The Prisoners of Hogwarts

Chapter 240 The End of Summer Vacation

Chapter 240 The End of Summer Vacation (4.8K)

The Stone Towers penthouse suites are quiet and comfortable at night, with views of the dimming lights of Diagon Alley and the bright London night sky.

Lynch sat on the sofa in the living room, with the parchment scroll from the Ministry of Magic at his side.

When Harry walked in, looking somewhat tired but also satisfied, he looked up.

"They went back?" Lynch asked, gesturing for Harry to sit down, his tone calm.

"Hmm," Harry nodded, his gaze quickly drawn to the conspicuous scroll, "This is—"

"Mr. Weasley brought this during the day," Lynch said, picking up the scroll and handing it to Harry. "It's the Ministry of Magic's proposed security plan for escorting you to King's Cross Station. They believe that at this point in time, with Sirius's escape, a more meticulous arrangement is needed to escort you."

Harry took the scroll, but didn't open it immediately. His fingers unconsciously rubbed the cold Ministry of Magic seal on it, a hint of hesitation on his face.

He was silent for a few seconds, then looked up at Lynch with a seeking expression: "Uncle Lynch—do you think I should accept this plan? Or—do you have a better suggestion?"

Seeing the genuine confusion in Harry's eyes, Lynch leaned back on the sofa and gave his answer directly: "From a safety and efficiency standpoint, my top recommendation is to apply to the Ministry of Magic for a direct connection between my office and Hogwarts using the Floo Network. This is the fastest, most discreet, and least likely to be intercepted method."

Sirius Black might have guessed you'd be at King's Cross Station, but there was absolutely no way he could have infiltrated the Floo network established by the Ministry of Magic.

"FlooNet—" Harry's face paled almost instantly. The dizzying sensation of using FlooNet to get to Diagon Alley in the Burrow last year, being squeezed and bumped by countless fireplaces, and finally accidentally collapsing in Mr. Reggie's private fireplace with a mouthful of soot, all rushed back to his mind. He could even immediately recall the choking smell of soot.

He looked at Lynch, trying to make his reason sound less like cowardice and more based on practical considerations: "I—I know it's safe. But—my experience with FlooNet last time was just—and," he took a deep breath, getting to the real core reason, "Ron and Hermione—we're all on the train. We agreed to go together. If I'm the only one using FlooNet and leaving first, it feels—it feels like deserting."

He clutched the Ministry of Magic's scroll tightly, as if it were a token of his connection with his friends, his eyes reflecting a mixture of respect for the Ministry's safety advice and unwavering loyalty to their friendship.

Lynch took in Harry's reaction, but he didn't expose him; he just watched Harry quietly for a few seconds.

Only when Harry felt he was about to lose his composure did he say in a calm, emotionless tone, "I understand."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief, then unrolled the scroll in his hand and examined it closely, seemingly bringing the topic to a close.

After a while, he looked at Lynch, whose expression had returned to its usual calm as he read a report, and a related curiosity naturally arose within him.

Did Uncle Lynch suggest choosing FlooNet because he himself wanted to use it?

The thought flashed through his mind, and Harry couldn't help but look up.

"Uncle Lynch," Harry asked with a hint of inquiry, "so—how will you get back to Hogwarts? Will you use the Floo Network too? Or—is there another way?"

Lynch looked up from the report and at Harry.

This question was exactly what he wanted to hear; he needed a suitable opportunity to reveal something.

Thinking of this, a faint smile appeared on his lips.

"No. I don't need to go back to Hogwarts." He calmly refuted Harry's guess.

These words struck Harry like a thunderclap.

No need to go back to Hogwarts? What does that mean? Could it be—a thought that made Harry's heart race—that Uncle Lynch wasn't planning to go back to Hogwarts?

Is he going to resign from his professorship?

Yes, the more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. The Stone Tower Chamber of Commerce was such a huge industry that it would require him to expend a great deal of energy.

This summer, Harry witnessed firsthand just how busy he was with his official duties. By comparison, perhaps the position of Hogwarts professor really did seem—not so important?

This realization left Harry with a sudden void in his heart. If he couldn't see Uncle Lynch at Hogwarts, then life at Hogwarts seemed to lack a certain something to look forward to.

Just as the boy's mind was reeling and filled with wild thoughts, Lynch continued slowly, "Because I have never truly left Hogwarts."

Harry was completely stunned, trying to understand this incredible statement.

Lynch's mind stirred slightly, the process as natural as breathing. The figure sitting on the sofa began to blur, like a pebble thrown into a still lake disturbing a clear reflection. The human silhouette collapsed and reformed in an instant, the gray suit melting into smooth, black feathers—in the blink of an eye, the composed wizard on the sofa vanished, replaced by a raven with sharp eyes and a calm demeanor.

Harry gasped, his eyes widening even further.

