Chapter 39: Epilogue

"Professor, I think it's better to hand these two items over to you." In the Headmaster's office, Harry took out the Hopping Pot and the Sorcerer's Stone. Although Deng Buliduo had never asked, he did not want to keep them for long.

"Oh, Harry." Deng Buliduo was still calm when he saw the Sorcerer's Stone, but he was somewhat excited when he noticed the Hopping Pot.

"This should be a small gift the Doctor gave you, right?" He adjusted his glasses and carefully observed the small feet. "I think you can keep it."

"Do you think that the reason I appeared at the Ministry of Magic yesterday was because members of the Doctor's plan saved me?" Harry said. "Then I think you have indeed misunderstood."

Deng Buliduo's expression became fascinating.

"To escape danger, Zhang Qiu cast a spell that transported us to the afterlife." Harry had pondered for a long time last night, and he ultimately decided to tell Deng Buliduo about this experience exactly as it happened.

"It was a white, misty world where all magic would fail." Harry said. "And the reason we were able to leave that place was entirely due to the Hopping Pot guiding us. It led us through a stone archway, and then we appeared in the basement of the Department of Mysteries."

Deng Buliduo's sharp gaze fixed on Harry, and he slowly spat out a word: "Deathly Hallows, you already know, don't you?"

"That's right, my Invisibility Cloak was passed to me by you, wasn't it?" Harry said. "I am really very grateful for it; it helped me get through several hungry nights."

Deng Buliduo smiled: "I think you also understand that principle, don't you?"

"You are right, the Deathly Hallows don't have much meaning for us." Harry believed that Deng Buliduo had collected the Deathly Hallows, because he had found the most mysterious Resurrection Stone, and the Invisibility Cloak had also rotated through his hands.

"Where did you find the Hopping Pot?" Deng Buliduo examined the small pot.

"Antioch's former residence." Harry said without hesitation. "I also found his notebook."

Harry took out the notebook he had found and handed it to Deng Buliduo as well.

To the surprise of both, as soon as Deng Buliduo opened the cover, the fragile pages crumbled into dust, sliding off the leather cover like powder.

"We shouldn't have been too curious about forbidden knowledge in the first place." Deng Buliduo smiled with relief. "As for the Hopping Pot, I suspect this should be a product of the combination of Potions and Alchemy, representing a very high level."

"However, it seems to have been modified by Antioch." He tapped the small feet of the Hopping Pot with his wand, and the feet retracted all at once. "The current Hopping Pot has lost its other functions, leaving only the single function of finding Muggles."

"You can keep it." Deng Buliduo said again. "Even if the Hopping Pot doesn't hop, it is still a very good cauldron."

"I understand, thank you." Harry nodded. If it weren't a magical item that was difficult to control, Harry would be very happy to own such an ancestral cauldron.

"As for the Sorcerer's Stone." Deng Buliduo said. "You should give it to Zhang Qiu as compensation for involving her in this turmoil."

Harry's brow furrowed. Both were involved in danger, yet Deng Buliduo said nothing about the harm Neville had suffered, and now he was proposing to compensate Zhang Qiu.

How could Zhang Qiu use the Sorcerer's Stone? This was nothing more than a gesture to Master Xuanjun. Harry understood this political move, and he didn't like it very much.

But Harry also clearly knew that Deng Buliduo had to do this, even if it was somewhat unfair to Neville.

"Alright, I understand." Harry nodded submissively.

"And, this is compensation for you." Deng Buliduo took out a photo album. "I wrote to all my old friends, asking them for photos."

Harry opened the album; it was full of photos of wizards, and on every page were the smiles and movements of his parents, vivid and lifelike.

"Thank you, Professor." Harry choked up as he put away the album. "This is exactly what I wanted most."

A few days later, the exam results came out. Harry's Defense Against the Dark Arts was an E; perhaps this was Quirrell's petty revenge, because all his other subjects were O's.

Luo En and Neville's grades were already much better than they had expected, but compared to Harry, they could only be considered barely passing the exams.

It is worth mentioning that Quirrell gave both Harry and Hermione of Gryffindor an E, while giving Malfoy of Slytherin an O, which made him stand out among the three top students and become the first in the grade, successfully defeating Harry Potter as he had wished.

On the day Neville was discharged from the hospital, it was also the last day of the term. They would hold a banquet in the Great Hall and announce the winner of the House Cup.

Harry and Luo En didn't want to go and sit there too early. They were at the school hospital with Hermione and Hannah, accompanying Neville through Madam Pomfrey's final check-up.

