The Beaters rifled through the office, taking almost everything, including paintings and signed photos.
"Goodbye, Professor McGonagall, we'll be leaving now."
"You're the last person I want to see at school, Hard," Professor McGonagall whispered.
"Sorry, Professor, I can't help it either," Hard chuckled. "But I'm about to become an Auror, shouldn't be back after that.
Unless, of course, the school hires a Death Eater to be the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor again."
He was joking, but Professor McGonagall didn't find it funny at all.
Death Eater? Sure, just like last year... and even the master of the Death Eaters showed up.
After a brief exchange, Hard turned and left the office, with two Beaters escorting Lockhart behind him.
"Hey, where are you taking me?"
"Slow down, don't walk so fast..."
"Oh, it's so beautiful here..."
Lockhart's voice echoed in the hallway.
Kael watched his back and inexplicably felt that he might have been outsmarted.
Could it be that Lockhart had received the message earlier and was waiting for the Ministry of Magic to come?
The more Kael thought about it, the more likely it seemed.
No one would use a Forgetfulness Spell face-to-face when the other is prepared; it's usually a sneak attack... Lockhart would know this.
But to avoid trial by erasing his own memory, it's unclear whether to call him clever or just overconfident.
After all, this tactic comes at a high cost, and it's pointless for small matters and ineffective for big ones...
Once Lockhart was taken away, word of his deeds quickly spread throughout the school.
Lockhart wasn't a legendary adventurer at all; he merely stole others' experiences and claimed them as his own, making him a complete fraud.
Some of Lockhart's admirers didn't want to believe it was true, but many others quickly accepted it.
One could say it was unexpected, yet reasonable; his performance in class was the most compelling evidence.
"I told you before, he's a fraud,"
said Ron with a smug look at Hermione during the end-of-year feast. "You didn't believe me, now it's been proven I'm right, hasn't it?"
Hermione turned her head away, ignoring him.
But Ron kept blabbing on; it was the first time he had outperformed Hermione in something, and he was thrilled.
The smug Ron didn't even notice Hermione's face growing darker and darker.
Harry tried to remind him several times, but it didn't work.
"Ron..."
Finally, an angry Hermione turned around, "You'll never see my homework again!"
With that, she huffed and swapped seats with Parvati Patil.
Ron sat there with his mouth agape, looking at Harry, muttering, "Do you think it's too late to apologize now?"
Harry forced a couple of laughs without saying a word; he already knew it would turn out this way.
Soon after, Dumbledore entered the auditorium.
Because of the Chamber of Secret incident, Kael received a Special Services to the School award again and won 200 points for Hufflepuff.
This huge amount of points allowed Hufflepuff to overtake Ravenclaw and win the House Cup.
The cheers from the little badgers nearly shook a hole in the ceiling.
They never dreamed their house could achieve a three-peat.
Professor Sprout was so excited her face turned red, shaking hands with the other professors while smoothing out her new robes.
She specially bought them from Hogsmeade for today, with the finest materials and craftsmanship.
It was a big day, Hufflepuff's three-peat victory... Professor Sprout didn't mind spending a little extra to look a bit more dignified.
...
After the banquet, everyone began to enjoy the freest time of the year.
It seemed like a blink, and the exam results were already out.
Due to some mistakes in the Muggle Studies exam, Kael didn't get a perfect score this time, but he still scored far beyond anyone else's reach, securing first place in his grade.
Fred and George also did quite well, with nearly half O's, which would keep them free from Mrs. Weasley's nagging during the holidays.
The next day, they were to take the Hogwarts Express back home.
When Kael was about to board the train, Professor McGonagall approached and handed him a note.
"This is from Professor Dumbledore," she said.
The note contained only a brief message.
"Your belongings have been sent away, but Professor Snape doesn't seem very pleased."
Kael was a bit surprised, thinking Dumbledore might have been too engrossed in his Time Turner research to remember.
"The headmaster also asked me to tell you the Chamber of Secret incident has been resolved," Professor McGonagall said. "He said you'd know what that means."
"I understand, Professor," Kael nodded.
Dumbledore's message was simple: he didn't want the Basilisk appearing at school again, in any form.
"That's good," Professor McGonagall looked at Kael, feeling a bit mystified, but she didn't ask further questions.
After all, Dumbledore was always mysterious, and this wasn't the first time, she was used to it.
"Don't forget about that essay, make sure to write it well," she reminded him, then returned to the castle.
When Kael boarded the train, Conna and Cedric had already found a compartment.
Ginny was there too, with Fred and George probing her about something.
"What did Percy say to you just now..."
"What's he hiding from us that he wouldn't let you tell anyone..."
"It's nothing..." Ginny hesitated, "you must have misheard."
"Two cans of Fang Mint Candy!" Fred held up two fingers.
"But I promised Percy to keep it a secret..."
"Throw in a packet of Pepper Imps!" George said, "And it's the new kind that spits blue fire, only we can get them."
"It's really nothing," Ginny quickly said, "Percy's got a girlfriend."
Fred dropped the Exploding Snap he was holding on George's head.
"What?"
"It's the Ravenclaw Prefect, named Penelope Clearwater," Ginny said. "Last holiday, Percy kept writing to her, and yesterday I caught them secretly meeting in an empty classroom."
"No wonder... he wouldn't lend us his owl no matter what," Fred grinned.
"You won't spread this around, will you?" Ginny asked worriedly.
"Absolutely not!" George replied, chuckling quietly.
After Ginny left, Fred and George whispered together for over half an hour before joining the others in a game of Exploding Snap and Wizard Chess.
The Hogwarts Express traveled through fields and villages, gradually slowing down until it stopped at King's Cross Station.
...