[Chapter Size: 1700 Words.]
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The Gryffindor House won the House Cup, but that wasn't the only good thing that happened at the end of the semester.
If it hadn't been for the bulletin posted on the notice board, Harry might have almost forgotten that there was a final exam.
However, when the test results were finally announced, Harry, Ron, and Neville were quite surprised.
Harry and Ron's results far exceeded their expectations.
Although there was a significant gap between them and Hermione, who came first in the year, and also a noticeable difference between them and Padma and several Ravenclaw students, they both considered their grades to be good.
As for Hermione, all I can say is that she is incredible.
Among all the subjects, only History of Magic and Herbology had second-place finishes, while every other subject was topped by Hermione.
The first-place student in History of Magic was a very kind Ravenclaw girl who spent her entire day in the library, Mandy Blocher. Even among Ravenclaws, she was known as the nerd.
However, the top student in Herbology was Neville. Harry heard from some older Hufflepuff students that Professor Sprout had given Neville extra points in Herbology for his performance during the trapdoor ordeal.
Before anyone could say anything, Neville was the first to think that this made sense. Otherwise, he didn't think he would have had any chance of passing the exam.
There was still one day between the graduation feast and the farewell day, and the students truly had a lot of fun that day.
Originally, Harry had planned to pack his things, but Fred and George told him that there was no need because Ron and the others were still around. The luggage would be packed automatically at night.
Well, it's not entirely correct to say it's automatic. In fact, it was the limited experience of the school in house-elf management that helped.
Hogwarts has over a hundred house-elves, serving fewer than three hundred students, which is definitely more than enough.
On the last day, Ron unexpectedly brought Harry, Neville, and Hermione to the library. You know, this was a place he didn't want to go during the week.
"I want to find a book on magical puppets," Ron said.
"Magical puppets? What's that?" Harry looked confused.
Hermione explained: "It's a very advanced way of using the Transfiguration spell. Professor McGonagall's chess set is a form of magical puppet. Ron has been very interested in magical puppets since that day. When you were in the hospital wing, Neville and I helped him search for one for two days."
"Well..." Though Harry was a bit confused about why Ron was so interested in that strange thing, he still chose to support his friend.
"Since it falls under the scope of Transfiguration, why don't we ask Professor McGonagall for help? She can surely tell us which book would be most appropriate."
"I... I dare not..." Ron scratched his head awkwardly. "Professor McGonagall will definitely say I'm being too ambitious and make me go over the book content first."
Hermione also nodded, agreeing with Ron's point.
Harry thought about it and felt that this did indeed seem like something Professor McGonagall would do.
The four of them searched most of the day but still hadn't found anything. There were so many books in the library. It's very hard to find a book when you don't know its name and can only imagine its content.
They searched through advanced and high-level Transfiguration books, but none of them contained descriptions of magical puppets.
By midday, Ron was losing interest and decided to give up the search for now. He planned to go back and ask his parents and brothers.
The school's departure notice was sent to all the students at night. Though Harry had known about this for a long time, he still felt disgusted when he saw it.
There was only one thing on the departure notice, students were forbidden from using magic at home during the holidays.
As a student, shouldn't you regularly review and consolidate what you've learned at school during the holidays? Harry couldn't understand it. And he wasn't the only one who couldn't understand.
"It's so annoying. It's so annoying," Fred, or maybe George, looked at the departure notice in his hand with a dejected look on his face. "I've been looking forward to this. You know, I've been looking forward to this for a long time. I hope they forget to send it to me. Unfortunately, they always refuse to forget."
Harry rolled his eyes and thought: "Fred, you must be dreaming."
However, since he too was dissatisfied with the rule, he didn't say anything.
"Harry, what are your plans for the holidays?" Parvati fluttered over to Harry like a butterfly.
"Uh... no plans, just... just at home..." Harry replied. He really didn't have any plans, in fact, he had to stay home at least until the beginning of August.
He learned this from Dumbledore.
The former followers of Voldemort, a group of dark wizards who called themselves Death Eaters, most of them had been imprisoned in Azkaban, the wizarding prison. But some still escaped.
