Chapter 218 Christmas Party
The brief funeral ceremony ended in a solemn silence. In the end, only the house-elf Kreacher was still screaming, and Sirius had basically recovered.
In his view, this was already the best possible outcome.
The news of Regulus' death had been confirmed thirteen years ago. This funeral was just a belated ceremony.
All his wishes had been fulfilled, and his soul could rest in peace.
For Sirius, Regulus was no longer a weak and evil Death Eater, no longer a fool who knew nothing and who was eventually killed by the pure-blood philosophy of the family. His brother was a well-deserved hero. He was proud of Regulus.
Although the funeral was humble, everything was perfect.
The same could be said for Evan. The only regret was not obtaining the Locket that Regulus used to replace Voldemort's Horcrux, and the letter used to record his last words.
He still remembered the words written above, which should be something like: "To the Dark Lord, I know I will be dead long before you read this but I want you to know that it was I who discovered your secret. I have stolen the real Horcrux and I intend to destroy it as soon as I can. I face death in the hope that when you meet your match, you will be mortal once more. R.A.B."
This note written to Voldemort, between the lines, fully reflected Regulus' heroic and fearless character, as well as the shattered dream of the young man.
It is worth noting that Regulus was once Voldemort's most ardent follower.
It could also be seen in the words of this note that, unlike all the other wizards who were determined to resist Voldemort until the last moment of their lives, he still called Voldemort the Dark Lord, which was the Death Eater's honor to Voldemort.
This showed how Regulus viewed Voldemort.
However, for the sake of his internal justice, for his own faith and persistence, Regulus finally chose to steal and destroy Voldemort's Horcrux. He chose to pay with his life as the price.
From this perspective, Evan wanted to take a look at the note he had written.
But Dumbledore said there was no way to penetrate the green liquids Voldemort had placed on the stone basin besides drinking them.
Only when Voldemort revisits his own Horcrux in the future will Regulus' last words be able to be seen again.
Although regretful, this was undoubtedly exactly what Regulus had thought before his death. In this way, Regulus' final words of his life could be conveyed to Voldemort, letting him know that there were still many people resisting him in the darkness, even among the Death Eaters.
Thinking of this dramatic scene, Evan couldn't wait to see Voldemort's expression.
He might be filled with anger, but he shouldn't be surprised. After all, from beginning to end, Voldemort never trusted anyone but himself. The Death Eaters who thought he trusted them were nothing more than mere pawns.
It was getting dark. After Regulus' funeral, Dumbledore hurried back to the Ministry of Magic, where he had to attend Pettigrew's trial before the Wizengamot.
Peter's trial had reached a critical stage, and the impact of this case was enormous, with countless people awaiting the final verdict.
Even on Christmas, the Wizengamot had no time to rest.
After Dumbledore left, Lupin, Sirius, Evan, Harry, and Hermione did not return to Grimmauld Place 12. Instead, they went to the Leaky Cauldron pub to attend the Christmas party as planned.
Kreacher was also brought along with them, although Sirius thought he should stay home alone as before. But the others insisted that it might be good for him to let Kreacher live at Hogwarts and interact with other house-elves.
After Apparition, Evan arrived at the Leaky Cauldron.
He was incredulously staring at the small and rundown pub in front of him, enveloping himself in the dark and dirty style of the past. The entire place was decorated like a Christmas dream with green Christmas trees, mistletoe, shiny golden stars, and various other Christmas decorations everywhere.
The rich aroma of food wafted from the kitchen, and Tom, the pub owner, was behind the bar in a cheerful red Christmas costume, opening his mouth to reveal a less-than-graceful smile, welcoming everyone to the party.
Although the Christmas decorations there were not as spectacular as those at Hogwarts, there was a festive atmosphere prevailing instead.
Inside the bar, cheerful wizards could be seen everywhere, many of whom were Evan's fellow students from Hogwarts.
People sitting at the bar with their scattered drinks gathered and chatted animatedly, occasionally laughing happily.
In the center of the bar, a band dressed extravagantly played a soothing Christmas melody. Every now and then, magic was used to create colorful bubbles and golden fireworks. Many youths around the band were jumping and dancing joyfully.
Evan rubbed his eyes. It was incredible. He couldn't imagine that just a few hours ago, they were still fighting thousands of Inferi in a grotesque and gloomy cave, and now they were immersed in a sea of festivities.
It was Christmas, and it was a true Christmas celebration.
As they entered, the atmosphere in the bar was at its peak.
Sirius and Harry were almost instantly recognized, and there was a hush in the Leaky Cauldron pub, followed by a sudden outburst of warm applause that almost shook the ceiling. Everyone crowded around, shaking their hands repeatedly and sending the warmest Christmas greetings.
Evan was much less famous there than Harry, who had the reputation of being a savior. He enjoyed his free time going to the bar with Hermione for a drink.
Not far away, Lupin approached the bar owner and booked several rooms for the night.
Evan leaned on the bar and observed Sirius and Harry, who couldn't break free from the crowd for a while. For a moment, he considered taking Hermione's hand and heading to Diagon Alley to have a look.
He had just heard from Lupin that there would be celebrations all over Diagon Alley tonight, not just at the Leaky Cauldron. According to past years, people always celebrated until the early hours of the morning.
Evan and Hermione walked through the bar and out to the small walled courtyard.
It was pitch black, and the festive atmosphere in the bar was isolated by the door; only a faint murmur could be heard.
The two huddled close to each other in the narrow courtyard.
Hermione's heart was beating faster as she felt Evan's breath drawing near, her face turning red.
Hermione, who had just faced the Inferi in the cave, had been so tense. But now, she had relaxed.
She was distracted, foolishly letting herself trust Evan. She had no idea what he wanted to do. But sweet joys, nervousness, and strange sensations mixed deep within her heart.
Is this what they call a date?