HP: The Duelist of Hogwarts - 402

Chapter 402: Aftermath

Boreal looked at Sean, gritting his teeth fiercely.

He truly hadn't expected Sean to become this strong.

Though he'd heard that Sean held out under Voldemort for quite a while until Dumbledore arrived, Boreal hadn't thought much of it. Holding out for a bit, stalling for time—that was all. Besides, there were two other Triwizard Champions cooperating then. Boreal didn't think that was anything remarkable.

However, when he truly faced Sean, he felt pressure exceeding even facing Gavin—a suppression from the level of strength itself. The current Sean was not someone he could handle alone.

With this thought, though Boreal was unwilling, he still made his choice.

Watching Boreal step aside from the gate, Sean chose not to continue attacking. Though he desperately wanted to kill Boreal outright, Elaine was beside him. He couldn't possibly kill her son before his own grandmother's eyes. And if he truly did so, he would inevitably become a wanted criminal of the Ministry, which would help nothing in his subsequent plans.

So Boreal definitely needed to die, but absolutely not now.

Given the current circumstances, Sean had to—and could only—fight these people within the rules. After all, he himself intended to use the rules to gain power and then deal with Voldemort. So before obtaining that power, he must uphold the rules.

Supporting Elaine with one hand and gripping his wand with the other, Sean walked out of Bulstrode Manor with the coffin floating behind him. The moment he left the manor's gates, Sean directly Apparated to his own doorstep, bringing Elaine back home with him.

Hearing someone return, Yadel and Martha immediately came forward with smiling faces to welcome them. When they saw Elaine being supported as she walked in, both their faces lit up brilliantly. But quickly, the couple saw the coffin floating behind Sean and Martha, as well as the dried tears on Martha's face. In that instant, Yadel and Martha's complexions turned deathly pale. They clearly realized something.

Bang!

Yadel's fist punched through the table in the study.

With eyes red and blazing, he growled lowly, "That damned Boreal! What did he do! What did he do!"

Seeing Yadel's bloody, mangled hand, Sean stepped forward and cast a healing spell on it, then spoke to Yadel while restoring the table, "Father, Grandmother is downstairs. Don't let her hear. Right now, what we need is to stay calm, arrange Grandfather's funeral, handle the mourning period, invite guests, and so forth. These all require you to step forward. So Grandmother can cry, Mother can cry, but we cannot cry. We must stay calm!"

Listening to Sean's words, Yadel grasped the coffin tighter, his knuckles turning pale white.

Sean sighed and reached out to take hold of Yadel's hand. He opened his mouth, wanting to tell Yadel about the Resurrection Stone, but some inexplicable premonition ultimately prevented him from speaking those words aloud.

Calmed down, Yadel left the study. He needed to write letters, which Sean would then mail out.

The house was protected by the Fidelius Charm, so a wake couldn't be held here. Sean planned to return to the original manor to hold the wake and funeral. As a result, security became extremely important.

Sean wasn't worried about Voldemort and the Death Eaters suddenly arriving and causing trouble openly. Actually, if they dared show up publicly like that, Sean would thank them instead. What Sean feared was that they would cause trouble in secret or attempt an assassination. So someone had to keep watch.

As for who to choose for security, Sean naturally thought of the Order of the Phoenix.

12 Grimmauld Place.

Sean sat in the dining room with Dumbledore and other familiar faces. The atmosphere was extremely heavy. Having just handled Regulus's matter, now Sean's grandfather Gavin, had been killed by Voldemort and the Death Eaters. The joy of Harry's acquittal had vanished completely.

"Sean, please accept my condolences."

"Thank you, Professor Dumbledore, for your comfort. However, I'm alright and don't need consoling. I came here mainly to ask the Order for help. I'm requesting that you maintain order during my Grandfather Gavin's funeral. Though I don't believe Voldemort and the Death Eaters will take any action at that time, preparation is still necessary. I can't rule out the possibility of assassination attempts or covert sabotage."

Hearing Sean's words, Dumbledore didn't hesitate for even a moment and immediately nodded, "No problem. I will personally lead people there. Gavin was my friend too. I want to personally see him off."

"Thank you, Professor Dumbledore."

Looking at Sean, whose face was expressionless—even resembling Snape to some extent—Dumbledore's eyes showed a trace of regret. He reached out and patted Sean's shoulder, "Sean, I assure you we will avenge Gavin. I'm certain of it."

"That goes without saying. Everyone involved in this matter, I won't let a single one escape."

Hearing this, Dumbledore wanted to say something, but ultimately didn't. He only nodded and changed the subject, "Sean, remember—don't let hatred consume you. I think you understand what I mean, yes?"

"I understand, Professor." Standing up and bowing slightly to Dumbledore, Sean said his farewells, "If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave. There are many funeral arrangements to handle. My father has no magic, so many things are inconvenient for him. Only I can handle them."

"Alright, be careful on the way, Sean."

"Thank you, Professor. Goodbye."

Turning to push open the study door, Sean was about to leave when several figures came running over. Harry and Hermione were foremost, embracing Sean directly. Both wore expressions of sadness, especially Hermione, whose red-rimmed eyes already had tears beginning to form.

"Sean, I'm sorry. We just found out."

"Sean, please accept our condolences."

Behind Hermione and Harry were Ron and the other Weasley children, and behind them were other Order members remaining here, as well as Kreacher watching worriedly from a corner.

Looking at them, Sean reached out and patted the heads of Harry and Hermione, embracing him, speaking softly, "Thank you all. You can rest assured, I'm not so fragile. I have many things to do right now—the funeral, the wake, inviting guests, and so on. I won't be able to stay here for too long. Let's have a proper talk when we return to school, alright?"

Hearing Sean's words, Hermione and Harry released him.

Sean nodded to them, smiled, and walked downstairs. Just as he reached the door, he saw Snape waiting there.

Author's Note: I see some people had strong reactions to Gavin's death. Let me clarify—this plot segment was already decided when I began writing. Many subsequent plot developments are based on this. So it cannot be changed. Regarding the storyline: the Resurrection Stone foreshadowing I wrote earlier is there, and everyone should have caught on to some extent. Additionally, Gavin's characterization of being far-sighted remains intact. He also has Spirit Vision. I'll stop here.

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