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Chapter 29: Tribute to Dumbledore's Senior
🕑 Added 2024-12-09 11:45:22 +0000 UTCHarry's scar suddenly throbbed violently.
He instinctively held his hand to his forehead, memories of a century ago flooding his mind.
A century ago, on this exact day—September 6, 1891—he and a few classmates quelled a goblin rebellion during their fifth-year summer holiday. On that fateful day, they confronted and defeated the goblin leader, Ranrok.
It had been a grueling battle, so intense that even Sebastian's desperate use of the Killing Curse failed to harm Ranrok...
"Ugh..." Harry groaned involuntarily from the sharp pain in his scar.
"Harry, what's wrong?" Ron leaned in, his concern evident.
"Nothing," Harry quickly covered his face with his hand, saying, "Toothache—you know, inflamed gums."
As the memories surged like waves, Harry finally recalled how he had returned to 1991.
At the exact moment Ranrok, in his dragon form, collapsed to the ground, Harry had barely managed to cast a Shield Charm before being struck by a flash of red light.
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself back in the cupboard under the stairs at his aunt's house.
In the final moments of his memory, he distinctly remembered the frightened and helpless looks of Veratia and Cassandra.
"Harry!"
He finally remembered that the two voices calling out to him were not his aunt's, but belonged to those two girls.
"Harry Potter," Hagrid said with a chuckle, seeing that Harry was alright. He stroked his thick beard as he began to explain to the younger students. "Perhaps you've heard the name before—I mean, the one from a hundred years ago."
"No," Hermione frowned. "I've read plenty of books, like A History of Modern Magic, The Rise and Fall of Dark Arts, and Important Magical Events of the Twentieth Century. They all only mention our Harry—our Savior who defeated Voldemort."
At the mention of Voldemort's name, Hagrid, Ron, and Neville collectively shuddered.
"Ah, good lass," Hagrid said, biting his lip. "Don't say the name outright. And as for that other Potter—he's from the 19th century, which is considered recent history. You wouldn't find him in A History of Modern Magic or Important Magical Events of the Twentieth Century."
"In fact," Hagrid added in a low voice, "because he ruthlessly crushed the goblin rebellion and perished alongside Ranrok, Gringotts' goblins paid a hefty price to ensure his name was largely erased from public memory. For a while, before You-Know-Who emerged, that Potter’s name served as a codeword."
Alright, Voldemort, Harry thought. Now we have yet another account to settle.
"But isn't he mentioned in Hogwarts’ history?" Hermione asked, frowning.
"Otherwise, why do you think it's called Hogwarts: A History?" Hagrid spread his large hands.
So even school history was censored... Hermione nodded in understanding.
"Then how do you know about him?" Seamus asked, noticing the discrepancy.
Hagrid scratched his head and let out an "Oh": "Of course, Dumbledore told me. That Potter was his senior. If he hadn’t perished with Ranrok, he would’ve been there to witness Dumbledore’s Sorting. Dumbledore even said he couldn’t have handled things better than that Potter."
Oh, the generations, Harry mused inwardly.
"Was he really that powerful?" Ron asked in astonishment.
"Oh, absolutely," Hagrid said mysteriously. "The goblins even have a legend that says when the You-Know-Who visited Azkaban, the Dementors there desperately tried to recall happy memories..."
Harry was speechless. Was I really that scary back then?
Merlin’s beard, I never even used the Killing Curse on the goblins! I merely disarmed them and flung their weapons back at them—or turned stones into explosives and tossed them in their faces.
Hagrid continued, "But his name being the same as Harry's here is quite the coincidence, isn’t it?"
"It is," Harry replied with a small smile.
"But it’s not a coincidence," Hagrid suddenly said seriously.
"Huh?" The young students gasped in unison.
Harry's heart skipped a beat. Could Hagrid have discovered something?
"It’s not a coincidence?" Seamus asked, startled. "Come on, Hagrid, are you saying that Harry is our Harry?"
"Oh, don’t be daft, Seamus," Hagrid said, spreading his hands. "That Potter perished alongside Ranrok. At the time, wizards called him the Savior because he not only ended the goblin rebellion but also defeated the Ashen Serpents with his friends."
"During the Ashen Serpents’ reign of terror, life was miserable for both wizards and Muggles alike," Hagrid added.
"So," Hermione lifted her head, "a hundred years ago, there was a ‘Harry Potter’ who saved the wizarding world, and a hundred years later, there’s another ‘Harry Potter’ who did the same thing?"
"Exactly," Hagrid nodded. "And about why this isn’t a coincidence—that starts with James. At the time, You-Know-Who—the Slytherin one—was murdering innocents, and the Death Eaters were ravaging the magical world. It was a truly dark time."
"James Potter decided to name his son Harry Potter," Hagrid recounted, "both to honor the great Savior from a century ago and to hope his son might live up to that legacy. As you can see, Harry didn’t let his father down."
Harry opened his mouth, stunned. He hadn’t expected his name to originate from... himself.
This feels like a time-loop paradox...
"Was he not a member of the Potter family?" Ron asked curiously.
"Of course not," Hagrid chuckled. "He was reportedly from a Muggle background. But the V-named one didn’t believe it—he insisted that Potter had to be of pureblood descent."
"Unbelievable," Seamus exclaimed. "The wizarding world was saved by two Harry Potters in a single century."
"What’s so surprising?" Hermione flicked her bushy hair, resting a hand on Harry’s shoulder. She began to recite, "Sometimes, on our great isle, a burden falls to one man; he shall lead the people from the Valley of Shadows to the Sunlit Highlands of peace and prosperity..."
"Cool! Where’d you learn that?" Ron asked, awestruck.
"From Yes, Prime Minister," Hermione replied. "My dad loves that show."
After pondering for a moment, Harry turned back to Hagrid and asked, "What about Potter’s friends—the ones who fought alongside him? What happened to them?"
