Milk_Is_My_Drug
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Chapter 126: The Final Farewell
🕑 Added 2025-05-29 07:23:46 +0000 UTCThe new year at Hogwarts had arrived, yet the usual excitement and cheer were absent. The Great Hall was filled with an unshakable heaviness, a silent fear gripping the hearts of every student. They all knew what was coming.
Hogwarts would soon be no more.
As the students entered the Great Hall, their eyes immediately flickered toward the professor’s table. Whispers spread like wildfire, surprise flashing across many faces.
Dante was there. He stood at the side, separate from the other professors, watching with an unreadable expression. But what truly shocked them was his appearance.
His once radiant silver hair had turned blond, and the glow in his silver eyes had faded into a dull, lifeless grey. His skin was unnaturally pale, dark circles prominent under his eyes.
He looked… unwell. A sense of dread settled in their chests. They knew what this meant.
At the professors' table, subtle glances were exchanged. Some carried sorrow, others worry, but all were laced with fear. Even Dumbledore, who rarely showed emotions so openly, watched Dante with something akin to regret.
Before the Sorting Ceremony could begin, the Great Hall doors opened once more.
Everyone turned.
A wave of shock passed through the professors and students alike as more individuals stepped inside, standing at the back of the hall.
They were not first-years. They were Hogwarts graduates.
One by one, they entered, Cedric Diggory, the Weasley twins, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Draco Malfoy, Daphne Greengrass, Astoria Greengrass, Luna Lovegood, and many more.
Gasps rippled through the room.
Dumbledore studied them before stepping forward. “May I ask why you are here?”
Draco Malfoy moved to the front. His voice was steady. “We are here to witness our professor’s last Sorting Ceremony.”
Understanding flashed in Dumbledore’s eyes.
Dante, for the first time that night, showed a hint of surprise.
The graduates conjured chairs and took their seats at the back of the Great Hall. McGonagall, her face betraying emotion, placed the Sorting Hat at the front.
A hush fell over the room. Then, the Sorting Hat began to sing:
Oh, gather now and hear my rhyme,
For we are nearing the end of time.
A man who stood, both wise and tall,
Will take his leave, farewell to all.
Goodbye to the one who stood so bright,
Who taught Gryffindor wrong from right.
He showed the line ‘twixt bold and blind,
That courage must be shaped by mind.
Goodbye to the one of Slytherin’s grace,
Who carved for them a greater place.
He taught ambition, not of greed,
But of a will to grow and lead.
Goodbye to the one whom Ravenclaws praised,
Whose wisdom set their souls ablaze.
Not just books nor written lore,
But truths unknown from times before.
Goodbye to the one of Hufflepuff’s heart,
Who taught them kindness as their art.
He showed the world, both bright and dim,
Could still be met with love from him.
Goodbye to he who built and taught,
Who gave us more than we had sought.
For without him, no school would stand
Farewell, our guide, farewell our hand.
Silence followed. Then, a slow, steady clap began. The graduates. Soon, all four houses joined. Even the professors.
Dante stood motionless. The emotion in the room was overwhelming, but he said nothing as the Sorting continued.
Once the last child was sorted, Dumbledore rose, stepping forward to give his usual start-of-term speech.
But Dante moved first. He walked past Dumbledore, taking center stage, and faced the students. The entire Great Hall fell into a hushed anticipation.
His voice was calm yet carried across the entire room.
"I have lived for far too long."
The words hung in the air.
"I have explored, I have studied, and yet there are still a million things left undone. A million places unseen. You all have the world ahead of you. A life full of mysteries waiting to be unraveled."
His grey eyes scanned the crowd.
"As long as you hold passion for magic and for life, you will continue to grow, continue to find what I could not. After tonight, things will change. For the better or for the worse, it is up to you."
A pause.
"You have all you need to build the future you seek. Make the right choices."
Dante turned toward Dumbledore, reaching into his robes. He pulled out a folded letter and handed it to the headmaster. Dumbledore took it, puzzled.
Then, without another word, Dante turned.
He walked through the Great Hall, moving past the students, past the graduates, past the professors. He did not Disapparate. He did not rush.
He walked as if savoring every step, every breath, every moment. The silence was suffocating. Then, the doors of the Great Hall closed behind him.
Dumbledore lowered his gaze to the letter in his hands. He hesitated only for a moment before breaking the seal and unfolding the parchment.
His eyes flickered over the words.
Then, suddenly, he laughed. Audibly.
A deep, genuine laugh that filled the room. The students and professors stared, bewildered.
Dumbledore lifted his gaze, his eyes twinkling with newfound amusement.
"I finally understand how he kept Apparating in Hogwarts. This is true art"
___________
Dante walked away from Hogwarts, his steps slow and deliberate. Every movement felt heavier than the last, as if an invisible weight pressed upon his shoulders.
He had planned for this moment. He had prepared for this. Yet, despite everything, his chest felt tight, suffocated by an unspoken hesitation.
He forced the feeling aside. There was no turning back now.
His path led him toward the Black Lake, its dark waters reflecting the scattered stars above. He came to a halt at its edge, gazing over its still surface.
[This is where it all started.] He thought to himself.
Here, he and Solomon had trained for years, pushing the boundaries of magic and learning. Here, every life, he had returned—drawn to this place as if it were tethered to his very soul.
It was a part of his history, woven into the fabric of his existence.
A ripple disturbed the water. Dante looked up.
From the depths of the lake, the merpeople emerged, their haunting figures breaking through the moonlit waves. Their eyes met his before they lifted their voices in a song, a melody of reverence, sorrow, and farewell.
He stood in silence, listening. Then, behind him, another sound. The distant murmur of voices. The shuffle of feet on the grass.
Dante turned.
A crowd had gathered, not just students, but professors as well. The glow of countless Lumos spells illuminated the night, casting flickering light across the field.
Draco Malfoy stepped forward.
"You left too quickly," Draco said, his voice firm but carrying an unspoken emotion. "We didn’t get a chance to thank you."
And then, as if a dam had broken, voices rose all around him.
Students. Professors.
They spoke words of gratitude, of appreciation, of farewell.
Dante listened, silent. He had been praised before. He had been thanked before. And yet… this felt different.
It was not reverence. It was not fear. It was genuine.
A warmth spread through him, something unfamiliar, something profound. A satisfaction he had never truly experienced before.
Then, a strange sound echoed behind him. The merpeople.
The crowd turned their gaze toward the lake. There, the merfolk had bowed deeply, reverently toward their creator.
And then, A sudden explosion rang in the sky.
Gasps filled the air as bright lights erupted above them.
A shimmering golden bow and arrow took shape against the darkness, burning brilliantly against the night sky.
In the distance, the centaurs stood tall, their figures barely illuminated by the light.
Then, as one, they drummed their chests in a powerful, rhythmic beat before bowing in Dante’s direction.
The tribute was undeniable.
Dante was silent.
Then—
Luna Lovegood stepped forward, her usual dreamy expression replaced with sincerity.
"Dante, you are the best single thing to ever happen to the world!" she said. "Thank you for all the work you have done."
Dante blinked. Then, for the first time in a long, he smiled, a genuine warm smile.
"Thanks, Luna." Dante simply said.
And with that, he Disapparated, feeling lighter than ever before.
