After Tom was arrested, the invisible weight on the wizarding world's heart vanished.
Especially since Tom was captured in such a ridiculous posture—transformed into a thin black cat by black magic and thrown into Azkaban, where he even received some cat food.
With the Dark Lord no longer a threat, everything in the wizarding world began to progress in a positive direction.
For example, the seventh-year graduation party at Hogwarts. This day, marking the anniversary of Kain's defeat of the Dark Lord, had now become a holiday celebrated by the school.
Swish.
Kain Apparated to the spot he had agreed upon with Hermione. He saw her running toward him, dressed radiantly.
Her slightly curly hair flowed smoothly over her snow-white skin, partly concealing the curve of her chest. The slim evening dress accentuated her tall and graceful figure.
Hermione now was even more charming than she had been at the Ball two years ago. It seemed she had used some beauty-enhancing potions—ones she was now researching and improving herself.
"Godfather!"
Hermione trotted up to Kain and, smiling like a princess, took his arm.
Kain smiled back and said, "Hermione, long time no see. I'll give you a gift after your graduation this time."
Hermione's eyes lit up at his words, and she replied with a grin, "Then thank you, Godfather."
Once, she had barely reached his knees, but now—seven years had passed in the blink of an eye. The gift Kain had prepared for Hermione was the Extremis virus serum, modified with magical creatures.
After receiving the injection, Hermione's magical power would rise significantly.
Combined with Luwen's power transfer to her and the influence of Kain's magical material store, it was almost time to unify the wizarding world.
When Hermione and Kain entered the Great Hall, nearly everyone's eyes turned to them.
Whether it was Professor pent—the mighty sorcerer who had defeated Voldemort—or Granger, the rising master of potions, they were the center of attention at the ball.
"Oh ho ho, Professor Pent, welcome!"
Dumbledore chuckled. Without Voldemort's looming threat, he had grown more and more like a carefree old man. His main pleasures now were indulging in sweets—or traveling elsewhere to find more sweets. The day-to-day management of Hogwarts had almost entirely been passed to Professor McGonagall.
Kain smiled and replied, "Headmaster Dumbledore, I have something to discuss with you after the ball."
"Of course, I'm free anytime. Would you like a butterscotch with honey-chocolate filling?"
"…No thanks, I prefer spicy food."
Kain replied respectfully. Even if he enjoyed desserts, such a heavy combination was too much—just imagining it made him feel overwhelmed.
After greeting a few professors, the ball officially began.
Only sixth- and seventh-year students were invited to attend.
Most of the seventh-years had already secured jobs and future plans. Even Ron had something lined up at home—he was preparing to join the Department of Magical Games and Sports at the Ministry of Magic.
Students like Harry were the exception. He claimed he wanted to become an Auror, but he hadn't made any real preparations. Perhaps the Potter family vault gave him confidence—he could live comfortably even without the job.
When it comes to a dance party, dancing is of course indispensable. This was the final joyful moment for the seventh-year students. At Hermione's invitation, Kain also stepped onto the dance floor.
The party was in full swing, laughter and music filling the hall.
After dancing with Hermione, Kain received invitations from several others.
With his fame and appearance, he was easily the most popular man among the women at the event—though being too popular had its drawbacks.
Eventually, he ended up dancing with the eccentric Luna Lovegood before leaving the ball together with Hermione.
In a quiet corner of the auditorium, a pair of eyes watched with a lost, distant gaze.
After seeing Hermione that evening, Ron couldn't shake the hollow feeling in his chest. He felt as if he had let a treasure slip through his fingers. Even when Laboon came back to lick his hand again, Ron couldn't muster a smile.
Especially when Hermione smiled at Kain—a radiant, heartfelt smile that made her shine like a pearl that night.
But sadly, that smile wasn't meant for him.
"Harry, you're sure Hermione doesn't have that kind of relationship with the professor, right?"
Harry and Ginny exchanged a helpless look. Harry hesitated for a moment before replying, "Ron, it's over. We can't control Hermione's choices."
Ginny added, a little irritated, "Ron, maybe you should pay more attention to Laboon. She stormed off ten minutes ago."
Ron replied dully, "Doesn't matter. I don't care."
Ginny turned to Harry and said, exasperated, "Let's just go dance, Harry. He's hopeless."
"You're right, Ginny," Harry agreed, and they returned to the dance floor.
Back in fourth year, Harry had liked Cho Chang, but with Cedric around, there hadn't been much he could do. That little crush had ended in quiet disappointment.
"Godfather, are you going to explore the ruins of Ancient Greece?"
