Harry caught the subtext in Poppy's words.
The meaning was crystal clear: You being lovesick from eating too many red beans is your own problem, but I haven't lived long enough yet, and I certainly don't want to die.
Possessing a strong instinct for self-preservation, Harry immediately pulled out his crystal ball and said to Poppy, "You're absolutely right, Poppy. I've decided to send a message to Veratia right now and invite her. What do you think?"
"That sounds wonderful," Poppy said with a beaming smile.
A moment later, Veratia picked up the call.
"Hi, Harry." Veratia looked quite spirited. "Are you on holiday now?"
"Yes," Harry nodded. "The holidays have started. I was just thinking about going to the seaside to play. Do you have time? Would you like to come along?"
"I won't be going, Harry." Veratia reached up to rub her eyelids. "There's been too much going on at the Ministry lately. Managing to squeeze in a visit to the Triwizard Tournament was already stealing time from a busy schedule. I hope you all have fun."
"Alright then." Harry didn't know whether he should be disappointed or relieved; his feelings were rather complicated either way.
After hanging up, Poppy flashed a peace sign.
"Yay!" she said, grinning. "It looks like Veratia doesn't object to us going out to play. So, where should we go? Harry? Have a think, where would be good?"
"Let's go to the Isle of Wight," Harry said. "It's known as the most beautiful island in the UK. Perhaps we could go there together? Just to relax..."
The Isle of Wight, also known as the Island of Vectis, is a famous British tourist destination, hailed as England's most beautiful island, and was also the British Royal Family's favorite island.
The Isle of Wight's area is quite small—only half the size of London—and one can drive around the entire island in just an hour. The island's scenery is unique, featuring both steep cliffs and gentle sandy beaches. It is picturesque with a pleasant climate, making it perfect for tourism.
"Let's do it, count me in too!" Hermione raised her hand. When everyone looked at her, she grinned sheepishly. "You'll definitely need a Muggle to plan the itinerary. My dad actually went to the Isle of Wight for a holiday before. With him guiding us, we'll definitely avoid a lot of wrong turns."
"Fair point," Harry agreed with a chuckle. "So, what about you, Ron? Are you coming? Will you invite your family along?"
"Of course," Ron replied with a smile. "Let me see... aside from Charlie raising dragons in Romania, I think everyone else can go, like Bill..."
"Or we could also invite Fleur," Harry grinned with a positively wretched expression. "Doesn't she like Bill? This is the perfect opportunity... and she can bring her sister Gabrielle along to relax as well. No point in them sitting idle."
"Good suggestion," Ron clapped his hands. "It's settled then. I'll talk to Mum and Dad when I get home. I'm sure they'll agree to it."
But Harry still faced one problem: Cassandra.
"What about Cass?" Poppy asked at just the right moment.
"Cass, huh..." Harry took a deep breath. "Well... I'll go ask her. I don't think she'll refuse us, what do you think?"
Poppy spread her hands.
"Hard to say."
With a feeling of trepidation, Harry found Cassandra waiting for a house-elf at the entrance of the Common Room.
"Oh, isn't this Harry?" Cassandra asked with a smile. "Why come to me instead of looking for that fat one?"
That fat one?
Harry knocked on his head; he knew Cassandra must be referring to Poppy.
After all, among the people who could make Cassandra this snarky, Veratia certainly didn't count as fat—she was at most a bit strong. As for Poppy... well...
That creature's construction was, primarily, fat.
"Listen, Cass." Harry reached out and placed his hand on Cassandra's shoulder. "I plan to go to the Isle of Wight for a holiday during the break. Are you interested in coming along? Or... I think we could also invite Lucius and his family. A big group of us getting together to relax—what do you think?"
"It seems that Grindelwald woman rejected you, didn't she?" Cassandra said with a smile. "So I'm just your backup choice, Harry."
"I just plan to invite all of you..." Harry felt his headache returning. "There are no backup options; you are all my wings."
