days at Hogwarts

Under the lush cedar, the little wizard, who had grown up but still had a childish face, sat down. His hair was wet with mist and sweat, and stuck to his forehead. He sat in front of his mother and whispered about his experiences over the years.

The scolding from Uncle Vernon, the bullying from Cousin Dudley, the nuisance from Aunt Marge, the vicious dog that guarded under the tree for an entire afternoon...the Dursleys' childhood as dependents.

Harry tried his best to sound nonchalant and narrate those things in a humorous and witty way, but his mother's calm and gentle gaze was like a surging undercurrent, sweeping up those scenes that sank to the bottom of the lake of memory, along with all the mud and sand.

Whether it was Dumbledore, Sirius, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Harry had always behaved strong in front of these people who cared about him. But now, sitting in front of his mother, he was just a wronged child.

Harry's teasing, which was meant to be lighthearted, was always stuttering. He realized that the things he thought he had let go of still made him feel wronged when he thought about them.

Wet, hot liquid covered his cheeks. Harry touched them and found they were full of tears.

Lily's eyes were filled with heartache. She reached out to wipe his tears, but the slender fingers formed by the moonlight could not touch anything. She could only say those childish, coaxing words over and over again, hoping to bring him some comfort, even if it was just a little bit.

His mother's whispered comforts soothed Harry's heart again and again, soft and warm. He sniffed, wiped his face, and began to talk about his new life.

"The Hogwarts admission letter was mailed to Privet Drive, and Uncle Vernon kept preventing me from signing for it, so Hagrid came to my door..."

The honest Hagrid, the Weasley family with red hair, the classmates who like to play tricks on others, the professor who cares about him...

Joining the Quidditch team as an exception, wandering the restricted area of ​​the library in the early morning, encountering a centaur while wandering the forbidden forest at night, setting fire to Snape's robes...

He took the red train to the castle, met many people there, and many things happened, some good and some bad. But generally speaking, there were more good things. Harry's face was full of smiles when he talked about these things.

"..."

Lily stared into his eyes quietly, as if she could never see enough.

The evening breeze blew the clouds slowly, the branches in the woods swayed slightly, the not-so-bright pale moonlight illuminated the shadows of the trees and people, and the mother and son whispered quietly.

Talking about the Quidditch match a few weeks ago and the girlfriend who played Quidditch with him, Harry's mouth was dry and his throat was aching. He paused, racking his brains but couldn't think of anything new and interesting, and he couldn't help feeling a little impatient.

Lily whispered, "We are glad to hear that you are doing well now. We are really glad."

"you?"

"And your father."

Harry's lips moved slightly, his voice was unclear, and he knew in his heart that it was time to say goodbye.

"Don't go... don't leave me..."

"We will be with you until the end."

"..."

"Harry, my brave boy, we will meet again."

Lily said with a smile, she opened her arms in a hugging gesture and leaned down to kiss his forehead.

Harry closed his eyes, as if he could really feel his mother's lips against his forehead. The touch was slightly cool, but it gave him a warmth and comfort he had never experienced before.

A breeze blew, and the condensed moonlight quietly dispersed. Countless silver points of light flew with the wind and gradually faded away. Loren and others in the distance watched this scene quietly. The figure of the boy under the tree looked like a lone cub.

Harry sat silently for a while, then slowly stood up and walked towards the few people. The tears in the corners of his eyes had not yet dried, and his red eyes and nose were not covered at all. He reluctantly returned the Resurrection Stone to Dumbledore.

Dumbledore put the black gem away and began to mutter to himself.

"It's time to go back and have a good sleep. Let's go. Horace will be happy to see you. He always complains that he can't adapt to the current teaching tasks because of his age..."

“I’m not going back to school.”

Several people turned their heads to look. Snape stood there motionless. He shook his head at their gazes and said, "I want to take a break for a while."

"Have you decided where you want to go?"

"Not sure yet." "Will it leave Britain?"

"Probably. I want to go somewhere else and have a look."

"Don't go back to Spinner's End. Voldemort is seriously injured and needs to recuperate. He may send Death Eaters to hunt you down." Dumbledore paused. "If you haven't decided where to go, why not go to Ilvermorny and check the snake tree for me."

"can."

"If you have rested enough, you are welcome to come back at any time. Hogwarts needs a younger Potions Professor." Dumbledore narrowed his eyes and smiled gently, "Have a pleasant journey, Severus."

"Ah."

Harry whispered, "Have a nice trip, Professor Snape."

"Ah."

Loren blinked, glanced at Harry, then glanced at Professor Snape, and happened to meet his cold gaze. He immediately restrained his expression. This professor was a little scary.

He also sincerely sent his best wishes: "Have a pleasant journey, Professor Snape."

Snape glanced at him, snorted coldly, and turned to leave. His slender figure no longer had the loneliness as before, and his footsteps were no longer heavy. He soon disappeared behind the layers of tree shadows, which was a completely different direction from the way he came.

After confirming that the professor had gone far away and could no longer hear their voices, Harry asked in a low voice: "Sir, why doesn't Professor Snape want to go back to Hogwarts?"

"I don't know. Maybe he feels confused."

"confused?"

"For many years, he has been walking on the path arranged by others. Now there is no one to show him the way. He has to find his own direction."

Loren thought silently.

"..." Harry looked thoughtful, and it was obvious that he didn't understand.

Dumbledore placed his hands on Loren and Harry's shoulders, the phoenix flame flickered, and the woods returned to their former silence.

……

Returning to the castle, ignoring the hesitant expressions of the two students, Dumbledore walked up the spiral staircase, pushed open the door of the headmaster's office, and saw Grindelwald sitting at the desk at a glance.

"Gellert, I didn't see you after the Death Eaters left. I thought you came back to sleep."

Grindelwald stared at him and naturally picked up the teapot, pouring out steaming hot cocoa: "You don't have to think about it to know that what follows is a scene of confessing regret and crying. It's boring..."

“I find it touching.”

"Tell me about that battle."

"You should rest now. Let's talk after I wake up."

"Sleep! You still want to sleep?" Grindelwald sneered. "The noise caused by that magic can be seen by most of London. Do you think the Ministry of Magic can't see it? You won't be able to sleep well for the next few days."

"So you should hurry up and get a good night's sleep."

"..."

Outside the window, a hint of paleness was already appearing in the east.

It's almost dawn.