HRHL# Chapter 145: Aunt, Do You Like Potter?{2}

"Hello, Mr. Flamel," Theseus greeted Flamel, who was sitting in front of a computer playing Civilization 1.

Mr. Flamel turned his head and said kindly, "Hello—don’t mind me, child."

Theseus felt a bit uneasy. Truth be told, ever since he’d stepped into adulthood, no one had called him "child" anymore. But it wasn’t entirely unacceptable either—after all, in the eyes of Mr. Flamel, who had lived for over six hundred years, Theseus, at just over a hundred, was still a child. Even if he lived another two or three hundred years, he’d probably still be one.

"Look who we have here," Newt said, gripping Theseus’s shoulders and turning him toward Poppy.

Seeing her elderly nephew, Poppy reached out to wave a greeting. "Hi, Theseus, long time no see—"

Theseus clearly hadn’t quite processed what was happening. The moment he laid eyes on this Hufflepuff ghost, he found her oddly familiar, yet he couldn’t quite place where he’d seen her before.

"Hello, miss," Theseus asked hesitantly, "do we know each other?"

"She’s our aunt," Newt helpfully chimed in from the side. "Poppy—Poppy Sweating, Mum’s sister…"

Hearing Newt’s explanation, Theseus finally recalled why this young woman looked so familiar. Back when he was two or three, before Poppy had gone missing, he’d loved pestering his little aunt to play with him. Her pockets seemed to hold an endless supply of treats and all sorts of fascinating trinkets from Hogsmeade—things that were utterly irresistible to a child his age. Naturally, she’d been his favorite aunt. Perhaps it was even because of Poppy’s influence that he’d ended up in Hufflepuff house. In fact, their mother Linda, Theseus, and Newt—all three of them were Hufflepuff alumni.

"Aunt Poppy?" Theseus took a heavy step forward, disbelief etched on his face. "Is it really you? But how did you end up like this?"

"Me?" Poppy laughed. "Just a little accident, that’s all…"

Theseus approached, looking as though he wanted to hug his aunt like he had as a child, only to awkwardly realize she was now a ghost.

"Oh, you must take after Linda, don’t you?" Poppy said understandingly. With a flourish, she transformed into a unicorn. "There, now we can hug—"

Theseus mechanically stepped forward, arms outstretched to gently embrace Poppy’s head, nearly getting poked by her horn in the process.

"What’s going on with you? Why is your human form a ghost, but your Animagus form—a unicorn—has a physical body?"

"I can’t really explain it myself," Poppy said airily. "Maybe it’s the price of being an Animagus." There was no trace of sadness or regret in her tone; instead, she brimmed with energy as always. "Come on, you two nephews—don’t look so glum. Smile a little!"

Just then, a Hogwarts owl arrived near Mr. Flamel’s residence. Deek Disapparated outside, retrieved the letter and two-way mirror the owl had brought, and fed it some food and water. Returning to the alchemy room, he handed the letter and mirror to Poppy.

"Miss Sweating, this is from young Mr. Potter," he said.

Poppy snorted and turned to Newt. "Newt, help your aunt open the letter… yes, put it in front of me."

The group gathered around to read its contents.

"This Harry, leaving me stranded in France!" Poppy grumbled indignantly. "It’s just a Basilisk—it’s not like it can slither out of Hogwarts’ grounds…"

"I think Mr. Potter has a point," Newt said, head bowed. "Albus and I talked about this before. I also believe the beast wreaking havoc at school is a Basilisk. I just didn’t expect it to actually be the one Salazar Slytherin raised."

"I’ve seen that handwritten letter from Slytherin," Poppy said irritably, snatching the letter in her mouth and shaking it vigorously in the air. "That old codger was stubborn as a mule, but that’s still no excuse for Harry not coming back for me."

"Wait a minute!" Theseus, the former Head Auror, suddenly spotted a blind spot. "Aunt Poppy, this Mr. Potter you’re talking about—is he Dumbledore’s Boy Who Lived?"

"Yes," Poppy nodded, glancing at Newt. "Didn’t you say you saw him a few days ago?"

"Indeed," Newt recalled with a smile. "That boy’s very polite and remarkably perceptive. I can see why Dumbledore thinks so highly of him."

Tina, who’d been listening attentively, suddenly piped up at Newt’s comment. "So, Dumbledore’s favorite student is Harry now?"

At that, Newt’s face twitched as if he’d remembered something horrifying, and he shook his head vigorously, hands flailing. "Oh Merlin, Tina, you’ve brought up something awful."

Tina smirked and pressed on. "What, did I remind you of Grindelwald pretending to be Percival Graves? Oh—I still remember when he interrogated you and said, ‘What is it about you that Albus Dumbledore likes so much?’ Merlin’s beard, he was such a jealous git."

Dumbledore and Grindelwald’s history wasn’t exactly a secret among their tight-knit circle—Aberforth had spilled the tea. When the topic came up, Aberforth had been so furious he’d smashed several plates.

At Tina’s teasing, everyone burst into laughter, even Mr. Flamel, who’d been multitasking at his computer, keeping an ear on the conversation.

"Grindelwald?" Poppy suddenly perked up, alert. "Wait, which Grindelwald?"

"Gellert Grindelwald," Newt replied, launching into a detailed recounting of the GGAD love story he’d heard from Aberforth and Dumbledore himself.

Poppy went from disbelief to hesitation before finally accepting it—though not approving. "Merlin’s beard, I can’t imagine how Veratia will react when she comes back and finds out her little brother had a thing with Dumbledore." She shivered, then, noticing their puzzled looks, explained, "Oh, Veratia was our classmate—Slytherin, Veratia Grindelwald, Gellert Grindelwald’s older sister…"

"There’s such a connection?" Newt’s eyes widened as he stared at Poppy.

