The basement of Hogwarts Castle.
Passing the Potions classroom, Jon glanced at the quiet Slytherin common room beyond the slanted stone wall. He continued on past the entrance to the Hogwarts kitchens. In the corner of the corridor to the right, among a stack of large barrels, he found what he was looking for.
He raised a finger and tapped the bottom of one barrel in the rhythm of "Helga Hufflepuff." The lid rotated open slowly on its own.
Jon took a deep breath, unable to steady his emotions.
The Hufflepuff common room.
He had lived here for three years. And for nearly two years now, he had not set foot inside.
He walked along the familiar passage, through the round tunnel shaped like the inside of a barrel.
At the end stood a circular, low-ceilinged room filled with the faint scent of earth. Sunlight streamed down through the transparent ceiling. Through the round windows, swaying grass and dandelions were visible outside. Polished brass fittings gleamed everywhere, and plants hung from the ceiling or sat neatly along the windowsills.
And—Thunderous applause.
Deafening cheers.
Almost the entire Hufflepuff house had gathered inside the not-so-spacious room. Some faces were familiar to Jon, others new. Some eyes shimmered with tears; some wore radiant smiles; others were practically bouncing with excitement.
But they were all here for one reason.
They had all come for him.
...
A tall figure rushed forward and wrapped Jon in a crushing bear hug.
"Jon… my friend!" Zacharias Smith's voice trembled. "Welcome home… welcome back to Hufflepuff."
In the past two years, he had grown at least fifteen centimeters taller and now stood slightly above Jon. Yet the big oaf was barely holding back tears.
"Easy, Zacharias…" Jon wheezed, nearly squeezed breathless. "I'm sorry I couldn't explain everything back then… but I'm back now, aren't I?"
Zacharias nodded and released him, quickly wiping his eyes.
Hannah Abbott hurried over next and threw her arms around Jon.
"This isn't a dream, is it…" she murmured. "Jon, I never thought we'd see you again… see you alive."
"I'm sorry, Hannah…" Jon said with a faint, apologetic smile.
Hannah shook her head. "No. Professor Sprout sent a house-elf to tell us. She said you had your reasons… Jon, you're the pride of Hufflepuff. Professor Sprout said you're the most outstanding Hufflepuff student in the past fifty years—no one else even comes close."
"Thank you, Hannah."
Then came Susan Bones… Ernie Macmillan… Steven Lucas…
One by one, his old Hufflepuff friends crowded around him. Some hugged him tightly; some gripped his hand and refused to let go. Their excitement was impossible to hide.
"You really should have told us something back then," Zacharias said at last, sounding calmer but still faintly reproachful.
"Zacharias!" Hannah shot him a glare. "Jon was risking his life infiltrating the Death Eaters. How could he possibly tell us?"
Still, she wiped her eyes again. "But… maybe you could've hinted at something. It broke us."
"I'm sorry… truly."
"I'll write to Cedric!" Zacharias suddenly exclaimed, slapping his forehead. "He'll be even happier than we are when he hears!"
"Cedric?" Jon paused.
"Cedric always thought your 'death' was his fault," Susan Bones explained. "He believed that if the Goblet of Fire had chosen him instead of you—so young at the time—you wouldn't have ended up facing You-Know-Who. He's blamed himself ever since."
Jon fell silent for a moment. "What's Cedric doing now? He must've graduated nearly a year ago."
"The Ballycastle Bats offered him a contract as their new Seeker," Susan said. "The pay was excellent. But Cedric turned it down. He joined the Ministry of Magic as an Auror trainee instead. I've heard he's doing exceptionally well—he might finish the three-year training program in less than a year."
Jon nodded, a small, relieved smile touching his lips.
"Can you come back and continue your studies?" Hannah asked eagerly. She straightened proudly, showing the Prefect badge pinned to her chest. "Jon, I'm a Hufflepuff prefect now. I can help."
"I'm the boys' prefect," Ernie added. "Jon, based on your year, you should be preparing for your O.W.L.s soon. But if you haven't had enough time to revise… I can write to the Ministry. Given your circumstances, they'd surely allow you to postpone the exams."
"I'm sorry…" Jon shook his head. "I'm no longer a Hufflepuff student."
"What?" Hannah and Ernie both stared at him.
"Professor Dumbledore removed my enrollment over half a year ago to avoid suspicion," Jon said seriously. "In other words, I've been expelled from Hogwarts. Hogwarts doesn't issue a second invitation to the same student. That's the rule. And it can't be changed."
"It's all right—I'll go talk to Professor Sprout," Hannah said at once, scrambling back through the barrel entrance and dashing toward the greenhouses.
"I'll take you to your old dormitory," Ernie offered warmly. "It's been two years. We haven't touched anything in there—aside from cleaning."
...
Jon stepped back into his former dormitory and breathed in the familiar scent of earth.
A familiar warmth settled over him.
But it was only temporary.
He carried heavier responsibilities now. The life he once had was no longer something he could simply return to.
He dropped into a chair, as if remembering something.
Then he reached into his pocket and carefully took out a tiny, wrinkled fledgling.