0199 Last Days

The academic term was drawing to its close with the approaching summer. Like sand flowing through an hourglass, the remaining days seemed to slip away faster with each passing moment. What followed the resolution of the Chamber of Secrets crisis was developments that felt almost anticlimactic after the life-and-death struggles they had recently endured yet each piece of news brought its own quiet satisfaction. One particularly satisfying morning, Adrian learned through the castle's gossip network that Lucius Malfoy had lost his position as a member of the Hogwarts Board of Governors. The news spread through the school like wildfire, carried by portraits whispering to each other across corridor walls and confirmed by the satisfied expressions on the faces of several professors. Adrian had always felt that the Hogwarts Board of Governors operated with almost no presence in the daily life of the school, except during rare moments of crisis like the recent dismissal of Dumbledore. In his observation, the board's main function seemed to be writing large checks to support the school's operational expenses, a role that needed neither presence nor wisdom. Several days later, as Adrian was grading a set of Defense Against the Dark Arts essays in his office, two official Ministry of Magic owls arrived. Both letters had Fudge's official seal and contained flowery invitations for Adrian to visit the Ministry of Magic at his earliest convenience. The letter was filled with phrases like "matters of national security" and "your invaluable expertise in recent events." Adrian read through both letters with growing amusement and a dose of skepticism. He suspected that these invitations were related to Voldemort, but he didn't particularly like Fudge. With this in mind, Adrian wrote a letter to the invitation, citing pressing academic duties and a prior commitment to visit his ill Professor Kettleburn. Meanwhile, Professor Sprout's large batch of Mandrakes matured, and all the petrified students were rescued. The only unfortunate consequence of this timing was that the restored students might not have time to prepare for their final exams. Speaking of final examinations, the results when they were finally posted created their own small waves of excitement and disappointment throughout the castle. Harry's performance had been excellent, earning him third place in his year. Second place went to a Ravenclaw girl, and first place, as everyone had predicted went to Hermione. Her academic performance remained not just outstanding but genuinely extraordinary across every single subject. The end-of-term feast arrived with its traditional pomp and circumstance, filling the Great Hall with the warm golden glow of hundreds of floating candles and the excited chatter of students eager to learn their house's final standing. Dumbledore rose from his chair at the high table, his purple robes glittering in the candlelight as he addressed the gathered students. After acknowledging the extraordinary challenges the school had faced during the year and expressing his pride in how the students had responded to adversity, Dumbledore announced this year's House Cup winner. Gryffindor had emerged victorious, though their margin of victory over the other three houses was surprisingly narrow. The win was largely attributable to a hundred points bonus Dumbledore had awarded to Harry Potter for his role in uncovering and stopping the Chamber of Secrets threat. The Gryffindor table erupted in celebration, their red and gold banners unfurling from the enchanted ceiling as their fellow students cheered and applauded. Finally, the last day arrived, and the Hogwarts Express reached Hogsmeade Station. Adrian stood on the platform at Hogsmeade Station alongside Hagrid, watching as trunk after trunk was loaded into the steam engine that would carry the students back to their families and summer adventures. "Goodbye, Professor Westeros! I promise I'll write to you over the summer!" "See you next term, Professor! I really hope you'll continue teaching us Defense Against the Dark Arts next year too..." "Professor Westeros, thank you for everything this year!" A stream of students approached Adrian as they spotted him on the platform, each offering their own version of gratitude and farewell. He responded to each greeting with warmth. This continuous display of student affection and respect left Hagrid visibly surprised. "Blimey, Adrian," Hagrid said, shaking his massive head in amazement. "It seems like every student in the school really likes you. I've never seen anything quite like it." Adrian's response was a modest smile that didn't quite conceal his satisfaction with this observation. He understood the reasons behind his popularity. Through a combination of circumstances, word of his role in solving the petrification incident had spread throughout the entire school. Students loved a hero, especially one who had acted quietly and competently without seeking glory or recognition. Combined with his popular response in Care of Magical Creatures and his temporary Defense Against the Dark Arts classes, it was only natural that students would like him. Finally, the last student climbed aboard the Hogwarts Express, and the scarlet engine began its journey south with a triumphant whistle. Adrian had chosen not to accompany the train this year, preferring to make his own travel arrangements when the time came. As they watched the train disappear around a distant curve, becoming first a small red dot and then vanishing into the Highland landscape, Hagrid released a deep, melancholy sigh. "What's troubling you, Hagrid?" Adrian asked, noticing the sadness in his expression. "Oh, it's nothing serious," Hagrid replied, though his voice had a melancholy tone. "It's just that watching the students leave always makes me feel terribly lonely. Hogwarts will suddenly become so quiet and empty without all their voices and laughter filling the corridors." Adrian nodded with understanding before giving a gentle reminder. "You still have all your little darlings in the Forbidden Forest to keep you company. I know you maintain quite a zoo in there, including several species that aren't exactly... officially authorized by the Ministry's regulations." "Now, don't go saying things like that, Professor Westeros," Hagrid quickly interjected, his voice dropping to a whisper as he glanced around nervously. "Those creatures are all technically Hogwarts property, not my personal collection. I'm just... looking after them, you understand." Adrian responded with a shrug. The theory might be sound, but everyone who knew Hagrid understood that most of the Forbidden Forest's more bizarre inhabitants were there due to his personal intervention and protection. The colony of Acromantulas, for example, existed solely because of Hagrid's sentimental attachment to Aragog and his objections to any attempts at population control. Adrian had always felt that if not for Hagrid's emotional protests, Dumbledore would have long