Hermione had followed Kain to the headmaster's office earlier, and from his conversation with Dumbledore, she had pieced together Kain's plans.
"We'll head to Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry first," Kain explained. "With Dumbledore's letter of recommendation, borrowing their magic books should be easy. After that, I'll start looking for the ruins of the Legendary Mage. Though honestly, I don't know how much I'll find."
He explained that, although he had narrowed down the possible location using notes left behind by Nicolas Flamel, it was still uncertain whether the ruins of the ancient mages could be found—or if there was anything valuable left behind.
It was all a gamble.
As Dumbledore had said, in recent years, many wizards had taken on similar quests. Some returned with great success, others with nothing. But if you were wealthy and powerful, you could always drink Felix Felicis to boost your chances.
That was why Hermione had become Kain's lucky star. She had stockpiled three bottles of Felix Felicis, and this time, they were expecting a favorable outcome.
From Dumbledore, Kain had learned that ancient Greek magic emphasized mysterious, arcane forces—completely different from the wand-based magic used today. That alone intrigued him immensely.
"Except for a few rare wizards, like Merlin or the founders of Hogwarts, most of the truly Legendary wizards came from Ancient Greece," Kain mused. "I've heard their system is fundamentally different from our modern magic. If we could find even a glimpse of it…"
In the end, magic was a field that thrived on knowledge and experience. And Kain still had time. He was in no rush to leave the wizarding world.
"Godfather, I want to go too," Hermione said, her eyes sparkling. "There's nothing going on at school right now, and the Ministry of Magic won't be recruiting for a few more months. Take me with you."
Kain considered it. He still needed time for Guy Tell to gather magical creatures anyway. This would be the perfect opportunity to travel with Hermione and search for the ancient ruins.
"Of course you can come. Once we're back, pack your things. First stop—the American school of magic."
What was difficult for ordinary wizards would be much easier for Kain. With his magic and the help of the Red Queen, he could hack into both U.S. and Soviet satellite networks. He also had the Thunder Fruit's electromagnetic scanning powers and a fleet of drones.
After returning, Hermione took a long vacation with her parents before moving in with Kain at his house in Diagon Alley. She planned to travel with him over the next two years, which reassured the Grangers. Plus, they'd receive rare magical products from faraway places—an added bonus.
Kain had also expanded the Diagon Alley house. Originally, he'd only purchased the adjoining three-story buildings on the left and right, but after extensive internal renovations, the place now felt more like a castle.
With his wealth, Kain could've bought an actual castle—but there was no need. He wouldn't be staying there for long anyway.
"Professor, Hermione, you're back!"
Fleur had returned a day earlier and greeted them warmly. Hermione, however, couldn't help but snort quietly to herself. This was probably the one part she didn't like.
This home was full of memories between her and her godfather—now an outsider had moved in. Even if Fleur had a reasonable explanation for living there (after all, being deputy manager of the magical materials store meant her commute was just two minutes), Hermione still wasn't thrilled.
"I've got something to take care of. I'm going to rest for now, Godfather," Hermione said before heading upstairs to her room.
Kain just shrugged, helpless. Then he turned to Fleur.
"Hermione and I will be heading out for a few days."
"I see, Professor~" Fleur responded sweetly. Her clear blue eyes shimmered, and with her natural Veela allure, her intentions for the evening didn't need to be spoken aloud.
That night, only two lights remained on in Kain's house—just enough to read his spellbook without making the room too bright.
Soft footsteps echoed in the hallway outside his door. Fleur quietly entered, closing and locking the door behind her.
"Fleur," Kain started, but she stepped forward and embraced him, whispering, "Turn off the light, Professor."
Before he could respond, she wordlessly cast a spell, and the lights dimmed to darkness.
"Wandless casting, huh? Fleur, you've improved a lot…"
"All thanks to you, Professor~"
Before the words had even faded, Fleur was already passionately engaged, her enthusiasm strikingly intense. Kain felt something was… different. Fleur seemed more eager than usual, a little hurried, almost like she was hiding something beneath the surface.
Her scent had changed too—still sweet, but new, and oddly compelling. The combination triggered an unusual, irresistible impulse in him.
As she leaned close to the door earlier, he thought he saw her take a deep breath. Then suddenly—her body moved with unexpected precision.
It was tight. Hot.
Different from what he remembered of her Veela nature.
But the next moment, her nimble tongue silenced any further thought, leaving Kain speechless.
Caught up in her intense energy, Kain set aside his usual guarded instincts and responded in kind.
And then… something shifted.
Her form changed.
But neither Kain nor "Fleur" stopped.
They continued, wordlessly, lost in the moment.
….
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