"Oh, you greedy fellow," Cassandra laughed. "Alright, since you've issued the invitation, I'll reluctantly accept... The Isle of Wight, correct? I'll need to speak to Lucius and Narcissa about it."
"Mm." Harry let out a long sigh of relief. "When you have news, come find me at Number 12 Grimmauld Place, or send Dobby over with a message."
"I'll give you a call." Cassandra pulled out a crystal ball. "Remember this? Oh, you surely forgot—you gave me a crystal ball made by Mr. Flamel..."
"You come to Number 12 Grimmauld Place tonight!" Harry snapped. "Today, I must let you know exactly who you shouldn't provoke!"
Cassandra covered her mouth with the back of her hand, but her beautiful eyes looked at Harry teasingly.
"That's a promise!" Cassandra said, then turned and walked into the Common Room, leaving Harry standing messily in the wind.
He had an immature hypothesis: Cassandra was deliberately provoking him to achieve exactly this outcome.
But he had no evidence.
Having settled the matter, Harry returned to the entrance of the Great Hall.
Poppy, Ron, and Hermione were still waiting there. Seeing Harry return, Poppy hopped over and asked, "How did it go? Did she agree?"
"She agreed," Harry nodded. "When you go back, ask Newt if he wants to come along... Oh, and tell Theseus as well. Incidentally, let them know Veratia isn't coming."
"Even if Veratia were coming, they wouldn't refuse your invitation," Poppy said with a beaming smile. "What happened back then wasn't Veratia's fault, so you can rest easy."
On their way back to King's Cross Station, the weather was completely different from when they had arrived at Hogwarts last September.
The sky was cloudless, with only the sun hanging high, recklessly scattering its heat.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione struggled for a while before finally finding an empty compartment and sitting down.
Pigwidgeon was covered by Ron's dress robes again because he wouldn't stop hooting shrilly; Hedwig had her head tucked under her wing, dozing off; and Jack the parrot was perched on Hermione's shoulder, one foot clutching a croissant.
The train carried them south, and a lively conversation began in the compartment.
Before long, the Weasley twins and Draco came over, followed by Seamus and Neville.
They enthusiastically discussed what measures Dumbledore would take to stop Voldemort's resurgence, only stopping when the lunch trolley arrived.
"What do you want to eat?" Draco looked very pleased. "Forget it, let's have some of everything. It's on me."
Saying this, he pulled a few Galleons from his pocket and handed them to the lady selling food.
The table was piled high with food; the purchasing power of seven Galleons was truly formidable.
They were covered in snacks, as were their laps. Jack the parrot had abandoned the croissant and turned to launch an offensive on a Cauldron Cake.
"No wasting food! Jack!" Hermione sternly tried to stop the parrot's wasteful behavior, but... she couldn't stop it.
"Ron must have told you, right?" Harry looked up and asked the twins. "We're going to the Isle of Wight for a holiday this summer... By the way, Seamus, and Neville, are you two coming?"
"I can't go," Seamus said helplessly. "My dad signed me up for several academic cram schools. I have to go for tutoring on Muggle knowledge—you know, my mum's a witch, but my dad's a Muggle."
"I can't go either," Neville said with regret. "Gran won't let me wander about; she believes in Dumbledore's judgment."
"What about you?" Harry turned to look at Draco. "When you get back, ask your father if he wants to come to the Isle of Wight together."
"Don't worry, Harry," Draco said, patting his chest. "My father definitely won't refuse your invitation."
They chatted for a bit before engaging in battle with their lunch.
"Who wants to play Exploding Snap?" Fred pulled out a deck of cards after eating.
"Come on, join in," George called out. "We're just sitting around anyway, might as well find something to do... It's still a long way to the station; you don't think the train will arrive in the next second, do you?"
His words met with approval. Except for Hermione, everyone in the compartment joined the game of Exploding Snap.
