Chapter 197: Christmas Holidays

Words : 1282 Updated : Oct 12th, 2025

The Christmas holidays have arrived. Technically, though, there was still a week left before Christmas when the break began. The day before the holidays started, Wade received a funeral invitation from the Black family. "Sirius doesn't plan on inviting too many people," Lupin informed them. "But he wants it to be formal. He believes Regulus deserves a dignified funeral." After discussing it with his parents, Wade decided to stay and attend the funeral before heading home. Fred and Fiona supported his decision. Aside from Wade, Harry also invited the entire Weasley family still at school to the Black house. Their parents planned to visit their other son, Bill, during the break, leaving the younger children at school. But the Weasleys figured it was better to go on an adventure with Harry than stay at the school they had grown tired of. Percy apparently wanted to stay behind, but the twins snatched his stay form and refused to let him stay at Hogwarts alone. Additionally, most of the Umbrella Room group accepted Harry's invitation, though Padma's parents insisted she return home with her sister. "I really wish I could go with you, I truly do," Padma apologized. "But my aunt and cousin are visiting us, and my parents just... Well, you know how it is. To them, family gatherings are always more important." "Don't worry," Michael immediately reassured her. "I'll tell you everything we discover each day." Padma gave him a smile. Theo gave a loud, deliberate cough. The pair still seemed to think no one had noticed the change in their relationship, but aside from Harry, everyone had. On the last day of term, the students still had to board the train to leave school. The Carriages pulled by thestrals took them to the station. Partway through the journey, Hagrid gave a shout, and a few of the carriages came to a halt. They were now in Hogsmeade Village, where Lupin was waiting by the roadside. Wade and the others hopped off the carriages, and greeted Lupin warmly. Percy and Ginny, who were meeting him for the first time, stood together a little shyly. "Welcome," Lupin said with a gentle smile. "Harry!" Hagrid, who was sitting alone in one of the carriages, stuck his head out and called loudly. "Enjoy your holiday, and I'll see you at the Black house in a few days!" "Alright!" Harry, noticing the curious stares of other students, quickly responded with a slightly bewildered look. He still didn't know about the funeral. "Goodbye, children! Goodbye, Remus! Give my regards to Sirius!" Hagrid waved his arm as the carriages began to depart. "Come with me," Lupin said, leading the group toward his house. "Remus, are we going to the Black ancestral home?" Harry asked eagerly. "What about Sirius? Isn't he there?" He had thought he'd see his godfather as soon as they got off the carriage! "Sirius... well, he's not doing very well..." Lupin said with a worried expression, "The condition of the Black ancestral home is worse than we expected, and it's not really livable at the moment. For tonight, you'll have to stay at my house. It's not very big, so things might be a bit cramped." "What's wrong with Sirius?" Harry asked quickly. Lupin hesitated and exchanged a glance with Wade. His look seemed to say-- [You didn't tell Harry?] [I thought you would!] Wade deflected the responsibility back without hesitation. As they walked, Lupin began recounting Regulus's story. Of course, he left out any mention of Horcruxes. The children didn't know who Regulus was, and most of them were only familiar with Sirius's name from the newspapers. But hearing the story of these two brothers, anyone could feel the weight and sorrow in their experiences. For over a decade, both brothers had fought against Voldemort in their own ways. One ended up imprisoned in the world's most terrifying jail, and the other lay submerged in a cold lake. The one thing they had in common? Both bore the weight of disgrace. What kind of cruel cosmic joke is this? No one spoke for a long time. After a while, Harry said, "I want to be with Sirius... He shouldn't be alone right now. Where is he?" "At the Black ancestral home," Lupin replied. "But didn't you say that place is unfit to live in?" "It is. That house is in terrible shape! Ever since Sirius's mother passed away, no one has cared for it. There's even a house-elf there who seems determined to oppose us... Sirius has been working hard to clean it up, trying to prepare it for a proper funeral for his brother." "I can help!" Harry said immediately. "But..." "We'll help too!" Ryan said. "When Harry invited us, didn't he say he wanted help cleaning up? That's why we're here." Harry blushed a little, not expecting it to actually involve so much work. Everyone burst into laughter, even Percy, who was usually serious, couldn't help but smile. Fred joked, "Haha, my mom's always wanted a house-elf. I'm curious to see what kind of creature causes trouble for its owner." "I came here just to see what an ancient wizarding family home is like. Honestly, the creepier and more haunted it is, the better," Michael said while looking around excitedly, and made no attempt to hide his enthusiasm. Theo gave a simple nod and said, "More people means faster work." Hermione added, "We're not the type to just sit around in comfort and back off at the first sign of trouble." "Oh, honestly," Ron smacked his forehead, "My mom's been making me do chores since I was three years old. I'm a seasoned pro!" Everyone chimed in enthusiastically, and expressed their willingness to help and they did not mind a bit of hard work. Their pure and sincere kindness was so genuine that even Lupin couldn't help but smile warmly. "All right, then, let's head over. Just don't regret it when you see the Black ancestral home." At this time, the Black ancestral home had not yet become the headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix and therefore wasn't protected by the Fidelius Charm. While generations of the Black family had cast powerful magic to conceal it from Muggles and wizards alike, it didn't stop Sirius from connecting it to the Floo Network. One by one, the group threw Floo Powder into the fireplace and clearly enunciated, "12 Grimmauld Place," before disappearing into the green flames. Wade lingered at the back. Before stepping into the fireplace, he turned to ask, "Remus, where is Regulus's body?" "In the house next door to Sirius's," Lupin replied. "Sirius wants to bring him back once the funeral venue is ready." Wade nodded slightly but remarked, "I think it would be better to bring him back now." "To Sirius, the Black ancestral home might be a detestable place, but to Regulus, it must have been the home he longed for in his heart." -------------------------------- ????????Please consider supporting this translation project by becoming a P@treon member!!! Your support is greatly appreciated! Available on my P@treon page for just $4!! Early access to the following translations:- ⭐Harry Potter: Becoming a Study God (HP:BSG)- +180 Chapters & 2 Chapters/Day ⭐MCU: Druid's Adventures (MCUDA)(⭐COMPLETE⭐) - Total Chapter 460 ⭐Famous Police Detective in Detective World (FPDDW)- +165 advance chapters ⭐Marvel: Little Genius (MLG) (⭐COMPLETE⭐) - Total Chapter 450 [email protected]/Lightreaper457 --------------------------------

Chapter 197: Christmas Holidays

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