The summer flew by, and before they knew it, the holiday was over.
With the destruction of the Hufflepuff Cup using the Sword of Gryffindor, Alaric and the four girls had completed their mission of destroying Horcruxes for now.
Over the summer, the five of them had destroyed three Horcruxes: the Gaunt family ring, the Slytherin locket, and the Hufflepuff Cup.
Adding to the diary destroyed in the second year and Harry's temporary death during the Triwizard Tournament, if Voldemort truly had seven Horcruxes, only two remained.
One was likely the snake Nagini, who was always with Voldemort, making it nearly impossible to target, while the whereabouts of Ravenclaw's diadem were completely unknown.
So, after completing their tasks, the five of them returned to their homes.
Of course, only Hermione and Cho Chang returned home. Fleur, who had already graduated, chose to stay with Alaric.
Since Fleur began working at the alchemy shop, its monthly income had nearly increased by a third.
It was no surprise; although Penelope could match Fleur in appearance, Fleur's Veela bloodline attracted men in a way Penelope's charms couldn't replicate.
In the ensuing summer days, Hermione and Cho Chang visited Alaric frequently. The revival of Voldemort made the girls anxious, rekindling their enthusiasm for practicing spells.
Additionally, with the help of spells, Hermione managed to get her parents out of Britain.
The Grangers finally moved to Canada, across the Atlantic, just as the summer was ending, to stay far from Voldemort's reach.
If Voldemort and the wizarding world were to go to war, who knew what this mad Dark Lord might do? He had used Muggle attacks to threaten the Ministry before.
Thus, Hermione's parents being in Canada relieved her from worry.
Now, it was time for school to start again. As usual, Alaric arrived at King's Cross Station with Hermione and Cho Chang.
Though Voldemort had been resurrected, and going to school seemed pointless until he was truly defeated, they still had to return to Hogwarts.
At Hogwarts, they could find clues about Ravenclaw's diadem. Rowena Ravenclaw's daughter, Helena, who was now the ghost of Ravenclaw House—known as Grey Lady—would know more about Ravenclaw's relic than anyone else.
Finding and destroying the diadem would mean Voldemort only had Nagini left as a Horcrux, bringing the fight against him to its final stage.
...
At King's Cross Station, in addition to familiar classmates and new students, the three of them spotted many acquaintances.
When Harry came through Platform 9¾, Alaric noticed that the "Chosen One" was surrounded by a crowd as if he were some kind of important figure. Most of them were familiar faces.
Apart from his best friends, Ron and his sister, and his twin brothers, Alaric saw Ron's mother, Mrs. Weasley, the ever-watchful Moody, their former Defense Against the Dark Arts professor Remus Lupin, and Harry's godfather, Sirius Black.
Additionally, Alaric noticed an old lady with grey, curly hair and a hat that looked like a pork pie.
At first, Alaric thought she was someone he didn't recognize, but on closer inspection, he realized from her mannerisms that this was Nymphadora Tonks in her Animagus form.
Clearly, these people were there to escort Harry to school.
"I guess when the Dark Lord shows up, he's surrounded by Death Eaters just like this," Alaric remarked as they boarded the train, making the two girls laugh.
Once on the train, they dragged their luggage down the corridor, peeking into compartments already filled with students.
Since they arrived late, they couldn't find an empty compartment.
Eventually, they found a barely suitable one in the last carriage, occupied by a single girl, so the three of them could squeeze in.
Alaric opened the compartment door and entered with his suitcase, followed by Hermione and Cho Chang.
The sound of the door opening caught the attention of the girl sitting by the window. She looked up at the door.
Alaric got a good look at her. She had long, untidy, dirty blonde hair down to her waist, very light eyebrows, and protruding eyes that gave her a perpetual look of surprise.
Alaric immediately understood why others had avoided this compartment.
The girl radiated an eccentric vibe.
Perhaps it was because she kept her wand tucked behind her left ear for safekeeping or wore a necklace made of butterbeer corks, or perhaps it was because she was reading a magazine upside down.
Alaric recognized her immediately. In the Harry Potter world, only the eccentric "Loony" Luna Lovegood would dress so uniquely.
"Hello, Luna," Alaric said, "May we sit here?"
Her gaze swept over the two girls before settling on Alaric, and she nodded.
"Thank you." The three of them smiled at her.
In fact, Alaric and Hermione had little interaction with Luna, but Cho Chang was very familiar with her.
Luna was often teased and ridiculed by other young witches and wizards due to her peculiar nature.
She was nicknamed "Loony Lovegood," and her things were often stolen and hidden. Since the previous semester, Cho Chang, as a prefect, had been standing up for her.
As soon as they sat down, the train's whistle blew, signaling its departure.
Alaric glanced out the window to see Harry and his "bodyguards" still saying their goodbyes.
Due to the large number of people seeing him off, the farewells had taken quite some time.
Alaric was certain that Harry and his entourage would find no seats once they boarded.
He watched as Harry and his group hurried onto the train, and then the train started moving.
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