By bloodline alone, the Gaunts certainly still existed widely, but what Rhys was asking about was their direct lineage.
"They probably do?" Astoria was not very confident. She recalled a few scattered remarks her father had once let slip and pieced them together.
"They do, but they're about to die out. The Gaunt family… my father said there's something wrong with their heads. By the start of this century they had already declined terribly. The last descendant of the Gaunt family should have been imprisoned in Azkaban for allegedly murdering a Muggle."
"I see." Rhys's expression did not change much.
Perhaps this was the price for misusing the name of Slytherin. It was precisely this family, along with other pure-blood supremacists, that had thoroughly ruined his reputation.
"Do the Gaunts live in Hangleton?"
"I'm not sure about that." Astoria shook her head, then asked with mild curiosity, "Are you going to look for someone from the Gaunt family?"
She remembered that Rhys did not seem to like the Gaunts very much, believing they had falsely claimed Slytherin's name. As Slytherin's rightful heir, he could not tolerate such desecration.
"No, just going there to take a look," Rhys replied vaguely.
Astoria blinked, just about to ask more, when Daphne's sudden cheer cut her off.
The girl's crude fishing rod had now bent into a bow shape, clearly indicating she had hooked something big in the lake.
Rhys raised an eyebrow. Daphne's luck was surprisingly good.
Fishing was a mysterious thing. Sometimes you could casually cast from the shore and get a bite immediately; other times you could prepare carefully for half a day and not even catch a single scale.
After struggling with the fish for a while, the fish finally gave in and was dragged to the shore by Daphne.
Rhys glanced at it and judged it to be about a one-foot-long trout.
Once the fish was pulled ashore, Daphne waded straight into the water, grabbed it, and ran back to Rhys to show off her achievement.
"Look, I caught a big fish!" The girl's face was full of excitement.
"Not bad. That's a good-sized trout. This kind of fish tastes quite decent. The texture is somewhat similar to salmon, though it can't be eaten raw," Rhys praised.
Daphne became even happier.
However, since the three of them were already full, they did not eat the fish Daphne had caught and instead chose to release it.
After using a spell to dry the water from her clothes, Daphne sat back down beside Rhys and began chatting with him. Naturally, the topic turned to holiday plans.
Rhys: You two really are…
While sharing his holiday plans with Daphne and Astoria, Rhys opened Daphne's lunchbox. Inside was a spread of his favorite desserts: pudding, cream puffs, ice cream…
Amid eating, drinking, and cheerful conversation, the most relaxed and pleasant day passed just like that.
In the blink of an eye, the end-of-year ceremony arrived.
The teachers and students of Hogwarts gathered in the Great Hall to spend the final day of the school year together with the graduating seventh-years.
Looking at the seventh-year students, Rhys felt a surge of emotion. These students were about to step into the adult world, and he sincerely hoped they would have bright futures.
To put it in more official and formal terms: he hoped they would become people useful to the wizarding world.
Rhys's gaze swept past the Gryffindor table. He noticed that Percy Weasley's complexion looked rather poor, as if he had overexerted himself. Thinking of the potions Percy had bought in Hogsmeade, Rhys was not surprised and only wished to advise him to exercise a bit more restraint.
This year, the Hufflepuff students were unusually excited, because something unprecedented had happened—they had won the House Cup.
Originally, Hufflepuff students had never held much hope for the House Cup. Their attitude had always been notably laid-back.
But after Cedric led the Hufflepuff Quidditch team to consecutive victories over the formidable Gryffindor and Slytherin teams, everyone's mindset suddenly changed.
They actually… might… just possibly… have a shot?
Once that thought appeared, it spread like wildfire through the hearts of the Hufflepuff students, completely beyond control.
In the days that followed, the Hufflepuff students displayed astonishing unity. In the end, they truly managed to win the House Cup!
When Dumbledore officially announced that Hufflepuff had become this year's House Cup champion, the Great Hall erupted into a sea of joy. Even Helga at the staff table applauded enthusiastically, the corners of her mouth lifted high.
Watching the unusually delighted Helga on the stage, Rhys suddenly thought of that so-called "curse."
So, would Helga continue as the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor for another year? Rhys realized he seemed to have forgotten to ask his old friend about it.
'I'll ask her during the holidays,' Rhys thought.
Amid the lively ceremony, the school year came to an end.
In just one night, the students packed their luggage and boarded the returning Hogwarts Express.
Following the flow of people and gradually squeezing out of the platform into King's Cross Station, Rhys saw Mr. Jamison Henry Greengrass standing outside the platform, waiting for his two daughters.
The moment Daphne and Astoria saw their father, they rushed toward him at full speed.
Behind them, Harry's eyes showed a trace of envy. Scenes like this had only ever appeared in his dreams.
Worse than seeing other classmates reunited with their families was the fact that Harry had spotted the Dursley family…
But just then, a handsome middle-aged man suddenly walked up to Harry.
"Harry, is that you?" The middle-aged man looked at Harry with a gentle smile, his eyes full of warmth.
"Yes…" Harry hesitated a little. He glanced around and, seeing Hogwarts students and their parents all over the station, with the Weasley family not far away, finally relaxed.
"You are…?"
"I'm Sirius Black."
The moment the name was spoken, Harry's eyes widened.
Since Christmas, he and Sirius had exchanged no fewer than a hundred letters. He had never expected Sirius to come to King's Cross in person to see him.
At that thought, a startling possibility suddenly struck Harry, and his heart began pounding.
"So you're here to…" Harry only got halfway before he didn't dare continue, afraid his guess might be wrong and he would end up disappointed.
"I believe I told you before that I hoped you could come stay at my place for a while. Of course, if you can't bear to leave your aunt, I wouldn't—"
"Not a problem at all!" Harry cut Sirius off immediately. "How long can I stay? Uh, I mean…"
Hearing Harry's response, Sirius smiled brightly. He told Harry that he could stay as long as he liked. However, Dumbledore had reminded him that Harry still needed to stop by the Dursleys' for a short visit, perhaps just for a meal.
Learning that he wouldn't have to stay long-term with the Dursleys, Harry let out a sigh of relief.
"Then let's go back together, have a meal, and leave—how about it?" he asked in a pleading tone.
"Alright, let's go." Sirius took Harry's suitcase and walked with him toward the Dursleys.
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12 Chaps ahead at Patreon.com/HornyFBI