Chapter 419 Farewell, the illusion of a year in vain
The semester officially ended, and the Hogwarts students packed their belongings, sending them to the Great Hall to await the special carriages that would take them to Hogsmeade Station.
Many older students were outside the Great Hall, bidding farewell to the students from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons; after all, they had lived together for more than half a year, and friendships had formed.
Aaron sat on his trunk, bored, holding Abbe, his mind wandering to which world he would travel to during this holiday, and when he would depart.
During his trip two years ago, he and a group of dwarves bravely fought a dragon and participated in a massive war.
The excitement was through the roof, and the gains were unforgettable.
But it was just too difficult. He lived rough, was chased by enemies all the way, spent time in jail, and was even angered to the point of exploding by the stubborn Dwarf King several times. It was simply too much for a teenager to bear.
"Hopefully, this time won't be so hard!" Aaron thought to himself, fervently hoping that what Professor Trelawney said in the first Divination Class was true.
A short trip, not consuming too much time.
Just then, Fleur walked over with her sister, Gabrielle. "Are you here alone?"
"And them." Aaron pointed to the corner a few meters away, where Harry, Ron, and Hermione were sitting together.
"Will we have a chance to meet again?" Fleur said, a little shyly. "I hope to find a job here to improve my English."
"Your English is quite good.
But jobs are hard to find. If you need help, you can find me in Diagon Alley."
"Diagon Alley?" Fleur's eyes lit up. "Is your home in Diagon Alley?"
"What are you thinking?" Aaron rolled his eyes at her. "My workplace is in Diagon Alley, a small but famous drink shop that I opened myself when I was eight."
"Eight?" Gabrielle said, somewhat incredulously. "So you were earning money when you were eight?"
"It's nothing, nothing to mention." Aaron humbly waved his hand. "Although I don't earn as much in a month as my pocket money, I'm still a respectable sole proprietor.
From that day on, I was barely financially independent, with a net income of two to three thousand Galleons a year.
I'm quite familiar with the shop owners in Diagon Alley, so it's not hard to recommend a job with food and lodging for you.
However, I might be traveling out of town this holiday. If I'm not around, you can go to Ollivander's Wand Shop and work as a temporary sales assistant for my great-uncle."
"Got it." Fleur smiled happily, then quickly kissed Aaron on the cheek.
Aaron:...Damn! I was taken advantage of again.
"Hmph!" Hermione unconsciously let out a cold snort.
"Is this your girlfriend?" Fleur raised an eyebrow.
"No." Hermione said, blushing. "Not yet."
Fleur blinked, as if understanding something, and showed a meaningful smile.
"Goodbye, Harry.
It was a pleasure seeing you all this time." Fleur waved to Harry, then pulled Gabrielle across the lawn towards the Beauxbatons carriage.
Her silver hair was dazzling in the sunlight, making Ronsomewhat distracted.
"Ron, stop looking, she's already gone." Harry teased.
Ron came to his senses, a flush appearing on his face, and immediately changed the subject. "Beauxbatons can take carriages, but what about the Durmstrang students? Can they sail without Karkaroff?"
"Haha!" Aaron laughed unkindly. "Are you saying Karkaroff will personally sail the ship?
Don't be funny. If he could truly do that for his students, he wouldn't have run away so decisively."
"You're right." Viktor walked over, his face grim. "He was always in the cabin; we did all the work."
"See, just as I expected." Aaron spread his hands, then looked at Viktor. "Are you also here to say goodbye to me?"
Viktor nodded. "I should still be the Bulgarian Seeker after I graduate. If you ever want to watch a Quidditch match, you can let me know.
Tickets and such, I can still get them."
"Probably won't need them." Aaron secretly thought to himself. He wasn't very interested in Quidditch, and getting a ticket would be easier for him than anyone else.
However, he didn't show any disdain on his face; instead, he nodded excitedly, "I understand."
Viktor breathed a sigh of relief, then turned to Hermione. "Can I speak with you for a few moments?"
"Uh…" Hermione was startled, subtly shifting half a step closer to Aaron. "Just say it here!"
Viktor's pupils widened slightly, and he inexplicably felt his heart skip a beat.
Was that half-step you took serious?
"Alright!" Viktor pulled out a note. "This is for you. Remember to write to me during the summer holiday."
After he finished speaking, he didn't wait for Hermione to react, but quickly turned and left.
"Viktor." Ron was dumbfounded. "He, he doesn't have a crush on you, does he? His taste is too…"
Mid-sentence, he met Hermione's sharp gaze and immediately chose to back down. "His taste is too good, you're the flower of our Gryffindor!
