Struggling to survive at Hogwarts

Chapter 281 A Wedding Amidst the Flames of War

Whether in her past life or this one, Thea has no experience attending weddings.

In her past life, she struggled to maintain a balance between studying and surviving; a wedding seemed too far away for her.

In Xiaoxia's memory, the only thing connected to the wedding was the candy the newlyweds gave them, which, carrying their compassion and blessings, eventually turned into black bread that could feed the children.

Therefore, Thea was stunned for a long time when she learned that the Death Eaters' next event was on the day of Bill Weasley's wedding.

In a time when radio stations broadcasted daily about how to protect oneself, and when Death Eaters were frantically expanding their territory, slaughtering and plundering, the word "wedding," full of peace and hope, struck Thea directly.

It's as if the bizarre and fantastical things that only appeared in a beautiful dream have suddenly appeared right in front of you, and by the time you realize it, a smile has already spread across your entire face.

"What are the master's arrangements?"

"Same as always, cause trouble and intimidate, and—you're the one in charge."

As Little Barty spoke, the emotions in his eyes shifted from calm at first to probing later, which Thea chose to ignore.

"understood."

"By the way, let me tell you, although the owner went out a few days ago, the old house hasn't been renamed yet—tell your friends to behave themselves."

It seems that Gella's increasingly brazen sneaking around has finally made Little Barty lose his temper, Thea thought to herself.

"Besides my father, who else went out?"

As the person in charge of the operation, Thea needs to carefully consider the selection of personnel.

Only Bella went with them.

Barty knew why Thea was asking, so he simply told her, "Snape can't go because he needs to replenish the potions in the infirmary. Also, Alex, Lucius, and the Carol siblings are unavailable; Master has a mission."

"it is good."

Thea didn't ask any more questions, but began to slowly consider who would be chosen for this operation.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Harry is furious!

From the moment the idea of ​​dropping out of school crossed his mind, he keenly sensed that Mrs. Weasley seemed to be deliberately hindering him from spending time alone with Ron and Hermione, and under the pretext of arranging Bill's wedding, which Harry simply couldn't refuse.

She seemed to naively believe that as long as the three of them didn't get together, their inappropriate thoughts would disappear.

Harry knew Mrs. Weasley meant no harm, and out of some remorse, he silently accepted her arrangement.

At least that's how it appears on the surface.

but!

Today, on his 17th birthday, just a moment ago he was overjoyed by his friends' birthday wishes, but the arrival of Scrimgeour from the Ministry of Magic ruined all his good mood!

They actually dared to inspect the things Dumbledore left them without permission!

How dare they desecrate what the old man left behind!

How dare they?!

Harry gritted his teeth in hatred, but in the end he could only sit obediently in the chair, putting on the appearance of a good student, while Hermione and Ron tried to save the day.

This was all they could do, this was all they could pray for—to get what they were supposed to have long ago from Scrimgeour!

Although Scrimgeour is unlikely to keep these things forever, Harry and his friends are too afraid to gamble—what if they do?

What if the worst-case scenario comes true, what if those things get damaged?

They can't afford it, not at all.

When Harry came to his senses, his two friends had already received what Dumbledore had left them—a Deluminator and a copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard.

He also had something in his palm—a golden thief.

"—It will remember your touch."

Until Scrimgeour left, Harry only remembered this one sentence; his sixth sense told him that it would help him.

This sentence quickly helped Harry.

Looking at the line that appeared on the thief's screen, "I will open it at the end."

Harry was stunned for a long time.

Ron, who had squeezed in from the side, let out a wail, "Help! Did Dumbledore think one layer of protection wasn't enough to stop those people, so he set up another riddle to protect the truth?"

Ron had barely finished speaking when Hermione slapped him on the head.

The girl's face was full of disapproval. "Ron! You should at least learn to be careful with your words!"

As she spoke, Hermione's gaze shifted to the Snitch, a hint of confusion appearing on her face, but she still insisted, "Dumbledore wouldn't leave behind useless information to mislead us. Perhaps it's not over yet, which is why we don't understand!"

Hermione's opinion was shared by Harry and Ron.

As night deepened, the three stopped talking.

Hermione said goodbye and the two returned to their room. Tomorrow was Bill's wedding, and they couldn't afford to lose their composure.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The wedding began amidst everyone's anticipation.

For the first time, Harry experienced happiness in a tangible way.

The Weasleys were the most humane family Harry had ever met. They seemed to be bickering all day long, Mrs. Weasley was always getting angry, and the twins were always getting away with jokes. Even the most ordinary chatter made Harry feel incredibly close to them.

Today, the start of the wedding made this happiness even more tangible. The accordion, along with other instruments Harry couldn't name, played one wedding blessing after another, and the laughter of the young people rose higher and higher on the spacious dance floor…

Inside this enormous tent, everyone was enveloped in this tangible happiness, temporarily forgetting the storms outside.

I wish time could stand still at this moment.

Harry really wanted more of this happiness to befall him, so that perhaps in the future when he was exhausted, this happiness could become the motivation to keep going.

Unfortunately... things didn't go as planned.

"The Ministry of Magic has collapsed, Scrimgeour is dead, and they've arrived."

Three pieces of bad news arrived at once, and Harry couldn't tell which one was worse.

It was as if the axe that Pangu used to create the world had been used again today, shattering the laughter just moments before and leaving only terror.

In the chaos, Harry clearly saw the protagonists of the day embracing each other tightly in the terrified crowd. Compared to those around them, the determination and courage in their eyes stood out.

"We should get going."

Harry didn't say anything, but in the instant their eyes met, they all knew clearly that the journey they had both feared and looked forward to had begun.