days at Hogwarts

Chapter 779 Protest, strong protest!
It was noon at Hagrid's Hut.

The originally spacious room was expanded to a height of more than ten meters. Smoked chickens and whole black bear skins were hung on the ceiling, and pink umbrellas, moleskin coats, and a giant crossbow were placed on the walls. The floor still retained the old solid wood, and the copper kettle that was always placed on the stove in the past had been removed. A huge crucible was placed on it, emitting hot steam.

There is a big bed in the corner of the room, with bedding made of scraps of cloth on it. It looks a bit shabby at first glance, but white fluff and a few unicorn tail feathers can be seen from the gap of the unclosed zipper. Combined with the various precious materials placed randomly throughout the house, this small house has a more mysterious meaning.

There was a huge wooden table and chairs in front of the fire. At this moment, five little wizards, two giants, and a hound were sitting around the table. Lunch was the result of Hagrid and Grawp's busy work for half a day: a pot of steaming soup, with a basket of pies for each person.

"Happy Birthday Hagrid!"

"Happy birthday!"

"Tsk, who would have thought that this Hagrid is already 69 years old."

"There are no studies on giant lifespans."

"Don't talk about studying at this time."

"Thank you, thank you..."

Hagrid was so moved that he could not speak clearly. He could only say thank you repeatedly and wiped his snot and tears with a handkerchief. The 69-year-old half-giant cried like a child. Perhaps he felt that this appearance was somewhat unbecoming of a school professor, so he grabbed a few pies to cover up his gaffe.

The pie was a bit choking, so he picked up the porcelain bowl that was the size of his head and gulped down the boiling broth.

The main ingredient of the broth is beef, including sirloin, ribs, and knee bones, mixed with newly marinated ham and smoked turkey. The whole pot is stewed in a huge cauldron and starts boiling early in the morning. When the time is almost up, take out a small half pot of broth and put it into another cauldron, then pour in tomatoes, potatoes, carrots and other vegetables that you grow yourself.

I can no longer tell what animal the soup base tastes like, it has all kinds of flavors. The fat and flavor of the meat are stewed into the soup. The soup is delicious, salty and fragrant, with a faint sweetness from tomatoes and carrots. It flows hot down the esophagus into the stomach. The warm and comfortable feeling permeates through my bones and skin, making me feel warm all over.

Bite a hole in the pie baked by Mrs. Weasley and soak it in the soup. Wait for the dry crust to absorb the soup. The meat filling inside will become more delicious. One bite and your mouth will be filled with the delicious soup.

At first Hagrid just wanted to hide his embarrassment, but the pie and gravy were so delicious that he wanted more and more. He ate half a basket of pie without thinking and breathed a sigh of satisfaction.

The level of the broth in the cauldron dropped a little.

The pure-blooded giant Grawp was a little anxious, but he had not yet fully learned human language, so he could only stammer and express himself briefly: "Slow down! Grawp is chopping wood! Wait for Loren..."

Loren only understood a small part of it.

He chopped all the firewood for cooking this pot of meat soup. He started cooking the soup in the morning, and the aroma of meat began to waft in about half an hour. He and Yaya were so greedy that they were drooling. They could almost cook another pot of soup. If they hadn't been waiting for Loren and the others, they wouldn't have been unable to taste it yet.

Grawp had given up protesting and was eager to eat.

I scooped out the bubbling broth from the pot and poured it directly into my mouth. I then stuffed a few pieces of pie into the pot and swallowed them down with gulps. My tongue felt numb.

“Hiss… Whoosh…”

Even though his mouth was burned, he did not slow down, as if he was competing with his brother in speed.

Pure-blooded giants are just tough.

Loren grinned at the sight.

Compared to broth and pie, Loren prefers to eat beef brisket that is almost stewed, the lean meat has fascia, and it is soft and tasty.

The two girls, Hermione and Ginny, next to them, prefer carrots, which are sweet and melt in the mouth with just a sip.

Harry and Ron were also wolfing down the food, not caring about the broth burning their mouths and breathing out hot air from their mouths. In fact, there was no need to be so anxious. Loren had calculated the food intake of several people when he told them the recipe. There was also half a cauldron of broth on the side, and Hagrid's own fruits and vegetables filled up his storage scales, which was enough to provide lunch for the two giants.

If that’s not enough, there are frozen rock cakes and fruit cakes in front of the fireplace.

This is enough to fill you up.

