Chapter 51

London, a secret location. The living room table was covered with journals, notes, and books. Orlens was flipping through them, searching for information on the rare potion Chigus Tea, how the body reacts after taking it, besides the coma-like state, and whether there are any other side effects.

With a soft pop, a figure appeared via apparition, it was Skoll.

Anne removed her robe and backpack, then took off her earrings, rings, and glasses, placing everything carefully into a prepared box. She exhaled deeply.

Orlens stepped forward, checking her over. “Anne, you weren’t hurt, were you?”

“No, Grandfather Orlens. Not a scratch,” Anne said, letting the elder inspect her.

“Any discomfort in your body?”

“My left eye is still blurry. It only clears up slightly for 1–2 hours right after taking the potion. Now…” Anne closed her right eye. With only her left, she could barely make out Orlens’s face. She shook her head. “Not good.”

“Hm.”

Orlens’s wand tip glowed pale blue as he examined her left eye.

“Anything else?”

“The wound in my abdomen… and my ribs?”

“No discomfort, and no coughing,” Anne replied.

“Good. Sit down. The battle ended so quickly, did we win?” Orlens had Anne sit as he recorded her symptoms on a parchment.

“We won!” Anne grinned. “I came back immediately after taking down the enemy leader. I didn’t want to risk getting stuck if it dragged on. Honestly, I’m also tired of playing the Skoll role.”

“You and your little mouth, so charming, yet so infuriating,” Orlens chuckled, shaking his head.

“Hehe, I’m clever, right?” Anne smiled sweetly. “When you’re young, you have to dare to do different things! You used to say that when you were my age.”

Orlens paused his writing and looked at Anne’s amber eyes nostalgically. “Back then… it really was something.”

Anne leaned back against the sofa, feeling the weight lift off her shoulders. She closed her eyes lazily. “This moment isn’t bad either. We won. The Roland family will reach an unprecedented height. Grandfather Orlens, I’ll make sure the victor takes it all, maximizing benefits.”

Orlens studied her as if seeing someone else through her, then said with satisfaction, “I believe Little Anne will lead the Roland family to new heights.”

Anne opened her eyes, smiling brightly.

“All right, now let’s talk about the potion effects. Since you came back early, I recommend you take the potion and rest. When its effects wear off, you won’t feel as uncomfortable. And…” Orlens picked up several parchments filled with writing, “…you’ll also need to take some magic-stabilizing potions beforehand.”

“Understood.” Anne nodded. “I’ll cooperate and get better as soon as possible.”

Orlens smiled and went to the storage room.

Anne lazily rested against the sofa, closing her eyes again, emptying her mind of stray thoughts.

Pop!

Anne opened her eyes and stood.

The apparition that appeared was Hermione.

Anne couldn’t help but smile softly, a look of gentle affection crossing her face. She stepped forward.

Hermione’s robe was covered in dust and mud. She quickly removed it and used her wand to cast a cleaning charm.

“Anne? You really weren’t hurt?”

Anne opened her arms to embrace Hermione. Hermione, however, anxiously examined her from head to toe, hands moving over her as if to make sure Anne was telling the truth.

Anne stayed still, letting Hermione check her thoroughly. Once Hermione relaxed, Anne hugged her, smiling. “Hermione, that excuse about taking advantage of me… clever. Luckily it’s winter, I’m wearing layers. What would you have said if it were summer?”

Hermione’s ears flushed. She mumbled, “I’ll take responsibility—”

Anne laughed softly and then kissed Hermione.

Orlens emerged from the storage room, holding two bottles of potion, froze for a moment, then stepped back.

“Hermione—” Anne held Hermione tightly, who wrapped her arms around Anne’s waist in response.

“Wait, I need to rest a while. It might be a bit long,” Anne said slowly.

“Mm, alright. You do need proper rest. Sleep in,” Hermione said.

“And my third request, while you’re taking care of me, eat properly, sleep at least seven hours a day. If you can’t sleep, there’s a sedative here. Don’t worry too much about anything happening, I’ll be fine.”

“…I promise.”

“When I wake up, I want something delicious to eat.”

“All right, while you rest, I’ll look over some recipes.”

“Mm, I’m looking forward to it.”

In the secret healing room, Anne showered, changed into clean clothes, and drank all the potions Orlens had given her. Finally, she smiled at Hermione standing by her bed, resting her head on the soft pillow, and slowly drifted into deep, peaceful sleep.

The midnight bells rang at Hogwarts Castle.

Ding, dong, ding, dong,

Twelve chimes in total.

The Great Hall was alive with emotion: people embraced, kissed, laughed, and cried freely. Some doubted it had really ended, so quickly? In just a few hours?

Voldemort’s body had been magically reconstructed by Professor Flitwick and placed in the open foyer outside the Great Hall. All prisoners were disarmed and guarded by Order members in a corner. In the hours of fighting, six had died, four Death Eaters, one outer Order member, and one mercenary. Much of this was thanks to Skoll, who had dispatched house-elves to rescue the wounded and get them to the Great Hall for treatment in time.

Amid the chaos, someone began asking where Skoll had gone. Would he still serve drinks? More and more people asked, having witnessed the white light strike less than fifteen meters from Voldemort outside the castle. Everyone assumed it was that light that killed Voldemort and Bellatrix, saving Harry Potter.

Some worried, as they hadn’t seen him since the battle ended.

At this moment, Aaron, his right arm bandaged, stepped onto the podium in the Great Hall. Waving a parchment in his hand, the silver letters shimmered as the parchment transformed into a mouth-shaped paper.

The mouth opened and closed, and Skoll’s voice echoed across the hall.

“Hello everyone, I am Skoll.”

Instantly, the hall fell silent. Even the mercenaries who had been complaining about house-elves’ bandaging skills quieted down. Only occasional, hand-covered coughs could be heard.

“We won! You succeeded! Congratulations! This is a historic moment, you made history. I’ll bet, if you check any magical history book, this was the shortest legendary war ever. And in this war, you were part of it. From tonight onward, no matter when or where, you hold an unparalleled status. You are the undisputed heroes of this war.”

“Life may have been getting worse day by day until tonight, but after tonight, it will only get better. Blessings to you all!”

“Ha! About the drinks, I haven’t forgotten. In the side hall of the Great Hall are four barrels of my treasured liquor. A reminder: don’t overdo it if your tolerance is low. On the barrels are two bags of Galleons, 200 in total. Aberforth, take them. Enough to buy all the liquor in your bar? Open your cellar, let everyone drink their fill, and buy some snacks! Dobby, take the house-elves to the kitchen to make some late-night snacks.”

“Sorry, I can’t attend your victory feast. The secret weapon still has side effects, and due to my condition, I must leave early. I’ve fulfilled my promise to my old friend Dumbledore, I hope he will be satisfied. The Order of the Phoenix will formally disband in five days. It has completed its mission and objectives. All remaining matters will be handled by the vice president. Half of the remaining funds will be donated to St. Mungo’s Hospital, and the other half to Hogwarts for post-war restoration.”