Chapter 57

Tall towers rose high, their rooftops covered in thick snow that reflected the winter sunlight. Hogwarts’ new semester had begun. Anne was taken aback when she entered the Great Hall; everywhere she looked, students were proudly showing off items with the Order of the Phoenix emblem. She even spotted a bright red hat emblazoned with the emblem.

Yawning, Anne climbed the stairs step by step. It had been a while since she had slept alone, and she hadn’t slept well the previous night. Fanny walked beside her, and together they crossed the stone-paved floor and entered the Great Hall.

Many students were already seated, though breakfast had not yet been set on the four long House tables. Excited chatter filled the room. As Anne made her way to the Slytherin table, she overheard ten conversations: six about Skoll and his book, two about the Hogwarts battle, and two about the Order of the Phoenix.

Hermione rose from the Gryffindor table and walked toward Anne. Standing in front of her, she reached out to straighten Anne’s scarf, which had been messily wrapped twice that morning.

“Didn’t sleep well last night?” Hermione asked.

“Yes,” Anne nodded with a smile. “It’s been a while since I’ve slept alone.”

Hermione smiled too. “Then you’ll just have to get used to it for the semester.”

“I’ll try,” Anne replied.

At the staff table at the front of the hall were a couple of unfamiliar faces. Moody had become the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and a Muggle-born wizard had been hired to teach Muggle Studies.

Professor McGonagall, now Hogwarts’ Headmistress, sat in the middle of the staff table. She tapped an empty cup with her spoon, producing a loud noise. Gradually, the chatter along the four long tables subsided.

Hermione returned to the Gryffindor table, and Anne sat beside Fanny.

“I feel like, while I wasn’t paying attention, you and Hermione made a lot of progress,” Fanny remarked after Anne sat down. “You know? The way you look at each other now is like an old married couple.”

“Really?” Anne laughed with pleasure. “Maybe. But things are going well between us.”

“Tsk tsk—” Fanny sighed. “Imagine two years ago…”

“People change,” Anne said lightly.

After a brief speech, the four House tables were filled with food. Anne took a little of everything, chewing slowly.

Then the Heads of Houses began handing out course schedules along the tables.

When Slughorn handed Anne her schedule, he winked and said, “This is the best I could do,” then moved on to the next student.

Anne and Fanny exchanged a puzzled glance and looked at the schedule.

Most notable were the blank slots at the top row: from Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., Anne had no classes.

Since she didn’t enroll in Defense Against the Dark Arts this term, she only had seven courses. But the schedule was almost too perfect. She also had free periods, like Friday afternoon.

“Wasn’t seventh year supposed to be intense?” Anne murmured, glancing at Fanny’s schedule and then her own. “Where are my morning classes?”

Fortunately, MoMo brought the latest news. Anne opened a letter from Diana and understood: Diana had come to the school before the semester started and coordinated with the Headmistress and Heads of Houses so Anne could make up the top-priority classes later.

Was this a loophole? Anne thought. After all, the Roland family had inherited the assets of the defeated Death Eaters and became one of the Hogwarts Board of Governors.

After breakfast, Hermione took Anne’s schedule and nodded in approval.

Anne checked Hermione’s schedule. From Monday to Friday, her classes were nearly full.

“Are you still taking Defense Against the Dark Arts?” Anne asked while accompanying Hermione to class. “I thought you read enough books over the summer.”

“Books are one thing; theory is one thing. Practice is where true knowledge comes from,” Hermione said. “You’ve said this to me countless times. I think Moody’s class will have a lot of practical work.”

“Alright, my girlfriend, you go to Ancient Runes class. I’ll take advantage of my free morning to visit the Greenhouse and catch up with Professor Sprout, maybe tidy up my greenhouse cottage a bit.”

“Okay,” Hermione said, gave Anne a quick kiss, and reminded, “The snow’s slippery. Walk carefully.”

Anne nodded, watching Hermione enter the classroom, then turned toward the entrance hall.

On weekends, Anne spent almost the entire day with Hermione. The greenhouse cottage became their best place for lessons and homework. In the first few weeks, Fanny exclaimed that Anne had changed! Even without public displays of affection, Anne’s whispered sweet words to Hermione were natural and unobtrusive.

Fanny was initially puzzled but gradually got used to it, managing to keep her expression neutral.

During the semester’s first Hogsmeade visit, most students crowded the Three Broomsticks. The pub had gained fame in the Hogwarts battle, serving as a secondary hub for operations. The new drink, “One for Skoll,” made business even more booming.

Despite Aberforth’s grumpy nature, he set daily limits for the pub and for those ordering “One for Skoll,” but wizards from all over the country still flocked there.

“Too bad we can’t go to the Three Broomsticks today,” Fanny lamented, sipping butterbeer. Ron was about to respond, but she glared at him.

“Don’t mention my bracelet again,” she warned.

Ron kept quiet, mumbling softly, “I wasn’t going to say anything.”

Anne and Hermione exchanged a glance, and Anne quickly sipped her pumpkin juice to suppress a laugh. She remembered how Ron had mercilessly told Fanny in the library that the magical signature on her bracelet could not possibly be Skoll’s autograph. Fanny’s face fell immediately, and Ron continued for nearly ten minutes citing examples of similar high-priced items before Fanny finally interrupted him.

Later, Anne only said to Hermione: “No wonder Ron never had a girlfriend before. Looks like he still won’t in the future.”

On the way back, Fanny seemed a bit gloomy. Anne noticed.

But quickly, on her birthday morning, after opening Anne’s gift, all unpleasant memories related to Skoll were forgotten.

“Oh my god, Anne! Where did you get this?” Fanny exclaimed excitedly, climbing onto Anne’s bed.

“Hmm? Oh, the gift?” Anne replied sleepily. “It’s not the original manuscript, just a photocopy. The publisher is owned by my family. He sent the original, and I made two copies. That’s it, shh! Don’t tell anyone.”

“Mm-hmm!” Fanny hugged Anne and kissed her forehead, thrilled. “I love you so much, Anne! This is perfect. I really like this gift; it makes up for you not sending me a Christmas gift.”

“As long as you’re happy. But I’ll remind you, Skoll is just an ordinary person. His greatest wish isn’t fame, but to do what he loves.”

“That’s true,” Fanny said, holding the two photocopies and smiling. “But that doesn’t affect how much I admire him, it actually makes me respect him even more.”

Anne opened her eyes fully, stared at Fanny’s serious expression for a moment, then lay back down, pulling the blanket over herself and murmuring, “Good. I’ll keep sleeping.”

Time passed. The snow stopped. Ice on the lake melted. Birds and squirrels returned to the Forbidden Forest, and trees sprouted tender green buds. Winter ended; spring arrived.

During the Easter holidays, Fanny was invited to Roland Manor. The Granger family was also invited, and Diana and Aaron took a break. Both sets of parents had time to talk during the holiday.

After Easter, the atmosphere in seventh year changed: more intense, busier. Even Anne could only sleep in on weekends; weekdays were for review and comforting Hermione, who occasionally became irritable.

Various career pamphlets circulated among seventh-year students, along with miscellaneous rumors.

“I heard this year’s exams will be harder than past years. Some Ministry officials were arrested for Death Eater activities during the war. Their past corrupt exam papers were too easy.”

“Ah? But I’ve looked at past years’ wizarding history exams, they were super hard!”