……

After lunch.

Grawp had a dull expression and his eyes were unfocused, as if he had turned into a stupid giant again. He collapsed on Hagrid's big bed, half of his body dragging on the floor, his stomach was bloated, and the sound of waves rolling could be heard when he turned over and swayed.

Hagrid moved the two giant cauldrons to the wall, covered them with lids, and took them out in the evening to heat them up. He paired them with some solid rock cakes, and that was his and Grawp's dinner.

Harry and Ron were helping to put away the cutlery and pots while the girls cleared the table.

Loren didn't have to work because he provided the recipe.

Sitting on a chair covered with a unicorn blanket, Loren lazily watched them busying themselves, his mind relaxed, not thinking about anything, not feeling sleepy, just in a purely rational daze.

Hermione came over and sat next to him, leaning against him for a while, and whispered, "I want to sit by the door and get some fresh air."

"emmm..."

Loren hesitated for a moment.

The fireplace in the room was burning brightly. He had just had lunch and it was indeed a bit stuffy. His cheeks and forehead were slightly hot, and he also wanted some cool air.

"Then blow it for a while." Loren said lazily, "Don't blow it for too long, just blow it a little bit."

"..."

The chair was moved to the door and the door was opened a crack, allowing an icy cold wind to rush in, carrying with it a few snowflakes that fell on the body and quickly melted, leaving a chill. A few strands of Hermione's hair swayed on his face, making him feel itchy and tingling.

"Professor McGonagall has started compiling the Christmas detention list. Should we stay at school or go home during this holiday?"

"Go home, go home. There's no special reason to stay at school this year. If you don't go back, Grandpa Bates will scold you."

"Then go back and write to them tonight."

"It's a good opportunity to let Hanhan deliver it. After he gets home, don't come back yet. The weather is cold now, and Hanhan doesn't need to deliver any letters on weekdays, so he doesn't have to fly back and forth twice during the holidays."

"..."

Hermione glanced at him and felt that the cold wind had almost blown away, so she stretched out her foot to close the door. "It's just that you don't have to accept the letters. Hanhan still has to help me deliver letters to Nancy, to the magazine, and to the many pen pals I communicate with."

"Nancy..."

Loren thought of the group of wizards from the Magical Congress of the United States. After thinking for a while, he asked, "It's been almost half a year. Nancy and Pickley are going back soon, right?"

"Ah."

Hermione nodded. "The trial of the Death Eaters has ended, and the Ministry of Magic's investigation is basically complete. They are going home for Christmas, and Mr. Colehaug is also going back to complete the final campaign for the President of the House of Representatives."

"When will Mr. Kohaug leave?"

"The weekend before Christmas, that's when we go home for the holiday."

"I've been away from the headquarters of the Magical Congress of the United States for more than half a year. Do I have a chance of winning if I go back now?"

"Don't forget that Nancy and Pickley also came to the Ministry with him. They represent the Bute family, the Graves family and the Picquery family. Not to mention that Mr. Coalhaug has also won the support of Ilvermorny..."

Hermione spoke softly and at an even pace, listing the candidates for the presidency of the Magical Congress of the United States of America one by one, analyzing their situations and estimating their chances of winning. She was meticulous and rigorous, as if she had already seen the result. There was a howling wind and snow outside the door, and a blazing fire inside the house.

Loren listened quietly, tilted his head slightly, and looked at the girl who was telling the story beside him, his eyes a little dazed.

His Hermione seemed a bit powerful.

"I remember that the International Wizarding Conference is about to be held again?"

"Yes, it's held every four years. The last one was the fourth year, the year of the Goblet of Fire Tournament. The next joint conference will be held next summer."

"I see……"

Loren nodded thoughtfully, then changed the subject: "Can you help me make an appointment with Mr. Kohaug?"

"Ok?"

……

12 month 19 day.

Loren and Neville sat facing each other at opposite ends of the round table.

Neville is the head of Gryffindor after all. Although he is gentle and kind, and always looks cheerful, he only gently dissuades students from violating school rules. If he can't dissuade them, he will discuss it with Parvati and report it to Professor McGonagall, who will arrange a deduction and detention package. In addition, he is roommate with Loren, and because of his parents, he is grateful to Loren and gives him Honeydukes candy gift boxes during festivals. He is very good to him.

But when Professor McGonagall called him for a talk, he was unable to cover up for him and could only convey the professor's warning in person.

