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HRHL# CHAPTER 169
🕑 Added 2025-05-01 18:50:51 +0000 UTCAfter finishing their shopping, Mr. Granger said with a cheerful smile, “Alright, children, I think it’s time we headed back—”
“Alright, Uncle Askin,” Harry replied. “But we need to make a quick stop at Diagon Alley first. You and Hermione can go ahead, and we’ll Apparate back to the Granger house later.”
“Apparate?” Hermione whispered, her voice tinged with alarm. “Good heavens, Harry, that’s not something wizards under seventeen can just do! You need a license first…”
But Harry silenced her with a single sentence.
“You’ve been allowed to use the Imperius Curse?” he asked.
Hermione’s eyes glazed over, staring blankly ahead. She felt as though she’d never stand tall again in her life.
After leaving the mall, Mr. Granger drove them to the Leaky Cauldron.
“See you tonight,” Hermione said, waving to the pair.
For reasons she couldn’t quite pinpoint, Hermione had felt an instant connection with Veratia from the moment they met. After their shopping trip, she realized it was the mutual respect of two academic overachievers.
Veratia nodded with a warm smile, watching them leave. Then, almost casually, she turned to Harry. “You actually taught them that spell?”
“They ought to know the harsh realities of the world,” Harry said succinctly.
Veratia let out a soft laugh.
Her mind drifted to that time in the crypt when Harry and Cassandra had practiced the Imperius Curse together. But…
That fool hadn’t even noticed that Cassandra was only pretending to be under its control…
Veratia had no intention of pointing it out, though. She wasn’t about to give that haughty girl an assist.
The two passed through the Leaky Cauldron and made their way to Gringotts.
Of course, Harry didn’t forget to take a dose of Aging Potion first.
“It still feels more natural this way,” Veratia said with a teasing smile.
“So, which do you prefer? The younger me or this version?” Harry asked.
Veratia gave him a calm, sidelong glance. “Both are fine.”
They stepped into Gringotts, where the goblins immediately approached, ushering them to Scard’s office.
“An honor, Mr. Potter, truly an honor,” Scard said, rising quickly to greet Harry with a bow.
“And this is?” he asked, noticing Veratia.
“Oh, this is my friend,” Harry said with a light chuckle. “The owner of Vault 313, Veratia Grindelwald.”
At the sound of her name, Scard pinched himself hard to suppress a sharp yelp.
“M-M-M-Miss Grindelwald, a pleasure!” he stammered. “It’s an honor to have you return. Truly, an immense honor…”
After a flurry of flustered movements, Scard composed himself enough to ask, “How may we assist you both? Gringotts will spare no effort!”
“We need visas and identity documents for two Muggles,” Harry said to Scard. “I trust that’s not too difficult for an institution as resourceful as Gringotts?”
Visas for Muggles? Scard let out a quiet sigh of relief. That was child’s play.
A smile spread across his face. “Rest assured, Mr. Potter,” he said. “By tomorrow morning—no, within the hour—we’ll have the identity documents and visas prepared for you and Miss Grindelwald. Perfectly legitimate, of course!”
“That’s greatly appreciated,” Harry said, nodding. He had always trusted Gringotts’ efficiency.
“Please provide an address for delivery,” Scard added. “And we’ll need you both to cooperate for a couple of photographs.”
Once everything was settled, Harry spoke again. “We also need to visit Vault 313 to retrieve the last princess diadem.”
“Of course, Mr. Potter,” Scard said promptly.
Even though Veratia had known the vault was emptied, seeing it bare elicited a soft sigh. Every Knut, every Sickle—she had saved it all herself…
And Gellert, that reckless spendthrift, had squandered it all, leaving nothing behind…
“Look, your diadem,” Harry said, stepping inside and lifting the silver-white crown. “The last time I held this was in 1888. Hard to believe it’s been over a century.”
“Yes, over a century…” Veratia said, her voice soft as she took the diadem, her gaze tender. “It seems Gellert had at least some conscience, sparing my diadem from being sold off.”
“If he hadn’t, I wouldn’t stop you from giving him a good thrashing,” Harry said earnestly. “I’d even help.”
Veratia smiled faintly.
“What would be the point? I’m just a powerless husk now. I couldn’t take on Gellert.”
“Let’s head back,” she said. “We’ve got the identity documents and… what was it called? A visa? With those, we can head to France.”
Leaving Gringotts, Harry Apparated with Veratia back to the Granger house.