Isn't that the crow that always perches on Uncle Lynch's shoulder?!

He recalled his days at Hogwarts, when the raven would often perch quietly on Uncle Lynch's shoulder. It turned out that it wasn't a pet at all, but—but Uncle Lynch himself!

wrong!

Wait... if the raven is Uncle Lynch himself, then who is the Uncle Lynch we met at Hogwarts?

Harry couldn't quite grasp the situation.

At this moment, the raven gracefully tilted its head and spoke in the calm voice that Harry would never mistake—the voice of Uncle Lynch: "The one speaking to you now is merely a portion of magic and consciousness separated from my main body, an independent clone. My main body, however, has remained at Hogwarts since the end of the term, never leaving even a step."

It, or rather it, gently shook its wings: "For some reason—I cannot leave Hogwarts right now."

Harry stared in disbelief, his mouth slightly agape. He had never heard of or seen a spell like the Doppelganger Charm anywhere in the wizarding world.

The crow that Lin Qi had transformed into tilted its head slightly, its dark eyes reflecting the light of the furnace fire.

"This is not an Animagus," he clarified calmly, his voice strangely clear despite coming through the bird's beak, "but a technique I created—reshaping my form with alchemy and weaving connections with spells. In this way, my main body can safely reside at Hogwarts, while my consciousness can travel outside with this clone to handle necessary matters."

He paused, his wings gleaming with a cold, metallic sheen in the light.

"After all," there was a hint of unfathomable meaning in his voice, "there are always some things that are inconvenient to do under the watchful eye of the castle."

Seeing that Harry was still in shock, processing the information, Lynch's clone cast a transformation spell again, gracefully returning to human form, as if the amazing transformation had just been an illusion.

He picked up the internal report from the Chamber of Commerce again, his tone regaining its usual composure: "Since you've chosen to take the Hogwarts Express, go and get some rest. Continue to work diligently these next few days and don't overthink things."

During his final days working at Cornflower and Shooting Star, Harry tried to focus on maintaining the brooms and organizing the goods, but his thoughts kept drifting back to the astonishing scene of Lynch turning into a raven that night, and the words, "My true form has never left Hogwarts."

He was so shocked at the time that he forgot to ask Uncle Lynch why he couldn't leave Hogwarts, and after the opportunity passed, he couldn't ask again.

But this secret, like a tempting fog, gave him a completely different kind of anticipation for the upcoming new semester. Occasionally, between pondering Sirius's questions, he would wonder where he could find the answer to this secret.

Finally, it was evening of the day before school started.

Harry, as always, meticulously completed all the cleaning and tidying work. The shop owner, Ms. Aura Fleming, praised his diligence and sincerely welcomed him to help out again during any holidays. With a touch of reluctance to leave this short but fulfilling work period, and anticipation for the new school term, Harry returned to the Stone Tower Merchant Guild's penthouse suite.

The living room was as quiet as ever, with warm lights and a CD player dispelling the coolness of the London evening.

However, as soon as Harry entered the room, his eyes were drawn to something placed in the center of the living room.

It was a slender object, carefully wrapped in thick kraft paper, about the height of a person, casually leaning against the sofa.

Its shape was all too familiar to Harry—a broom.

Just as he was wondering, Lin Qi came out from the inner room with a warm smile on his face.

"You're back?" Lynch's gaze fell on the paper-wrapped broom, then he looked at Harry. "How's work at the broom shop?"

"Yes, everything went smoothly. Ms. Fleming even said she'd miss me." Harry nodded, but his gaze couldn't leave the paper package. "Uncle Lynch, what's this—?"

Lynch walked over to the broom, tapped the paper packet lightly with his fingertip, making a soft tapping sound. "This is for you."

"For me!?" Harry's eyes widened.

Last summer, Uncle Lynch gave me a Nimbus 2001. Although it's not as good as the latest Firebolt, it's still one of the top brooms on the market, and I love it very much.

Now you're giving yourself a broom?

"Yes," Lin Qi explained. "You worked at the broom shop under the Chamber of Commerce for quite some time this summer. You put in the work, so you should be paid."

Harry opened his mouth, wanting to say no, he was already eating and sleeping here, and Uncle Lynch was helping him with much more than that.

But Lin Qi raised his hand to stop him from saying what he was about to say.

"However, according to the cumbersome regulations of the magical world, especially the British Ministry of Magic, if I officially pay you a salary in the name of the Chamber of Commerce, it would constitute child labor." Lynch's lips curled down slightly, seemingly unconcerned about the regulation. "This would lead to unnecessary scrutiny and paperwork; the Ministry of Magic's owls would overwhelm us."

Harry understood; he hadn't really thought about that.

At the Dursleys' house, he never received payment for any work he did, to the point that he almost forgot that normal work should be paid.

