Chapter 736: The Centaurs’ Sorrow, Fleur Returns Home

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Tom and Dumbledore’s arrival put the centaur tribe on full alert.

Well... mostly because they were on guard against a certain fourth-year student who was about to become a fifth-year, and who had made their lives a living hell before.

If Dumbledore had come alone, the centaurs might not have rolled out the red carpet, but they would certainly have welcomed him politely.

Add Tom to the equation, however, and it became a completely different story.

To the centaurs, this old-and-young duo might as well have been the harbingers of disaster.

So when the two arrived, they found every centaur armed to the teeth, bows in hand, looking as if they were preparing for battle.

Even Dumbledore was taken aback. "Firenze, has something dangerous entered the Forbidden Forest recently?"

He assumed some unwelcome creature had invaded the forest and threatened the centaurs, explaining their unusual vigilance.

But Firenze said nothing. He simply stared at Tom.

Dumbledore’s gaze followed his, leaving only the boy himself wearing an innocent expression.

Ever since Tom had practically stripped the centaurs bare of their precious herbs back in his second year, he had rarely visited the Forbidden Forest. Whenever he needed anything, all he had to do was ask Hagrid.

But who would’ve thought these four-legged fellows could hold a grudge for so long?

Tom had honestly believed he was on pretty good terms with the centaurs. He’d even come today intending to pay them a friendly visit.

"Professor," Tom said with complete seriousness, "I think these centaurs are looking for trouble."

Ronan nearly exploded. "Riddle! You’re the one who bullies us! Didn’t you promise to stop targeting us? What are you here for this time?"

Although Dumbledore knew everything that happened at Hogwarts, he hardly spent his spare time keeping tabs on the daily lives of a herd of centaurs. He genuinely had no idea what sort of history existed between them.

Still, Ronan’s outburst made one thing obvious. There was a story here that Dumbledore didn’t know.

And just as obviously, the centaurs had been the ones who suffered for it.

Then again, after all these years, Dumbledore couldn’t think of many people who had ever managed to get the better of Tom. Even Snape had been bullied by the little rascal ever since first year.

"Firenze, please don’t misunderstand," Dumbledore said. "I brought Tom with me. The wizarding world is facing an unprecedented crisis. The entire magical community may soon be exposed to the Muggle world. I need your people’s help."

Only then did Firenze relax a little.

They might not trust Tom’s words, but Dumbledore’s reputation was beyond question.

Besides, their nightly observations of the stars had already revealed the overwhelming aura of bloodshed hanging over the sky.

"Dumbledore, even if you hadn’t come today, we would have sent someone to find you. The stars are completely shrouded by murderous intent and calamity. The future grows harder and harder for us to discern. We cannot say which path fate will ultimately take..."

"But no matter which road lies ahead, it will demand blood."

_ _ _

The conversation ended on a disappointing note.

The centaurs provided nothing concrete, instead burying Dumbledore beneath a pile of cryptic prophecies until he looked thoroughly depressed.

Tom, on the other hand, had only come along for the walk, so none of it bothered him.

And since they were already there, he decided not to leave empty-handed. As a token of their "long-awaited reunion," he collected another generous bundle of magical herbs from the centaurs.

Firenze and the others wore sour expressions, but none of them dared object.

All they could do was watch helplessly as the shameless thief packed up the herbs they’d spent so long gathering and walked away with them.

...

..

At Hogwarts—

Perhaps because everyone had stayed up so late the previous night, the Great Hall remained nearly empty until well after eight the next morning.

The few students who did appear all looked exhausted, dragging themselves to breakfast with sleepy eyes and sluggish movements.

Today was the day Hogwarts students would return to London. It was also the day Beauxbatons would depart for France.

As a result, every professor seated at the High Table wore a solemn expression, as if they were preparing to march into battle.

Things were very different from the past.

Traveling from Hogwarts to London had once been routine. Now it was fraught with danger.

For wizards, the entire world had suddenly become a hostile place.

The Ministry’s investigations the previous day had discovered growing numbers of people wandering London’s streets, actively searching for signs of magic. Any unusual behavior drew immediate suspicion.

Not to mention the hundreds of young witches and wizards arriving at King’s Cross with their parents. A gathering of that size at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters could easily expose the magical world’s existence.

That was why the Ministry had treated today’s departure with the utmost seriousness.

Early that morning, Kingsley Shacklebolt had arrived at Hogwarts with five teams of Aurors on full alert.

Meanwhile, Ministry personnel had already been stationed throughout King’s Cross, carefully reinforcing the Muggle-Repelling Charms around Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.

"So, you’ve really decided to go back?"

Today, Tom wasn’t sitting at the Slytherin table. Instead, he had joined the Beauxbatons students.

Gabrielle sat comfortably in his lap, while Fleur occupied the seat beside him.

Fleur nodded. "Yes, I only have one year left before I graduate from Beauxbatons. I can’t give up now when I’m this close."

Tom let out a quiet sigh. "Then why insist on taking Gabrielle back with you?"

"Exactly!" the little girl chimed in, nodding vigorously. "I want to stay with Tom. I don’t want to go home with you!"

Fleur rolled her eyes so hard they nearly disappeared. "If I left her with you for even a month, she’d turn into a complete wild child."

"A wild child?" Tom protested. "I call it letting her embrace her free spirit. She’ll settle down naturally once she grows up. Right, Gabrielle?"

"That’s right!"

The two of them played off each other so perfectly that Fleur suddenly felt like the outsider. But the sadness of saying goodbye faded considerably.

Of course Fleur knew that staying with Tom would be the safest choice. But she had her own reasons for returning home.

Her parents had gone back to Paris the very day the tournament ended, and her father still held an important position within the French Ministry of Magic.

Deep down, Fleur knew she probably wouldn’t be much help once she got back. But there was one thing she could do.

If danger or an emergency arose, as long as she was there, she could call for Tom’s help immediately.

He could Apparate in an instant, faster than a phoenix.

In a sense, Fleur had chosen to become the Delacour family’s protective charm.

Tom understood exactly why she’d made that decision.

Some people might call it using him. But Tom never thought that way about people he considered his own.

Instead, he always tried to see things from their perspective.

If Fleur abandoned her parents and stayed safely in Britain by herself, would that really make her a better person? Tom didn’t think so. In fact, he admired her for making the choice she had.

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