[231] What Comes Next

Nearby, Dumbledore and Snape watched silently.

"Voldemort's life is over," Dumbledore murmured, his gaze fixed on Hall.

"But — " Dumbledore's eyes revealed deep worry. No one could remain calm facing that magic directly. Even more terrifying was Hall's skill with dark magic.

Snape scoffed. "I thought you were prepared when you found him a teacher like that."

Dumbledore said nothing.

"Besides, he helped you eliminate Voldemort. It's not like you could stop Hall from becoming the next Dark Lord. He won't end up like that idiot, tearing himself to pieces. There won't be another Potter for you to use."

Snape had understood everything after witnessing Harry's death and resurrection. He knew why Lily had died and Harry had survived. He understood why Dumbledore had always cared for the children. It was impossible not to feel anger. But now it was over. They were about to usher in a new era without Voldemort.

"At this point, I should choose to believe Hall — believe in his Weasley nature." Dumbledore wiped his perpetually dirty glasses.

Snape sneered. Was he trying to convince Snape, or himself?

"Besides, even if I'm gone, there's still you, Severus. Hall is a respectful boy. I believe you can stop him."

Snape's eye twitched. That damned old bee.

Hall had conveniently helped Snape and Lucius Malfoy remove their Dark Marks. The other Death Eaters didn't dare show their faces.

Hall's Hogwarts life finally settled into a peaceful routine. No more fools trying to leap over death. He could finally attend school, conduct research, and develop his business.

His shopping mall celebrated its grand opening.

The Malfoy and Black families offered full support. The Ministry of Magic promoted it discreetly. Dumbledore openly endorsed it. All four Heads of Houses were present.

The wizards who came to watch exclaimed — there wouldn't be a more impressive lineup for the next twenty years.

Hall stepped forward to the ribbon. "Well, I didn't want to be so ostentatious, but coming once in a while might be nice."

A clear cry rang out from the sky — a phoenix.

A fiery red glow descended. The phoenix nestled into Hall's arms like a fledgling returning to its nest.

The saints in the crowd exchanged knowing glances. Grindelwald, hidden in the crowd, stared. Dumbledore, confirming it wasn't Fawkes, stared. Hall, recognising the phoenix's aura, stared.

He wanted to ask — where was the dragon egg? How did a phoenix hatch from a Hufflepuff dragon egg?!

The little phoenix, hatched from absorbing Hall's immense magical power, landed in his arms without hesitation.

Hall saw the cameras pointed at him. The peace he craved might not come so easily.

He opened his arms, embracing the little phoenix, a helpless smile on his face.

"On my path to becoming the richest man, there will always be unexpected events, won't there?"

He welcomed these challenges wholeheartedly. His life was far more than this.

Graduation (Part 1)

Inside the Great Hall of Hogwarts.

"Harry, have you thought about who to invite to the graduation ceremony?" Ron, now eighteen and a young man, still wielded his fork with impressive force.

"Oh... maybe Sirius?" Harry's gaze drifted towards the teachers' seats. The moment his eyes met Snape's, he quickly looked away.

Since Voldemort died — everyone stopped calling him "You-Know-Who"; the nicer ones called him Voldemort, the more sarcastic called him "Little Tom" — Harry's life had become calm. Every year there were still fluctuations in the house, but within his tolerance.

The following years were happy. So much so that he'd just had a wild fantasy: maybe he could invite Snape to graduation.

This year, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Hall, and Draco were all in their seventh year. End of May. Next month, after the other year groups left, there would be a graduation ceremony. Seventh-years could invite up to three family members.

Ron nodded. "You're definitely inviting Sirius, but I was thinking — his brother..."

Harry looked enlightened. "I forgot."

Regulus had been resurrected. He quickly became the new head of the Black family with Sirius's support. But Harry's relationship with Regulus was neither close nor distant.

Ginny walked over and kissed Harry's puffed-up cheek. "Harry, are you going to invite me?"

Harry's eyes widened. He could invite his girlfriend. Three spots seemed like just enough.

Ron interrupted. "I was thinking — if you weren't inviting Black, could you invite George or Fred for me...?"

Ron gritted his teeth. "Why do I have so many brothers! Three spots aren't enough!"

Harry could barely scrape together three invitations. "Isn't there Hall? You have three spots, Hall has three — together you should be able to invite the whole Weasley family."

