ariana who possessed super-strong combat talent; Draco, the only son of the pure-blood head Malfoy family; Ron and Ginny of the Weasleys; Ravenclaw's most outstanding Luna—all were members of Hode's squad!
Even if it came to making connections, it was others making connections with them!
Besides, Harry also knew the biggest connection, and that was Hode.
No matter how many celebrities one made friends with, it couldn't compare to being friends with Hode!
With Hode's current fame, truly if he said one, Wizards all over the world wouldn't dare to say two!
Besides, he was also one of Dumbledore's proud students!
With these two layers of relationships, Harry didn't care at all about any other social etiquette and human relations.
However, although he thought so, Harry still had to praise Horace's club; after all, he wasn't Hode, who dared to completely disregard other people's face.
Afterwards, Harry noticed Ron, who was chatting with Daphne.
"Ron has fans too?!"
Harry asked Ginny beside him in surprise, not expecting Daphne to be chatting so happily with Ron!
Harry naturally knew Daphne, after all, they were in the same grade.
And as the campus belle of Slytherin, Harry, Ron, and Neville had discussed in the dormitory in the middle of the night during their second year, ranking the beauties of Hogwarts.
Daphne naturally entered the top ten! But she didn't get a very high ranking.
Because Hode had suddenly appeared while they were discussing and unilaterally declared Hermione ranked first.
And they naturally followed suit out of cowardice, and then ranked Ginny, Luna, Cho Chang, and Hannah in the top five.
However, this ranking was full of selfishness.
Ginny also looked at the two with some surprise.
"Daphne actually fancies my brother?! Could it be she has a fetish for ugliness?!"
Ginny didn't expect that Daphne would actually start communicating with Ron.
Harry persuaded from the side: "It's not certain yet that Daphne has really taken a fancy to Ron."
Ginny also found that she had lacked thought, after all, she really couldn't imagine what Ron, who loved to eat and hated to work, would look like having a girlfriend.
Ron:... We are biological siblings! Blood is thicker than water!
Draco and the others also noticed Ron, so the few of them pretended to discuss while actually observing Ron, while trying hard to hear the conversation between the two.
Until the party ended, Ron picked up his cup, gulped down the Butterbeer inside, and finally bid farewell to Daphne.
Seeing this, Harry and the others immediately rushed forward and put their hands on Ron's shoulders.
"Great! Ron! I didn't expect you to actually try to pick up Daphne! That's the campus belle of Slytherin! You've got ambition!"
Draco looked displeased, "No matter how you look at it, there's no way he could chase her successfully!"
What angered Draco was that Daphne was Astoria's older sister. And if Ron picked up Daphne, then he would have to call Ron—brother-in-law!
This was something Draco could never utter! Asking him to say brother-in-law to Ron was no different than letting Draco cut off all his hair!
Chapter 175: Two Years Later
In the days that followed, Hogwarts remained just as it always had been.
The school was filled with both joy and troubles, and all sorts of things happened here.
Life at Hogwarts was always full of vitality.
Time seemed to have been frantically accelerated by some divine force, and the two-year academic career ended in the blink of an eye!
During these two years, Hogwarts was very peaceful with nothing major happening, but there were still many amusing anecdotes.
For instance, Daphne had actually gotten together with Ron, and during their Seventh Year, alongside Harry, they were specially invited by Moody so that the moment they graduated, they could enter the Ministry of Magic as trainee Aurors!
Furthermore, Lupin had finally married Tonks! The two of them had even given birth to a very cute son!
Afterwards, through their own efforts, James and Lily also added a younger brother for Harry, which made Harryimmensely delighted—even though the two of them were fifteen or sixteen years apart in age.
On the very last day of their Seventh Year—
Hode tidied his tie, smiled at the mirror, and said, "Hahahaha! Across the heavens and earth, I alone am honored!"
"Alright, stop acting crazy! We need to head to the Great Hall."
Hermione tied up her hair, then grabbed Hode and teleported to the Gryffindor common room.
Harry and the others were also formally dressed, looking around the Common Room they had stayed in for seven years.
"Seven years..."
Harry sat on the familiar sofa, his tone filled with reluctance and nostalgia.
"Stop sighing. Once I become Headmaster, I can let you come back to reminisce."
Hode smiled and then led everyone toward the Great Hall.
Their exam results had come out early, and Hermione, without a doubt, was first again, achieving all O's.
Next was Hode, followed by Harry, Ariana, Draco, Ron, Neville...
Anyway, the rankings hadn't changed much, and everyone's scores remained miles ahead of the rest.
They sat down on the familiar benches, looking at the Great Hall they visited every single day, feeling an indescribable wave of melancholy.
"We haven't even left yet and we're already feeling homesick for it." Ron said with a troubled expression, carefully observing everything around him as if afraid he might forget any of it.
"Stop being so sentimental over there. When are you guys heading over to Moody's to become Aurors?"
There was not the slightest trace of reluctance on Hode's face; after all, he and Hermione would be staying at Hogwarts for a very long time to come.
Hearing Hode's question, Harry replied, "We're going to report there in a few days. After that, Moody will give us a few simple cases to handle, and then evaluate whether our abilities allow us to get through the probation period quickly."
Hode gave an understanding nod, then looked over at Neville.
"Neville, what do you plan to do after graduation?"
Neville scratched his head, completely stumped by Hode's question.
Neville truly hadn't thought about what he wanted to do in the future, though his parents had told him they would support whatever he chose.
"Um... I haven't thought about it yet..."
Seeing that Neville hadn't decided yet, Ron immediately chimed in, "Why don't you come join us as an Auror! With your strength, Moody will definitely agree!"
Hode suddenly materialized beside Neville, patted his shoulder, and said earnestly,
"Neville, my boy! You have no future following them. Do you want to come work with me instead?"
Neville's eyes turned into dots, looking completely baffled.
"Hode, aren't you going to be the Headmaster? Then am I supposed to be..."
"That's right! Want to come be a Professor at Hogwarts? Besides, Professor Sprout can't teach for many more years; she said she wants to retire, and your Herbology is so good! Interested in taking over?"
Hearing Hode's words, Neville thought about it seriously.
"...Alright! I'm willing to be the Herbology Professor."
Neville was successfully recruited by Hode, causing Hodeto nod with satisfaction. Just like in the original story, Neville would still become the Herbology Professor, eliminating the need for Hode to search for anyone else to fill the position.
Then Harry curiously looked at Hode and Hermione.
"Hode, since you'll be serving as Headmaster, Hermionewill surely follow you. Which subject's Professor will she be?"
Hermione explained, "I'll be sticking with Hode first to help him handle some administrative affairs; after all, expecting Hode to handle them himself is out of the question. Besides, Professor McGonagall also said she probably can't serve much longer, and she wants me to succeed her."
This statement shocked everyone, and Ron looked in astonishment at Professor McGonagall sitting at the staff table.
"Even Professor McGonagall is retiring? You have to know that Professor Horace is still the Potions Class Professor! I never expected them to be leaving so soon."
