Harry Potter and the Obscurus

Chapter 20 A Great Responsibility Delivered by Heaven to an Extraordinary Person

Dumbledore was ultimately "rescued" by Madam Pomfrey. Just as he had guessed, Harry's questions did indeed come one after another. Besides the answers Mo Ran already knew from the movies, he also explained why Harry suddenly fainted—"You're still too young. Your body can't handle such a high level of magical exertion for long periods. So I suggest you eat more sweets, like candy, cakes, puddings, etc. Oh, by the way, I recently discovered a candy called 'Cockroach Heap.' Its outer shell is made of chocolate powder and hard candy, and inside it's filled with fruit jam, honey, and cream. It tastes really good..."

After a good night's sleep, Harry finally received Madam Pomfrey's discharge permission. However, before he could even have a chance to meet Ron and Hermione, two important figures arrived at his door, introduced by Professor Dumbledore.

"Oh! Oh! Oh! This kid is quite an interesting... kid. He's the young man we met last time, oh, help me remember, what was his name again?"

“Credens, sir.”

"Yes, Credence, yes... he's not quite the same as Credence, don't you think?"

“It is indeed quite different; I can’t even tell that he is an Acknowledger.”

Clang.

The door to the headmaster's office opened behind Harry, followed by Dumbledore's voice.

“Sorry, I was held up by something. Harry, these two are my old friends. One of them, like you, was a student at Hogwarts before I became the headmaster.”

"Nicole, Newt, I'm entrusting little Harry to you from now on."

Harry had never seen the two old men standing in front of him before, but even without Dumbledore calling out their names, Harry could intuitively recognize the legendary alchemist Nicolas Flamel and the author of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them as Newt Scamander.

"Oh, by the way, Harry, Mr. Nicolas Flamel will be staying in Hogsmeade Village soon, and first-year students aren't allowed to visit, so be careful not to get seen when you're walking around. As for Mr. Newt Scamander, he's been invited by Professor Sylvanas Kettleburn to co-teach the Conservation of Magical Creatures class at Hogwarts. Theoretically, you could go directly to his office when he's free, but I still suggest you keep it a secret."

……

After leaving the headmaster's office, Harry was finally able to return to the Gryffindor common room; but when he passed through the entrance guarded by the Fat Lady, he found that the round room was even more lively than during the troll incident, with almost all the students waiting for the protagonist of the story—Harry's triumphant return.

Fred and George, who had been hiding by the door, hoisted Harry onto their shoulders the instant he entered. They waved their arms and shouted:

Our hero is back!

"Potter, the savior!"

"Tell everyone who stopped Quirrell's plot?"

"Quickly, shout out a couple of times with your silvery voice!"

"Three shouts!"

"Four voices!"

"We knew you could handle that one with the headscarf!"

"Maybe he can only break one of your arms at most."

"One leg!"

"But I want to kill you?"

"No way!"

Harry remained in the air for a good ten minutes before being brought down by his still-enthusiastic Gryffindor classmates. Just as he hadn't wanted to see, the whole school was now talking about it.

"Tell us quickly, what's the situation in the last room?"

"Yeah, Harry, how did you get through that fire door?"

Ron and Hermione's eyes were a little red, but like everyone else, they were incredibly curious about what happened next.

"Alright alright……"

Harry reluctantly raised his hands, as if in surrender, and said:

“You know I was always kept after class by Professor Snape last semester, and I once saw some notes about magical fire in his office…”

To keep some essential secrets, Harry embellished parts of his experiences when telling the story. Even so, this semi-fictional adventure was far more thrilling than unfounded rumors. The mention of Quirrell's hood, the Mirror of Erised, the Philosopher's Stone, and Voldemort... even older students gasped in shock. Harry couldn't remember how many times he'd heard girls scream, but he was certain Hermione had yelled at least three times in his ear.

"Merlin's beard! A first-year student actually defeated a professor and a mysterious figure?"

"You're wrong. This isn't the first time Harry has defeated Mystic!"

"It was Professor Dumbledore who arrived just in time to save me. If he had come any later, I would have fainted in front of Voldemort."

"Oh my god, Harry, you'd better not say that name..."

Harry nodded to the older student he didn't recognize, then asked Ron Hermione:

"Did you two encounter any trouble later?"

Hermione wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with her sleeve and said with a smile:

“No, Ron recovered very well under the spell and the White Dictamnus. He was already awake when I got the broom back. It was the two of us riding the flying broom that took a little extra time. By the time we went through the trapdoor back to the fourth-floor corridor, Dumbledore was already on his way.”

"Huh?"

