Chapter 453: After the Farewell

"Then do you want to use Zhang Qiu's proposal?" Harry said sincerely. "I can ask my godfather to find a way to help you find some death row scum or something."

"If any accidents happen later, we can use that ritual again," Harry tried to make his voice sound optimistic. "Voldemort gave it a good review after using it."

"No need," Elena was not in the mood to appreciate his little humor. "Hermione's second personality is enough. No matter what the ending of the Herrscher of Void is, that most beautiful Elena Kaslana will live forever in her heart."

"Or, when she decides to forget me," she said faintly, "that is when I will die completely as Elena."

At this point, Harry knew there was nothing left to persuade. Elena was not losing all hope for the future; she was just immersed in a sadness of not being able to return to the past.

After another silence, Harry asked again: "Then when do you plan to leave? Let's have a farewell party."

"Next Wednesday," Elena did not refuse this time.

They talked casually about things from the fourth year, and such reminiscing made Elena's complexion look much better. Just as Harry was about to mention Fleur's wedding to her again, Zhang Qiu, Luo En, and Hermione returned.

"Our plan is set for next Saturday, you three will leave on Friday night," Zhang Qiu said without hesitation. "Let Hermione take you from the Muggle world. After the EU was established, there is no need for a visa. It's too far over there, Apparition is not safe."

"What about the fireplace?" Harry felt it was too much trouble.

"If you take the Floo Network, you have to get a visa," Zhang Qiu spread her hands helplessly. "Hark was hostile to the EU before, have you forgotten?"

"Alright, that's just right, we'll have a farewell party for Elena next Tuesday," Harry said. "Then we have to leave Hogwarts on Friday."

"This feels really strange, it's clearly not the end of the term, but it gives people the feeling that the exams are already over," Luo En said, scratching his head.

On Tuesday evening, Harry and Luo En came to the Room of Requirement early, but someone had arrived earlier than them. Zhang Qiu had already turned this place into a warm banquet hall in advance. Ginny and Ivy were busy, casting magic on the walls and ceiling to hang flashing colored lights or glowing stars. Two house-elves flashed in and out from time to time, placing various delicacies and drinks on the long table in the center.

The students coming to see Elena off arrived one after another, mostly Gryffindor students, but also some members of Dumbledore's Army, some girls he didn't know, and the exchange students this time.

"Hermione is still in the library, she won't come until five-thirty," Zhang Qiu glanced at her watch. "Perhaps Elena prefers to stay with her."

That said, a few minutes past five, Hermione arrived at the scene first, and then a few minutes later, Elena also pushed open the door.

Her complexion was excellent at this moment, her face was full of bright smiles, and she greeted every student loudly. Then, Elena walked quickly to the center of the long table and started cutting the cake with a smile.

"She asked me for a makeup spell yesterday," Zhang Qiu whispered. "Forced smiles, nothing more."

"Is it possible that she is really happy?" Harry tried to think as positively as possible.

"The first piece of cake for my best friend Hermione," Elena's voice came from the crowd. "The second piece of cake for our savior Harry!"

Luo En pushed Harry, and he squeezed into the crowd with some embarrassment.

"Next, let's ask Mr. Savior to say a few words," Elena handed a small piece of cake to Harry, then stuffed the cake knife directly to him.

"Ah? What?" Harry was shocked. When he came back to his senses, Elena had already dived into the crowd.

"Uh, alright," he swallowed. "We are gathered here today..."

Harry gave a stumbling speech without any preparation, but the students seemed very happy to listen, so he spoke a little more, focusing on Elena's outstanding performance as a Triwizard Champion and the friendship she had built with everyone as an exchange student last year.

"... In short, everyone cherish tonight."

After Harry finished speaking, he slipped out of the crowd amidst the tugging of some Gryffindor students who were not yet satisfied, looking for Luo En's position. Then, he noticed Luo En sitting alone on a low sofa, holding a plate of apple pie and eating.

"Oh, god," Harry sat down and took a piece from his plate naturally. "Too awkward, she didn't tell me in advance."

"Maybe it's a special gift she gave you, a speech, just like she gave me this pie." When Luo En answered, Harry took a bite of the pie in his hand, but this was clearly not an apple pie.

Except for a bit of bread taste at the bottom of the pie, the only thing filling his mouth was an illusory sweetness. The whole filling was soft and sticky, and very wet, as if it were a thick soup, and he could only faintly taste a bit of cinnamon.