"Yes, Veratia’s brother was indeed Gellert," Poppy confirmed. "I remember during the fifth-year summer holiday, Harry visited Nurmengard once. He didn’t have a great impression of Gellert—said he had a foul temper and always wore a sour face. Though, that might’ve been because Harry kept pinching his cheeks."

Everyone in the room, all of whom had encountered Gellert Grindelwald, struggled to picture someone pinching his face. Merlin’s beard, that was downright savage.

"Hold on—" Newt suddenly realized something was off. "Aunt Poppy, you mean… Harry? Harry Potter? Oh Merlin, I knew about the Harry from a hundred years ago, but I never connected him to this Mr. Potter. And you two are so close—could it be—"

"Yes, he’s that Harry," Poppy admitted outright. "But I’d suggest keeping this quiet from Dumbledore for now. After all… Harry’s so close to Gellert’s sister, and with Veratia… I’m worried Dumbledore might develop some prejudice against her if he finds out."

"Alright, Aunt Poppy," Newt nodded obediently.

Then he added, "Still, I can’t imagine what it’ll be like when Gellert sees Mr. Potter again."

"Why’s that?" Tina and Theseus asked in unison.

"Oh, Merlin, think about it," Newt gestured animatedly. "This Mr. Potter isn’t just Dumbledore’s favorite student—he’s also Veratia’s favorite classmate. I can’t even fathom what that European King of Jealousy might do, but I’m sure burning down Paris again wouldn’t be enough."

Newt rarely joked—he’d always been a bit socially awkward. But when someone like him cracked a joke, it tended to land cold.

Still…

They all paused to silently mourn for Harry. Merlin help him—hopefully Grindelwald wouldn’t tear him apart.

"What’s with those faces?" Poppy stamped her hoof on the floor. "Merlin’s beard, you’re not seriously thinking Gellert could beat Harry, are you?"

"Isn’t that obvious?" Newt tilted his head. "Grindelwald’s a notorious Dark wizard—immensely powerful. Only Dumbledore could defeat him."

"You lot don’t really know Harry," Poppy sighed. "But we’ll see when they meet. Personally, I think—"

She was cut off as the two-way mirror began to tremble.

"It’s probably Mr. Potter," Newt said, picking it up and handing it to Poppy.

With a flash, Poppy transformed back into her unicorn form, leaving Newt momentarily stunned.

Soon, Harry’s face appeared in the mirror.

"Hey, Poppy!" Harry greeted cheerfully. "How’ve you been?"

"Me?" Poppy pondered, then smiled. "I’m alright—pretty good lately. But you—why haven’t you come to pick me up?"

Her tone shifted, carrying a hint of playful petulance.

Newt didn’t think much of it, but Tina and Theseus exchanged a glance, sensing something off.

"It’s the Basilisk mess," Harry said, waving a hand dismissively. "Professor Dumbledore’s even issued a new rule—students have to travel in groups of three or more, no solo wandering. It’s for your own good. You know Moaning Myrtle? She was a Ravenclaw, about fifty years after us. She turned into a ghost after locking eyes with the Basilisk."

He added, "Poppy, I don’t want you ending up like Myrtle. It’d break my heart."

At that last line, Poppy froze for a moment.

"Alright, fine," she said, laughing brightly. "Don’t worry, Harry—"

"Good. Once the Basilisk’s dealt with, I’ll come get you," Harry promised. "I’ll sort out that Hogwarts governor business too. Oh—Ron and the others are back, gotta go. Talk later!"

With that, Harry disconnected the mirror.

Poppy gestured for Newt to take it away, then shifted back to her human form.

A strange silence settled over the room.

Theseus, ever the sharp former Head Auror, broke it first. His instincts were razor-sharp—he could tell from Poppy’s unicorn face alone that she had some special feelings for Mr. Potter.

Carefully choosing his words, he asked, "Er, Aunt Poppy… do you… do you perhaps like this Mr. Potter?"

Say what you will, but after Theseus posed the question, the room’s atmosphere grew even stranger.

Tina, grasping his meaning, groaned silently and rubbed her forehead.

Newt’s jaw dropped, hardly believing his brother had the guts to ask—his Bowtruckle in his pocket seemed to agree, twitching as if it understood.

As for Mr. Flamel, he casually slipped on his headphones, clearly trying to distance himself from the mortal chaos unfolding.

"No wonder brother’s still single," Newt muttered under his breath, gossiping rapidly to Tina about Theseus’s personal life. "Merlin’s beard, look at that emotional intelligence…"

Tina shot Newt a look, as if scolding him for jumping to conclusions.

In truth, everyone knew why Theseus had stayed single—because of Leta. At Père Lachaise Cemetery, his fiancée had sacrificed herself to save him and Newt, consumed by Gellert’s Fiendfyre. Since then, Theseus had never opened his heart to another woman.

Poppy sat on the sofa, dazed for a moment, before murmuring, "Like him?"

Her feelings for Harry had always been buried deep, never dared spoken aloud.

Look at the people around Harry—back in years one through four, the Malfoy heiress guarded him like a mother hen protecting her chick. Then in fifth year, a Grindelwald barged in, staking her claim by his side. One was a pampered aristocrat, the other an heir to ancient magic. Poppy didn’t think she had anything to compete with them.

So she’d kept her feelings locked away, never sharing them—not even with Harry. She feared that if she confessed, they wouldn’t even stay friends.

Yes, if it weren’t a love so profound, why would she wait for that boy across the boundary of life and death?

T/N: If you find any typos or incorrect names, please leave a comment. Thanks, and enjoy reading!