"You don't know yet, Harry, but the person who wrote to Dumbledore was Neville. When we passed Cerberus, he used a 'sound paper' made from 'Biting Vine' to record our and Fluffy's voices outside the door."

Neville, who had been singled out by Hermione, was a little unsure of her attitude and quickly explained:

“Ah! I didn’t mean to snitch, Harry. I was just thinking that we’d need some evidence to bring Headmaster Dumbledore back, so I secretly followed you guys…”

"You've been a huge help, Neville!"

Harry gave Neville a bear hug.

"If it weren't for you, I might really be in mortal danger! Thank you!"

Neville's face went from deathly pale to one of relief. He tried to say something to Harry, but was quickly swallowed up by the crowd that rushed forward to hug him...

The cheers in the Gryffindor common room grew louder and louder, making Quidditch matches and the House Cup seem less important. Everyone, including Wood and the nearly headless Nick, ghosts, and even characters from paintings, joined in the celebration. Many other figures hanging in the hallway paintings even came in to join the fun.

At the dinner party during the second week of the new term, Dumbledore, to commend Ron's chess skills, Hermione's intelligence, Harry's courage, and Neville's loyalty, awarded Gryffindor ten points each. While such a reward might not fully reflect their outstanding contributions, it was enough to allow Gryffindor to far surpass Slytherin in the House Cup standings. After that, once the three had comforted Hagrid and dealt with Noboru, life returned to normal.

Harry was busier than ever; he now had to train Quidditch early Wednesday mornings because Snape, Nicolas Flamel, and Newt Scamander would give him extra lessons on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Fortunately, Wood was a Quidditch fanatic who was happy to accompany Harry to training sessions at any time.

Newt Scamander has a deep love for magical creatures. In addition to teaching Harry (Morran) how to better control the Obscurus, he also severely criticized their previous atrocities against the Octavian.

"You don't understand their habits. Giant eye spiders don't harm other species. Think about it, since they've become part of the food chain in the Forbidden Forest, your actions are just disrupting that balance again. Don't do this again, not anywhere, not to any creature."

“I’m not saying this to scare you, Harry. Although the Obscurus within you hasn’t shown any harmful properties yet, we don’t know what’s causing it. If you really value your life, don’t do anything so cruel.”

Harry readily agreed to Newt's request, but both he and Moran knew that it would be best not to reveal too much to Professor Scamander in the future.

As for Mr. Nicolas Flamel, he was more easygoing than the “young” Professor Newt Scamander… and of course, more neurotic.

“Harry, you don’t need to study so hard. Alchemy is a very complex and profound subject. I’ve spent hundreds of years and I wouldn’t dare say that I have mastered all the knowledge. After I die, you can just study by referring to the ‘Jewish Abrahamic Arts’ and my manuscript ‘The Book of Hieroglyphs’… Oh right, you also need to learn some French, Latin, Greek, and ancient runes to understand them.”

"Death? Huh? But sir, don't you have a magic stone that grants you immortality?"

"I've destroyed the Philosopher's Stone. To tell you the truth, Harry, I never intended to stockpile so much elixir of immortality. If Albus hadn't asked me to teach you, I would have been with my wife next month... Oh Harry! Watch out! You're about to boil that mercury, it's poisonous!"

"..."

"Ah, where was I... Hmm, let me think... Anyway, alchemy isn't just about turning stones into gold, and don't think of the Philosopher's Stone and the elixir of immortality as the ultimate goal of this field. When you have time, you can visit Egypt, Greece, India, China, and the Mesopotamian plain; it will definitely benefit you greatly."

……

And so, Harry and Morpheus completed their second semester of their first year at Hogwarts like machines. By the time they finished all their exams, five months had already passed.

Gryffindor defeated Ravenclaw in the final to win the Quidditch Cup, Neville barely passed his Potions practical exam, Seamus Finnigan caused an explosion during his Transfiguration exam (Professor McGonagall gave him a second chance), and Nicolas Flamel and Newt Scamander left Hogwarts around the same time.

On the day of the school's year-end party, Hagrid came to the castle and found Harry.

“Harry, now that you’ve finished your studies for this semester, I think it’s time to give you this gift.”

Seeing Hagrid about to pull something out of his pocket, Harry, who hadn't relaxed in a long time, tried to joke:

"Is it going to be rock pancakes and weasel sandwiches again?"

Hagrid chuckled, now knowing that he hadn't developed any rift with Harry because of Fluffy and the dragon.

"Haha, no, it's something Headmaster Dumbledore asked me to organize for you, but I was afraid it would affect your studies, so I waited until now to give it to you. I contacted your parents' old classmates and the professors who taught them back then, and asked them for photos... I know you've never met your parents, I hope you like it."

