Potter had stayed in bed for three days, missing the last Quidditch match.
As a result, Ravenclaw lost all three of their matches, while the other three houses each had a record of two wins and one loss.
When the final scores were tallied, Hufflepuff surprisingly won this year's House Cup for Quidditch!
It was rumored that Marcus Flint had smashed everything in the Slytherin dormitory.
Apparently, it was Audrey's refusal to follow the captain's tactics that caused Slytherin's total score to fall below Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, costing them the Quidditch championship!
The rumor quickly spread throughout Slytherin.
However, Audrey's reputation wasn't something so easily tarnished.
The little snakes in the Slytherin division of Audrey's bodyguard team immediately refuted the claim.
"If Flint weren't incompetent, how could we have lost the first match? If Audrey had played in the first match, our house would have won all three!"
Even so, after a full year of Professor Snape's efforts, although Slytherin lost the Quidditch Cup, their overall house points still led second-place Ravenclaw by forty-three points, and bottom Gryffindor by seventy-one points.
So the little snakes' arguments about Audrey lasted less than half a day before everyone was swept up in the excitement of a potential seven-year house championship!
Only Audrey knew that the head of the house could never defeat the Headmaster—unless the Headmaster wanted to die.
Right now, whoever the Headmaster wanted to win, would win.
This kind of reversal didn't concern Slytherin, and she had no interest in watching the boring spectacle. She preferred to return home and spend time with her lonely older brother.
Thus, she skipped the end-of-term feast and went straight to the Astre estate.
"Audrey! You're finally back!"
Waiting to greet her was not Rick, but Mr. Peter Waterman.
"Studying under the master must have been fruitful," Mr. Waterman said excitedly. "I've arranged everything in the U.S.! This summer, your U.S. tour has six stops, twenty-four shows, eight million dollars per appearance! Plus countless advertisements!"
He looked at Audrey as if she were a solid gold Greek statue.
"In one month, you'll earn at least two hundred million dollars! Excited?"
Audrey's expression was calm and unshaken. In the past, earning two to three hundred million dollars in a month would have made her jump for joy.
Now… it felt just normal. When money reaches a certain level, earning a bit more doesn't excite her.
Though she thought, two hundred million dollars could buy nearly three tons of gold—enough to make a giant golden bed.
"All right, Mr. Waterman, schedule it for August. I want to rest properly in July."
"No problem, Audrey!"
Mr. Waterman no longer carried the aura of a boss; he now looked more like Audrey's assistant.
"Rick! Stop composing! Audrey's back!"
The door to the workspace swung open, and a scruffy Rick rushed out.
"Audrey's back? Wasn't she supposed to arrive tomorrow?"
"Brother!" Audrey waved at Rick. "I missed home, so I came a day early!"
"That's wonderful!"
Rick ran downstairs, eyes wide with joy, taking in Audrey's appearance. "You've grown since Christmas! The school food must be good!"
Of course, it was excellent—all thanks to Momo.
"Rick, I'm giving you half a month off. Take good care of Audrey," said Mr. Waterman, now in full boss mode. Even though Rick was a successful singer in his own right, in Peter Waterman's eyes, a superstar like Audrey was on another level—comparable to MJ.
"Put your new song creation on hold. Your priority is the August tour!"
After saying this, Waterman left, unwilling to interrupt the siblings' reunion.
"This is bad, Audrey," Rick lamented. "I didn't expect you back today, so I haven't prepared groceries… we might have to go shopping."
Whoosh! Momo appeared, shining brightly.
During Christmas, she had already met Rick, so he was not surprised by the magical little creature.
"Mr. Astre, don't worry. Momo has already prepared the groceries!"
Audrey smiled. "See? My Momo is reliable as always!"
Momo proudly lifted her head. The unicorn-hair pillowcases reflected streaks of silver—gifts from her little master!
After staying home for two days, Arthur Weasley arrived. During the semester, they had agreed that Audrey would take Rick to visit the Weasley's humble home.
"Hello, Mr. Astre, I'm Arthur Weasley, Audrey's father!"
Rick, who hadn't flinched before Dumbledore or Grindelwald, was polite and confident in front of Arthur.
"Hello, Mr. Weasley. Pleasure to meet you!"
Arthur had arrived in his flying car, which amazed Rick.
He sat in the back, poking around, and suddenly asked Audrey, "Can we modify our car like this?"
Audrey sighed. "Yes, but Mr. Waterman and Ms. Kyle often ride your car. Aren't you worried they'd discover the wizarding world?"
"Such a hassle," Rick muttered. "I wonder when wizards and Muggles can live together. That would be awesome."
Flying through the clouds in the car was a new experience for Rick; Audrey quietly napped in the passenger seat—the Weasley car was way too slow!
After some time, Arthur lowered the car slightly.
"Here's Ottery-St. Catchpole village. We've arrived!"
Audrey opened her eyes. The Muggle repelling and confusion charms didn't work on her, so she clearly saw the hidden cottages among hills and trees.
Her vision was far superior; from a nearby hill, she spotted a quirky chess-like building—the Lovegood residence.
Several miles from the village, another house radiated magic—the Diggorys, where Cedric Diggory lived.
The car landed smoothly beside the dilapidated garage of the Weasley home.
The car shuddered slightly, and Rick noticed the surrounding scenery changing rapidly.
Trees and grass parted as if pushed aside, revealing a crooked, postmodern-style house, with a garden and small lake behind it.
A sign in front read: "The Burrow."
Arthur didn't park in the garage because it housed his newest toy—a T-80 tank.
Before entering, a plump woman came out to greet them.
"Audrey! My sweetie!"
Molly, Audrey's loyal fan, was overjoyed to invite her over.
Her warmth almost overwhelmed Audrey; no wonder she was voted Britain's ultimate screen mother, surpassing Elastigirl and Sarah Connor!
"Come in, hurry! The kids are waiting for you!"
"Oh, this must be Audrey's brother! Welcome to my home!"
Inside, a strong magical atmosphere greeted them—family clocks floating, self-cleaning brooms and dustpans, stirring soup spoons, and a perfect recreation of Audrey's magical singing from Magic Time.
"Wow, this is amazing," Rick gawked, like a country bumpkin in the Grand View Garden, touching everything. "Audrey, can we do this at our house?"
"Audrey!" Ron and the twins jumped up first. "Welcome!"
Percy smiled at Audrey; Ginny, shy as ever, quietly rolled up a poster behind her—too embarrassing to ask for her brothers' classmates' signatures?
Fred grabbed it boldly and handed it to Audrey. "Sign this for Ginny—she really likes you!"
Audrey laughed, writing quickly, matching her smile on the poster. She returned it to Ginny.
"To my dearest little sister Ginny. Wishing all your dreams come true. Audrey Astre."
Ginny's face turned bright red, like a cooked shrimp, rereading the words.
Charlie wasn't home, working at the dragon reserve, but Bill was at headquarters due to Gringotts matters. He stepped forward, smiling.
"Audrey, thank you so much. You saved my job! You know how important this is to us!"
Audrey smiled. "The Weasleys have helped me plenty. Helping you is only natural!"
"Dear, let's talk over lunch—I've prepared it!"
At Molly's command, the Weasley family took their seats.
Audrey looked at the bustling, warm family and felt envious.
"Brother Rick, when will you start a family?"
Rick tilted his head in confusion; Audrey whispered:
"That way, I'll have a bunch of nephews and nieces!"