"So," Lynch continued, pushing the paper package towards Harry, "since we can't just give it to Galleons, and you're an excellent Quidditch player—a fact acknowledged by all Hogwarts students and professors—it makes much more sense to give you a broom as a reward for your hard work, rather than wages."

Harry's heart began to race involuntarily.

Although he loved his Nimbus 2001, as an avid Quidditch fan, the curiosity and desire for a new broom was instinctive.

He stepped forward, his fingers trembling slightly as he touched the rough parchment.

"May I—open it?"

"Of course, it's already yours."

Harry took a deep breath, carefully untied the rope, and peeled back the parchment wrapping.

As the paper faded, a smooth and graceful line came into view. The broom handle was made of dark wood, polished to an extremely smooth finish, gleaming with a dark sheen. The neatly trimmed branches at the end looked supple and elastic. The entire broom exuded a fresh, faint scent, a blend of wood and a special magical varnish.

What caught Harry's eye most was the broom handle near the top, where instead of the usual model nameplate found on Nimbus models, there was a simple yet exquisite metal emblem—the outline of a stone tower, identical to the logo of the Stone Tower Merchant Guild.

Below the emblem, a line of small, elegant cursive script is engraved: "Swift Wind - Stone Tower Merchant Guild Prototype".

"What is this?!" Harry looked up, his eyes filled with surprise.

He had never heard of the "Gale" broom model before, and the "prototype" sounded extraordinary.

"A master in the Chamber of Commerce's alchemy department has created a new broom by referencing the latest Firebolt," Lynch explained casually, but the word "Firebolt" made Harry's breath catch in his throat—that was the ultimate broom that came out this year, the ultimate broom that every Quidditch player dreamed of!

"This is one of the prototypes he created. In terms of performance—it may still have some unstable aspects, but theoretically it should have its own advantages in certain extreme maneuvers."

He looked at Harry: "You're a gifted Seeker, and you'll feel it most directly in actual flight. So, besides being a thank you gift, this is also a task for you: pay close attention to its performance while using it. If you find anything that needs improvement, or have any ideas, feel free to give me feedback. Perhaps your suggestions can make it even better. Then, 'Cornflower and Shooting Star' will have a cutting-edge product that rivals the Quidditch shop."

Harry gripped the broom handle tightly, feeling the cool, solid touch in his palm.

This was more than just a broom; it was recognition of his labor during the summer vacation, a gift from Uncle Lynch in a clever way that didn't hurt his pride, and even—it contained a heavy trust—to involve him in improving a prototype of a top-of-the-line broom that rivaled the Firebolt! A warm current mixed with immense surprise and a sense of mission welled up in his heart.

"Thank you, Uncle Lynch!" he said sincerely, his voice trembling with excitement. "This is wonderful! I will definitely use it well, experience it carefully, and tell you everything I discover!" He almost immediately began to imagine himself speeding across the Quidditch pitch on this "Windrush".

"Hmm, I look forward to your feedback." Lin Qi looked at his shining eyes and nodded slightly.

Then, he changed the subject and said casually, "Alright, now give me that guild badge you're wearing."

Harry was basking in the joy of receiving his new broom when he heard this and paused for a moment, instinctively touching the small silver badge with the Stone Tower symbol pinned to his robe.

This was given to him by his Uncle Lynch when he started "working" at the broom shop, saying it would make it easier for him to move around within the Chamber of Commerce.

After wearing it for these past few days, he has gotten used to its presence and even privately thought that perhaps he could keep it as a souvenir of this special summer vacation.

A hint of reluctance flashed across his face, and his lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to ask if he could keep it, but seeing Uncle Lin Qi's warm yet unquestionable expression, he swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

He understood that Uncle Lynch always had his reasons for doing things.

"Oh—okay." Harry didn't ask any more questions, but carefully took the badge off his clothes and handed it back to Lynch.

The metal badge still retained a trace of his body heat.

Lynch took the badge and gently stroked it with his fingertip, as if he had triggered some invisible switch, and the faint magical glow on the badge seemed to completely disappear.

He didn't explain why, he just waved to Harry.

"There's dinner on the table. Eat and then go to sleep. You need to go to King's Cross Station early tomorrow morning, so don't be late."

"—Well, goodnight, Uncle Lynch." Harry suppressed the slight disappointment he felt at handing over the badge and hugged his "Whirlwind" broom tightly once more.

This more practical and exciting gift quickly dispelled the lingering melancholy.

A young person's emotions are like the summer weather; a small cloud can never completely block out the bright sunshine.

His anticipation for the Hogwarts Express, his desire to see Ron and Hermione, and his boundless curiosity about the new broom's capabilities completely consumed him at that moment.

Holding this heavy, unexpected gift, he turned and headed towards his room—he intended to first put the Gale Broom away.

Behind him, Lin Qi rubbed the badge with his fingers, seemingly lost in thought.