As he spoke, he carefully opened a beautiful photo album.

The photos in the album were all old, some even black and white, but without exception, James Potter and Lily Potter were in every single one. Looking at his parents waving and smiling at him, Harry choked up for a long time, then gave Hagrid a big hug.

That evening, the Great Hall, already packed with students from all four houses, erupted in thunderous applause when Harry, Ron, and Hermione arrived. Slytherin's dream of winning the House Cup for the seventh consecutive year had been shattered; now, hanging from the ceiling and on the walls of the main seating area were bright red ribbons and a majestic golden lion.

"Well done, Harry!"

Many voices shouted.

"My brother also deserves credit for this! His name is Ron! You know, he's my youngest brother. He passed Professor McGonagall's giant chessboard challenge!"

"Of course we know, because he's our brother too!"

"You forgot to mention you're Percy, the prefect!"

"Shut up, Fred!"

"He's not Fred, I am!"

"Hermione Granger earned at least 100 points for Gryffindor this year. I really wish she were a Ravenclaw student!"

Aside from the Slytherin students, the young wizards from the other three houses were practically tearing the ceiling off the Great Hall. Dumbledore even had to use the "Loud Voice" spell to barely calm the already hyped crowd down.

"Alright, alright, students, I know you're all having a great time, but before you enjoy tonight, you still have to listen to this old man's old clichés."

"It has been an absolutely wonderful year. Whether you have learned knowledge at Hogwarts, participated in Quidditch matches, or experienced adventures, I hope your little minds have become even richer than before."

"Summer vacation is just around the corner, and you can finally take some time to digest your knowledge and visit other wonderful places. No matter how talented you are, you need to clear your mind from time to time so that you can better absorb new knowledge."

"Next, we will proceed with the Academy Cup awards ceremony..."

The thunderous cheers and stomping once again drowned out Dumbledore's voice. In order for the students to hear him, the headmaster had to raise his voice, which made things difficult for Professor McGonagall sitting next to him.

"Now, let's announce the scores for each house: fourth place, Hufflepuff, 392 points; third place, Ravenclaw, 460 points; second place, Slytherin, 472 points; and first place, Gryffindor, 506 points."

"It's a pity Slytherin didn't win their seventh consecutive House Cup, but we have to admit that Gryffindor performed really well this year. Congratulations on winning this year's House Cup!"

After confirming that she had heard Dumbledore's last words, Hermione joined her classmates in celebrating. She was under so much pressure that she didn't even see how Professor Snape shook hands with Professor McGonagall with that fly-swallowing smile.

Harry and Ron, who were already standing on the bench cheering and celebrating, noticed Malfoy on the Slytherin bench. Seeing him with his head down, a sullen face, and no appetite, the two laughed even harder.

The joy of the year-end party didn't end until the day the final grades were announced. Hermione rightfully took first place in the entire year. While her scores in Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, and Defence Against the Dark Arts were slightly lower than Harry's, she significantly outperformed him in History of the Wizarding. Even more encouragingly, Ron, sandwiched between the two academic superstars, didn't disappoint his friends either. Aside from losing more points in Potions, his grades even surpassed many of his Ravenclaw classmates.

Almost everyone boarded the Hogwarts Express with laughter and joy. Harry bought a huge pile of Chocolate Frogs to eat, and Ron finally took this opportunity to complete his great feat of collecting all the cards. The scenery outside the window gradually changed from primitive and ancient to modern. Unlike on the way to Hogwarts, Harry and his friends had to put away their wizarding robes before the train entered King's Cross Station.

Hermione's eyes grew increasingly red. For the third time, she took a piece of parchment from her bag, wrote down her home address and phone number, and handed it to Harry.

“Okay Hermione, I’ll definitely write and call you, because I’ve memorized them all.”

After being amused by Harry's teasing, Hermione's expression softened, but she still gave him a very serious instruction:

“Write me a letter every week, Harry. It doesn’t have to be long, just a few words. Of course, it would be even better if you could call or come to my house.”

"Hey? Why don't you all come to my house to play? My parents will be so happy to see you!"

"Okay, I'll go if I have time!"

……

Upon returning to the Muggle world, Harry spotted Uncle Vernon's chubby face almost instantly in the crowd. He hadn't expected the entire Dursley family to come and pick him up.

"Let's go."

Uncle Vernon had no intention of helping Harry with his luggage, but he no longer dared to speak to his nephew with the same fierce and angry tone he had shown before. Harry turned and waved to Ron, Hermione, and his classmates, and amidst shouts of "Goodbye Harry!" and "Goodbye Potter!", he headed towards Little Wheelingham.