NOVPUBAs soon as Evan stood up, Harry came over to help.
With Harry’s assistance, Evan tied the letter to Hedwig’s leg and gently stroked her feathers.
“Go find Elaine, Hedwig. You know where she is, don’t you?” said Harry. “Take this letter to her.”
Hedwig let out a soft hoot, her amber eyes gazing at Evan, locking with his.
In her round eyes, Evan sensed something unusual.
What’s up with this owl?
She’d been acting weird since last night.
Just as Evan was about to say something, Hedwig nodded her head quickly, spread her wings, and flew away.
“She’ll find Elaine,” said Harry, sitting back on the bed. “Now, where were we?”
He was slightly uneasy; this was the first time he had told Hermione and Ron about the content of the prophecy.
Harry wasn’t sure how they would react — whether they’d view him as an outcast or a dangerous figure and keep their distance.
To be honest, after the Ministry incident, he had been thinking about it. It was not until he talked to Sirius not long ago that Harry felt better. Sirius was right. He was not alone. He still had so many friends … friends he could rely on and trust.
If only one of them could survive between him and Voldemort, then it would have to be him who defeated Voldemort.
“About that prophecy and the private lessons with Dumbledore,” said Hermione, seemingly noticing Harry’s unease, “Evan didn’t tell me anything, but from what I’ve learned about the course of events and the analysis I saw later, I roughly guessed that it would come to this. Harry, you and Voldemort … I think… Oh, Harry, are you scared?”
“Not as much as I was,” said Harry honestly. “When I first heard it, I was … but now, it seems as though I always knew I’d have to face him in the end. And … you’re here.”
“Defeating Voldemort is not your job alone. We’ll stop him and the evil god,” said Evan, patting Harry on the shoulder.
Hearing Harry’s words, Evan knew that he had come to accept the situation calmly.
Harry was braver than he thought, and the next step was to stay that way and face death calmly.
“I think Dumbledore wouldn’t be giving you and Evan lessons if he thought you were doomed, wouldn’t waste his time, right? He must think you’ve got a chance,” said Ron. “But, Evan, you never told us about the private lessons before. You kept it a secret for a long time.”
“I told Hermione, but then so many things happened that I forgot to tell you and Harry.”
“That’s not the point,” said Hermione. “The point is what Dumbledore wants to teach you? I’m thinking it must be really advanced defensive magic, extremely powerful countercurses, anti-jinxes and other unfathomable magic…”
Evan had a feeling Dumbledore wouldn’t be teaching them magic, but he couldn’t say for sure.
Until now, he had not had much confidence in fighting against the evil god, especially after witnessing the power of deities during his trip to Egypt. The evil god was an existence even more terrifying than those gods. Evan hoped to become stronger, and he believed Dumbledore would have a way to help — his strength was deeply rooted in people’s hearts.
Although in theory Dumbledore would not be a match for the evil god, Evan always felt that he would have a way.
Like Evan, Harry wasn’t really listening. A warmth was spreading through him that had nothing to do with the sunlight; a tight obstruction in his chest seemed to be dissolving. He looked at Evan, Hermione, and Ron, and saw that even after knowing the prophecy, they were still by his side, speaking bracing words of comfort.
That was worth more than he could ever tell them.
“Anyway, you’ll definitely learn a lot from him. Dumbledore hasn’t taught in person for many years,” Hermione concluded. “But now at least you know one lesson you’ll be having this year. By the way, Evan, have you decided which subjects you’ll take? After the O.W.L. exams, you can take classes with us. I still can’t believe you skipped an entire year just like that.”
“You can’t decide which course to choose until you see the transcript,” said Evan.
“It’s coming soon. Dumbledore said our O.W.L results would be arriving today,” said Harry.
“Oh my god, I almost forgot!” Hermione jumped up. “The results are coming today. I’m going to see whether any owls have come. …”
Ten minutes later, when Evan, Harry and Ron went downstairs, they saw Hermione pacing in circles in the kitchen, twisting her fingers together and looking out the window from time to time.
“Mrs. Weasley, you’re quite, quite sure no owls have arrived this morning?”
“Yes, dear, I’d have noticed,” said Mrs. Weasley patiently. “But it’s barely nine, there’s still plenty of time…”
“I know I messed up Ancient Runes,” muttered Hermione feverishly. “I definitely made at least one serious mistranslation. And the Defence Against the Dark Arts practical was no good at all.”
“You’ll get extra points. Don’t forget that we summoned corporeal Patronuses.”
“Almost all the candidates successfully cast the Patronus Charm. They can’t possibly give extra points to everyone,” Hermione retorted. “Also, I thought Transfiguration went all right at the time, but looking back —”
“Hermione, will you shut up, you’re not the only one who’s nervous!” barked Ron. “I really don’t understand what you and Evan have to worry about. When you’ve got your eleven ‘Outstanding’ O.W.L.s …”
“Don’t, don’t, don’t!” said Hermione, flapping her hands hysterically. “I know I’ve failed everything!”
She was just too nervous. This was always how she got when it came to exams.
Evan and the others were already very familiar with it, not to mention such important O.W.L exams.
“Relax, Hermione,” said Evan, stepping forward to hold her close in his arms.
His sudden action made Hermione’s body tremble slightly. She calmed down and curled up in Evan’s arms.
“Oh, come on, you two,” Ginny said wearily, as Hermione quickly pulled away from Evan.
“What happens if we fail?” Harry asked the room at large, but it was again Hermione who answered.
“We discuss our options with our Head of House, I asked Professor McGonagall at the end of last term…”
Harry regretted asking the question, his stomach squirmed. He wished he had eaten less breakfast.
“You guys are really miserable. At Beauxbatons,” said Fleur complacently, “we ‘ad a different way of doing things. I think eet was better. We sat our examinations after six years of study, not five, and then —”
Fleur’s words were drowned in a scream. Hermione was pointing through the kitchen window.
Four black specks were clearly visible in the sky, growing larger all the time.
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