—"Cyrus, recognized alongside Albus Dumbledore as one of the greatest wizards of all ti, current Headmaster of Ilvermorny, renowned for defeating the Dark Lord Voldemort in 1995."—
In the Great Hall of Hogwarts, Neville held a struggling Chocolate Frog in one hand while reading from a card in the other.
It wasn't until he had finished reading the entire passage that he fully grasped what he was holding. His face, once more mature than before but still carrying traces of his younger self, flushed bright red with excitent.
"I got it!"
He nearly jumped onto the table, raising the card high above his head.
The Chocolate Frog took advantage of the distraction, slipping free from his grip and leaping off the table, vanishing from sight.
But Neville didn't care about the chocolate anymore.
"I got Cyrus's card!"
Instantly, he beca the center of attention. Hundreds of students rushed toward him, all stretching out their hands, eager to touch the legendary card.
Only Harry and his friends, sitting a short distance away, remained unmoved, calmly continuing their al.
They were simply feeling a bit nostalgic.
The scene of Cyrus defeating Voldemort in the Tournant had now spread across the world. Even Neville's grandmother had heard about it, and she finally stopped seeing Cyrus as an enemy.
Later, Cyrus had used Ancient Magic to heal Neville's parents, and as a result, Neville deeply respected him now.
But while so wounds could be healed, others were beyond saving—so lives had already been lost forever.
"Cyrus's Chocolate Frog card must be the rarest one now, right?" Harry asked, taking a sip of pumpkin juice. He had tried collecting Chocolate Frog cards before, but he had never been particularly obsessed with it.
Ron, however, was another story.
"Even rarer than the Cornelius Agrippa swap card," Ron said.
But he didn't join the crowd fighting over Neville's card, because Cyrus had already promised to give each of them a special edition card for Christmas this year—a collector's edition.
"He's a big celebrity now, huh?" Ron teased. "I bet you lot won't be seeing much of him anymore. Maybe Mum should just send you to Ilvermorny next term?"
He was talking to Ginny.
"Don't be stupid." Ginny had never indulged her clueless older brother, and in fact, she never even called him 'brother'. "You should be worrying about your O.W.L.s instead. Let's just hope you don't flunk them all, you idiot."
Ron rolled his eyes.
But Hermione completely agreed.
"Ginny's right, Ron," she said seriously. "You two really need to start thinking about your future. The O.W.L. exams determine which courses you can continue in your sixth year. If you don't get enough certificates—or worse, if you don't pass any at all—you'll either have to repeat the year or graduate early… And the best-case scenario? You end up in Knockturn Alley, rubbing shoulders with shady dark wizards."
"Ugh! That's a horrible thing to say," Ron grumbled. No matter how bad things got, he and Harry wouldn't completely fail... well, that's what he truly believed.
In fact, by his own calculations, Ron figured he could at least get three to five O.W.L.s. Harry would probably get more, especially since he had spent an entire year training under Dumbledore.
"I'm just being honest," Hermione said rcilessly. "And you too, Harry—exams won't give you extra points just because you're famous."
Harry, once again dragged into the conversation for no reason, pulled a miserable face.
"You know, I really wish the Tournant had been held this year instead. Then I could've skipped the O.W.L.s."
Last year, Cedric had managed to avoid his N.E.W.T. exams because of the Tournant, and thanks to his outstanding performance, he had still earned all his certifications—top marks, no less.
"Keep dreaming!"
"Haah~ I won't get the chance either," Ginny said regretfully. "The Tournant is only held every four years. By the ti the next one happens, I'll have graduated. Don't you think that's incredibly unfair? I was too young to compete this ti, and next ti, I'll be gone."
"Hey! Hey, hey! Don't be ridiculous," Ron shook his head. "Think about everything that happened in this Tournant. I wouldn't participate even if they handed the champion title for free. No exam is worth risking your life over."
Then, he turned to Hermione. "What about you? What do you plan to do after school?"
"Heh~ I already have a plan." Hermione lifted her chin proudly. "Cyrus thinks I should beco Minister for Magic one day."
"...."
"..."
The mont she said this, the entire group fell into stunned silence.
The only noise that remained was the distant commotion from Neville's table, where students were still fighting over the Cyrus Chocolate Frog card.
Hmm?
The awkward pause made Hermione frown, clearly displeased.
"What? You don't think I can do it?"
"You want to be Minister for Magic? You're insane. Are you Percy reincarnated?" Ron said in disbelief.
He had thought having one power-hungry person in the family was bad enough, but now Hermione too?
Imdiately, he mocked her. "Should I ask Percy to lend you his favorite book? 'How a Prefect Can Gain Power'? Since you're a Head Girl now, it'd be perfect for you."
"You're dead, Ronald Weasley!"
Harry and Ginny weren't as blunt as Ron, but they still tried to be diplomatic. "Hermione, I have to remind you, this won't be easy. You're brilliant, and I believe you'll have a great chance to work at the Ministry as soon as you graduate, but becoming Minister for Magic is a whole different challenge."
"You.. You think it's because of my background?"
"Oh, hell no, I an your political track record," Harry clarified.
Over the years, Harry had gained a pretty clear understanding of how power worked. When Fudge didn't have much authority, he had stayed close to Dumbledore, and back then, Harry could get away with things.
Especially in third year, when he had broken the rules and should have been expelled, but instead, Fudge had not only let it slide but even arranged a room for him at the Leaky Cauldron.
Later, however, things changed.
During the Triwizard Tournant, tensions between Fudge and Dumbledore had begun to surface, and after the Departnt of Mysteries battle, things had escalated even further.
"You have no major political achievents, no family influence—you'd have a hard ti becoming Minister. I an, no one would support you."
But Ginny imdiately countered.
"Who says she has no support? We have the entire Weasley family, the famous Boy Who Lived, and most importantly, Cyrus will back her."
_________
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