"Some time ago, there were many supernatural incidents in the castle's bathroom, the common rooms of the four colleges, and even in the Hufflepuff dormitory. More than a dozen freshmen reported seeing the devil's smile in the middle of the night. The devil appeared and disappeared quickly, and appeared again when they let down their guard..."

Neville paused and sighed, "Based on their description, Professor Flitwick determined that it was a Halloween pumpkin lantern."

"is it?"

Loren held his chin with his hand, frowned, and looked puzzled. "It's so strange, how can the pumpkin lantern suddenly appear and disappear? Hogwarts is indeed a magic castle. Even though we have been here for seven years, there are still many wonderful magics that we have not discovered."

"..."

Neville's expression was extremely helpless. "All the professors were in the conference room at the time. Professor Hagrid said that all the pumpkin lanterns had been basically destroyed. Only a few of the scariest ones were given to you as a souvenir."

"What do you mean?" Loren frowned, feeling distressed. "Do the professors doubt me?"

"All the professors were in the conference room at that time..."

Neville repeated helplessly: "Professor Babel is here too. She said she is helping you perfect a certain alchemical array for space teleportation."

"Do you think it was me who did it just based on these two points?"

"Yes, Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape both believe that the evidence is conclusive and consistent with your long-term character habits, so it must be you who did it."

"Slander! Pure slander!"

Loren slammed the table indignantly, his hands turned red, trying to prove his innocence: "Hogwarts is so big, don't we need evidence to handle cases? Where is the headmaster? What about the school rules?"

"All the professors were in the conference room at the time..." Neville emphasized again, "The punishment set by the headmaster himself is not to deduct points from Gryffindor house, but to change it to two weeks of detention. The professor asked me to tell you to report to Mr. Filch after returning to school after the Christmas vacation."

"hateful!"

There is no possibility of appeal.

The judgment made by the principal is the final judgment.

Loren protested strongly against this. They convicted based on stereotypes and prejudices even though they had no direct evidence. This was a blasphemy against school rules and a betrayal of Ravenclaw!

We protest when we are put in solitary confinement and we protest when we are on holiday.

Loren still sat in his seat and muttered to himself.

Neville got up and packed his luggage. Christmas was not until next Thursday, so Hogwarts would be closed early. The express train would depart on time tomorrow morning to take the little wizards home for the holiday.

Harry and Ron had almost finished cleaning up and were worrying about the endgame of wizard chess.

Seamus finally managed to stay in school this year. It is said that he used the excuse of staying in his last year at Hogwarts to convince his witch mother, who was also a student. Unfortunately, all the other roommates went home this year.

This is so uncomfortable!

This directly caused him to feel listless and he couldn't muster any energy for the upcoming Christmas holiday.

It took Loren several minutes to recover from the blow of "having been in Hogwarts for several years, not having been in detention since the second year, and having failed as graduation approached."

Loren looked up and saw that his roommate who stayed in school had a distorted expression. He couldn't help but patted him on the shoulder and said, "Seamus, you don't look very happy. You are also mourning the moral decline of Hogwarts and feeling sorry for the injustice I suffered, right?"

"Not at all."

Seamus waved his hand and said bluntly, "Tell me honestly, in the name of Merlin, are those jack-o'-lanterns a prank of yours?"

"This is not a prank, this is a souvenir I left for Hogwarts."

"So that's what you did, and the professors were right."

"How can this be right?"

Loren frowned and retorted, followed by words like "procedural justice is visible justice", "the adjudication process must ensure fairness and justice", "participation, neutrality and equality", etc., which made his roommates laugh, and the dormitory was filled with a happy atmosphere.

……

"boom!"

The handsome man buckled up the suitcase, sat down on the bed, let out a long breath, relaxed his body, and said in a leisurely manner: "I can finally go home!"

"Are you unhappy here?" Nancy sat on the sofa not far away with a gentle smile on her face.

"I'm very happy to work here and gain experience and knowledge. After all, the Magic Congress hasn't held such a large-scale trial of dark wizards for many years. It's just that the food here is too disgusting!" Pickley waved his hand: "I thought the food over there was already disgusting enough, but I didn't expect that the food in Britain is even more disgusting."

"I'll be home tomorrow."

"By the way, has Mr. Kohaug decided where to meet Loren?"

"It's already been decided."

"where?"

"On the Hogwarts Express."

"?"

(End of this chapter)