Ginny slapped Ron right on the back of the head!
"Stop saying things that sound so misleading! Besides, I heard that Professor Horace is retiring soon too, and I wonder who will take over as the Potions Class Professorthen."
Hearing this, Harry seemed to think of something and grinned as he said, "Hode, why don't you have Snape come back as the Potions Class Professor? Then find someone else to be the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor—just to wind him up!"
Hode rolled his eyes. "Believe it or not, if I were to say that, Snape would dare to quit on the spot and walk out. Getting him to go back to being the Potions Class Professor is about as hard as climbing to heaven."
Neville asked, "Then who do you plan to have take the position of Potions Class Professor?"
Neville's words got everyone thinking.
Hode thought for a moment, then looked over at Ariana.
"Ariana, what do you want to do after graduation? Want to come work with me?"
Hode put on the expression of a child trafficker looking at Ariana, bearing a striking resemblance to the smile a scam syndicate would wear.
Hearing Hode's invitation, Ariana sweatdropped slightly.
"No thanks, no thanks. After graduation, I want to travel around the world a bit first, and then go back to my brother's place to inherit the Hog's Head."
Ariana's words surprised them even more.
Ron exclaimed, "What?! You want to be a pub landlady? Why? What's so fun about staying in a pub every day?"
Ariana shook her head, dismissing Ron's words.
"I don't find it boring at all. Dealing with different people every day, and having Hogwarts students come over to chat with me—I think it's quite interesting!"
After hearing Ariana's words, everyone understood. Arianatruly was a socially inclined person; she was optimistic and cheerful, and had made many friends during her very first year at school.
Then they began pondering who else might be suitable for the position of Potions Class Professor.
"...I can't think of anyone!" Neville scratched his head.
At that moment, Ron suddenly spoke up, "Draco and Daphne! Both of them are great at Potions, and we're already familiar with them."
Ron's words made Hode nod. "Hmm, I'll ask which of them would be willing to come later. Though I think there's a high probability Draco won't; after all, he's the only child in his family, and Lucius definitely wants him to inherit the family business."
Soon, all the students arrived at the Great Hall.
Dumbledore began his speech.
Dumbledore's speech was very brief and ended quickly. However, Harry and the others wished Dumbledore would speak a little longer so they could stay here a bit more.
Harry suddenly realized that, apart from the Seventh Yearstudents, everyone else was probably thanking Dumbledore for keeping his speech short—including his past self. This made Harry sigh at how fickle things were.
They enjoyed their final meal at Hogwarts.
Ron wept tears while stuffing chicken drumsticks into his mouth, a sight that made the others burst into laughter.
As the ceremony concluded, everyone packed their belongings and prepared to board the Hogwarts Express.
Hagrid stood on the platform, crying profusely.
"Wuwu... Time passes so fast... Wuwu... You've graduated in the blink of an eye! Wuwu... I still remember when... you only came up to my knees, and now you're all grown up... Wuwu wuwu wuwu" (╥﹏╥)
Hode gently patted Hagrid's arm. "Don't be sad, Hagrid. It's not like you'll never see each other again; they'll definitely come back to visit you from time to time."
Prompted by Hode's frantic meaningful glances, Harry and the others instantly caught on and nodded in unison.
Harry chimed in, "Yeah! Hagrid, don't be upset. We will definitely come back to see you!"
Hode continued, "See? They've all said so. Besides, I'll be taking over Old Dumbledore's position later on, so we'll be able to see each other every day just like before."
With Hode's comfort, Hagrid finally calmed down.
Then, amidst Hagrid's enthusiastic waving, they boarded the Hogwarts Express!
"I didn't expect that you'd finally be willing to take the train back, Hode."
Instead of choosing to teleport away, Hode and Hermionejoined the others in boarding the Hogwarts Express.
"After all, this might be my last time ever riding this train, so naturally I couldn't miss it!"
Hode expanded the interior space of a compartment using magic and took a seat by the window.
This time, even more people were sitting in the compartment!
Hode, Hermione, Harry, Ginny, Ron, Neville, Luna, Ariana, Draco, Astoria, and Daphne.
Eleven people were packed into a single compartment, eight of whom were likely riding the Hogwarts Express for the very last time.
"By the way, Draco, Daphne. Which of you wants to be the Potions Class Professor at Hogwarts?"
Hode's words came out of nowhere, leaving the two of them slightly stunned.
The first to snap out of it was Daphne, who simply shook her head.
"Sorry, my parents want me to manage the family business, so I won't be able to serve as a HogwartsProfessor."
Hode nodded in understanding.
Draco's response, however, was unexpected.
"I'll go back and see if I can argue my case. I certainly don't want to manage those damn family businesses! It's boring as hell—staying at Hogwarts is way more fun!"
"Then I'll be waiting for your good news, Draco."
With that, Hode turned to look out the window.
The lush green scenery flashed past, yet Hode could clearly see every single blade of grass and tree. The azure sky and intricately layered mountains made it feel as though they were completely isolated from the rest of the world.
And that feeling wasn't wrong—the Wizarding World truly was isolated from society, with most Wizards keeping their distance from ordinary people.
Hode knew that technology was developing at an accelerating pace. If things went on like this, Wizards would sooner or later be discovered.
But Hode didn't care. As long as he was around—acting as an absolutely overpowered human super-nuke—he could maintain peace between the two sides.
As for the reconciliation or hostility between Wizards and Muggles... Hode didn't care to meddle in such matters, so he'd leave future generations to resolve it.
All he needed to do was stand at the very pinnacle and prevent either side from striking first!
Sitting opposite him, Harry was also gazing out the window. He recalled the first time he boarded the Hogwarts Express to head to Hogwarts. That scene felt as though it had happened just yesterday, filling Harry with lingering fondness.
Now, as he rode the Hogwarts Express away once more, he finally understood why Hode never just teleported them back. Right now, he truly wished the Hogwarts Expresswould travel a bit slower so he could take in the scenery along the way one last time.
...
Returning to Nurmengard, Hode and Hermione began preparing for their wedding!
First was the house!
Although both Nurmengard and the house inside the suitcase were spacious enough, they didn't want their future children to be born either trapped inside a suitcase or isolated within Nurmengard.
Thus, Hode bought a very luxurious villa in London and cast an Undetectable Extension Charm inside it to expand the interior space.
Next was a car, which would only be used occasionally since both of them could instantly teleport anyway, so Hode bought a Porsche.
Following that, the two of them began preparing the venue, food, and various details for the wedding day.
Chapter 176: Preparations Before the Wedding
"Here! Here! And here! You must cover it completely with flowers for me!"
Rosier's voice rang out in St. Paul's Cathedral in London.
At this moment, she was directing a group of House-elves to decorate the wedding venue!
Mr. and Mrs. Granger had originally wanted to offer their opinions on Hode and Hermione's wedding, but when they learned that the two of them were getting married in this famous cathedral and had even booked it for a whole month, the couple was instantly dumbfounded.
What do you mean the fifth-largest cathedral in the world and the second-largest cathedral in Britain is your wedding location?
