In the evening of the next day, when the setting sun was still hanging on the mountains and emitting the last ray of light of the day, the auditorium of Hogwarts Castle was already filled with people.
To be honest, although Voldemort's attack made people uneasy, Dumbledore used his strength to calm the fears and worries in the hearts of teachers and students in the three schools.
Coupled with the successful conclusion of the Triwizard Tournament, everything seemed to have returned to its previous stability—at least on the surface, that was the case.
After discussions between Dumbledore and the Ministry of Magic, the disappearance of Mad-Eye Moody, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor this school year, has not been made public. Now that Voldemort has returned, such measures to maintain stability are still necessary. .
A few days ago, Minister of Magic Fudge came to the school once. In addition to delivering the prize money from the Triwizard Tournament, the most important thing was to discuss Voldemort's comeback.
To be honest, Maka was absolutely right when she said he was timid.
In order to secure his position, he still insisted on concealing the news of Voldemort's return from the public. Maka had threatened him with Voldemort last time, but this time, Voldemort really appeared - this was really scary for him.
But what he was afraid of was not losing his life, but losing his position as Minister of Magic.
However, maybe it was because Maka had given him a vaccination earlier, or maybe it was because Dumbledore directly scared away Voldemort, at least this time he was relatively calm.
But this time the problem was with Dumbledore.
For some reason, Dumbledore did not formulate any countermeasures against Voldemort's return, and did not even express opposition to Fudge's ostrich policy.
Maintaining stability is important, but if Voldemort's incident is not completely resolved, the stable social appearance will be fragile after all, and it is very likely that it will be smashed to pieces in Voldemort's next attack.
But no matter what, at least at this moment, the atmosphere in the Hogwarts Great Hall was jubilant and pleasant.
When Maka also walked into the auditorium, he noticed at a glance that the usual decorations were gone.
Usually at the leaving party the hall is decorated in the colors of the winning house. Tonight, however, the flags of Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang hung on the wall behind the staff desk.
Obviously, this is to celebrate the successful conclusion of the Triwizard Tournament, and also to express that the friendship between the three schools will never fade.
At the faculty bench, most of the professors were smiling. Although this school year has indeed been full of twists and turns, overall, it is a joy to be able to get through it safely.
But there was one person missing on the long table at the faculty bench—Alastor Moody.
Although the news of Professor Moody's early resignation was announced to the students, it was still a bit heavy in the hearts of those who knew about it.
As the representative of Durmstrang, Professor Orson didn't seem to be in a good mood. He drank alone and shook his head slightly from time to time. He seemed to be quite distressed about the outcome of the Triwizard Tournament.
Madame Maxime was still there, sitting next to Hagrid.
That day, the two of them hurriedly left the auditorium and ran to the arena to rescue Furong. No one knows whether something happened during this period, but the relationship between them seems to be much closer - Hagrid always stands at the door of the hut and giggles, and more than one student has seen it.
At this moment, they were talking quietly about something, and they seemed to be having a good time.
Over at the table, sitting next to Professor McGonagall, was Snape. The expression on his face was difficult to read, and he still looked as gloomy as before. He only occasionally glanced in Dumbledore's direction, seemingly caring about something.
Of course, Maka didn't mean to be late, but he had a lot to sort out, so he had to postpone the dinner party a little.
When he appeared at the door of the auditorium, many people glanced in his direction.
"Well… "
Maka noticed that the way Professor Orson looked at him... seemed to be a bit resentful!
"Maka! Sit here!"
He really didn't expect that someone would invite him to the table in public. When he looked in the direction of the sound, he saw that Hermione had already stood up, not caring about the strange looks from others, and raised her chin and waved to him.
Maccaton stood in front of the door, subconsciously glanced towards the Ravenclaw long table, and then hesitated - he didn't know whether he should go there or not.
But Hermione waved to him again with a firm face, signaling him to hurry up.
Maka could only shrug and walked towards the Gryffindor table.
"I said, why do you have to keep this empty seat..." Ron couldn't help but muttered.
The seat reserved by Hermione was right next to her, and the meaning contained in it was simply self-evident. When Maka sat down next to her, almost everyone's eyes were fixed on him and Hermione.
Fortunately, although Hermione acted tough, just by looking at her pink face, you could tell that she was not as nonchalant as she appeared.