When they came out of the hospital and entered the Great Hall, Harry saw that it had already been decorated by the Slytherins in their own style; everywhere was green and silver, and the house banner of that python was hung high all around.

"Another year gone!" Headmaster Deng Buliduo suppressed the somewhat boiling Great Hall. He stood up and said in an enthusiastic tone, "But I must interrupt you with an old man's nagging before you stuff yourselves with this wonderful food. What a pleasant year! I hope you will find that your brains have become a bit richer than before... you still have a whole summer vacation to make them beautiful and empty!

Now, as far as I know, the House Cup is to be awarded here. The specific points are: Hufflepuff 352 points, Ravenclaw 426 points, Gryffindor 432 points, Slytherin 472 points."

A burst of cheers and jumping erupted from the Slytherin students' seats. Harry saw at a glance that Malfoy was excitedly clapping his goblet there; it was rare for him to have such an unseemly smile.

"Alright, alright, you have done very well, Slytherin." Deng Buliduo said. "But recent events should also be taken into account."

"Neville Longbottom and his friends heroically saw through an evil conspiracy and protected the school's safety." He said. "I must add fifty points to Neville Longbottom for his great boldness and fearless courage!"

Harry noticed that Neville was stunned. He looked at Deng Buliduo with complex eyes, and Deng Buliduo winked at him.

The Gryffindor seats almost exploded; all the students stood up and shouted, only Neville still stood blankly in place. He stopped looking at Deng Buliduo and lowered his head to look at his own hands.

"Now, I have grasped my own destiny in my hands," he murmured.

"Hey, Neville, why aren't you happy?" Luo En, who was jumping up and down with his hands raised, noticed something was wrong. "Why are you crying? This isn't like you at all."

"Yeah, can tough guy Neville cry too?" Harry said with a grin, but in his heart, he actually knew that Neville was shedding tears of joy for being able to gain Deng Buliduo's recognition.

"Grandmother once said that people become weak because of love, but this is not a shameful thing." Neville said with a smile. "Only those who know weakness deeply can become strong. Always just, always humble, this is Neville Longbottom."

"That's enough out of you!" Harry mimicked Zhang Qiu's sarcasm and pulled Neville into the cheering crowd.

"That means," Headmaster Deng Buliduo finally quelled the commotion—because even Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were celebrating Slytherin's defeat, the scene was especially grand.

"We need to change the decorations here!"

He clapped his hands. Immediately, those green decorations turned red, and the silver ones turned gold.

That large python representing Slytherin disappeared—replaced by the Gryffindor lion. Professor Snape shook hands with Professor McGonagall very reluctantly. When his eyes met Harry's, Harry knew that Snape still had that awkward feeling of both liking and distancing himself from him. But Harry didn't care at all; as long as he could learn his Potions knowledge exactly as it was, that was enough.

Returning to the dormitory, Harry glanced at his cupboard. Who could have imagined that this unremarkable little pot was the legendary Hopping Pot?

The Sorcerer's Stone was given to Zhang Qiu, who promised to hand it to her Master during the summer vacation. To be precise, it was her Junior Uncle. She said her Junior Uncle was a genius alchemist, and if he were allowed to study this highest achievement of the Western alchemical world, perhaps it could spark some different ideas.

They took a boat together to the countryside and then boarded the Hogwarts Express again, returning to King's Cross Station. A very old wizard stood at the ticket gate, letting them pass in groups of two or three, so as not to rush out like a tide and scare the Muggles.

Harry saw Neville's grandmother, an old witch wearing a high hat. Standing beside him was a tough-looking Oriental man; that was perhaps the teacher Li Ao he had mentioned.

Luo En's parents were as enthusiastic as ever, and Luo En's little sister was happily calling Harry's name. Harry turned his head to look for the figure of Sir Crowley, but he only saw the butler Bates in a crisp suit.

At this moment, the three roommates were gathered together, saying their final goodbyes.

"But, what about Nicolas Flamel?" At the very end, Luo En suddenly said with worry. "He perhaps relied on the Sorcerer's Stone to live forever. In this way, won't his life come to an end?"

"It doesn't matter, Li Ao once told me what true life is." Neville pointed to the Oriental man beside his grandmother. "Strive to live out a short life and leave the results for future generations to inherit. Humans are just like this, repeating and growing slowly."

"That's right, this is really amazing." Harry nodded in agreement. "It is precisely because life is limited that our lives can be so wonderful." ===== CHAPTER 40 =====