What do you mean the entire month has been set aside to prepare for your wedding, and no outsiders will be allowed in?
Logic no longer existed!
Furthermore, Rosier's arrangements were extremely thorough, and she handled every little detail well.
The House-elves were also working very hard, meticulously inspecting every corner every day for fear that something might go wrong.
As for the two main characters of our wedding, they were currently honeymooning in China!
"Hermione! Come quickly and try this douzhi! It's truly authentic!"
Hode and Hermione were sitting in a breakfast shop in Beijing, and Hode was placing a bowl of douzhi in front of Hermione.
Hermione looked at Hode with a strange expression, asking somewhat doubtfully: "Is this really a local specialty here? Why does it smell so odd?"
Hode immediately looked at Hermione firmly and said in a sincere tone: "Of course it's true! If you don't believe me, go ask around—we Beijingers drink a bowl of douzhi every single day! Now that's what I call authentic!"
Hermione speechlessly rubbed her forehead, "Can you stop putting on that local accent? Anyone who didn't know better would think you were a local here!"
Hode nodded, then placed his right hand by his mouth, mimicking the action of zipping a zipper.
Then, under Hode's expectant gaze, Hermione took a sip of the douzhi.
"Pfft—!"
The moment it entered her mouth, Hermione felt a sour, pungent stench! Then she spat a mouthful straight onto Hode's face, which wore a triumphant smile of a plan succeeding.
"Ugh! What kind of taste is this? Is this really something humans can eat?"
Hermione muttered weakly while spitting frantically into the trash can.
Hode used a Cleaning Charm to clean the douzhi off his face, then burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! You finally fell for it!"
Hode laughed and slapped the table, and then was almost punched to sleep by Hermione...
Walking out of the breakfast shop, Hode used his divine power to make the bump on his head disappear.
Then he teleported with Hermione into the Forbidden City——
Hode sat on that dragon throne, savoring the feelings it evoked.
"Is the dragon throne comfortable to sit on? Look at that enjoying expression of yours."
Hermione walked up to an antique piece, speaking as she carefully examined it.
Hode got down from the dragon throne and struck an emperor's pose.
"You don't understand! Me sitting on it is to look down upon the entire world!"
Hearing Hode's words, Hermione rolled her eyes, already accustomed to Hode's daily antics.
After finishing looking at the Forbidden City, the two went to the Himalayas in Tibet.
Hode and Hermione stood at the highest peak of Mount Everest, looking at the snow-covered world, and Hodecouldn't help but sigh with emotion:
"When you reach the very peak, all other mountains look small beneath you!"
Hermione was somewhat surprised, "You even know ancient poetry from China?! Not bad at all!"
The corners of Hode's mouth curled up to the sky, and he proudly lifted his chin.
"Of course! Don't look at who your husband is!"
Finally, before leaving, the two took a group photo together.
Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was the day before the wedding.
Hode also had Fawkes send out the wedding invitations, and the people the two invited were all familiar friends of theirs.
Harry's family including Sirius, Ron's big family, Neville's family, Luna's family, Draco's family, Dumbledore's family, Lupin's family, Cedric's family, Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape, Hagrid, Professor Sprout, Professor Flitwick, etc., along with some classmates with good relationships, and Hode even had Dumbledore bring along the photos of the Four Founders.
The two invited a total of over a hundred people, and they all promised to arrive on time.
Now St. Paul's Cathedral was filled with various flowers and silks.
Moreover, all the interior architecture, including the walls, were painted white and pink, letting anyone who walked in know that a wedding was about to take place here.
The House-elves borrowed from Dumbledore were also preparing ingredients to ensure there wouldn't be a shortage or any omissions tomorrow.
Hode and Hermione also sat together, quietly listening to Rosier explain tomorrow's procedure.
Rosier: "Tomorrow, the two of you will walk into the hall together, and then under that fellow Dumbledore's speech, you can complete the final ceremony."
The two nodded earnestly, and then Hode immediately cast a healing spell on Rosier and massaged her shoulders.
"Hehe, thank you for your hard work, Grandma Rosier."
Rosier said crossly: "You still know that! You two had it easy, acting as completely hands-off bosses. Dumbledoreand Gellert aren't coming to help either, sigh——"
Hode and Hermione were somewhat embarrassed by Rosier's words, as they really had dumped everything onto Rosier.
"Preparations look pretty good!"
Gellert's voice suddenly rang out as he and Dumbledorearrived carrying the photos of the Four Founders.
"Hahaha! Congratulations, Hode! You've finally waited until your wedding, it's just a pity we can't eat at your banquet."
Hode scratched his hair and twitched the corners of his mouth.
"Can you not say things like eating at a banquet, it's a bit unlucky."
Then Salazar, Ilona, and Helga all successively offered their blessings.
Then Hode hung the four people on both sides of the cathedral, Godric and Ilona on one side, and Salazar and Helga on the other side.
This was mainly to prevent Godric and Salazar from making a fuss again.
However, thinking that the Weasley Twins would also come tomorrow, he felt that tomorrow might really be very boisterous.
"Are you both ready?"
Dumbledore rubbed both of their heads, only to have his hand pushed away by Hode.
Hode tightly held Hermione's hand, looking down at her.
"We've been together for so long, of course we're ready. I'm really looking forward to tomorrow's arrival!"
Hermione also looked at Hode, her eyes filled with love.
"I'm equally looking forward to tomorrow's arrival!"
Dumbledore and Gellert looked at the two with maternal smiles, wondering if they hadn't gone through those events, whether they too would be preparing for a wedding like this.
But what happened had happened, and they had to take responsibility for what they had done. Even so, they remained the most indispensable part of each other's hearts.
Rosier, standing to the side, helplessly rolled her eyes: gay!
——The next day.
Hode and Hermione woke up bright and early.
The two began to put on their prepared wedding attire.
Hermione's was a snow-white long dress that had been enchanted by Hode.
The long dress constantly emitted pure white points of light, making it look as though an angel had descended to the mortal world.
Hode's wedding suit, on the other hand, was a black and gold suit, simple yet exquisite.
Hermione combed her hair and then applied light makeup.
Hode combed his hair back, leaving only a small tuft of bangs. Soon, a perfect slicked-back hairstyle was completed.
"Are you ready?"
Hode extended a hand, quietly waiting for Hermione.
And Hermione placed her hand into Hode's.
"Of course!"
The two teleported to St. Paul's Cathedral, where many acquaintances had already gathered.
The crowd either sat or stood chatting in the Great Hall of the cathedral. Only when the wedding was about to start would they enter the innermost wedding sanctuary.
The moment Hode and Hermione arrived, Harry, who was chatting, spotted the two.
"Hey! Hode, Hermione. You guys are finally here!"
Harry's voice also caught everyone else's attention, and they then gathered around Hode and Hermione to offer their blessings.
After the two finished dealing with them, Ariana and Ginnypulled Hermione away, bringing Luna along.
Ginny: "Wow! Hermione, this wedding dress of yours is so gorgeous! This is the best dress I've ever seen!"
