---
Chapter 89: The Taste of Home
Potter stayed in bed for three days and missed the final Quidditch match.
As a result, they lost all three of their matches, while the other three Houses each ended up with two wins and one loss.
When the final scores were tallied, Hufflepuff unexpectedly won this year's Quidditch Cup!
It was said that Marcus Flint smashed everything in his dorm room.
Rumours spread through Slytherin that Astray had refused to follow the captain's tactics, which caused Slytherin's total score to fall below Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, costing them the championship.
However, Astray's reputation wasn't so easily shaken.
The Slytherins—especially those in the so-called Audrey Guard—immediately pushed back.
"If Flint hadn't been so useless, how could we have lost the first match? If Audrey had played from the start, we would've won all three!"
Still, thanks to Snape's relentless efforts throughout the year, even without the Quidditch Cup, Slytherin's House points far surpassed second-place Ravenclaw by 43 points, and last-place Gryffindor by 71.
So the debate didn't last even half a day before everyone got swept up in celebrating Slytherin's seventh consecutive House Cup victory.
Only Audrey knew the truth.
A student could never beat the Headmaster—unless the Headmaster wanted to lose.
Whoever the Headmaster wanted to win… would win.
This kind of staged excitement meant nothing to her.
Rather than waste time watching that dull spectacle, she would rather go home and spend time with her lonely older brother.
So she skipped the end-of-term feast and went straight back to the Astray mansion.
---
"Audrey! You're finally back!"
The one who greeted her wasn't Rick, but Mr. Peter Waterman.
"You must've learned so much from the Great Master," he said excitedly. "I've already arranged everything in the United States! This summer—six cities, twenty-four shows! Eight million dollars per appearance, plus endorsements!"
To him, Audrey was practically a statue carved from pure gold.
"You'll earn at least two hundred million dollars a month! How about it? Happy?"
Audrey's expression remained calm.
In the past, earning two or three hundred million in a month would have made her ecstatic.
But now…
It didn't feel like much anymore.
Still, after a moment's thought—
Two hundred million dollars… that's almost three tons of gold.
Enough to build a golden bed.
"Alright, Mr. Waterman. Schedule it for August. I want to rest for all of July."
"No problem, Audrey!"
He had no trace of a boss's attitude anymore—he was more like her assistant.
"Rick! Stop working on the sheet music—Audrey's back!"
The studio door burst open.
Rick, with stubble on his face, rushed out.
"Audrey's back? I thought you were coming tomorrow!"
"Brother!" Audrey waved. "I missed home, so I came back early!"
"That's great!"
Rick hurried down the stairs, looking her up and down with a wide smile.
"You've grown taller since Christmas. Looks like the school food is treating you well."
"Of course," Momo added proudly. "That's thanks to me."
"Rick, I'm giving you two weeks off. Spend time with Audrey."
Mr. Waterman spoke decisively.
Even though Rick was already a famous singer, Waterman still treated him like a subordinate.
In his eyes, there was a difference between a popular singer and a superstar.
And Audrey? She was a superstar—someone on the level of MJ.
"Take a break from composing. Focus on the August concerts."
With that, he left, giving the siblings space.
---
"Oh no…" Rick scratched his head. "I didn't know you'd come back today. We don't have groceries. We might need to go to the supermarket…"
Whoosh—
Momo appeared in a flash.
"Mr. Astray, please rest assured. Momo has already prepared everything!"
Audrey laughed. "See? Momo is still the most reliable."
Momo lifted her chin proudly, her unicorn-wool pillowcase shimmering with silver light—a gift from her master.
---
After two days at home, Arthur Weasley came to visit.
They had arranged it earlier—Audrey would take Rick to visit the Weasley home, the Burrow.
"Hello, Mr. Astray. I'm Arthur Weasley."
Rick wasn't intimidated in the slightest.
If he could face Dumbledore and Grindelwald without fear, Arthur wasn't going to faze him.
"Hello, Mr. Weasley. Nice to meet you."
Rick was fascinated when he saw the flying car.
He sat in the back seat, touching everything.
"Audrey, can we modify our car like this?"
Audrey sighed. "We could… but Mr. Waterman and Ms. Kyle ride in your car all the time. What if they find out about magic?"
Rick muttered, "What a hassle. I wish wizards could just live openly with normal people. That'd be amazing."
Flying through the clouds was a novelty for him.
Audrey, on the other hand, leaned back in the passenger seat, half-asleep.
The Weasleys' car was just too slow.
---
After what felt like forever, Arthur lowered the car.
"We've arrived—Ottery St Catchpole."
Audrey opened her eyes and looked down.
The Muggle-Repelling Charm and Confundus Charm didn't affect her, so she could clearly see the Burrow hidden among the hills.
Her eyesight picked up even more—
A strange house shaped like a chess piece in the distance. That had to be the Lovegood home.
And further away, another house glowing faintly with magic—that would be the Diggorys', where Cedric lived.
The car landed beside the crooked garage.
As Rick stepped out, the surroundings seemed to shift, revealing the Burrow in full.
A crooked, stacked house leaned at impossible angles, with a small pond behind it.
A crooked sign read: The Burrow.
And in the garage—
A T-80 tank.
---
Before they could even enter—
A plump woman rushed out.
"Audrey! My sweetheart!"
Molly Weasley threw her arms around her.
The hug was so strong it nearly crushed her.
She truly deserved her title as the strongest mother—surpassing even Elastigirl and Sarah Connor.
"Come in! Everyone's waiting!"
"Oh! This must be your brother. Welcome!"
---
Inside, magic filled every corner.
A grandfather clock showing family members.
A self-sweeping broom.
A ladle stirring soup on its own.
And music playing—The Magical Hour, perfectly recreating Audrey's voice.
"Wow…" Rick stared around in awe. "Audrey… can we do this at home?"
"Audrey!"
Ron and the twins jumped up immediately.
Percy stood and smiled politely.
Ginny stood quietly, blushing—trying to hide a poster behind her back.
Fred snatched it and handed it over.
"Sign this for Ginny! She's a huge fan!"
Audrey smiled—the same smile as on the poster.
She signed it and handed it back.
To my dearest little sister Ginny, may all your wishes come true — Audrey Astray.
Ginny stared at it, her face turning bright red.
---
Charlie wasn't there—he was working at the Dragon Reserve.
But Bill was.
He stepped forward, smiling.
"Audrey, thank you. You saved my job. You have no idea how much that means."
Audrey smiled back.
"Mr. and Mrs. Weasley have helped me a lot. This is the least I could do."
---
"Honey, we'll talk at the table. Lunch is ready!"
At Molly's command, every redhead instantly took their seat.
---
Audrey looked around at the lively family.
And felt something stir in her chest.
A quiet kind of envy.
She leaned toward Rick and whispered—
"Brother… when are you getting married?"
Rick blinked, confused.
"That way," Audrey added softly, "I can have lots of nieces and nephews."