"A gift?"
Harry, Ron and Hermione exclaimed in unison, their eyes wide with curiosity and disbelief. They glanced at each other, wondering why Professor Watson suddenly wanted to give them a gift on his last day at Hogwarts.
"On the one hand, it is my reward for your brave confrontation with the basilisk and memory of Voldemort as the professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts, on the other hand, it is to express my gratitude–"
Harry noticed keenly that since last night, when they had returned from the Chamber of Secrets with Ginny Weasley's limp body, Professor Watson began to call Voldemort by his name, instead of using terms like 'Dark Lord' or 'You-Know-Who'. To be honest, apart from them three, or Dumbledore, Harry only heard the name once from Hagrid's mouth, when he had told him about his parents' death. The rest of the wizards would scream in horror or shudder in fear when they heard the three words 'Voldemort'.
But for some reason, Harry didn't seem surprised, as if he knew that Professor Watson was not afraid of Voldemort.
'Think about it, this is a wizard who had the incredible 'ambition' to defeat Dumbledore when he was in fifth grade' - Harry told himself.
"–if it weren't for you three who took the lead and opened the Chamber of Secrets, I might have to spend a lot of effort to find it, in that case, Ginny might have been unfortunate. Dumbledore has decided to announce your efforts to everyone at the end-of-term feast and award you a special contribution award."
Bryan found that Harry, Ron and Hermione did not show much surprise or excitement, apparently, Dumbledore had already told them everything when he had visited them in the hospital wing.
"Then." Bryan reached into his pocket and pulled out a broken wand. It was snapped in half, charred at one end, and covered with dirt and blood.
"This is my wand!" Ron immediately exclaimed, recognizing it as his own. He had lost it during their escape from the chamber, when a rock fell on his head and knocked him unconscious. He had woken up later to find Harry holding him and Hermione crying over him.
"Yes, Mr. Weasley, I found it in a pile of rubble, apparently you lost it. Unfortunately, this wand is very badly damaged, even I can't repair it."
Looking at Ron who took over the wand and was both distressed and embarrassed, Bryan smiled slightly. He knew that Ron's wand was second-hand, inherited from his older brother Charlie. It was not very compatible with him, and often malfunctioned or backfired.
He took out a money bag and pulled out twenty pieces of golden Galleons in front of the surprised eyes of the three little guys. Ron's eyes widened and he almost stopped breathing. He probably guessed that this money was for himself, but he didn't dare to believe it. To be honest, let alone owning it, he had seen twenty pieces of gold Galleons only a few times in his life! They were more than enough to buy a new wand - they were enough to buy a whole set of new robes, books, and supplies!
"This money should be enough for you to buy a new wand, Mr. Weasley. Don't refuse. This is a reward for your courage."
Ron shivered and took over a handful of gold coins. He felt their weight and warmth in his palm, as if they were alive. He looked at Professor Watson with gratitude and admiration in his eyes. He wanted to say something to thank him, but he found that Professor Watson handed him another coin that was slightly larger than a Galleon. On the coin face was carved a delicate statue of Merlin, the greatest wizard of all time. He was wearing a long robe and a pointed hat, and holding a staff in his hand. Around the edge of the coin were engraved some words in Latin: 'Magia est ars vitae' - Magic is the art of life.
"This is a commemorative coin issued by the International Confederation of Wizards to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Wizarding Secrecy Act, Mr. Weasley. I accidentally found it and bought it. It has some value. Your father Arthur Weasley drafted a Muggle Protection Act to protect Muggle rights and personal safety. I think it will have some different meaning for you."
Bryan smiled and looked at Ron who was holding the silver coin with love. He said, "But I hope you keep it and don't sell it for money!"
"I swear to you, Professor Watson!" Ron finally came back to his senses and took over the warm commemorative coin. He clutched it to his chest, as if it were a precious treasure. His excited voice was trembling,
"I will take this silver coin into my grave!"
Looking at Ron who loved the silver coin so much, Bryan's eyes flashed with deep laughter. Then he turned his gaze to Hermione.