Ariana likewise had an envious look on her face, then looked pleadingly at Hermione.
"Hermione, can I touch it?"
Hermione looked at the teary-eyed Ariana and Ginny, and said helplessly: "Of course you can. After all, this dress is enchanted; it won't easily break or get dirty."
Luna, on the other hand, didn't step forward to touch it like the other two, but just looked at Hermione with an envious expression.
"How wonderful! You two will definitely be very happy and joyful in the future!"
Hermione: "Thank you for your blessing, Luna."
Over on Hode's side, things were even more boisterous.
The Weasley Twins frantically pulled out all sorts of special wedding fireworks they had prepared from their Undetectable Extension Pouches, and the two even planned to light them right now.
However, they were stopped by Molly.
Over the past two years, the Weasley Twins' Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes had become extremely popular, especially loved by students. Of course, many adult Wizards also patronized it.
Mainly because during the Triwizard Tournament, the Weasley Twins' Dungbombs truly made a stunning debut, and tens of thousands of spectators had witnessed the effect of the Dungbombs.
Therefore, the best-selling item in their Wizard joke shop was undoubtedly the Dungbombs.
Chapter 177: Wedding!
"Please welcome the groom and bride to enter!"
Inside St. Paul's Cathedral, as the host Hagrid's voice fell, the cathedral doors slowly opened.
Hode held Hermione's hand, and under everyone's gaze, the two walked step by step toward Dumbledore at the very front acting as a priest.
Everyone applauded for the two, watching them walk up to the stage.
"Distinguished guests, we gather here today to jointly witness the two newlyweds forging their matrimonial vows. Marriage is a sincere commitment, a promise for two people to accompany each other and walk hand in hand."
Dumbledore opened his arms, an unstoppable smile on his face.
He had watched Hode and Hermione for seven years!
Now that the two were finally going to achieve a successful conclusion, how could he not be happy?
"Groom, are you willing to take the lady before you as your wife? Whether in prosperity or adversity, wealth or poverty, health or sickness, to cherish her, respect her, accompany her, be loyal to this relationship, and stay together for a lifetime?"
Dumbledore looked at Hode, and everyone quieted down, waiting for his speech.
"I do!"
"Bride, are you willing to marry the gentleman before you as your husband? Whether in prosperity or adversity, wealth or poverty, health or sickness, to cherish him, respect him, accompany him, be loyal to this relationship, and stay together for a lifetime?"
"I do!"
The crowd offstage broke into enthusiastic applause once again.
Harry and Ginny, acting as the best man and bridesmaid, quickly handed the prepared rings to the two.
Then, under everyone's gaze, Hode and Hermione put the diamond rings symbolizing eternity on each other!
"Since you have made solemn vows in front of all the witnesses, with the ring as proof. Hereby, I solemnly declare: You are officially husband and wife."
Dumbledore smiled and took a step back.
"Groom, you may kiss your bride."
Ginny, standing beside them, linked arms with Harry and whispered, "It's here! It's here!"
Harry looked at the two with equal joy, and everyone offstage couldn't help smiling.
Hode cradled Hermione's face and smiled slightly:
"From now on, you belong only to me!"
"Silly, I already do!"
The two kissed——
Ron: "OHHHHHH!"
Fred: "That's right! Just like that! Spot on, Hode!"
George: "I'm dying of envy! I want a girlfriend so bad too!"
Sirius: "Way to go!"
Godric: "Good lad! As expected of my great Gryffindor!"
Ilona: "Zero people mentioned your Gryffindor."
Gellert: "These two Little guys finally got married."
Rosier covered her mouth with a chuckle: "I still remember when Hode was so small, and now in the blink of an eye, he's getting married. Time really flies."
Amidst everyone's blessings, Hode and Hermione finished their kiss.
Then, the House-elf immediately placed the freshly prepared delicacies on every table.
Ron: "Wow! So lavish!"
This time, Hode specially prepared all kinds of precious ingredients, Australian lobsters, king crabs, and the like—one for each person!
There were also wild ginseng, deer antler, bear paw—anyway, Hode just went with whatever was most expensive.
Looking at a large pot of seafood Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, Ron couldn't help drooling with happiness.
Fred: "Holy crap! This is an all-you-can-drink Buddha Jumps Over the Wall!"
George: "Damn it! I even want to marry Hode."
Everyone stood on no ceremony, after all, they all knew that Hode was the biggest asset in the wizarding world.
Then Hode and Hermione started making their toast rounds.
First was Professor Dumbledore.
"Professor Dumbledore, a toast to you!"
Seeing the two holding wine glasses, Dumbledore's smile stretched almost up to the sky.
"Good, good! Wonderful!"
Dumbledore also picked up his wine glass, and the three of them drained them in one gulp.
Dumbledore patted Hode's arm and said earnestly, "Treat Hermione well, and come visit this old man when you have time."
"Of course." Hode immediately agreed.
Next were Mr. and Mrs. Granger, Gellert, and Rosier, the four sitting right at the front.
Mr. Granger fought back his tears, looking at Hermione in her wedding dress, recalling every little detail of Hermione's childhood.
"Hode! You must treat Hermione well! She is my only precious daughter!"
As Mr. Granger spoke, he could no longer hold back, and the tears in his eyes streamed down like a waterfall.
Mrs. Granger wiped Mr. Granger's tears, and then offered their blessings to Hode and Hermione.
"Now that you have a family of your own, you must learn to tolerate each other, share blessings and hardships, and discuss matters together. May you be harmonious and happy, enjoying peace and stability for a lifetime."
Hode nodded firmly, "Rest assured, I will definitely treat Hermione well!"
Then came Gellert and Rosier.
"Little Hermione, if Hode treats you badly in the future, come find me, and I'll beat him up hard!"
Gellert's words left Hode somewhat helpless, while Hermione covered her mouth and nodded with a smile.
"Okay! If Hode bullies me in the future, I will definitely tell you."
After toasting the elders, it was the turn of the other guests.
Harry and Ginny, acting as best man and bridesmaid, also had to drink on behalf of the two.
"Right, Harry, Ron. How is your work as an Auror going lately?" Hode asked Harry and Ron.
Harry nodded, "Not bad, Moody gave us a case dealing with a smuggling ring, but we solved it perfectly, so now Ron and I have passed our probation period and officially become Aurors."
Tonks and Lupin, holding their child, also walked over to the group.
Tonks said enviously: "Yeah, I'm really envious of you guys. It took me so long to graduate from a trainee Auror."
"Wow! So cute! What is his name?"
Hermione reached out her finger to stroke the baby boy in Tonks's arms.
"His name is Teddy Lupin." Lupin scratched his head and answered shyly.
And James and Lily also walked over holding a child.
Harry immediately took the younger brother from Lily's hands and then showed off to everyone: "This is my younger brother—Grey! How is it? Doesn't he look a lot like me?"
"Yeah, he really does."
Just like Harry, Grey inherited Lily's emerald-green eyes and James's appearance.
Then, after Hode and Hermione toasted everyone, they returned to the stage together to bow and thank everyone for coming to bless them.
