The basement of Hogwarts Castle.

Walking past the Potions classroom, I glanced at the somewhat deserted Slytherin common room behind a sloping stone wall. Then there was the location of the Hogwarts kitchen, and in the middle of a pile of vats in the corner of the corridor to the right of the kitchen, Jon found his target.

Stretching out a finger and tapping the bottom lid of one of the vasks to the rhythm of "Helga Hufflepuff". The case back slowly rotated automatically—

Jon took a deep breath, feeling a little uneasy.

Hufflepuff's common room, where he had lived for three years, had not been able to set foot for nearly two years.

Slowly follow this familiar passage through an underground tunnel as round as an oak barrel.

Next up Jon would face a round, low-ceilinged room with a faint scent of earth. The ceiling is transparent and flooded with sunlight, and swaying grass and dandelions can be seen through the circular windows. In many places, there are smooth and shiny copper ornaments, and there are many plants that hang from the ceiling or are placed on the windowsills......

and—

Thunderous applause, and earth-shattering cheers.

Almost all of the Hufflepuff students were gathered in such a small low-ceiling room...... Among them, there were familiar faces from Jon, as well as some unfamiliar ones. Some were in tears, some were smiling, and some were cheering......

The only thing that is certain is that the Hufflepuff students are waiting for him.

......

A tall body rushed over and gave Jon a hard bear hug.

Jon...... My friend!" Zacharis-Smith's voice was tinged with tears: "Welcome home...... Welcome back to Hufflepuff. ”

In the past two years, he has grown at least fifteen centimeters taller, and now slightly taller than Jon...... But at this time, such a stupid big man was a little sobbing because of excitement.

"Don't cry, Zacharis. Jon was a little uncomfortable by him, and he gasped and said, "I'm sorry I couldn't explain everything to you...... But I'm back now, aren't I?"

Zacharis nodded, let go of his arm, and reached out to wipe his tears.

Then there was Hannah Abbott, who also ran over in a hurry and gave Jon a tight hug.

"Aren't you really dreaming......" Hannah muttered, "Jon, I didn't expect us to see you again...... See you alive!"

"I'm sorry, Hannah......" Jon said with a wry smile.

Hannah Abbott shook her head, "No, Professor Sprout has sent the house-elves to tell us that you have a reason for your concealment...... Jon, you are the pride of our Hufflepuffs, and Professor Sprout said that you are the most distinguished Hufflepuff student in the last fifty years......"

"Thank you, Hannah. ”

Then there was Susan Burns...... And then there's Ernie McMillan...... And Steven Lucas......

Every friend who was in Hufflepuff was very emotional, some hugged him tightly, and some held his hand and refused to let it go......

"Anyway, you should have told us at the time......" Zacharis seemed to regain his composure, and he grumbled slightly.

"Zacharis, Jon risked his life to break into the Death Eaters. Hannah glared at him reproachfully: "How could he tell us ......"

As she spoke, Hannah wiped her tears from her eyes again, "But you can give us a little bit of information at that time...... That way we won't be so sad. ”

"Sorry...... I'm really sorry......"

"I'm going to write to Cedric...... "Zachares-Smith patted his head and said excitedly: "Cedric would be happier than we were if he found out about it!"

"Cedric?" Jon froze.

"Cedric has always felt that your 'death' is actually his fault. Susan Bones on one side explained: "He always thought that if the Goblet of Fire had chosen him instead of you, you wouldn't have ended up with the mystery man...... Cedric has always blamed himself for this. ”

"So what is Cedric doing now?" Jon asked curiously, "he should have graduated almost a year ago." ”

"The Bat of Ballycas were willing to recruit him as their new Seeker and offered a high salary. Susan said seriously, "But Cedric turned down the contract and instead chose to go to the Ministry of Magic to become a trainee Auror...... He is said to have performed very well in Auror training, and he may be able to complete the three-year training program in less than a year. ”

Jon nodded, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"Can you come back to class now, and continue to be a Hufflepuff student?" Hannah puffed up her chest with some pride, revealing the prefect badge on her chest, "Jon, I'm already a Hufflepuff prefect, I can do you a favor." ”

"I'm a boys' prefect. Ernie McMillan on the other side said, "Jon, based on your school age, you should be doing it right away. LS is taking the exam, but if you don't feel like you have enough time to revise...... I'll write a letter to the Ministry of Magic for you, and given your particular circumstances, they should be able to excuse you from the exam. ”

"I'm sorry......" Jon shook his head, "I'm not a Hufflepuff student anymore." ”

"Huh?" Both Hannah and Ernie were a little surprised.

"Professor Dumbledore canceled my student registration more than half a year ago to avoid suspicion...... In other words, I've been expelled from Hogwarts. Jon said with a serious face, "Hogwarts rules don't invite a student twice...... The rules cannot be changed. ”

"It's okay, I'll talk to Professor Sprout first and see if there's room for negotiation. Hannah hurriedly climbed out of the barrel and ran in the direction of the greenhouse.

"I'll take you back to your dorm. Ernie said kindly, "It's been two years, and we haven't touched anything in it except for cleaning." ”

......

I went back to my old dormitory, smelling the familiar scent of earth in the air.

Jon felt nothing but a moment of comfort, and relief.

It's a pity that this feeling is temporary, he now has heavier responsibilities, and his past life can't go back.

As he sat down at the table, Jon seemed to remember something.

Then, from his pocket, he pulled out a small, crumpled chick.