"No, no — Hall told me Mum, Dad, and my brothers all want me to invite them! His spots are reserved for someone else!"

Harry blinked.

"How about this — I'll ask Sirius if we should invite Regulus." Harry didn't think he and Regulus were close enough for a graduation invitation. "If you don't need it, I'll invite Percy for you?"

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Ron's eyes lit up. He grabbed Harry's hand and shook it vigorously, then rushed towards Hermione. "Hermione, you don't have siblings, right? Can you help me..."

Harry watched them. "Looks like Ron's about to finish the task Hall gave him."

Ginny shrugged. "Anything Hall wants to do, he can do. Ron's always been played like a puppet."

Graduation (Part 2)

At the Slytherin table, Hall sneezed loudly, expressionless.

"You're disgusting." Draco frowned and dragged his plate further away.

Hall blew his nose. "Oh."

"You look half-dead. If it's bad news, just say it — " Draco paused. "Let's have some fun."

Zabini burst into laughter. Pansy threw a disgusted look at him. "Blaise Zabini! Can't you be a gentleman?!"

"My beautiful lady, you've known me for a while now."

Pansy, her face ashen, threw her handkerchief at Zabini's face. Zabini smiled, put it in his pocket, and continued eating.

Hall blinked. "So, without my knowledge, when did you two — "

"We're engaged," Zabini said calmly.

"But didn't Pansy want to — "

"I wanted to be Mrs Malfoy, but unfortunately, Young Master Malfoy isn't planning on settling down. My family can't wait."

The Parkinson family, former Death Eaters, needed to move closer to the hero faction after Voldemort's death. The hero could be Harry Potter or Hall Weasley. Gryffindor had a saviour. Slytherin had a true hero who defeated Voldemort.

The Parkinson family needed to pledge allegiance. The Malfoy family was a good choice, but Draco wasn't interested. They settled on Blaise Zabini — pure-blood, good relationship with both Draco and Hall.

Hall threw up his hands. "I don't understand pure-blood love, but thankfully my family never pressures me to marry."

Draco rolled his eyes. "I thought someone was in such a rush to graduate they'd already forgotten their friends."

"There's a reason. The elders who want to attend my graduation ceremony are... many."

Hall had only found out last month that Hogwarts had a graduation ceremony. And only three invitation spots. Do you know how difficult that was for someone with a large family?

Draco's expression softened. "There aren't many distant relatives worth inviting. I can invite one for you."

Zabini grinned. "Tsk tsk, Young Master Draco willing to help invite the Weasleys — "

Draco glared at him. Zabini shrugged and fell silent.

Hall sighed. "That's not the point. The point is, I don't want certain people to come, but it's difficult to invite them and difficult not to invite them."

"I don't understand." Draco had never encountered this situation.

A fiery red phoenix flew in and headed straight for the Slytherin table. The younger students gasped.

"Luna." Hall extended his arm. The phoenix landed steadily.

Draco scoffed. "I still don't understand why you named a phoenix Luna. If you really want a name, call it something grand."

Hall stroked Luna's feathers. "I didn't want to name a pretty little girl something so grandiose."

Luna stuck her head into Hall's dish. He pushed her away. "My dear girl, you've gained weight. You need to eat less — "

Luna pecked him angrily. She shook her feathers and produced a red letter.

Graduation (Part 3)

Draco stared at the letter on the table. "A Howler?"

The large red envelope bounced as if the sender's anger had materialised. Draco looked at Hall with disbelief. "Hall, you — "

The Slytherin students were baffled. Even the Gryffindor table turned to look.

"A Howler? For Hall?" Ron frowned. "It couldn't be from Mum and Dad."

Hermione nodded. "Mr and Mrs Weasley are more likely to send a Howler to you than to Hall."

Ron looked offended.

Hall, however, knew exactly who the sender was. He looked at Luna, who was perched on his arm, devouring lamb chops from his plate. "Luna, I am your master."

How could you send a letter to Grindelwald?

"Chirp chirp!" Luna tilted her head back and swallowed a large piece of meat.

Hall sighed. "You are a phoenix. My phoenix."

Luna's tastes were very similar to Dumbledore's — she craved sweet things. At first Hall didn't mind; he could afford the most expensive Honeydukes candy. But he learned that even phoenixes could suffer from indigestion and cavities from too much sugar. After that, he stopped providing unlimited sweets.

