Upon seeing Lupin, Pettigrew, and Sirius in the room, Bagnold was clearly shocked.
"What is the meaning of this? Who is this? Peter Pettigrew? Wasn't he already dead long ago!"
Her mind worked quickly, easily connecting this to the news that had been circulating in the papers recently.
"Those reports came from you? You're trying to clear Black's name?"
McGonagall did not leave after bringing her in. Clearly, Dumbledore had left the matter of Sirius and Pettigrew for her to handle. In the presence of McGonagall and Bagnold, Lupin stepped forward and began to explain the truth of that event years ago in detail to the Minister for Magic.
At the same time, on another continent separated from Britain by the Atlantic Ocean.
United States, East Coast of Florida, Merritt Island.
NASA's most important spacecraft launch center is located on this island.
Consequently, most areas of Merritt Island are not open to the public. Only a small part serves as a visitor center, while another portion is used as a National Wildlife Refuge.
And early this morning, three individuals, whose ages spanned old, middle-aged, and young, clearly not resembling staff from any department of this launch center, were strolling around the island as if they owned the place.
"Professor, why are we here?" Harry, who had held back his question the whole way, finally couldn't resist asking after they arrived.
Severus was looking around with great interest at the busy Americans. Beside the massive rocket launch gantry, the Space Shuttle Atlantis had completed all preparations and was ready for launch at any moment.
Hearing Harry's question, he answered softly.
"Of course, to bring you along to say goodbye to an old acquaintance."
"An old acquaintance?" Harry looked puzzled.
Dumbledore, not wearing robes but dressed in a suit, something wizards would normally never wear, looking like an elderly Muggle, smiled at Harry.
"No need to be too nervous, Harry. You can treat this as a special activity. Today, we are going to watch this big fellow fly into the sky."
Harry was bewildered. He looked at Dumbledore, then turned to look at Severus, utterly unable to figure out why they had brought him here.
But it was clear that Dumbledore and Severus had agreed not to explain this to Harry just yet.
Soon, Dumbledore waved towards the busy crowd. A middle-aged white man, different from the researchers around him, dressed in a suit and tie like an official, walked over.
He looked at Dumbledore, his eyes glazing over for a moment, then his expression shifted as if he were seeing an old friend, intimately putting an arm around Dumbledore's shoulder.
"Long time no see, Smith! Aren't you preparing for the next presidential election? What brings you here?"
"You're working on an unprecedented federal project, right? I thought I should come and take a good look."
"Ah ha! You always have more ideas than your competitors! This is a fantastic publicity opportunity!" The man in the suit leaned closer to Dumbledore, lowering his voice. "Frankly, I'm more optimistic about you. Even though you lost to George Bush in this election, your public support is also very high!"
At this point, his expression suddenly became hesitant, his eyes showing a thoughtful look, as if he had forgotten something.
"What was your support rating again? How could I forget such an important detail..."
Dumbledore just smiled and patted his shoulder.
"I don't think that's important at all, my friend. What's truly important now is for you to give us a proper tour of what's about to be sent into space, isn't it?"
Guided by Dumbledore's words, the suited man immediately became enthusiastic again.
"You're right! Then come quickly! They are doing the final round of checks. You understand, these big projects require constant repetition to find potential problems."
"Fortunately, after all these years of delays, we're finally launching it today."
Led by this suited man, Severus and the other two quickly entered the launch complex of the launch center.
They changed into professional anti-contamination suits, passed through three security checkpoints, and finally reached the interior of the Atlantis rocket.
"This is it! The most advanced satellite technology of all mankind! The world's first scientific probe designed to explore Jupiter! The Galileo!"
Harry was currently amazed by the dense, awe-inspiring array of scientific equipment.
Severus and Dumbledore also looked on with admiration at this astounding product of human intellect.
"Alright, my friend, you all need to rest for a moment. It won't be long, just five minutes."
Dumbledore took out his wand. He spoke softly, then waved his wand at the suited man and the other researchers nearby.
The next moment, their eyes became vacant.
Seeing Dumbledore's actions, Harry's eyes widened in surprise, and he turned to look at Severus.
Severus just shrugged at him, indicating it was nothing to make a fuss about.
Then, he took out the teacup that had been modified by Nicolas, its lid now perfectly sealed. Severus pulled out his own wand and tapped the teacup.
The alchemical matrix on the cup activated, making it become weightless and transparent.
Finally, with a spell from Dumbledore, the teacup was sent deep into the Galileo probe, thoroughly hidden away.
After completing all this, Dumbledore restored the consciousness of the Muggles around them and modified their memories of this encounter with a Memory Charm. Then, the three of them left the launch center together.
Harry was completely in the dark about everything Severus and Dumbledore had done. But putting that aside, the experience today certainly broadened his horizons.
After leaving Merritt Island, the three didn't leave Florida immediately. Instead, they mingled among a large crowd of astronomy enthusiasts by the coast, bought three hot dogs, and ate while waiting for the spacecraft to launch.
"Will wizards be able to fly into space in the future?"
Severus, who was munching on his hot dog, was taken aback by the question, then couldn't help but laugh heartily.
"We don't need to wait for the future, Harry. Today! Today, the first wizard in history will fly into space, even travel across a good portion of the solar system, all the way to Jupiter!"
Harry looked utterly confused. He glanced at Severus, then turned to Dumbledore, completely unable to comprehend what they were saying.
Dumbledore, however, looked at the distant spacecraft and said softly,
"If you are truly interested in the cosmos, you could research magic in that direction in the future, Harry."
"But if you ever succeed, you'd better not go to space yourself. Find someone to partner with you. Draco or Ron would be fine," Severus added.
At that moment, Harry's mind conjured images of Draco and Ron as astronauts. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, clearly amused by the thought.
Liftoff!
Just as they were chatting over their lunch, the crowd around them suddenly grew excited.
Eastern Time, 12:52 p.m. Less than 10 seconds remained until launch.
Severus, Harry, and Dumbledore all looked towards the spacecraft at the launch pad. Ten seconds later, it erupted with flames on schedule and, accompanied by a roar, began ascending into the sky.
Cheers erupted all around. Severus, squinting his eyes at the rocket now soaring away into the distance, said loudly,
"Say goodbye, Harry!"
Infected by the crowd's mood, his face also flushed with excitement, Harry shouted back,
"To what?"
"Say goodbye!"
"To whom? The rocket?"
"To the future you were supposed to have!"
Harry didn't understand, but he still waved his hand towards the receding spacecraft and called out,
"Goodbye!"
Someone heard his farewell, mistaking it for a special form of well-wishing. Soon, more and more people around him began waving their hands at the spacecraft, which was gradually disappearing into the sky.
"Goodbye!!"
Dumbledore gazed calmly at the sky. Finally, he turned his head to look at Severus.
"If we've said goodbye to the future that was supposed to be, then I think we should have a chance to talk properly later, correct?"
Severus spread his hands.
"You're not going to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs, are you?"
Dumbledore laughed.
"Since we've said goodbye to the original future, perhaps we can talk about your past, and about a brand new future?"
(Main Story - End)