"You're only one sandwich away from obesity. Merlin's beard, Neville, have you been eating the fertilizer for the Chomping Cabbages?"
Malfoy stared in shock at the noticeably larger Neville. After only a few days apart, Neville had not slimmed down. He had somehow gotten bigger.
Even John was baffled by Neville's transformation.
"Really?" Neville suspiciously patted his stomach.
A little embarrassed, he said, "Maybe I've been eating too much."
"What could you possibly be eating in the greenhouses? Fertilizer?" Malfoy was fascinated. At the same time, he was calculating whether challenging Neville to a duel now would improve his chances of winning.
The facts proved that competitors from different weight classes should not fight each other.
Neville pinned Malfoy to the ground, his sandbag-sized fists raining down one punch after another until Malfoy was completely dazed.
Malfoy cried foul.
"How are you even stronger now?" he asked in disbelief.
Neville bent one arm and struck a bodybuilding pose. The stretchy fabric of his clothes tore apart, revealing muscles that looked as though they had been carved from stone.
"I feel great too. It's like I'm getting stronger every day." Neville thought for a moment before adding, "Maybe it's because Hannah's lunches are very nutritious."
"Hannah? Hannah Abbott?" John was taken aback. "You're with her?"
"She's my girlfriend."
Neville's face turned bright red as he said it.
By seventh year, more than half the students already had girlfriends or boyfriends, so it was hardly unusual.
After all, quite a few people got married shortly after graduation.
Back then, Percy's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, had married soon after leaving Hogwarts.
John had always found it a little hard to accept.
Wizards married far too early.
Muggles of the same age were still in school, while wizards were already getting married.
"Come to think of it, Aberforth already had a son at this age."
John was thoroughly shocked.
In any case, the idea of getting married at his age still made him feel strangely guilty.
After all, most of these people would not even qualify for a marriage certificate.
At the moment, they were gathered in the Constellation Society.
Little golden figures were hard at work cleaning. One adorable little fellow was sticking its backside up while wiping a table.
Daphne and Astoria were there as well.
All five members of the Constellation Society who were still at Hogwarts were present.
This was their gathering, and it just so happened to include Malfoy challenging Neville.
"By the way, John," Malfoy said while Astoria treated his injuries. He winced in pain before continuing, "My father asked me to tell you that the Sacred Twenty-Eight are considering a reordering."
"The pure-blood families that have died out will be removed, and new pure-blood families will be added."
A reordering of the Sacred Twenty-Eight meant a reshuffling of pure-blood influence.
The Sacred Twenty-Eight were the oldest and most powerful twenty-eight pure-blood families in Europe. Among the five families John had wiped out last time, several had been part of that list.
The vacant positions needed to be filled, and both the Edgars and the Delacours had a chance.
However, the Delacours did not have particularly good odds because, strictly speaking, they were not considered entirely pure-blood.
Fleur's grandmother was a Veela, a magical creature.
The Delacour bloodline therefore contained Veela blood, making it difficult to define them as either half-bloods or pure-bloods.
After all, Veela were not Muggles, but neither were they wizards.
"The Sacred Twenty-Eight are being reorganized, and the International Confederation of Wizards is also about to elect a new Supreme Mugwump."
The timing of the two events was remarkably coincidental.
"For years, the influence of pure-bloods has been deliberately reduced. Is this reordering intended to reshape the balance of power, or is it meant as a counterattack?" John pondered.
A reordering was not necessarily a bad thing.
To most half-bloods and Muggle-borns, pure-bloods were practically synonymous with everything they disliked.
But in reality, there were plenty of advantages to being part of the Sacred Twenty-Eight.
Even during Voldemort's era, he had needed the support of the Sacred Twenty-Eight to sustain the Death Eaters.
The Malfoys, Greengrasses, Diggorys, Weasleys, and Longbottoms.
These ancient pure-blood families held considerable influence within magical society.
Especially the Malfoys and the Greengrasses.
Both families possessed enormous wealth and extensive connections.
Among the Sacred Twenty-Eight, only the Weasleys could truly compete with them.
The Weasley bloodline seemed to possess a natural advantage.
They were like the magical world's champion breeders. Under normal circumstances, nearly every Weasley had three or more children.