The Aurors were always hunting them, but when a wizard tried to flee from them, it was hard to find and capture them.
As Voldemort's close associate, the person the Death Eaters hate the most is undoubtedly Harry. However, they have never been able to truly harm Harry or even find him, due to the blood protection magic his mother left on him.
However, there is a prerequisite to maintaining this magic: Harry must live under the same roof with blood relatives for a certain period of time each year. This period is a thousand hours, which equals about forty-two days.
Hogwarts has summer holidays from mid to late June, lasting 42 days, so Harry would stay with his relatives until early August anyway.
"Ah, if you don't have any plans, may I invite you to my house?" Parvati blinked her big, beautiful eyes and said, "Although it's a bit far, I think it's still very convenient to use the Portkey. In my hometown, there are many magics that are completely different from Hogwarts."
The hometown Parvati is referring to is, of course, India.
Harry was really curious about that place, and of course, he was even more curious about the even older and more mysterious country next to India.
However, even though he was very interested in Parvati's invitation, Harry could only tell the truth: "Although I would love to accept your invitation, unfortunately, I'll have to stay at home until August."
"Well, it doesn't matter. I can invite you later." Parvati didn't mind hearing that, but smiled sweetly and said, "Then I'll send you a letter by owl to let you know."
"That's great," Harry said happily. He had never been outside of England before.
Ron stood aside, watching Parvati invite Harry with a complicated expression. Harry was popular, especially among the girls. Ron hadn't noticed this when school first started, but after a year, as he grew a little older, he felt a bit envious.
But that wasn't the reason for Ron's complicated expression.
Initially, he had wanted to invite Harry to his house, but when Parvati spoke, he was somewhat at a loss for words.
Parvati and Padma had shown them, and especially Harry, old photos of themselves, including pictures of their home.
In India, nearly all wizarding families belong to the upper caste, or aristocracy. Parvati comes from one of the noblest families among the highest-ranking Brahmins and is a descendant of an ancient priest.
In India, caste also represents family origin.
Parvati's house was a vast mansion, a luxurious palace. Even the children from rich, pure-blooded wizarding families at Hogwarts were envious when they saw it. The Weasley family, too, was one of the oldest wizarding families in Britain, with a direct bloodline.
But in Ron's father's generation, signs of decline were already apparent. Now, the family lived in a strange and crooked building, a decaying house.
Although it was still quite spacious, at least Ron and each child had their own room, but compared to the Patil family's mansion.
Ron was a little reluctant to open his mouth and invite.
Harry and Hermione knew more or less about Ron's family situation, and although Ron rarely mentioned it, he never deliberately hid it. If you thought about it, it seemed like he really wasn't suited to have guests over.
Although this wasn't the first time Ron had faced financial difficulties due to his family's situation, this time it was the most desperate for him.
But at this moment.
"Ron, do you mind if I visit you during the summer holidays?" Neville suddenly asked.
"Ah?" Ron was stunned, then reacted and said awkwardly, "I don't mind, but my house is a bit small, so you might have to share a room with me."
"Ha, that sounds interesting. I want to come too, but not before August." Harry heard this and laughed happily. "It's fun to share a room. You don't know, I've always shared a room with my cousin since I was a child. Hmm, he's a Muggle, but we have a great relationship. We often play video games together until midnight, and then we're so tired that we fall asleep right on the carpet, haha."
"Wow, that's really interesting." Parvati's eyes sparkled when she heard this. "I used to share a room with Padma, but unfortunately, after I was seven, my parents asked us to have our own rooms. I still miss it."
Unconsciously, Ron's lips curved slightly, and then he laughed and said, "Believe me, if you stayed in the same room with your brothers and sisters all day, you wouldn't find it so interesting. But Harry and Neville, you're welcome to come play with me during the summer holidays."
"As for me?" Hermione stepped forward, not wanting to be left out.
"Of course, you're welcome. You can squeeze in with Ginny, but be prepared for her to keep asking about Harry."
Harry: "???"
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