ago authorized the harvesting of Acromantula venom from the colony. After all, it was worth a fortune on the potions market, and the spiders were a valuable resource that could significantly boost the school's financial position. "How do you plan to spend your summer holiday?" Hagrid asked, apparently eager to change the subject away from his unofficial zoo. "I haven't made any definitive plans yet," Adrian replied thoughtfully, "But I don't have any pressing obligations or deadlines to meet. I'm thinking I might first visit Professor Kettleburn— he seems to be in poor health lately— and then perhaps travel to France." Adrian hadn't arranged anything he absolutely had to do during this summer holiday. Perhaps, he would spend this particular summer in a more leisurely fashion than he had enjoyed in many years. As for how Hagrid would spend it, naturally he would stay at Hogwarts. The sun was already high in the sky. Hagrid wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "I'll head back first, Professor Westeros. I need to check on the Forbidden Forest—there seems to be some situation there lately." "Situation?" Adrian's face immediately showed some interest. "What kind of situation? What's been happening?" "Oh, it's probably nothing too serious," Hagrid said waving his hand in a gesture meant to be reassuring. "It's just that we've been hearing some rather strange sounds recently. And sometimes we can feel the ground trembling beneath our feet." "Has this only been occurring recently?" Adrian pressed. During the time he had been patrolling in Hagrid's place, he hadn't noticed anything unusual. "Yes," Hagrid confirmed, scratching his wild beard thoughtfully. "My best guess is that it's simply the trolls' mating season. Those big fellows always make quite a ruckus." Adrian nodded slowly, accepting this explanation as reasonable based on his own knowledge of troll behavior patterns. However, his experiences had been somewhat different from what Hagrid was describing. Most of the trolls he had observed in the forest were particularly timid creatures who would immediately flee upon detecting his presence. Still, mating season could certainly alter behavioral patterns in many species, making normally docile creatures more aggressive and territorial. But somewhere in the back of his mind, Adrian felt the nagging sensation that he was forgetting something important. At that moment, far from the sunny platform where Adrian and Hagrid were concluding their conversation, something extraordinary was taking place in the deepest part of the Forbidden Forest. A massive beech tree stood in a small clearing. If Adrian had been present to witness this scene, he would have immediately recognized this tree as the one he had once tried to transplant to his plantation. Since that time, the beech tree had continued its natural development, growing even taller and more luxuriant than before. What would have been truly surprising to any observer, however, was the remarkable change that had occurred in the tree's massive trunk. The bark had grown and shifted in such a way that it now showed the unmistakable outline of a human face. "Are you there?" The mouth of this bark-formed face suddenly began to move, opening to reveal a dark cavity within the living wood. The voice that emerged was hoarse and deep. Not far away, several trees of unknown species suddenly began to sway, their branches and leaves rustling as if responding to the beech tree's call. "Oh, good." The beech tree's voice sounded again. Perhaps speaking had consumed too much of its energy, as the human face on the trunk gradually blurred and finally disappeared completely. Of course, Adrian witnessed none of this extraordinary forest drama. After chatting with Hagrid for several more minutes about various school matters and summer plans, he made his way back toward the Hogwarts Castle. As soon as he stepped through the main entrance doors into the castle's interior, Adrian noticed Dumbledore's figure nearby. "Seeing off our dear students always fills me with such bittersweet emotions," Dumbledore explained rubbing his eyes as he noticed Adrian's approach. "Don't you find it so, Professor Westeros?" Adrian nodded slightly, then showed a puzzled expression. "What brings you to the entrance hall at this moment, Professor Dumbledore?" The two men began walking slowly along one of the castle's main corridors. "It concerns the Hogwarts Express trolley witch," Dumbledore replied with a deep sigh. "The trolley witch?" Adrian repeated, immediately conjuring a mental image of the plump, kind woman who had been a fixed object on the Hogwarts Express for as long as anyone could remember. Her cheerful voice calling "Anything from the trolley, dears?" had become as much a part of the school experience as the Sorting Hat or the Great Hall's enchanted ceiling. "Has something happened to her?" Adrian asked with concern. Dumbledore nodded slowly. "She approached me just this morning to inform me that she's beginning to consider retirement, as she feels she's approaching an age where such considerations become appropriate. Now, this is quite understandable when you consider that she had already been working in her current position for several years when I myself was a student traveling on the Hogwarts Express." Dumbledore paused in his walking, turning to face Adrian as he continued his explanation. "By my calculations, she must be at least one hundred and fifty years old, possibly older." Adrian was genuinely impressed by this revelation. Even in the magical world, where longer lifespans were more common than in the Muggle world, reaching such an old age while maintaining the physical and mental capacity for regular work was extraordinary. This information also led Adrian to wonder, not for the first time, about Dumbledore's own age. Adrian reflected that working people in the magical world truly faced challenges that Muggles could hardly imagine. The expectation of decades or even centuries of employment was both a blessing and a burden of longer magical life. Fortunately, his own financial independence meant that he didn't need to worry about such long-term career planning. His current teaching position at Hogwarts was pursued purely out of interest and personal satisfaction, rather than financial need. "However," Dumbledore continued with a smile, "she seems to genuinely love her work. So, after some gentle persuasion on my part, she agreed to continue in her position for several more years." His twinkled with warmth as he concluded, "Judging by her energy and enthusiasm, I believe she can probably continue working for at least a few more decades without any difficulty." Adrian was momentarily speechless, unsure whether to be more amazed by the trolley witch's longevity, her dedication to her work, or Dumbledore's casual assumption that several more decades of employment was a reasonable expectation for someone who was already one hundred and fifty years old. ________________ You can read more chapters on: /IamLuis