Ron apologized to Harry the following day, laughing at the humorous event. July turned into August, and Harry hadn’t left the Burrow; not even once over the past two months. On one, particular afternoon, Ron and Harry were playing a game of Exploding snaps. However, quite suddenly, Hermione announced, “You know what? I’m going to go back to Hogwarts!”

“Huh?” said Harry, his eyes still fixed on the game.

“I said that I’m going back to Hogwarts this year,” repeated Hermione.

Harry looked up at Hermione, but his mind was still focused on the game. He barely began to think about Hermione’s words before Ron spoke, “Hark! You’re not telling me your going to teach there, are you?”

Hermione, shaking her head, simply said, “No, I want to complete my N.E.W.T.S.,”

Ron sniggered and said, “Good for you.”

Hermione glowered at Ron and said, “Personally, I think you two should come too because you won’t be eligible anywhere unless you complete your N.E.W.T.S.!”

Ron and Harry looked at each other. They knew that Hermione’s opinion was too strong for anyone to throw a logical argument. So, they just kept quiet and stared at Hermione. Hermione, still glowering, said, “What about you Harry? You certainly have a reason to go back, right?”

Harry shook his head and said, “Maybe. But I’m not going to go this year though. I’m just enjoying the freedom in – Hey! Ron, don’t cheat!” groaned Harry, as Ron and Hermione roared with laughter in unison.

Ginny, evidently, had one year left at Hogwarts, and it kept Harry worried that he should spend more time with her. But he couldn’t because she seemed to be busy most of the time.

The Burrow on the night before Hermione and Ginny had to leave for the Hogwarts was pretty quiet; even at dinner, they could hear the clattering of spoons and forks. Clang! Everyone looked up at Mr. Weasley, who had dropped his spoon and was looking at the newspaper, looking extremely white.

“What’s the matter, Arthur, dear?” asked Mrs. Weasley, getting up from her chair and moving towards Mr. Weasley.

Mr. Weasley shook his head and handed the paper to his wife. She adjusted her glasses and scanned the paper. Within a few moments, she gasped, clapped a hand to her mouth, and said, “Oh dear!”

“What?” asked Harry loudly. As Mrs. Weasley handed Harry the paper, his heart began beating fast. He looked at the paper, and it didn’t take long for him to find the shocking title:

“Quidditch Legend Dies in Tragic Accident

The Bulgarian champion and best seeker in the world, Viktor Krum, died yesterday. Apparently, he lost control of his broomstick due to some unknown reason during the match between Bulgaria and France.

‘He was doing great until something happened to him, and his broomstick started wobbling madly, smashing into the stands,’ said one of the Bulgarian players.

Though some people have predicted that someone might have jinxed his broomstick, all wands have been checked for jinxes and no suspects have been found. A lot of spectators were reduced to tears after seeing their star hero lying motionless in the stands. But one thing that will always reflect his greatness is that, though dead, he did not let go of the snitch and allowed Bulgaria win, even after death.