Everyone broke into enthusiastic applause once again. Finally, as the climax of the music sounded, Hode swept Hermione up into his arms.
"Ah! What are you doing?" Hermione was startled by Hode's sudden action.
And Hode showed an evil smile, then grinned as he looked at Hermione:
"Hehe-heh! I can't wait anymore!"
Finished speaking, Hode instantly teleported back to the new home they bought with Hermione.
After returning to their bridal chamber, Hode directly placed Hermione on the bed.
"Hehe-heh! Hermione, do you know how long I've been waiting for this moment? Finally... finally it's time!!!"
Hode laughed up to the sky, looking just like the Monkey King who successfully emerged after being suppressed under the Five Elements Mountain for five hundred years.
"Geez, you look just like a pervert."
Hermione muttered complaints with her mouth, but the blush on her face betrayed her thoughts.
Without a second word, Hode started taking off his own clothes, then grinned while reaching his hands out toward Hermione.
"Hermione~ Let me help you take off your clothes~"
"Hate you."
Hermione said so, but she didn't make any motion to stop him, just letting Hode help her undress like that.
After ten hours of intense battle and three hundred rounds of duel, Hermione finally suffered defeat.
Even with the reinforcement of divine power, Hermioneultimately couldn't withstand Hode's endless energy.
"I can't take it anymore, I need to rest for a bit."
Hermione's weak plea for mercy made Hode immediately dare not make any movement.
Hode glanced at the time; it was already ten o'clock at night.
Hode immediately conjured up a huge pile of delicacies and placed them in front of Hermione.
"Eat up! Once we finish eating, we'll go to sleep."
Hermione nodded, then quietly began to enjoy the food.
"Do you want to take a bath together later?"
Hermione suddenly spoke, making Hode, who was admiring Hermione's face, freeze for a moment, and then he started fantasizing about the two of them taking a bath together.
Hode quickly suppressed his thoughts, then said excitedly:
"Great!" (^v^)
After eating, the two of them lay together in the huge bathtub.
Hode hugged Hermione, smelling the natural fragrance emanating from her body.
"You smell so good!"
Hermione felt ticklish from Hode's action, "Stop messing around~ It's ticklish."
Perhaps due to the hot water, the passion between the two ignited once again.
Another hour later, Hermione collapsed weakly onto the bed, falling asleep in a tight embrace with Hode.
This continued for a full year. Through their unremitting efforts, Hermione finally became pregnant with Hode's child.
"... So this is why you wanted me to delay my retirement by a few years?"
Dumbledore looked at the two with resignation.
"That's right, look, Hermione is pregnant! How could I be in the mood to be Headmaster? Besides, after the child is born, we definitely can't let Hermione take care of them alone. As a father, I must stay by their side!"
Hearing Hode talk with such logic, Dumbledore couldn't refute anything.
"Fine, let's just say this old man owes it to you two."
"Heehee, thank you very much, great Headmaster Dumbledore! Loyalty!"
Dumbledore waved his hand, then continued: "Two years! I will only serve for two more years at most, and after two years I'll step down. You should know, Neville and Dracohave already become Professors of Herbology and Potions Class."
Hode immediately saluted standardly, then nodded quickly.
"Understood!"
Just like that, time slowly passed, and soon it was time for Hermione to give birth.
Inside St. Mungo's Hospital, Hode carefully used his divine power to slowly transfer out his child.
The female Head of House of the obstetrics and gynecology department immediately cut the umbilical cord and took the child to start checking.
Hode hurriedly restored Hermione, making her not so weak anymore.
"How is it? Our child..."
"The child is very well! It's a boy!"
Hode held Hermione's hand and said excitedly.
"Let me see..."
Hode immediately took back the child and placed him by Hermione's bedside.
Hermione carefully scrutinized her child, gently stroking his face with her finger.
"Give him a name!"
Hearing Hermione's words, Hode began to think seriously.
"Hmm... How about naming him Jiahao?"
Hermione:...
"Ahem, just kidding, just kidding, haha."
Hode scratched his head, then continued thinking...
"Yar... How about this?"
Hearing this, Hermione couldn't help but be slightly stunned.
"Yar... That sounds wonderful! Then, from now on, your name is Yar!"
Hermione teased Yar, the corners of her mouth unable to stop curling upwards.
Chapter 178 Side Story 1
Two years later——
"These, these, and these! These are the things that need to be done as the Headmaster and Deputy Headmaster. I have already taught Neville in advance, and he will help you out."
In the Headmaster's Office, Professor McGonagall placed stacks of task lists on the desk.
Hermione sat in a chair and began to read them carefully, while Hode and Dumbledore were teasing Yar.
"Little Yar, call me Great-Grandpa." Dumbledore stroked Yar's little face.
Yar was now two years old, with hair and eyes as black as Hode's, while his face shape resembled Hermione's a bit more.
Most importantly, the Magic inside Yar was also extremely vast. Although not as much as Hode at the same age, it was still far more than anyone Else.
"Yaya!"
Yar pouted his lips twice, making Dumbledore burst into loud laughter.
"Hahaha! Such a good child! Are you sure you want to raise him yourselves? It is fine for Gellert and me to raise him anyway; the two of us are quite idle right now."
"No need, I will keep an eye on Yar at all times."
Hode said, while thinking to himself:
If I let the two of you raise him, I am afraid my darling son will turn "gay".
After McGonagall and Dumbledore left, Hode held Yar and came to Hermione's side.
"These matters will be entrusted to you from now on, my dear wife! Yar, quick! Say thank you to Mom!"
"Thank you, Mommy!"
Hermione speechlessly rolled her eyes, "You really are shameless, pushing everything onto me. Fine, you just take good care of Yar. For the opening speech, you can just learn from Professor Dumbledore—keep it simple and clear. I am going off to work first."
"Yes sir!"
Hode gave a salute, and Yar also imitated Hode by making the same gesture.
Time came to the start-of-term day, and the students, escorted by their parents, boarded the Hogwarts Express.
————
"Hey, have you heard? The legendary Hode is going to be our Headmaster this year!"
"I knew it long ago! The daughter of the older brother of the wife of the younger brother of my mother is an official at the Ministry of Magic, and she told me."
Else Diggory could not help feeling a bit curious as he listened to the voices outside.
A month ago, he received his Hogwarts acceptance letter, and both father and mother were extremely happy.
As for his older brother, Cedric Diggory, he even specially returned from the Ministry of Magic to host a grand party for him.
The name Hode was something Else had constantly heard mentioned by his brother. Brother Cedric was Else's most adored person and also the pride of their family!
At such a young age, he had already become the Head of the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes! And Cedric had said that Hode was the person he admired most.
This made Else very curious; he did not feel that his brother was inferior to any Hode, so he always asked him about Hode.
But Cedric would always say: "After you enter Hogwarts, you will find out. For now, I only hope you can thoroughly enjoy your childhood and play happily."
Just as Else was reminiscing, the compartment door was opened.
"Hello, may I sit here?"