Right, Harry?"
"Yes, that's right."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "You two absolutely must not misunderstand, he and I are just ordinary friends, understand?"
The two looked at each other and nodded in unison.
"What about you, do you understand?" Hermione asked Aaron.
"Uh… I understand."
Only then did Hermione nod in satisfaction. "Good that you understand. Viktor and I are not even as close as those two!"
Harry and Ron exchanged bitter smiles.
Emphasizing it once was enough, there was no need to compare them!
"Aaron, Harry."
Cedric quickly ascended the steps, accompanied by Cho Chang from Ravenclaw.
Upon seeing this, Harry's face immediately fell, perfectly understanding Viktor's feelings from earlier.
Ron sympathetically patted his shoulder. No need to wonder, she definitely had a boyfriend.
Harry suppressed his heartache, forcing a smile. "You two are here to… say goodbye."
"Cedric is graduating this year and specifically came to say goodbye to you. I still have two more years of school!" Cho Chang explained, then gave Aaron a grateful look. "Although he didn't say it explicitly, I can guess that you saved their lives."
"It's nothing." Aaron smiled. "But you shouldn't spread that around."
"I understand."
Cedric shook hands with the two. "I might go work for the Ministry of Magic, but not for Fudge. Dumbledore might need the Ministry of Magic's power to fight You-Know-Who."
Harry's expression immediately became serious. When it came to fighting dark forces, he was wide awake.
"Good luck, Cedric."
"You also need to be careful. I think You-Know-Whodefinitely won't let you go."
Harry nodded solemnly. What was coming had already arrived, and he had mentally prepared himself these past few days.
Soon after, a team of Thestrals pulled carriages over.
The students put their trunks onto the carriages and rode to Hogsmeade Station.
Aaron placed his trunk and found an empty compartment to sit down.
The train slowly moved forward, and the scenery outside rapidly receded, but Aaron had no mind to appreciate it.
"System, open personal panel."
"Alright, Host."
[Host: Aaron Gaius]
[magic Energy: Main Body 6140, Junior Archmage; Thought Body 6140, Junior Archmage; Total 12280 (Junior Grand Archmage, a rare existence in the magic world)]
[Talent: Once in a Lifetime (magic energy increases by 4 points daily, Main Body increases by 2 points, Thought Body increases by 2 points)]
[Items: Drop of the Moon (2/3 can remove any negative curses), Resurrection Potion (can resurrect any creature that died within one hour)]
[magic Points: 615]
"If it weren't for getting the Dog Talisman, I'd feel like I wasted this whole year."
"There has been progress, it just isn't very obvious." The System said very seriously, "And the Host still has over six hundred magic Points. This number can still buy many things."
"Oh, come on! Don't think I can't tell, you're just trying to coax me into spending." Aaron said, heartbroken, counting on his fingers: "Seraphim's Shield, five hundred; Dog Talisman, three thousand.
That adds up to three thousand five hundred magic Points spent this year. If all of that were added to my magic energy, my strength could have had a small breakthrough."
"But the increase in combat power is far less than the immortal divine power. Three thousand magic Points are well worth it." The System said righteously, "And Seraphim's Shield can block the Killing Curse, five hundred magicPoints are well worth it."
Aaron took a deep breath and said speechlessly, "What you said makes a lot of sense, and I can't refute it.
But don't even think about my current magic Points; I need to save them, accumulate a thousand points to exchange for the Eye of Aaron.
In other words, I'm not not spending, I'm just spending for better spending."
System:... "Perhaps this System shouldn't say this, but if the Host wants to forge a divine artifact, there are still materials in the shop worth purchasing."
Aaron paused, then a wry smile appeared on his face.
"You're ruthless; even capitalists don't play as well as you do."
"You're welcome."
Aaron was speechless to retort. He had personally obtained both of those materials; didn't he know that?
But with the System mentioning it, he couldn't consciously ignore it, so... "Thank you for your patronage, please come again."
"I inexplicably feel even more heartbroken."
The sound of money disappearing appeared in Aaron's ears, and six hundred magic Points directly decreased by two-thirds.
On the table appeared a silver-black rectangular block, perfectly regular, without any flaws.
And a reddish multifaceted crystal, which gave off a scorching sensation just by being near it.
Heavy silver, fire elemental crystal, both two hundred magicPoints.
These two items were both valuable; one could enhance the toughness of weapons, and the other could imbue weapons with fire elemental abilities. They were rare materials in the magic world, but here they could only be used to add bricks and tiles to that semi-finished divine artifact.