One could easily imagine how powerful the Weasley family had become in the sparsely populated Wizarding World.
Mr. Weasley had entered the ranks of senior Ministry officials, and Percy needed no further explanation.
If things continued this way, even if he never became Minister for Magic, there would certainly be a place for him in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
Their family was steadily growing stronger, while also maintaining ties with powerful wizards such as Dumbledore.
In contrast, the Malfoy and Greengrass families were much smaller.
The Malfoys had only a single son, Draco, leaving their family line rather thin.
The Greengrasses had two daughters, but no male heir to inherit the family name.
Lucius Malfoy had asked Draco to relay this matter to John because he wanted the Second King's support.
Naturally, John had no reason to refuse.
Using his influence to support the Malfoys came with no disadvantages whatsoever.
For Lucius, claiming the title of the foremost pure-blood family was an incredibly tempting prospect.
"Tell your father that I'll support him."
John agreed without hesitation.
"But there's one condition." John smiled lightly. "I need him to support the Delacour family's admission into the Sacred Twenty-Eight."
"Fleur's family? No problem!" Malfoy declared confidently, thumping his chest.
The Edgars needed no assistance.
In terms of age, the Edgar family could trace its lineage back a thousand years.
In terms of influence, Lucivid Edgar was currently Headmaster of Durmstrang. Furthermore, if the German Minister for Magic remained missing, John intended to have him stand for election.
In terms of wealth, the Edgar family castle contained immense riches.
If the Edgars could not enter the Sacred Twenty-Eight, it would only prove that the list itself lacked credibility.
The reason they had failed to join in the past was that the Edgar name had long been associated with Dark Magic.
But now, setting aside Lucivid's position as Headmaster of Durmstrang, Heinrich's status as the deputy of the Second King who defeated Voldemort was more than enough to erase that stain.
...
After the Constellation Society gathering ended, John headed to Hagrid's hut the following day.
Standing outside the door, John heard Hagrid's cheerful voice from within.
He lowered the hand he had raised to knock and was about to turn around.
Then the door opened.
The three friends who stepped out froze in surprise.
"Hi, John."
Hermione was the first to break the awkward silence.
Harry and Ron exchanged glances, both unsure how to face John.
Especially Harry.
He had witnessed John's battle with Voldemort firsthand, and he had also seen Neville deliver the final blow.
The title of the Boy Who Lived had slipped away from him.
That feeling of gaining and losing at the same time left him confused.
"Hello, Hermione," John said as he looked at his former good friend. "Visiting Hagrid?"
It was a pointless question, considering they had just come out of Hagrid's hut.
Hermione's expression was complicated.
"Yes. What about you?"
"The same. I'm here to ask him for a favour," John replied.
After that exchange, silence fell once more.
"Oh, right. I haven't congratulated you yet," John suddenly said. "Head Girl."
Hermione forced a smile.
"Thank you."
Hogwarts had both a Head Boy and a Head Girl.
John was the Head Boy, and Hermione was the Head Girl.
She had defeated Daphne to win the position.
That had left Daphne in a bad mood for several days.
Well, specifically during the same days that Malfoy had been getting beaten up.
John nodded to her and stepped aside to let the three of them pass.
After walking some distance away, Hermione could not help turning back.
"John."
John stopped.
Hermione's face was filled with sadness and guilt.
"I'm sorry."
"You haven't wronged anyone, Hermione."
John shook his head and walked into Hagrid's hut.
Harry tugged gently on Hermione's hand.
"Come on, let's go."
Ron silently stared at Hagrid's hut.
Hermione left in low spirits.
They all understood.
There was no going back.
The pace Hermione had tried so hard to catch up to was one she had ultimately never reached.
When she saw John, it felt as though a stone were lodged in her throat.
The Second King of the Wizarding World was simply too far away.
She had gone from standing at his side, to chasing after him, and finally to watching him disappear into the distance.
Harry's feelings were complicated.
In a way, it all had something to do with him.
If he had never met Hermione, she would probably be the brightest person standing beside the King today.
But there was no such thing as "if."
Once they graduated, all their regrets would remain at Hogwarts.
They would drift farther and farther apart until, in the end, they could no longer see each other's silhouettes.
And Hermione would eventually move on from that painful chapter of her life.
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