"Of course!"
Else snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the person who walked in.
"Hello, my name is Jess Heidelin, and I am a second-year student in Hufflepuff."
Jess extended his right hand, and Else immediately shook it.
"Hello, my name is Else, Else Diggory. I am a first-year student this year."
"Haha, I could tell long ago. Although I have only stayed at Hogwarts for a year, I have seen basically all the students, yet I have no impression of you, so I knew you were a first-year student."
Else nodded in understanding.
Soon, the Hogwarts Express started moving.
"Bang bang!"
The compartment was knocked on again, and then an elderly woman pushing a cart full of snacks opened the door.
"Children, would you like anything?"
Jess spoke first, "I want a box of Chocolate Frogs."
Else also spoke up similarly, "I would like a portion too, thank you."
After paying the money, Jess opened the box full of anticipation, and a Chocolate Frog instantly jumped out.
Jess was quick-eyed and nimble-handed, grabbing the Chocolate Frog in one clutch and then putting it into his mouth.
Immediately afterward, Jess eagerly pulled a card out of the box with anticipation.
"Hey——, why is it Harry Potter's card again!"
Else curiously leaned over to take a look; inside the card was a young man wearing glasses with a lightning scar on his forehead.
Else had once heard the name Harry Potter from Cedric's lips, and he had also listened to the story of The Saviorsince childhood.
He also remembered that Brother Cedric had also possessed a few such cards before.
Thinking of this, Else impatiently unwrapped his own box and then put the Chocolate Frog into his mouth.
Finally, Else curiously took out the card inside the box and looked!
The person inside the card wore black robes, with their black slicked-back hair unrestrained and flamboyant, and just looking at the standing posture made one feel they were very strong!
Else then saw the name below——
Hode Dumbledore Grindelwald!
"Hode?!!!!"
Else let out a startled scream, giving Jess a fright.
"What? You drew the legendary Hode?! Let me see quickly!"
Jess immediately sat down beside Else, looking at the card in his hand.
"It actually really is Hode the studen... no, right now he should be called Headmaster Hode! This is extremely rare, and it is said that only three people in our entire school have it!"
Else found Jess's words somewhat unbelievable; he had not expected that he would draw Headmaster Hode's card on his very first try.
Else flipped it over and looked at the text on the back of the card.
Hode Dumbledore Grindelwald, the strongest Wizard of modern times! A living Legend! Once defeated the previous strongest, Albus Dumbledore, in a single day, and also drove away the legendary Death, while capturing Death's weapon.
Mr. Grindelwald was exceptionally brilliant in all aspects, having once invented a potion that could completely solve the Werewolf problem and freely publishing the manufacturing contents of the potion; taught St. Mungo's magic that could treat most psychological problems; he was also the legendary Black Dragon Alchemy Master, and various excellent Alchemy props came from his hands!
Hode Dumbledore Grindelwald: Throughout heaven and earth, I alone am supreme!
Else looked in amazement at Hode's long string of descriptions; he had not expected that the person his brother admired was actually so formidable.
"The strongest... this is simply too amazing!"
What surprised Else the most was still Hode's title of the strongest Wizard and the matter of defeating Death.
Defeating a deity and becoming the strongest! How many boys' dreams was this? Who wouldn't want to become renowned throughout the world and be invincible under heaven.
And Hode had accomplished this very point.
"So cool! I also want to become a person like him!" Elsesaid excitedly, while Jess beside him awkwardly scratched his head, finding it hard to crush his spirits.
Jess: Buddy, that person is strong unlike a human. Not to mention becoming a person like Headmaster Hode, if you could become someone like senior Harry Potter, that would be enough to boast about for a lifetime!
Today, Harry had become the Chief Commander of the Aurors and the Deputy Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement! At this moment, he was already the strongest Auror of the contemporary era, with a prominent reputation... although he was already famous enough to begin with.
Else carefully put away Hode's card, and then curiously asked Jess:
"Right, Jess. Has Mr. Grindelwald really become the Headmaster of Hogwarts?"
Jess confidently nodded, and then took out his mobile phone to show Else.
"Of course! On the Hogwarts Forum, Headmaster Hodeand former Headmaster Dumbledore posted an announcement long ago."
Else looked at the prominent title at the very top of the forum:
Mr. Hode Dumbledore Grindelwald officially assumes the position of Hogwarts Headmaster!
Below were full of replies, and he even saw the comment from senior Harry, who had long since graduated!
Harry: Congratulations! Free up some time another day and let us grab a drink.
"Is this the legendary Hogwarts Forum? I want to get in too!"
Else excitedly pulled out the mobile phone Cedric gave him, but Jess quickly turned off the screen.
"Don't be anxious; once you complete the Sorting Ceremony, your prefect will naturally pull you in."
Jess's words instantly made Else calm down, and he asked with a trembling voice:
"My brother said that first-year students must defeat a dragon to enroll... is this true?"
Jess shook his head, and then looked at Else seriously.
"No, your brother lied to you! How could first-year students possibly defeat a dragon? Not everyone is as formidable as Headmaster Hode!"
Jess's words made Else heave a sigh of relief, but his next words once again made Else's heart jump to his throat.
"Although it is not defeating a dragon, you still have to defeat a Troll alone to enroll! In my year, there were quite a few Wizards who almost died under a Troll's club. Although they were saved by Headmaster Dumbledore, they also lost the opportunity to enter Hogwarts."
Else listened to Jess's words in terror, trembling to the point of almost fainting.
"Rest assured! I believe you will have no problem!"
"...Thank you..." Else forced a smile, but inside he was already terrified and at a complete loss.
When night arrived, the Hogwarts Express slowly came to a halt. Else, carrying a nervous mood, parted ways with Jess, and then followed Hagrid and other first-year students onto small boats, slowly heading toward Hogwarts.
"The first-year students have all arrived, Hermione."
Hagrid let out a big laugh, and then handed the students over to Hermione, while he himself entered the Great Hallfrom the back door.
"Hode, you look really handsome sitting in the Headmaster's seat!"
Hagrid looked at Hode, who was wearing black robes and had a kind expression. This made him feel that Hode and Professor Dumbledore were indeed somewhat similar—both made people feel at ease the moment they got close.
Hearing Hagrid's words, Hode smiled and tidied his bangs.
"Of course, naturally beautiful, nothing can be done about it!"
Snape on the side rolled his eyes, too disgusted to look.
One unrespectable old man had left, and another unrespectable young man had come! And then there was that unhinged Voldemort from before...
Why were all his direct superiors such abnormal people?
Chapter 179 Extra 2
"She... is Headmaster Hode's wife! The legendary Hermione Granger!"
"What?"
Else's eyes widened involuntarily upon hearing the voice beside him.
The woman of the strongest Wizard... she must be a very special existence!
Else looked ahead at the young and beautiful Hermione.
The person whispered, "And Madam Hermione is already our Deputy Headmaster! It is said that nowadays only Professor Granger can harm Headmaster Hode, and others are completely powerless against him!"
"So strong!"
