Chapter 218: Christmas Party

The brief funeral ended in solemn silence. In the end, only Kreacher himself was still screaming, and Sirius basically recovered.

In his opinion, this was already the best possible outcome.

The message of Regulus' death was confirmed thirteen years ago. This funeral was just a belated ceremony.

All his wishes had been fulfilled, and now his soul could rest in peace.

To Sirius, Regulus was no longer a weak and evil Death Eater, no longer a fool who knew nothing at all and was finally killed for the family's pureblood philosophy. His brother was a well-deserved hero. He was proud of Regulus.

Though the funeral was humble, everything was perfect.

The same was true for Ivan. The only regrets were that they didn't get the locket Regulus used to replace Voldemort's Horcrux, and the letter used to record his last words.

He still remembered the words above, which should go something like this: 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 intend to destroy it as soon as I can. I face death in the hope that when you meet your adversary, you will be mortal once again. R.A.B

This note written to Voldemort, between the lines, fully reflected Regulus' heroic and courageous character, as well as the young man's shattered dream.

Regulus was known to have been Voldemort's wildest worshipper.

It could also be seen from the words of this note that, unlike all other wizards who were determined to resist Voldemort, until the last moment of his life, he still called Voldemort the Dark Lord, which was Voldemort's honorary name for the Mortifagi.

This showed how Regulus regarded Voldemort.

However, for the sake of his inner righteousness, for his own faith and persistence, Regulus ultimately chose to steal and destroy Voldemort's Horcrux. He chose to pay his life as the price.

From this point of view, Ivan wanted to take a look at the note he wrote.

But Dumbledore said there was no way to get through the green liquids Voldemort had put in the stone basin besides drinking them.

Only when Voldemort checks his own Horcrux in the future could Regulus' last words be seen again.

Though regrettable, this was undoubtedly exactly what Regulus had thought before he died. In this way, the last words of Regulus' life could be relayed to Voldemort, letting him know that there were still many people who resisted him in the dark, even among Death Eaters.

Thinking about this dramatic scene, Ivan couldn't wait to see Voldemort's expression.

He might be filled with anger, but he shouldn't be surprised. After all, from the beginning to the end, Voldemort never trusted anyone but himself. The Death Eaters who thought he trusted them were mere pawns, nothing more.

It was getting dark. After Regulus' funeral, Dumbledore rushed back to the Ministry of Magic, where he would attend Pettigrew's trial by the Wizengamot.

Peter's trial had reached a critical stage, and the impact of this case was enormous, and countless people were waiting for the final verdict.

Even at Christmas, the Wizengamot had no time to rest.

After Dumbledore left, Lupin, Sirius, Ivan, Harry and Hermione did not return to 12 Grimmauld Square. Instead, they went to the Leaky Cauldron to participate in the Christmas party as planned.

Kreacher was also taken with them, although Sirius thought he should stay home alone, just as before. But the others insisted that it would be good for him to let Kreacher live at Hogwarts and make contact with other house elves.

After the Apparition, Ivan and the others arrived at the Leaky Cauldron.

He was staring in disbelief at the small, ramshackle pub before him, sweeping through the dark and dingy style of the past. The whole room was dressed like a dream with green Christmas trees, mistletoe and glittering gold stars and other Christmas decorations everywhere.

The rich aroma of food wafted from the kitchen, and Tom, the bar owner, stood behind the bar in a funny red Christmas costume, flashing an ugly grin as he welcomed everyone to the party.

Although the Christmas decorations were not as spectacular as Hogwarts, it was more of a festive atmosphere.

Inside the bar, cheerful wizards could be seen everywhere, many of whom were Ivan's classmates at Hogwarts.

People sitting at the bar with their glasses strewn about, gathered and chatted happily, laughing merrily from time to time.

In the middle of the bar, a grotesquely dressed band played a soothing Christmas tune. Occasionally, magic was used to create a couple of colorful bubbles and golden fireworks. There were many young people around the band jumping and dancing merrily.

Ivan rubbed his eyes. It was unbelievable. He couldn't imagine that a few hours ago they were still fighting thousands of Inferi in a grotesque and dreary cave, and now they were trapped in a sea of festivities.

It was Christmas, and that was a real Christmas party.

When they entered, the atmosphere in the bar was at its peak.

Sirius and Harry were recognized almost instantly, and there was silence in the Leaky Cauldron, and then a sudden burst of warm applause almost brought the roof down. Everyone huddled together, shook hands again and again, and sent the heartiest Christmas greetings.

Ivan was much less famous there than Harry, who had the reputation of being a savior. And he enjoyed his free time by going to the bar with Hermione to get a drink.

Not far away, Lupin went to see the bar owner and booked several rooms for the night.

Ivan leaned against the bar and looked at Sirius and Harry, who couldn't tear themselves away from the crowd for a while. He thought for a moment, tugged on Hermione's little hand and prepared to go to Diagon Alley to look around.

He had just heard from Lupin that there were celebrations all over Diagon Alley tonight, not just in the Leaky Cauldron. According to previous years, people always celebrated into the wee hours of the morning.

Ivan and Hermione walked past the bar and into the small walled courtyard outside.

It was completely dark and the festive atmosphere of the bar was isolated by the door, and only a faint sound could be heard.

The two were huddled together in the narrow courtyard, and they were very close to each other.

Hermione's heartbeat was getting faster and faster as she felt Ivan's breath coming closer, and her face turned red.

Hermione, who had just confronted the Inferi in the cave, was very tense. But now, she had relaxed.

Her mind went blank, when she foolishly led by Ivan out of confidence. She had no idea what he wanted to do. But sweet joys, nervousness and strange feelings mingled deep inside her.

Is this what dating is all about?