And so Luna entered her rebellious phase. She was easily won over by Grindelwald.

"Rebellious girl." Hall looked at the bouncing Howler.

He reluctantly opened it.

"You brat."

The voice wasn't angry. It was an elegant Oxford accent, carrying the composure of age.

"If you dare not invite me, you don't want to know the consequences. Learn to maintain basic respect for your teacher. See you in two weeks."

The letter burned to ashes.

Hall smiled wryly.

Draco's expression was thoughtful. "Is this the teacher who's been teaching you magic?"

Draco knew Hall knew a lot about dark magic. He had previously probed Hall about studying it with him. Hall had refused.

"It is indeed him."

But inviting him here...

The teachers had also noticed the Howler.

Professor Flitwick looked in Hall's direction. "How elegant! I wonder who Hall's teacher is, to be able to teach such an excellent student!"

He had always wanted to discuss Charms with Hall, but Hall always declined. "I never thought that with Hall about to graduate, I would actually have the opportunity to meet this teacher!"

Vita Rozier smiled. "I'm sure you won't be disappointed, Professor Flitwick."

Flitwick was surprised by Vita's rare amusement. "Haha, now I'm even more curious!"

Snape, now Headmaster of Hogwarts, understood perfectly. A chat with Grindelwald? Is he serious?

Thinking about who might appear at the graduation ceremony in two weeks, Snape wished he could bring Dumbledore back. Don't leave this mess for him.

Graduation (The End)

Two weeks passed in the blink of an eye. Years one through six were already on the Hogwarts Express heading home. Only the seventh years remained — less than fifty students.

But the school was anything but deserted. Parents and relatives flooded in, nearly matching the student population.

Except for Bill and Charlie, the entire Weasley family was there.

"I can't believe Ron and Hall are graduating so quickly." Molly was sentimental, even though this was her fifth child's graduation. "But if George and Fred can graduate smoothly, you two will definitely be fine too."

The twins muttered in protest. Molly ignored them.

"Shall we go find Hall?"

"Great idea! How can we not see him on his graduation day!"

They sneaked off. Ron followed. Anything to avoid Mum.

On the other side, Hall looked exasperated.

Regulus walked beside him, seemingly oblivious. "You've finally graduated. The magical world is eager for you."

"That's an exaggeration, Regulus."

"Not at all. While you were studying, you were already researching advanced spells and developing commercial applications. Now that you've graduated, you have even more time."

Hall had to admit — talking to Regulus was pleasant. He was at least eighteen times better than Sirius. Their tourism collaboration flourished. The Black family had risen to prominence. Hall had amassed another fortune.

At this point, Hall understood the old rich man's thinking — once you've earned enough, you lose interest in more money. You enjoy the process. Becoming the richest man was still meaningful. It was his original aspiration.

"I still have a research project to finish."

Finding Salazar Slytherin.

Regulus fell silent. He knew about the magic circle. But four years of research with no progress...

Just then, Grindelwald spoke up. "Maybe that formation is chaos. You won't find him inside. Give up sooner."

"Persistence isn't necessarily a bad thing." Dumbledore walked alongside Grindelwald, wearing a floral, star-studded robe.

"Persistence has prerequisites! Four years! Four years and no progress means it doesn't work!"

"If only I could use this time — "

"What else could you do with it?"

Grindelwald, who was determined to train a Dark Lord, snorted and fell silent.

Hall looked at the two old men behind him, whose combined age must be two hundred years, bantering in front of him. He swore he didn't want to use the word "flirting," but he couldn't think of another.

"That's enough. If Headmaster Dumbledore hadn't come, I would never have agreed to invite you. Have some self-awareness."

"What's wrong with my status? I'm a former Dark Lord! I haven't been the Dark Lord for years! But when I applied for the Defence Against the Dark Arts position with that Snape kid — he rejected me! What kind of student doesn't speak up for his teacher!"

Hall was about to respond when he heard a heavy thud behind him.

He turned around. Seven pairs of eyes.

The twins, Ron, Harry, Hermione, Ginny, Draco, Zabini.

They had stumbled upon Hall and Grindelwald arguing. Everyone fell silent.

In an instant, it all clicked into place. Everything that couldn't be explained before now had a reasonable explanation.

"It's not like that!" Hall reached out a hand. "Don't overthink it!"

Ron let out a startled burp.

The atmosphere shattered.

It was a perfectly successful graduation ceremony.