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 a good review after using it."

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

"Or, when she decides to forget me," she said gloomily, "that is when I die completely as Ailina."

At this point, Harry knew there was nothing to persuade. Ailina didn't lose 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 hold a farewell party."

"Next Wednesday." Ailina didn't refuse this time.

They talked casually about things from the fourth year again, and this reminiscence made Ailina's complexion look much better. Just as Harry was about to mention Fu Rong's wedding to her again, Zhang Qiu, Ron, and He Min returned.

"Our plan is set for next Saturday, you three leave on Friday night." Zhang Qiu said without avoiding anything, "Let He Min take you from the Muggle World. After the EU is established, there is no need for a visa. It's too far away, 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, "Ha Ke was hostile to the EU before, have you forgotten?"

"Alright, that's perfect, we'll send Ailina off next Tuesday." Harry said, "Then we have to leave Hogwarts on Friday."

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

Tuesday evening, Harry and Ron came to the Room of Requirement early, but someone arrived earlier than them. Zhang Qiu had already turned this place into a warm banquet hall in advance. Jin Ni and Eve were busy, casting magic on the walls and ceiling, hanging 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 who came to see Ailina off arrived one after another, most of them were Gryffindor students, as well as some members of Dumbledore's Army, some girls they didn't know, and the exchange students this time.

"He Min is still in the library, she won't come until 5:30." Zhang Qiu glanced at her watch, "Perhaps Ailina prefers to stay with her."

Although she said so, a few minutes after 5 o'clock, He Min arrived at the scene first, and a few minutes later, Ailina also pushed open the door.

Her complexion was excellent at this moment, her face was filled with a bright smile, and she greeted every student loudly. Then, Ailina 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 smile, nothing more."

"Is it possible that she is genuinely happy?" Harry tried to think of the best.

"The first piece of cake for my best friend He Min," Ailina's voice came from the crowd, "The second piece of cake for our savior Harry!"

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

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

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

"Um, alright." He swallowed, "We are gathered here today..."

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

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

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

"Oh, my god." Harry sat down and naturally took a piece from his plate, "Too embarrassing, 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 Ron answered, Harry took a bite of the pie in his hand, but this was clearly not apple pie.

Except for a little 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 thick soup, and only a little cinnamon component could be faintly tasted.

Harry looked at the pie in his hand with a suspicious look. He almost suspected Ailina was taking revenge on Ron.

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

Harry looked at the pie without filling again. He suddenly had some different feelings. When they first met Ailina, 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. Those confused actions of hers, 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 no one could truly give her comfort.

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

With complex feelings, Harry finished the pie with Ron. He saw Ailina shaking hands with everyone with a smile, bouncing from one side of the room to the other. He felt that Zhang Qiu was right; she might not be as happy as she appeared.

When Ailina finally calmed down and sat on the side drinking butterbeer with He Min, it was about time for the students to feel satisfied and gradually have the thought of wanting to leave. At this moment, Harry felt it was necessary for him to say a few more words.

He took a cup and walked to the position where he had just cut the cake. The food on the long table was almost gone.

"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 Ailina will embark on the journey home, of course, also embark on a brand new and wonderful life."

"Parting is sad, 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 Ailina, to our friends, to our family, 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 Ailina 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 at Hogwarts now, or in the future when we go our separate ways, you will always be a part of us."

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

There is no banquet 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. After Harry saw Ailina go out, he also stood up. Ron's expression was a bit complex. He sat for a while longer before following Harry and standing up.

"Actually, it's not that welcome," Harry took care of his emotions and whispered, "Just out of sympathy."

"No, I think it might be my fault." Ron whispered.

"What?"

"I'm talking about last year's events, I think I was wrong." Ron looked at Harry and said seriously, "I have thought countless times, if it weren't for her, would I have a different ending with He Min? But at this moment, I can't help but think, if I hadn't kept thinking about that He Min who didn't love me at all, could I have walked to the end with Ailina?"

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

Ron was silent for a long time before whispering, "Then give her a blessing, and then do what we have to do."

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

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

They walked toward the outside 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 into his pocket, unconsciously fiddling with the Eurostar ticket. Suddenly, he decided to look back. He saw Zhang Qiu standing at the castle gate seeing them off. She stared blankly at the direction the three were moving away, also without saying a word.

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

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