"Well... good evening, everyone."
Maka glanced around. Wherever his eyes moved, students would look away. After he almost twisted his head, the surrounding atmosphere returned to the state it was before he came.
At least he could have a good meal. As for the rest, he actually didn't care.
"Oh, right!" He just picked up the knife and fork, but then looked up at Harry, "Harry, congratulations on winning the Triwizard Tournament. You did a great job!"
"Ah - thank you!" Harry nodded, but somehow, he found that he couldn't be happy at all.
It was as if... Maka didn't win the championship, and even he couldn't let go.
The banquet is still going on, and everyone is holding knives and forks to fight with the delicious food. From time to time, they will chat softly and enjoy the last time of dining together with students from the other two schools.
When the little wizards had almost finished eating, Professor Dumbledore suddenly stood up from the staff table and looked at all the little wizards.
At this moment, the originally bustling auditorium suddenly became quiet, and pairs of bright eyes looked towards Dumbledore.
"Another year," said Dumbledore, looking at everyone, "an end."
He stopped talking and looked at the Gryffindor table.
Even before Dumbledore stood up, the mood on this table had been high, because it was from this table that the winner of the Triwizard Tournament was born.
"I have much to say to you all tonight," said Dumbledore, "but first I must be pleased to announce that the champions of this Triwizard Tournament are Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and Gryffindor House student," he pointed to the Gryffindor table, "Harry Potter."
Everyone applauded one after another, and the auditorium was suddenly filled with excitement, especially many Gryffindor little lions, whose faces were flushed with excitement at this moment.
However, while some people are happy, there are always others who feel sad, such as Professor Orson, who was sitting on the faculty bench with an unhappy face.
Harry felt very embarrassed, but he stood up and bowed slightly to everyone to express his gratitude.
"Harry fully embodies the unique qualities of Gryffindor House," Dumbledore continued. "He has proven himself with his bravery and courage, and also proved the glory of the Triwizard Championship! I can say this: He deserves another round of applause and our heartfelt congratulations!"
The applause in the auditorium echoed again, and Maka smiled and clapped her hands beside her.
"Then, of course..." After the applause calmed down, Dumbledore continued, "As a reward for the champion of this Triwizard Tournament, a thousand gold Galleons, and as a magic prop for this Triwizard Cup - Ravenclaw The golden crown is right here!"
Having said this, Dumbledore took out his wand and waved it gently, and a large bag of gold galleons and a shining golden crown floated up from behind him. In the envious eyes of the young wizards, they floated straight towards Harry. .
"Of course, the real Ravenclaw golden diadem has been lost long ago. This is an imitation made by me myself." Dumbledore suddenly said very spoiling the atmosphere, "It has a similar function to the real golden diadem - when worn, When used, the wearer can have a clear mind and a peaceful mind, which is more conducive to learning and research."
"...In fact, it has the same effect as taking intelligence-enhancing drugs and Bafa brain-refreshing drugs, except that the golden crown is an alchemical work, and the effect is permanent."
Seeing that Hermione was curious, Maka explained softly.
"The champion is naturally worthy of admiration," Dumbledore continued, "but we still have to express enough admiration for the other three warriors - they have also worked hard, been strong, fought, and regretted in this competition. , their performance is equally outstanding, and their strength deserves our respect! Let us also applaud them and thank them for their wonderful performance that opened our eyes!"
The applause this time was particularly warm, because almost everyone in the auditorium clapped their hands, and the atmosphere reached the peak of the dinner.
"Finally, on behalf of Hogwarts, I would like to thank Beauxbatons and Durmstrang again for coming. I sincerely hope that you will have a happy and rewarding time at Hogwarts. Great time!”
…
Harry and Harry's boxes had been packed, and the owl had returned to its cage on top of the boxes. Together with the other fourth years, they waited in the crowded foyer for the carriage to take them to Hogsmeade Station.
Fleur and her sister Gabrielle hurried up the stone steps and into the castle. Behind her, across the field, Hagrid could be seen helping Madame Maxime harness two horses.
Beauxbatons' carriage is about to set off.
"We live in Giverny, in the western suburbs of Paris. You can find it along the Seine River—Gabriel and I will be waiting for you there!"
Maka and Luna smiled and nodded, but right behind them, Hermione, standing next to Harry, looked unhappy.