Hermione was probably the saddest one about his departure. She had learned a lot from him during the year, not only about magic, but also about life. Professor Watson's few words about 'life and loneliness' gave her some insights that she had never thought of before. Although she was limited by her age and could not empathize with him for now.
She also admired Professor Watson's achievements in spell innovation, which had opened her eyes to a new realm of magic. Before that, Hermione's purpose of learning was to master more knowledge and get good grades. But she rarely thought about creating new knowledge herself or applying it in novel ways.
Bryan's gift to Hermione was not surprising. It was an old magic book with a worn cover. It looked like it had been through many years of use and abuse, and its pages were yellowed and stained. But Hermione didn't care about its appearance.
She took over the book eagerly, her green fingers brushing over the gold lettering on the cover: "Ancient Spell Simplification Theory". She felt a surge of curiosity and excitement as she read the title. She heard Professor Watson's explanation in her ear.
"This book may be a bit esoteric for you now, Miss Granger. But you can try to study it first. It will give you a deep understanding of the history of spell model simplification and evolution. If you want to achieve something in spell innovation in the future, I think it will help you a lot."
Hermione opened the cover and found a line of blue ink written by Professor Watson on the first page. It was a brief introduction to the author of the book, Uric Gamp, who was a famous wizard in the 17th century. He was known for his groundbreaking research on simplifying complex spells into simpler ones, and for creating many new spells based on his theory. The handwriting looked very new, as if it had just been written recently.
"Professor Watson–" Hermione didn't bother to figure out the meaning of this inexplicable date written by Professor Watson. She looked up at Professor Watson, her lips slightly pursed, and her expression looked sad.
"Are you really not considering staying and continuing to teach? I mean, many people think you are better than Professor Lockhart in teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts."
She blurted out her question, hoping that he would change his mind. She knew that it was selfish of her, but she couldn't help it.
"Just better?" Ron rolled his eyes and muttered softly, "That guy is an idiot. He's only good at flattering and talking nonsense!"
Many young wizards already knew that Bryan was about to leave Hogwarts. They all expressed their reluctance to his departure. Some of them even asked him for autographs or photos as souvenirs. To be honest, facing these simple-minded young wizards, Bryan's heart was not calm.
But compared to staying at Hogwarts and teaching under Dumbledore's watchful eye, Bryan undoubtedly preferred to adventure in the vast world. His strength had already passed the point where he could improve by studying hard. Only by expanding his knowledge and experience and fighting with more wizards could he go further! Besides, the poor salary of teaching for a year really couldn't meet his needs. Of course, maybe one day, he would return to this land of memories for countless people, but that might be many years later.
Harry, who was already a little impatient, finally waited for Professor Watson to look at him. He looked eager and wondered what he would get.
'Maybe it will be a Nimbus 2001?'
He guessed excitedly, but then he thought that he already had a very good flying broomstick, the Nimbus 2000 that he had received from Professor McGonagall in his first year. It was fast and smooth, and he loved flying with it. There was no need to change another one. And while he was thinking wildly, the words that Professor Watson said surprised Harry, Ron and Hermione.
"About you, Potter–"
Bryan knew that what he said would disappoint Harry, but he still went on,
"I don't have anything to give you for now."
Hermione and Ron looked at Harry, who had obvious disappointment in his eyes. Why had Professor Watson singled him out? Harry had been the first to deduce the location of the hidden chamber, based on the clues from the basilisk's voice and Riddle's diary. He had also faced Voldemort and bought time for the professor to arrive. If anyone deserved thanks, it was Harry!
"Or rather, I do have something to give you, Potter, but it will take some days."
Harry blinked and didn't understand what Professor Watson meant. But suddenly, he exclaimed happily,
"Professor, do you mean that you will come back to Hogwarts, right?!"
Hermione and Ron also woke up. They held their breaths and looked at Professor Watson expectantly, hoping to get a positive answer!
"I guess so."
Bryan got up with a wry smile. He turned and walked towards the door. He raised his arm over his head and waved, "I'll probably stay for a few more days. I won't say goodbye to you separately then. Three of you, have a nice life!"
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