He didn’t forget to bring out his phoenix, Fiona, to let her eat.
“Is she a phoenix?” Hermione asked, her eyes wide with wonder as she gazed at the bird. “She’s absolutely stunning… Is she yours, Veratia?”
“Yes,” Veratia said with a nod. “Her name’s Fiona.”
“Fiona? That’s beautiful,” Hermione said, utterly enchanted. She reached out hesitantly to touch the phoenix, then drew back, unsure.
To her surprise, Fiona leaned forward, nuzzling her head under Hermione’s hand.
“So warm!” Hermione exclaimed, delighted. “This is a phoenix? I’ve always wanted to see one up close…”
Veratia ruffled Hermione’s hair affectionately before glancing around the Granger living room. Her sharp eyes caught sight of a book on the table.
“State and Society?” she said, picking it up. “By… Vladimir Ilyich? A Russian author?”
“Yes,” Mr. Granger said with a nod. “I highly recommend his works. They might offer you deeper insights into society and history.”
“Thank you,” Veratia said, settling onto the sofa and diving into the book with focus.
It wasn’t until dinner that Harry’s repeated calls finally snapped her out of her reading trance.
Just before the meal, a Gringotts goblin knocked on the Granger door.
“For you and Mr. Potter, Miss Grindelwald,” the goblin said respectfully, handing over the documents. “Please keep them safe.”
“Thank you,” Veratia said with a gentle smile.
“It’s our duty,” the goblin replied, bowing before Disapparating.
Dinner at the Granger house was lavish, likely in honor of their guests. Over the meal, Mr. Granger kept mentioning that Weasley boy, asking Harry why he hadn’t brought him along.
When he learned Ron had already gone home, Mr. Granger wondered aloud if he should invite the boy and his father over for dinner. He wasn’t fond of Ron, but he had a soft spot for Mr. Weasley—not just for his fascination with the Muggle world, but for the camaraderie they shared as men.
That night, Veratia and Harry stayed in the Granger guest rooms.
The next morning, Mr. Granger drove them to the airport.
“Write to me, Veratia!” Hermione called, waving.
“I’ll call you,” Veratia said, waving back with a smile.
For someone from a century ago, the Muggle world must have seemed like an entirely new realm. Veratia was no exception, having spent her first fifteen years among Muggles. A pure-blood wizard might have been indifferent, but for Veratia, it was a different story.
The goblins had handled the plane tickets, which pleased Veratia—she appreciated saving a few Galleons.
As the plane took off, Veratia’s face paled slightly. Harry noticed and asked if she was alright.
She shook her head, insisting she was fine.
By late morning, the plane landed.
“It’s certainly a novel experience,” Veratia remarked as they disembarked. “Though it could stand to be faster.”
“You can’t expect it to match Apparition,” Harry said with a wry smile.
“But we should be cautious, Harry,” Veratia said, her tone tinged with concern. “The Muggle world is advancing so rapidly. It’s hard to imagine what it was like a hundred, or even two hundred years ago. I can’t fathom what it’ll be like in fifty or a hundred years. Will there even be a place for wizards?”
“It won’t come to that…” Harry said instinctively.
Veratia didn’t respond. Instead, she said, “Come on, take me to Mr. Flamel’s house.”
Harry took her slender wrist and Apparated them to the doorstep of Flamel’s home.
When the door opened, they were greeted by a loud sob.
“My lady!”
It was Lucy.
“Lucy?” Veratia said, delighted. “It really is you!”
“My lady…” Lucy sniffled. “I heard everything. That scoundrel Gellert dared to steal your treasures… But it’s alright now. You’re back, and everything will be fine!”
“Yes, I’m back,” Veratia said with a warm smile, stepping into Flamel’s alchemy chamber.
Inside, the Scamander family was still there, along with Poppy Sweating.
The moment Poppy saw Veratia, she whipped her head away, burying her face in the sofa, her tail swishing frantically.
“You can’t see me, you can’t see me…” she muttered under her breath.
Veratia, of course, knew about Poppy’s transformation into a unicorn. She walked over and gently touched her back.
“Poppy?” she said softly.
“Here!” Poppy yanked her head out, standing ramrod straight.
“Won’t you introduce me to your family?” Veratia asked with a smile.
“Oh!” Poppy peeked behind Veratia, spotting Harry, and mustered the courage to greet him. “Hi, Harry—”
She stole a glance at Veratia, and seeing no dangerous smile, she relaxed.
