The months that followed were, for Avada, scarcely any different from a holiday.
Classes proceeded as usual. Homework was completed on schedule. Revision and examinations came and went. Beyond that, aside from spending some time studying magic and analyzing the Diadem, nearly all of his remaining hours were devoted to chatting with friends, relaxing, picnicking, tea parties…
There was no Dark Lord lurking at the back of someone's head, no basilisk in the sewers petrifying people with a stare, no Dementors roaming the skies, and certainly no one locking their true body inside a Horcrux and then asking others for help. If life could get any more comfortable than this, Avada suspected the only upgrade would be graduating without ever working a day in his life, lying at home while collecting twenty Galleons a month from the Ministry of Magic and living carefree ever after.
As for the items Professor Baker had given them, Avada and Baron studied them for a while before setting them aside, with no intention of touching them for the time being. The crystal ball was still cooling down, the notes on the "Repentance" magic were completely incomprehensible, and even the five hundred Galleons had nowhere to be spent within the school—they still couldn't go to Hogsmeade, after all.
That said, Avada did carefully examine the enormous sealed tome. Judging by its structure, he estimated that by next year, he would likely be able to manually break the seals upon it.
Just what kind of content lay within, for Professor Baker to describe it as "the lowest-level, most fundamental secret," remained a mystery.
And then, it was time for the end-of-year examinations of first year.
Originally brimming with confidence—convinced that only Baron posed any real threat to him—Avada had set his sights firmly on the top rank of the year. Yet after making a pear dance a full rendition of Swan Lake, brewing a flawless Forgetfulness Potion, transfiguring a rat into a snuffbox that might very well get him sued by Disney, precisely identifying Devil's Snare hidden among vines, and recalling that the wizard who invented the self-stirring cauldron was named Gaspard Singleton…
He answered one question wrong in Astronomy.
As a result, the perfect-score, first-place position was jointly claimed by Baron and another Ravenclaw girl who was both intelligent and diligent.
Still, aside from Astronomy, Avada scored full marks in the remaining six subjects. He barely secured second place overall, which made him a fairly respected figure in the Hufflepuff Common Room—though he still couldn't compare to Cedric, who had now claimed first place in their year for two consecutive years.
There was also another major event: at the end of term, Hufflepuff's reigning big sister, Tonks, returned to sit her N.E.W.T. examinations and successfully obtained five certificates, officially being recruited by the Ministry of Magic's Auror Office. To celebrate, the Hufflepuffs set aside an entire day to hold a grand celebration by the Black Lake. Food and drinks flowed endlessly, students from other Houses came in droves to join the feast, and—at Professor Sprout's invitation—even quite a few professors attended the banquet.
Notably, Baron finally accepted the invitation to attend this celebration, which greatly pleased Avada.
At the final end-of-year feast, thanks to Professor Snape's extreme… efficiency, Slytherin once again won the House Cup by an overwhelming margin, achieving an impressive six-year winning streak. The Great Hall was draped in silver and green, and cheers from Slytherin students echoed throughout the school—mostly from the younger years. The older students had long since grown accustomed to winning.
This time, however, Hufflepuff did not come in last. Because Tonks had officially become the first Auror in four years, Dumbledore awarded a generous number of points in recognition. And so, the unfortunate bottom position fell to Hufflepuff's old companion in misery, Gryffin—Gryffin-damn-dor.
In any case, the Chosen One would start making his mark next year. Gryffindor wasn't really losing out.
Speaking of which, with Tonks's return and the spread of student gossip, nearly everyone at Hogwarts now knew that the famous Chosen One, Harry Potter, would be enrolling next year. Inevitably, conversations began to revolve around him—where he was living now, which House he would be sorted into, whether his magical ability had already surpassed Dumbledore's, and so on.
Avada had no intention of joining these discussions. At most, he listened to others' wild theories for amusement. What he hadn't expected was that as the topic spread, it was the professors who began giving him strange, knowing looks.
At first, he was confused. Then it clicked.
Harry Potter was the first person in history to survive the Killing Curse, earning him the title "The Boy Who Lived."
The moment Avada realized this, he couldn't help but laugh in exasperation at the professors' dark sense of humor. What—were they expecting him to stage a literal demonstration of "Avada Kedavra" to restore the Killing Curse's reputation?
Or was it because there would be so much drama next year that they wanted to enjoy some "Avada chewing on a big melon"?
Aside from the Harry Potter matter, there was another piece of news that shocked both students and faculty alike. After months of tireless dedication—save for a few months after Christmas—despite his immense strength, vast knowledge, gentle temperament, and lively, engaging teaching style, Professor Benjamin Baker had submitted his resignation.
The public explanation was that Professor Baker had suffered an accident while attempting to break through a bottleneck in magical transfiguration, severely damaging his vitality. This was also why he had been listless during January and February. He needed to resign in order to focus on recovery, ensuring there would be no lasting aftereffects.
Avada and Baron, however, knew the truth: Professor Baker was likely going to deal with the fragments of his soul—or consciousness. The question was how he would ultimately handle it. Create another vessel? Or find a way to restore himself to wholeness?
…
"Oh, right—would you like to come visit my home this summer?"
Aboard the Hogwarts Express racing toward King's Cross Station, Baron clapped his hands together after finishing their discussion about Professor Baker's future, looking at Avada with anticipation.
"Of course, as long as your parents don't mind."
"Don't worry. My family doesn't believe in blood purity nonsense. No one's going to judge you for being Muggle-born. Especially if my father finds out you came second in the year—he'll be more than happy to welcome you."
"Then I'd be honored. Though before that, I'd like to return to the orphanage for a while. The friends there haven't heard from me in a year—I should at least go back and let them know I'm safe."
"That's no problem at all. What's the address of your orphanage? I'll come pick you up."
"It's called Müller Orphanage, located at… but how are you planning to pick me up? That's not part of the magical world—be careful not to violate the Statute of Secrecy."
"My family has a car too. As long as we don't activate the magic inside it, it's no different from an ordinary Muggle vehicle. The driver is a house-elf—he can disguise himself to look exactly like a human…"
"That works. So, when should we set the date?"
"Mid-August, perhaps. Hmm… how about August tenth?"
"No problem. Thank you for the invitation."
With a long blast of the whistle, the train finally came to a gentle halt at King's Cross Station. The platform was already packed with adult witches and wizards picking up their children, each one standing on tiptoe, craning their necks, trying to spot their own among the crowd.
"Next term… everything will truly begin."
"Harry Potter. The trio. The Philosopher's Stone. Quirrell. Voldemort…"
After bidding Baron farewell and leaving the crowded platform, Avada stood on the street, took a slow, steady breath, and flagged down a taxi.
"Take me to Müller Orphanage."
(End of Chapter)