36 36. Happy Not Happy

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Happy continued to read the article and felt a sigh leave his mouth.

[Happy Lestrange, a boy in fame for all the wrong reasons. The last member of the ancient Lestrange family, despite all his efforts to fade into society, seems impossible for the boy. Recent talk of the town in the back alleys revealed the excitement some wizards had for the young Lestrange's blood. As it turns out, It's liquid gold—the Felix Felicis potion!

Only time will tell if there is some truth to the rumors, but some powerful wizards have seemed to believe it, as evident by the undisclosed bounty placed on the successful, safe capture of Happy Lestrange, a young boy studying in Hogwarts and just trying to live a normal life.

Will the Ministry take action? Will Dumbledore protect him? Only time will answer these questions. — Rita Skeeters, Daily Prophet Top Reporter.]

'This bitch!'

Happy took a long breath and put the paper away. He knew it was likely Lucius who leaked the information, as the Goblins were too greedy to let the wizards know about the secret treasure they had found.

"What do I do now, professor?" He asked, finally beginning to worry about his situation since he had no clue what long-term benefit he was to earn from that luck. His worry was not regarding himself, as he knew he'd forever be safe.

But what about those around him?

Dumbledore caressed his beard while thinking. "This is the copy of tomorrow morning's paper, so the storm is yet to rise. As long as you're inside the school, it's safe for you. But once you leave the place, protecting you becomes tricky. I suggest we decide upon a safe house for you and hide it under a secrecy vow."

"So, you suggest I live in a self-made prison?" Happy exclaimed. "No offense, professor, I'd rather die than be chained down to one place. You don't get to live many times, and I want to enjoy this life."

"The sorting hat did well placing you in Gryffindor." The old headmaster chuckled. "I see the defiance in you, one I'd expect. If you do not wish to live in a prison, then I suggest you keep moving nations. Anywhere but Europe will be fine. Don't tell anyone about your whereabouts, and do not use any magical means to travel. Act like a normal muggle."

Happy knew that much. Harry had a reason to be protected and valued by the Headmaster and his entire Order of The Phoenix. He was a crucial part of the prophecy, after all. While he was just an offspring of an age-old dark family. Spending more resources on him overdoing it even if Dumbledore wanted to.

On top of that, it wasn't like Harry was living the dream life. So, if Dumbledore's solution was to live miserably in hiding, he'd rather fight till his last breath.

"Then, I will head back and practice, Professor." Happy turned around to leave, brows creased and heart heavy, thinking of what to expect soon.

'Then this means war? They versus me with my luck?' Happy wondered. 'Then, aren't they dumbasses?... My win is already guaranteed.'

...

Happy walked down the corridor, his mind preoccupied.

Thud!

As he turned the corner, lost in thought, he bumped into someone.

It was Cho Chang, and their heads bumped together with a soft thud. As Cho stumbled back from the collision, Happy reached out, but it was too late. She had already fallen to the floor.

"I'm sorry, I was lost in thought and didn't see you."

She grabbed his hand and got up before frantically shaking her head and apologizing. "No, no, I'm sorry. It's my fault, too. I shouldn't be walking so close to the wall near corners. Oh, you're in a quidditch robe. Were you practicing?"

Happy looked down and noticed he was still wearing his practice clothes.

"Oh…Yeah, I just finished. I'm headed to the common room to change." He lied.

Cho closed up on him all of a sudden, excitement in her eyes. "C-Can you teach me how to play Quidditch? I love Quidditch. I've been watching the world cup since I was six! But my parents never allowed me to try it."

Happy shrugged. "I'm just an extra on the team. Are you sure you want to learn from me?"

She bobbed her head fast. "Extra? You won the match for your team last year in record time! You're probably the fastest seeker in the school's quidditch history!"

He puffed his chest and proudly nodded, taking in the praises.

"Alright, I will teach you on Sundays, but only if you treat me with something unique and tasty afterward. Honestly, I'm getting bored from the same breakfast, lunch, and dinner..." Happy relented, hoping to get some good old Chinese food from the girl.

Cho, young and cheerful, jumped in excitement and gave a thumbs-up. "Got it, Happy. I'll see you on Sunday then. Have a nice day—Ah, I'm late for my class; Professor McGonagall won't like it!"

Happy saw her run away and chuckled to himself. 'She's somewhat different from what I remember. Perhaps due to a young age? Ah…Youth…And here I am worrying about killing a few wizards.'

Happy continued his way down the dimly lit corridors of Hogwarts until he reached the Room of Requirement. He knew this was the best place for him to train in peace and hone his skills. Happy knew that the spells he needed to learn weren't going to be easy, and he didn't know how to cast the more complex ones.

He needed to master the art of fighting, not just reciting the incantations. To defeat any wizard, he needed to learn how to predict their spells and how to block them. He also had to learn how to defend himself against the Unforgivable curses.

Happy grew increasingly frustrated as he tried to master the complex spells in the Room of Requirement. Just having seen them in the movie was not that much of a help.

His wand movements were clumsy, and his incantations were off, and he couldn't seem to get them right. As his frustration mounted, he started blasting curses and attacks one after another at the practice mannequins.

His spells were wild and uncontrolled, but at least they made him feel like he was doing something. With his luck, many of the spells also hit the target perfectly. But still, dueling was more than just a game of luck, as he needed to know how to cast spells to reach that luck.

After several minutes of intense spell-casting, Happy finally collapsed onto the floor, covered in sweat and gasping for breath.

He looked up at the ceiling, panting heavily, and let out a long sigh. He had no idea who to ask to teach him or who to rely on for protection. Heck, he could not even hire someone, fearing getting double-crossed.

"Ah...now I'm fucking hungry!" Happy muttered to himself, chuckling at the absurdity of it all.

Eventually, too exhausted to continue, thinking he should take a short nap, Happy asked for a bed from the room after exiting for a second. And magically, a huge lush bed appeared at one of the corners.

He jumped right in and napped, not knowing that he would eventually sleep through the night.

…

As Dumbledore said, the storm hadn't arrived yet. But it didn't take long for it to happen, as the owls flew in the morning, bringing in the recent newspapers. The students sitting in the Great Hall with their books got the papers.

Some students gasped in disbelief, while others whispered in hushed tones to their friends. A few Gryffindors jumped up from their seats and rushed to their common room to tell their fellow housemates about the news. A group of Slytherins sat in a corner, sneering and muttering amongst themselves as they read the paper, while the Hufflepuffs looked nonchalantly.

"Harry! Hermione! Did you read the news?" Ron asked as he came running and sat down with his two friends in the common room of Gryffindor.

"Of course I did. Where is Happy, by the way?" Hermione started to look around.

"I don't know. I haven't seen him since practice yesterday. Let's look for him." Harry stood up.

Ron, Harry, and Hermione were worried sick about their dear friend. So they searched every nook and cranny of the school, but even then, only defeat was at hand.

Eventually, in defeat, they quickly made their way to the first place they should have thought of, a place filled with food—the Great Hall!

....

Grrr…!

Happy clutched his whining stomach as he walked towards the Great Hall.

'I hope breakfast is something good today...Maybe I should start taking more juice for health reasons. I don't want to get fat.'

But the moment he stepped inside the Great Hall, all the noise stopped, and heads turned to look at the entrance. Then a few of them stood up, with varying expressions.

"That's so awesome!"

"Can I get some?"

"Is that what being pureblood means?"

"Happy, are you immortal?"

Happy, alone, standing there, facepalmed, with only a curse leaving his mouth.

"Fuck!"

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