“Let me introduce you,” Poppy said cheerfully, tugging Veratia’s sleeve and leading her to Theseus. “This is my grandnephew, Theseus Scamander.”
“Hello, Mr. Scamander,” Veratia said, offering a graceful curtsy. “I’m Veratia Grindelwald.”
Theseus’s pupils contracted sharply at her surname.
Tina took a step back, and Newt’s arm twitched.
But Theseus, seasoned by his experiences, quickly recovered and returned the gesture. “A pleasure, Miss Grindelwald.”
If he wasn’t mistaken, this was Gellert Grindelwald’s sister… Though, to be fair, this Miss Grindelwald was far more refined and courteous than her brother.
After introductions to Newt and Tina, Poppy chirped, “Harry, Harry, Newt’s agreed to your request! He’ll talk to Dumbledore about hiring Hagrid as an assistant teacher next term.”
“That’s fantastic,” Harry said, grinning. “I’ll write to Hagrid right away. This’ll be my Christmas gift to him.”
But then, Mr. Flamel let out a long sigh.
“My poor sofa…”
He was referring to the gaping hole Poppy had left when she buried her head in it.
Newt quickly stepped in, pointing his wand at the sofa. “Reparo!”
Flamel nodded, satisfied, then shuffled over to Harry, extending a hand.
“So, did you bring it? The computer I asked for?”
“Right here,” Harry said, pulling out his wallet. He suddenly remembered Alfonso.
After handing over the computer, while Flamel’s eyes gleamed with excitement, Harry sidled up to Newt.
Newt, slightly uncomfortable, edged away, but Harry’s next words hooked him.
“Mr. Scamander, I have a Basilisk—a living Basilisk.”
“Where?!” Newt’s eyes lit up, his social anxiety forgotten as he leaned in. “Mr. Potter, forgive my forwardness, but a Basilisk—I’ve only ever read about them in legends…”
“Newt?” Tina interjected.
“Huh?” Newt looked up, startled.
“You’re talking too much,” Tina said, twirling a finger.
Newt flushed, giving Harry a shy smile.
“It’s alright, I understand your excitement, Mr. Scamander,” Harry said kindly. “But I’m here for something important. I need Mr. Flamel’s help.”
“What for?” everyone asked in unison, including Poppy, who was still having her head patted by Veratia.
Except for Flamel, who was still tinkering with his computer, muttering about where to place this or that component.
“Mr. Flamel?” Harry called.
“Oh, I’m listening,” Flamel said without turning around, still engrossed in his gadgets.
Veratia, still stroking Poppy’s head as the latter basked in the attention, said nonchalantly, “I’ve lost my magic, Mr. Flamel.”
“Lost your magic?” Flamel finally looked up.
He set down his electronic components and scurried to another room, returning with a crystal ball.
“Hold this,” he said, handing it to Veratia.
Veratia took the ball, staring at it for a long moment, but nothing happened.
Flamel waved his hand, magically tucking the ball away, then placed a finger on Veratia’s forehead.
After a pause, he frowned. “This doesn’t add up. Your soul and body are both in a sixteen-year-old state. There’s no reason for you to lose your magic… But I do have another idea.”
He beckoned to Harry. “Harry, come here.”
“Huh?” Harry blinked, walking over.
Flamel patted Harry’s shoulder and turned to Veratia. “No need to worry. You know that my Philosopher’s Stone was entirely absorbed by this Harry Potter.”
Veratia frowned, puzzled. “What does Harry absorbing the Stone have to do with this, Mr. Flamel?”
“Oh, it’s a big deal,” Flamel said with a mischievous grin. “You see, since Mr. Potter absorbed the Stone, he’s essentially a walking Philosopher’s Stone. And one of the Stone’s properties is the ability to rapidly restore a wizard’s magic.”
“How do we do that?” Harry asked, looking up.
“Oh, it’s simple. Very simple.”
Flamel tapped Harry a few times.
Poppy and the Scamanders suddenly felt a wave of unease, as if this old alchemist was up to no good.
“There, done,” Flamel said, admiring his handiwork. He turned to Veratia. “From now on, as long as you have physical contact with Harry, your magic will replenish. But I should warn you—the greater the contact area, the faster the recovery…”
T/N: If you find any typos or incorrect names, please leave a comment. Thanks, and enjoy reading!
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