Harry looked at the pie in his hand with a suspicious look; he almost suspected Elena was taking revenge on Luo En.

"She said she made it herself, and she often made it for her younger brothers and sisters in the orphanage when she was young," Luo En added. "It seems she didn't have a good time when she was young."

Harry looked at the pie without filling again, and he suddenly had some different feelings. When they first met Elena, she was already an excellent and confident student who had received Donald's funding. But before that, she might also have been a child trapped in poverty and inferiority. Her confused actions and those unpredictable emotions should have been understood and forgiven because of her meager childhood.

However, everyone only remembered the decency and strength she pretended to have as a Triwizard Champion, so no one was willing to show enough patience to understand her embarrassment, and thus no one could truly give her comfort.

Unfortunately, everything was a foregone conclusion at this moment, regrets were hard to make up for, and the tragedy that had been brewed could not be reversed. This farewell party was all they could do.

Harry, with complex feelings, finished the pie with Luo En. He saw Elena smiling and shaking hands with everyone, jumping from one side of the room to the other. He felt Zhang Qiu was right; she might not be as happy as she appeared.

When Elena finally settled down and sat on the side drinking butterbeer with Hermione, it was about time for the students to feel satisfied and gradually have the idea of wanting to leave. At this moment, Harry felt he needed to say a few more words.

He took a cup and walked to the place where he had just cut the cake. There was little food left on the long table.

"Friends, I think today's party is coming to an end," Harry said the words he had been brewing for a long time. "Good times will always end, and tomorrow our good friend Elena will embark on the journey home, and of course, embark on a brand new and wonderful life."

"Parting is sad, and gathering is short, but good memories are eternal," he raised the butterbeer in his hand, his eyes sweeping over everyone in the room. "So, let's toast to Elena, to our friend, to our family, and to the good times we spent together."

Warm applause and cheers rang out in the room, and the students raised their cups one after another, paying tribute to Elena, who was sitting on the sofa at this moment.

"Finally, I want to say," Harry said firmly, "we will always welcome you, whether it is here at Hogwarts, or in the future when we go our separate ways, you will always be a part of us."

Elena rubbed the corners of her eyes and raised her glass to respond to him: "Thank you, Harry."

There is no banquet in the world that does not end. In the end, the students left one after another, leaving the mess to the magical magic of the Room of Requirement. Harry stood up after seeing Elena go out. Luo En's expression was a bit complex; he sat for a while longer before standing up with Harry.

"Actually, it's not that welcome," Harry whispered to take care of his emotions, "it's just out of sympathy."

"No, I think it might be that I did something wrong," Luo En said in a low voice.

"What?"

"I'm talking about last year's events, I think I was wrong," Luo En looked at Harry and said seriously. "I have thought countless times, if it weren't for her, would I have a different ending with Hermione? But at this moment, I can't help but think, if I hadn't kept thinking about that Hermione who didn't love me at all, could I have reached an ending with Elena?"

"No one can know," Harry hugged him and patted his back. "The past is in the past, just walk the road ahead well."

Luo En was silent for a long time before whispering: "Then give her a blessing, and then do what we need to do."

"What we need to do... will also be helpful to her," Zhang Qiu appeared beside them at some point.

After this night, Hermione fell into a deeper sadness than the two of them, which made Harry suspect whether there was something wrong with Zhang Qiu's plan. However, by the time Friday evening approached and it was time to leave, she seemed to have returned to her calm and capable self.

They walked out of the castle in silence. The setting sun dragged long shadows on the lawn, and the breeze blew, turning the fallen leaves on the ground.

Harry put his hand in his pocket, unconsciously fiddling with the Eurostar ticket. Suddenly, he decided to look back. He saw Zhang Qiu standing at the castle entrance seeing them off. She was staring blankly in the direction the three were moving away, also without saying a word.

After leaving the school, they Apparated near St. Pancras Station, groped to find the security check and boarding passage, and sat in the carriage.

The itinerary was arranged by Tang Dun's butler. He bought a luxury cabin ticket, and after arriving in Paris, they could rest in a high-end hotel for one night. The next day, in the first-class cabin of another train, listening to Luo En sighing about the various beauties of the Muggle world, Harry's gaze toward the window also had a bit more trance. ===== CHAPTER 454 =====