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

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

  The message of Regulus’s death was confirmed thirteen years ago. This funeral was only a late ceremony.

  All his wishes had been fulfilled, and his soul could now 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 eventually killed by the family’s pure blood philosophy. His brother was a well-deserved hero. He was proud of Regulus.

  Although the funeral was humble, everything was perfect.

  The same was true for Evan. The only regret was that they did not get the Locket that Regulus used to replace Voldemort’s Horcrux, and the letter that was used to record his last words.

  He still remembered the words above, which should roughly be: 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 match, you will be mortal once more. R.A.B

  This note written to Voldemort, between its lines, fully reflected the heroic fearless character of Regulus, as well as the shattered dream of the young man.

  It is to be known, Regulus was once the wildest worshiper of Voldemort.

  It could also be seen from the words in this note that, 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 the Death Eater’s honor for Voldemort.

  This showed how Regulus regarded Voldemort.

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

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

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

  Only when Voldemort checks on his own Horcrux in the future can Regulus’s last words be seen again.

  Although regretful, this was no doubt exactly the same as what Regulus had thought before he died. In that way, the last words of Regulus’s life could be conveyed to Voldemort, letting him know that there were still many people who resisted him in obscurity, even among the Death Eaters.

  Thinking of this dramatic scene, Evan could not wait to the time he would see Voldemort’s expression.

  He might be full of wrath, but he should not be surprised. After all, from the beginning to the end, Voldemort never trusted anyone but himself. The Death Eaters who thought they were trusted by him were just mere pawns, nothing more.

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

  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, Evan, Harry, and Hermione did not return to 12 Grimmauld Square. Instead, they went to the Leaky Cauldron pub to participate in the Christmas party as planned.

  Kreacher was also taken with them, although Sirius thought he should be left at home alone, just like before. But the others insisted that it might be good for him to let Kreacher live in Hogwarts and let him get in touch with other house-elves.

  After Apparition, Evan came to the Leaky Cauldron.

  He was incredulously looking at the shabby little pub in front of him, sweeping through the dark, dirty style of the past. The whole hall was dressed like a dream with green Christmas trees, mistletoe and glittering gold stars and other Christmas decorations were everywhere.

  The rich food scent came out of the kitchen, and Tom, the bar owner, stood behind the bar in a funny red Christmas costume, cracking his mouth and showing an ugly smile, welcoming everyone who came to the party.

  Although the Christmas decoration there was 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 Evan’s classmates at Hogwarts.

  People sitting in the bar with their glasses scattered, gathered together and talked cheerfully, laughing happily from time to time.

  In the middle of the bar, a grotesquely dressed band was playing a relaxing Christmas tune. From time to time, 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.

  Evan rubbed his eyes. It was incredible. He couldn’t imagine that a few hours ago, they were still fighting thousands of Inferi in a grotesque, gloomy cave, and now they are caught in a sea of festivals.

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

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

  Sirius and Harry were recognized almost instantaneously, and there was silence in the Leaky Cauldron pub, and then a sudden burst of warm applause almost toppling the roof. They all crowded over, shook hands with them over and over again, and sent the most sincere holiday greetings.

  Evan was much less famous there than Harry, who had the reputation of being a savior. And he enjoyed his leisure by going to the bar with Hermione to pick up a drink.

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

  Evan leaned back on the bar and looked at Sirius and Harry, who couldn’t get away from the crowd for a while. He thought for a moment, pulled Hermione’s little hand and prepared to go to Diagon Alley to look around.

  He had just heard from Lupin that there were celebrations throughout Diagon Alley tonight, not just in the Leaky Cauldron. According to previous years, people would always celebrate until the early hours of the morning.

  Evan and Hermione passed through the bar and went to the small walled patio outside.

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

  The two of them were huddled in the narrow patio, and they were very close to each other.

  Hermione’s heartbeat was getting faster and faster as she felt Evan’s breath drawing near, and her face turned red.

  Hermione, who had just faced the Inferi in the cave, had been so tightly strained. But now, she had relaxed.

  She was thoughtless, when foolishly letting herself be pulled out by Evan out of trust. She had no idea what he wanted to do. But sweet joys, nervousness, and strange feelings mixed up in the depths of her heart.

  Is this what a date is?