Else looked at Hermione in surprise, filled with involuntary admiration.
Hermione carefully checked the roster, and after confirming everything was correct, she said to the first-year students, "Now, you are about to undergo the Sorting Ceremony! Line up in two rows and follow me!"
Hermione's expression was serious, and her tone made it obvious she was not someone to be trifled with!
Else muttered to himself: As expected of HeadmasterHode's woman... truly terrifying...
In fact, Hermione learned this style directly from McGonagall.
Reflecting on back then———
McGonagall: "Hermione, remember this! Hode's appearance makes it obvious he won't be very strict, so you need to be the strict teacher! You must make the students fear you so that they will obey your commands."
Hermione nodded, indicating that she would definitely follow through!
————The doors of the Great Hall opened, and everyone first saw the four long tables on either side, quickly distinguishing which house each table belonged to.
Then they saw the ceiling of the Great Hall, which was a starry sky!
Next were the hanging portraits of the Four Founders of Hogwarts up front; except for Salazar, the other three were waving at them.
Finally, there were the professors at the staff table!
Else spotted Hode at a glance, whom he had seen on the cards!
Very young! Very handsome!
This was Else's first impression.
Hode winked at the first-year students, looking at them with a smile.
Then, the Sorting Hat began its song—another song it spent a whole year thinking up, though to be fair, it sounded terrible.
"Ahem! Now———students whose names I call, come sit on the chair beside me, and the Sorting Hat will sort you!"
Hermione said sternly right after the Sorting Hat finished singing.
Hearing this, all the first-year students were stunned.
This is not what we heard! Shouldn't it be something like defeating a Troll or an Acromantula?
Else was equally surprised, then realized he seemed to have been tricked! To think he had been scared for half a day!
Then Else angrily looked over at the Hufflepuff table, staring at the apologetic Jace.
Hermione quickly began calling out the names of the first-year students, and because Else's surname was Diggory, his turn came soon.
"Else Diggory."
Hearing the name, Hode looked at Else walking forward.
"Cedric's younger brother? You look quite alike!"
Else sat nervously on the chair beside Hermione, and Hermione immediately placed the Sorting Hat on his head.
"Hufflepuff!"
Applause broke out at the Hufflepuff table.
Else walked dazedly to the Hufflepuff table; everything happened so magically that he hadn't come to his senses yet.
In the end, Jace patted his shoulder and said, "Welcome to Hufflepuff!"
Else finally came to his senses, then puffed out his cheeks and said, "You actually tricked me! You made me nervous for half a day!"
"Hahahah! This is an old Hogwarts tradition! You can scare other first-year students in the future too."
Else:...That doesn't sound bad either!
When the sorting concluded, Hode stood up and looked at the students.
"Welcome! Welcome everyone to Hogwarts! I think everyone already knows who I am, so I won't introduce myself. That's right! Now that Dumbledore has retired, I am serving as the Headmaster of Hogwarts! And Madam Hermione Granger is serving as the Deputy Headmaster! I hope that from now on, we can live in harmony with each other. Thank you everyone."
After Hode finished speaking, everyone began to applaud. Then Hode waved his hand, and various foods appeared on all the long tables.
"I didn't expect Headmaster Hode to be like Headmaster Dumbledore, not a man of many words."
Jace exclaimed while eating a steak.
After enjoying dinner, Hode mentioned a few school rules before letting the students return to their Common Room.
In the Hufflepuff Common Room, a male prefect pulled the first-year students into the Hogwarts forum and the exclusive group chat.
Else clicked on the mysterious forum with full anticipation:
Weasley Twins: Shocking! The Savior Harry betrays his wife Ginny, sharing unspeakable secrets with his good friends Ron and Draco!
Else:??????
No! Is this right? Where on earth did this bring me?
Else didn't understand; shouldn't the legendary Hogwartsforum contain various fun anecdotes of Hogwarts, dueling videos, magic analysis, and the like?
At the very least, it should be discussing Hogwarts secrets, campus horror stories, and such.
Why is it stuff like this?
Although puzzled, Else's fingers uncontrollably clicked inside.
Then he saw a picture of Ron and Draco kissing!
Else only felt that his eyes had suffered ten thousand points of damage.
Scrolling down to the comment section, the very first comment was written by Harry.
Harry: Can you guys stop posting these random things? Ginny says if you post them again, she'll show you what's coming.
Ron: You two!!! (╬￣dish￣) Posting this kind of stuff again—believe it or not, as an Auror, I'll arrest the pair of you! The excuse will be publishing false information!
Else breathed a sigh of relief; so it was fake after all.
But why did he feel a little bit disappointed inside?
Not thinking too much about it, Else continued scrolling down, and the subsequent content finally started to look normal.
There were exciting dueling videos from the Dueling Clubposted by Professor Flitwick, along with analysis.
There was relevant knowledge about certain herbs posted by Professor Neville.
There was also a discussion ranking the handsome guys and beauties of each house.
Else began to fantasize that his looks weren't bad either! Maybe he would make it onto Hufflepuff's handsome guy ranking list soon.
The next day, after finishing breakfast, Else and his roommates came to Greenhouse Three outside the castle.
"Welcome everyone! My name is Neville Longbottom, and you can call me Professor Neville."
"Hello, Professor Neville!" the students said in unison.
This class was held jointly by Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, and Neville explained to them the planting and cultivation methods of Dittany, as well as its various uses.
At the end of class, Neville distributed Dittany seeds to every student.
Neville's class was very relaxing, and the homework was minimal; Else was very much looking forward to the upcoming classes!
Defense Against the Dark Arts class——
"Tell me, what is that Troll brain of yours used for? You forgot right after it was explained!"
Snape spewed venom beside Else, then said to himself, "Today your workload of homework is doubled!"
Else was wrong; he knew he had been too wishful.
Clearly Cedric had reminded him that Professor Snape was extremely strict and one must listen attentively in class, but he had zoned out! And then he suffered the erosion of venom.
In the afternoon, there was only a Transfiguration Class.
The students arrived early at the classroom, perhaps because Hermione's stern appearance yesterday made them think Hermione was just as terrifying as Snape.
But they guessed wrong.
Hermione's lectures were very interesting! And even if the students made mistakes, she wouldn't administer any punishments, only giving a few verbal reminders.
It's just that the homework assigned was a bit much...
After school, Else came to the grass beside the Black Lakeand sat down.
Reflecting on everything that happened today, it was all so dreamy.
"magic is truly amazing!"
Else couldn't help exclaiming, and then heard a response.
"Indeed, magic always makes people unable to extricate themselves."
Else turned his head and found Hode standing behind him, watching him with a smile.
"Headmaster Hode!"
Else hurriedly wanted to get up, but was stopped by Hode.
"Don't be nervous. When I was in school, I also often sat here with your Professor Hermione to enjoy the scenery."
Hode said as he sat down beside Else.
"What do you think of Hogwarts?"
"It's wonderful! Filled with all kinds of magical things, and magic I've never seen before!"
Watching Else excitedly recount his impressions, Hodesmiled.
