Struggling to survive at Hogwarts

Chapter 147 Celebration

After leaving the Ministry of Magic, Dumbledore intended to hand the children over to their parents before returning to Hogwarts, but was delayed by a meeting convened by Wizengamot.

Left with no other choice, Dumbledore had to entrust the children to Sirius Black, sternly demanding that he guarantee the safety of the young wizards.

Sirius, who had finally gained his freedom, readily agreed. But as soon as he was out of Dumbledore's sight, this Gryffindor immediately and enthusiastically suggested to the others:

"How about we celebrate?"

"But didn't Dumbledore tell you to guarantee our safety?"

Hermione was somewhat tempted, but still hesitated.

"Yes, Dumbledore asked me to ensure your safety, but we're not going anywhere else, just celebrating and having a meal!"

Sirius Black had a sly look on his face, clearly used to doing this kind of thing.

"...Draco, are you guys coming? Let's go..."

"Let's go to the old Blake's house. I still have some things to pack."

Seeing Sirius get stuck, Thea made a suggestion naturally.

Draco and the others exchanged glances. Although they didn't have their family's permission, it was still Black's old house!

"go with!"

The Slytherins all spoke in unison.

Seeing Draco and the others excitedly agree, Sirius also turned his expectant gaze to Harry and his companions.

Harry, his two friends, and their companions exchanged glances and agreed.

"I can always go back later," Hermione thought to herself, her mind a jumble of thoughts. The more readily she had agreed, the more uneasy she felt now.

The next moment, a warm touch covered Hermione's hand. "Don't worry, we'll write to your parents now and tell them we'll go back tomorrow."

Hermione looked up and saw Thea's calm expression, which instantly dispelled Hermione's earlier anxiety.

"Okay!"

Next, the group first used Floo Powder to reach Hogsmeade, and then informed their parents at the Owl Post Office that they would be visiting Black's Old House temporarily. Only then did they use Floo Powder to reach Black's Old House.

Thea arrived at the destination first. She needed to communicate with Kreacher and Mrs. Black beforehand to avoid any unnecessary trouble later.

Before long, Harry and the others also arrived at Black's old house.

"This is... Blake's old house?"

Draco looked incredulous, and the other Slytherins shared the same expression.

"Yes what's the matter?"

As Thea spoke, she casually placed the washed fruit on the table.

"This is completely different from what I saw in the photos!"

Daphne and the others nodded in agreement. Clearly, whether from photos or from what the adults said, the Blake House had always been associated with words like solemn and serious.

In the minds of the Slytherins, solemnity and seriousness generally meant that the decor was going to be profound.

The old house in front of me, despite using a lot of dark green and silver, just doesn't look deep or somber.

"Maybe it's because I renovated and rearranged the old house last year. By the way, the fifth floor is the book section. I go there often. Would you like to go up and take a look?"

"Okay!"

Hermione and Gellar, who were eager to learn, immediately agreed, while Draco, Theodore, Zabini, and Daphne, purely out of curiosity, also followed Thea's lead.

As for Harry and Ron, they and Sirius were already having a blast in the backyard.

It's just a crossbow bolt, why get so worked up?

Draco felt he had grown up, and a rocket crossbow no longer caught his eye.

"What? Want to play Quidditch?"

Thea saw Draco leaning towards the window to look down, and she came over and smiled.

“No… I was just thinking about the Quidditch World Cup this holiday.” Draco immediately thought of a topic.

"The Quidditch World Cup..."

Thea's thoughts drifted away.

"...Thea?"

"...Does Uncle Lucius have enough tickets?"

"Of course!"

The little peacock immediately switched to "bragging about his father" mode.

Thea was only able to escape Draco's rambling when Sirius came up to remind them that dinner was ready.

When the group came downstairs, they discovered that Sirius Black wasn't the only adult there; Professor Lupin had also arrived.

When they heard Lupin say that he had resigned from his professorship, Harry and the others were extremely disappointed and showered him with compliments, praising him as the best Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts.

But no matter how good the other person is, everyone has to get used to the fact that the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor changes every year.

After the dinner, Sirius Black, having spent too long in Azkaban, was too tired to continue spending time with the young wizards and went upstairs early.

Lupin, however, was somewhat weak due to the full moon, and took his leave after the banquet.

Thea followed to see them off.

"Thea?"

Lupin sensed that Thea had something to say, so he waited quietly.

“Professor, there’s something I might need your help with. I have a few shops in Knockturn Alley, which were a gift from my Uncle Lucius, but I can’t find anyone suitable to look after them for the time being…”

Lupin's heart pounded wildly.

“If you are willing to help me, Professor, I will pay you 150 gallons per month and provide you with wolfsbane medicine free of charge.”

"...But...but I'm a werewolf."

"So what? As long as you take your medicine on time, you'll be fine. You were at Hogwarts for a whole year, and nothing happened to you, did it?"

Looking at Thea's serious expression, Lupin knew that her request was essentially a way of saying she didn't want to return to her previous nomadic life.

Lupin wanted to refuse because he really didn't want to implicate Thea. Although Dumbledore had stopped the news of his werewolf identity, what if...? What if someone knew...?

Seeing Lupin's hesitation, Thea added another strong dose of advice, "You just need to watch the shop for me and prevent others from causing trouble. Besides, you can resign at any time, and I will absolutely not stop you!"

Seeing Thea's seriousness, Lupin thought about it and finally agreed. After all, the money he had saved as a professor would hardly allow him to achieve the freedom to use the wolfsbane medicine.

As for the issue of face, well, if anyone has ever experienced days of not having enough to eat, they will know that face is worthless in the face of life.