It seems that he didn't want to face the letters from parents, and although Madam Pomfrey kept saying he hadn't fully recovered, Lupin insisted on leaving the hospital, packed some belongings in his office, and quietly left the castle alone.
Lupin didn't let anyone see him off; only a dog accompanied him onto the carriage.
The office was emptied again, leaving many students feeling quite disappointed... Just as Harry said, Lupin was one of the best Defence Against the Dark Arts professors.
They didn't care whether Lupin was a werewolf or not; a whole year of peace was enough to prove that he wouldn't actively harm anyone.
But there was nothing they could do... it wasn't for them to decide.
"I wonder who we'll get next year!" Cedric said helplessly; these days, it's really hard to find a good Defence Against the Dark Arts professor.
"Maybe...how about a vampire?" Fred mused.
"A zombie wouldn't be bad," George said.
Cho's requirement was much simpler... as long as it wasn't a Dementor, anything else would do.
By the afternoon...
Lupin guessed right; at mealtime, hundreds of owls suddenly flew into the Great Hall, each clutching an envelope.
Most of them were ordinary letters, but quite a few were red Howlers.
They circled a few times, and after realizing their target wasn't there, they turned and flew towards the Headmaster's Office.
However, these owls didn't attract much attention because exam results were out.
Compared to those Howlers, the grades on the report cards were what mattered most at the moment, as it directly affected whether they could enjoy a pleasant holiday.
Cedric achieved top marks in his O.W.L.s, ranking first in the whole school. Since the morning, Professor Sprout could be seen wandering around the castle, either chatting with Professor McGonagall or heading to the Three Broomsticks with Professor Flitwick for a drink.
Fred and George did well too, not as high as Cedric, but they scored enough to keep Mrs. Weasley's mouth shut.
In their words, the scores didn't need to be too high; some expectation should be left for N.E.W.T.s.
"Next year, it's your turn," Fred said, patting Kael's shoulder with an air of someone who had been through it.
George tried to hold back a laugh, "Fifth year is just too scary; I hope you guys can handle it."
Kael didn't say a word, just opened his report card and showed it to the two of them.
The neat rows of scores made Fred and George wince, leading them to promptly close their mouths.
Seeing the two silenced, everyone laughed, including Fred and George themselves.
By night, Slytherin still couldn't catch up, meaning the feast was held under black and yellow decorations, with the Hufflepuff table being the most lively as everyone celebrated... This was their fourth consecutive House Cup victory.
"What a pity..." Mikel sighed, turning to Kael, "You didn't get the Special Contribution to the School Award this year. I thought you could win it for seven consecutive years."
"That's not a thought you should have," Kael said with a smile.
Hogwarts' Special Contribution to the School Award isn't easy, especially after winning it three years in a row, it becomes even more challenging.
If the holiday could be delayed until Sirius' situation was cleared up, Dumbledore might consider giving him another trophy for his significant ideas.
But the school was breaking up for the holiday tomorrow, there wasn't enough time even to brew a Resurrection Potion.
The celebration of their fourth consecutive victory lasted until midnight, and the next morning, the Hogwarts Express departed on time.
Kael, Conna, and Cedric took up a large compartment; before long, Cho, Fred, and George joined them.
George, the last one in, closed the compartment door and asked excitedly, "So, how's the plan for the Quidditch World Cup coming along?"
"The hats are all set!"
Cedric said with a smile, "The other day, I ran into Professor Babbling in the corridor and even specifically asked her about some Magic Pattern formulas that could animate those decorations."
"Professor Babbling!" Cho said in surprise, "You actually saw her outside of class?"
Being the most mysterious professor at Hogwarts, aside from the weekly Ancient Runes class, Professor Babbling rarely appeared in the castle.
Cho had tried to find her several times before, all to no avail.
"It was a coincidence," Cedric said, "It was on the eighth floor, and she seemed to be looking for the Headmaster.
How about you guys, how's your preparation going?"
"That's a given..." George pulled out some fireworks, "These have been specially modified by us, and the patterns formed after they explode can last for ten minutes!"
Conna and Cho also took out the accessories they had made.
Then all eyes turned to Kael.
Kael's main task was the badges, something he was more than familiar with, and he handled it with ease.
All the preparations were in orderly progress, just waiting for the day the Quidditch World Cup would start.
Thinking of this, Cedric could barely contain his excitement, exclaiming, "I really can't wait for it to begin."
"You're right," Fred laughed, "but we also need time to make more products, so it shouldn't start too quickly."
"It should proceed on schedule," George said.
The train sped towards King's Cross Station; they planned to make some more things during this time, but they just couldn't calm down.
Moreover, every now and then, their compartment door would slide open; sometimes it was Lee Jordan, other times it was Ginny.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione also stopped by once.
Ever since Lupin let something slip in the Hospital Wing, they had been looking for excuses to talk to Kael, trying to get some useful information from him.
But Kael wasn't like Hagrid; he wouldn't give them any chance.
The three chatted aimlessly for a long time, but ultimately left without getting any useful information, leaving the compartment dejectedly.
Soon after they left, Neville came in...
After repeatedly writing Magic Patterns incorrectly three times, Fred simply put away the fireworks-making materials and pulled out Exploding Snap and Wizard Chess.
"Don't cause trouble in the corridor, get back to your seats!"
Percy's voice came from outside, accompanied by a shuffle of footsteps.
"After the train arrives, he won't be Head Boy anymore," Fred said, flipping over his cards with a smile, "He's probably trying to savor it one last time."
"Percy graduated," George said excitedly, "I can't even imagine how wonderful school life will be without Percy."
"This is the first time," Fred winked, "We'll actually look forward to the next term on the holiday train."
Amid the noise, the train finally pulled into King's Cross Station.
...