"Enjoy your campus life at Hogwarts to the fullest! In these seven years, leave more important memories here!"
"Yes!"
Chapter 180 Finale
Thirteen years later ——
Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.
Hode and Hermione held their children as they walked towards the Hogwarts Express.
In the third year after Yar was born, Hermione became pregnant again and gave birth to a daughter! Hode named her: Irma.
And this year was precisely the day for Irma to enroll.
"Daddy, big brother said that to enter Hogwarts, one must defeat a dragon. Is this true?"
Irma looked at Hode with a nervous expression, desperately hoping that this was something Yar made up to trick her.
"Unfortunately, Irma, what your brother said is true."
This remark made Irma even more nervous.
"But... but I can't beat Jumang and Norbert... Will I not be able to enter Hogwarts ꒰ ＞ ﹏ ＜ ꒱"
Seeing Irma's frightened yet adorable look, Hode and Hermione smiled affectionately.
Hode: "Rest assured! You certainly can do it!"
Yar kept a straight face the entire time, terrified that he wouldn't be able to hold back his laughter.
Recalling how he was also deceived by Hode back then, being told that he had to slay a dragon to enter Hogwarts.
Then he underwent special training every day, occasionally dragging Jumang and Norbert to spar with each other.
As a result, when he arrived at the school, he realized he had turned into a clown.
"Hey! Over here, over here!"
Ron shouted loudly and waved at them.
Ron had also married Daphne and given birth to a son.
As for Harry and Ginny, just like in the original book, they gave birth to two boys and a girl.
Draco and Astoria had a boy and a girl.
Finally, there was Neville, who had a daughter with Hannah.
The birth times of several people's children were all about the same.
Harry's second son, Ron's son, and Draco's sons were all born in the same year as Irma.
Several people had also come to see them off for enrollment.
"Hello, Uncle Hode. Hello, Aunt Hermione."
The several children greeted Hode and Hermione.
Because several people occasionally gathered together, their children all knew Hode and Hermione, and the children also kept each other company.
"It's fine to call me Uncle Hode now, but when you get to Hogwarts, remember to use our official titles!"
Harry's second son, Albus, nods, "Understood, HodePlant."
Hode:...
"Hahaha! Hode Plant! Hahaha!"
Hermione laughed while patting Hode on the shoulder.
"Sigh, whatever. Get on the train quickly, I'll wait for you at Hogwarts."
Irma immediately grabbed the corner of Hode's clothes and said pitifully:
"Daddy, can I really enter Hogwarts?"
Hode crouched down and then straightened Irma's hair.
"Of course, once you get there, you will definitely fall in love with it!"
Then, under the watchful eyes of parents like Hode, the children boarded the train.
Soon, the Hogwarts Express slowly set off, and Irma and the others poked their heads out of the windows, waving goodbye to them.
Hode and the others also waved back, responding to them.
"They will definitely have a wonderful future."
Harry said with a smile, his eyes filled with reluctance to part.
"Alright, with me around, what could possibly happen to your son."
Hode nudged Harry's arm, and Harry naturally knew that with Hode around, Hogwarts truly was the safest place.
"Of course I know, the wizarding world is peaceful now."
Harry touched the lightning-shaped scar on his forehead that had brought him fame and destiny.
This scar hadn't hurt for seventeen years!
Everything is peaceful!
—————
"Whoa! This is Hogwarts!"
Irma, together with Albus, Ron's son Ned, Neville's daughter Lorna, and Draco's son Scorpius, sat in a wooden boat and sailed towards Hogwarts.
Irma looked at Hogwarts under the night sky and felt it was incomparably beautiful.
Just like the castle in the fairy tales Hermione had told her, so magnificent and mysterious!
Led by Hagrid, everyone arrived at the entrance of the Great Hall, where Hermione was already waiting for them.
After seeing her mother, Irma wanted to say hello, but she recalled Hermione's teachings before leaving:
"Irma, when you get to Hogwarts, you must call me Professor. Do you understand?"
Irma nods obediently, indicating that she understood.
But Hode waved his hand indifferently.
"What does it matter? Our Irma can call you whatever she wants! Come here and let Daddy give you a hug!"
Although Hode said this, Irma still chose to obey Hermione's words, so she put away the thought of greeting her.
"Since everyone is here, please form two lines and come inside with me!"
Led by Hermione, the first-year students all walked into the Great Hall of Hogwarts.
"Big Brother Yar, that must be your younger sister! She really is cute!"
A companion sitting next to Yar at the Gryffindor long table pointed at the prettiest girl in the procession and said.
Irma and Yar's looks perfectly inherited both Hode and Hermione's!
And Hode's genes seemed even more powerful; both of them had black hair and black eyes. Although they didn't inherit Hode's special eyes, their talents far surpassed those of others.
"That's right, my sister is just that cute."
Yar crossed his arms and said with a proud look.
After the Sorting Hat finished singing its song, Hermionebegan reading the names of the first-year students, all the way until Irma.
"Irma Dumbledore Grindelwald!"
As Hermione's voice fell, everyone's gazes turned to Irma walking towards Hermione.
Headmaster Hode's second child! They looked at Yaragain.
You must know that Yar was the most famous figure in Hogwarts.
Not only did he love studying, but all his grades were full marks! Furthermore, in his first year, he defeated the then-president of the Dueling Club, becoming the youngest president in Hogwarts!
Moreover, Yar was kind-natured and never argued with anyone (actually, nobody dared to provoke him, nor did he dare act like an arrogant scion. After all, although Hodewas usually quite amiable, when he got angry, it was truly lethal!)
Hermione placed the Sorting Hat on Irma's head, and under everyone's anticipation, the Sorting Hat quickly gave its answer.
"Gryffindor!"
The Gryffindor students immediately cheered and shouted:
"We have a Grindelwald again! We have a Grindelwaldagain!"
As for the students of the other three houses, they all wore disappointed expressions.
And Harry and the others' children all entered Gryffindorjust like their fathers, while Draco's son Scorpius entered Slytherin.
The Sorting ceremony ended, and Hode stood up.
"Welcome! Welcome everyone to Hogwarts! As I always say! I hope everyone enjoys every moment at Hogwarts, and let this memory become your most wonderful recollection!"
Hode glanced around at all the students and finally smiled slightly.
"One last thing!"
"That is—"
"Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!"
End of Book ————
(It's finally finished, though the ending is a bit rushed.
As the author's first new book, I can see my own shortcomings, but it's wonderful to have readers watching!
I looked at everyone's choices; supporters of Pokémon and Western Fantasy genres were relatively high. Thank you for everyone's suggestions.
The author really wants to try writing an original work, so I plan to try Western Fantasy first.
Of course, if everyone doesn't like it and the book's performance isn't ideal, then the author will just scrap it and rewrite fan fiction instead.
The author has already started conceiving it, and it should be ready for everyone to read around the end of National Day. The title will be posted by the author in the comment section of this paragraph by then.
Finally, thank you very much everyone for reading this book of mine. I wish everyone happiness every day and joy every single day!
Thank you! )