Playing cards really could make one forget time, especially when everyone was having fun together.
Unknowingly, the train had arrived at King's Cross Station.
"Remember to write back," Harry told them at the exit. "We'll meet at Number 12 Grimmauld Place then, alright?"
"Don't worry," everyone answered in a chaotic chorus.
Cassandra had intended to return to the Malfoy manor with Draco, but Harry grabbed her slender wrist.
"What?" Cassandra looked at Harry teasingly.
"You're not allowed to leave," Harry said, feigning ferocity. "You offended me at noon today, and I'm going to take my revenge tonight—of course, you don't need to worry, I've already sent Draco to notify Lucius and the others."
"Fine," Cassandra said helplessly. "We'll go back together then. Can you let go of my wrist first?"
Harry didn't speak; his hand slid down and rubbed a bit, grasping Cassandra's slender and soft little hand.
"Is this okay?" Harry asked with an innocent, cute expression.
"I really can't do anything with you..." Cassandra sighed lightly.
"Harry, Cassandra."
His godfather's voice rang out from nearby. He was standing beside a black Bentley, waiting for the two of them.
"Sirius." The two greeted him together. Harry led Cassandra by the hand to the Bentley and asked curiously, "Is this your new car, Sirius?"
"How is it?" Sirius said happily. "This year's latest model. I have to admit, Muggles really do have their own aesthetic style when designing these things..."
Saying this, he lowered his voice and said to Harry, "I also modified this car to make it more suitable for a wizard's constitution... Of course, Arthur must absolutely never see this."
Harry knew that 'Arthur' referred to Ron's father, Arthur Weasley, the Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, who regulated exactly this kind of misuse of Muggle items.
"I don't think it matters much, does it?" Harry asked with a chuckle. "It's just some modifications. You know Mr. Weasley has modified his car too... As long as Muggles don't see it, it's not a big deal."
"And those idiots at the Ministry." Sirius took his hand out of his pocket and opened the car door. "Get in. Let's go back and have some dinner tonight—"
After they got in the car, Sirius pressed the buttons for Muggle-Repelling and Invisibility.
"Now then," he said, "Liftoff!"
With that, the car rose from the ground and soared straight into the clouds.
"So," Sirius put on a pair of cool sunglasses, "You should be graduating this year, right, Cassandra? What do you plan to do after graduation?"
"Me?" Cassandra looked up and thought for a moment, smiling faintly as she spoke. "I plan to stay at Hogwarts to teach and apply for the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor."
"Defense Against the Dark Arts professor?" Sirius turned his head, pulled down his glasses, and asked exaggeratedly, "Merlin's motorcycle... I wouldn't recommend you apply for that position. Don't you know? It was cursed by Voldemort; no one can last more than a year..."
"One has to try," Cassandra said.
"Wait a minute..." Harry suddenly asked suspiciously, "Motorcycle? Did Merlin have a motorcycle?"
"Of course not, it's just an exaggerated way of expressing surprise," Sirius said indifferently. "If you take it seriously, you lose, Harry... Just like James used to talk about Merlin's antlers; do you think Merlin had antlers?"
"It is said he was a natural Animagus who could turn into any form," Cassandra suddenly said. "If he turned into an elk, he might really have had antlers."
"Well." Sirius thought about it and realized that actually made sense.
"By the way, Godfather," Harry said again. "I plan to go to the Isle of Wight for a holiday this summer. Do you want to come along? I've invited the Weasleys, the Scamanders, the Grangers, and the Malfoys. Do you want to join the fun?"
"That lively?" Sirius was tempted—severely tempted.
He had a fun-loving, boisterous personality; how could he miss out on something like this?
So, he said, "No problem, let's go together—the Isle of Wight. It's said to be the most beautiful island in the UK. Pity I've never been. I must see it this time to find out if the Muggles are boasting or if the Isle of Wight is really as beautiful as they say."
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