days at Hogwarts

Chapter 802 Embark on a Journey
The black rubber tires rolled over the asphalt road. The road surface baked by the scorching sun exuded an indescribable strong smell, mixed with hydrocarbons left after the burning of gasoline, with a faint fragrance. The sky was not completely dark yet, and the afterglow of dusk made the red light of the car's taillights a little dim. The engine emitted a pleasant roar and gradually drove towards the suburb of Hampstead.

Loren sat in the back seat, holding Hermione's hand, and leaned close to the window to look out at the concrete jungle outside.

"Tsk..."

Loren blinked and thought that these high-rise buildings in the Muggle city were quite beautiful. With glass curtain walls on the outside, whether it was the sunset glow or the city lights that had already turned on, they all exuded a sense of magnificence, as if to make up for the missing starry sky in the city.

Perhaps it was because I had stayed in an ancient castle like Hogwarts for too long, and suddenly returned to the modern city, so I couldn't help feeling a little dazed.

Hermione also looked at these buildings without saying a word. Her eyes sometimes glanced at the seat beside her and sometimes glanced at the passenger seat in front of her, with a complicated expression.

The Mondeo Classic, a five-seater mid-size sedan, was a family car developed globally by Ford's European division. Hermione didn't quite understand the designer's original idea, but she always believed that if two families traveled together and Grandpa Bates was driving, her father Wendell should be in the passenger seat instead of sitting in the back seat.

Staring at her and Loren's hands held together.

The atmosphere in the car was a bit subtle.

Bates and Monica in the front row were chatting and laughing about the wizard parents. Loren was sitting in the back row by the window, holding the girl's hand and appreciating the night view with interest. Hermione was sitting in the middle, sitting upright with a calm expression. Only Wendell frowned tightly, his eyes slightly widened, as if he couldn't accept it.

Bates was the first to break the silence. He steered the wheel leisurely, looked up at the rearview mirror, and raised his voice with a smile: "From what Harry said just now, has Hermione confirmed that she is going to work at the Ministry of Magic? When is she going to report? Summer vacation has just begun, so let her have fun for a few more weeks."

Monica also smiled and said, "Loren, how are your two graduation trip plans?"

"You can start work once your transcripts come out, but I plan to go in mid-August," Hermione said briskly.

Loren also turned around and smiled: "The graduation trip will start in a few days. We plan to find a legendary magic spring and then go to New York to attend the International Wizarding Federation Conference."

"I wish you a happy graduation holiday."

"..."

Wendel's lips moved a few times, but he didn't say anything in the end. He looked slightly downward and saw Loren and Hermione holding hands. His brows continued to furrowed, as if he wanted to say something but stopped. In the end, he said nothing and could only glare at him to express his dissatisfaction.

An hour later, I returned home.

Monica's carefully prepared dinner sparkled.

This is the normal reflection of oil under incandescent light. Strictly speaking, these dishes cooked according to TV shows and magazine recipes are not delicate enough, nor amazing, but they have a homely taste. To Loren and Hermione, these dishes are as delicious as the Hogwarts end-of-year dinner.

As dinner came to a close, Loren sat next to Hermione, sipping his ice cream.

Hermione glanced at him sideways, licked her lips, then took a slight breath and tightened her abdomen, feeling it carefully, revealing a slightly uncomfortable expression.

My belly and stomach are already full, leaving no room for ice cream.

Loren glanced at her, as if he could understand her dilemma. He hesitated for a moment and said, "I have a digestive potion prepared by Madam Pomfrey."

Hermione's eyes flickered: "Don't overeat."

"How can this be considered overeating? It's not like we do this often..." Loren whispered softly, his voice floating into his mind, "This is our first dinner back home after the holiday. Your mother made it for us to celebrate our graduation. It's okay to eat a little more, right?"

"only today."

"Eat."

"I'm still surprised. If it was in the past, Mom would definitely not make ice cream." Hermione sipped the spoon and glanced at the sofa quietly. She lowered her voice, which was slightly sweet because of the ice cream. "In the past, the sweetest thing in the refrigerator was frozen ice cubes."

“Maybe it was influenced by me.”

"Humph……"

Hermione took a sip of her ice cream and gave him a sidelong glance.

The ice cream on the plate gradually dwindled. She swallowed the last strawberry with cream on it, tried to breathe in and out again, but finally gave up. She turned around and saw her parents and Grandpa Bates chatting on the sofa. Hermione blushed at their playful smiles.

……

I've been on holiday for a week.

Hermione had already received the acceptance letter from the Ministry of Magic before her NEWT transcripts were sent. This disordered order made her even more curious about her test scores, and she became anxious and sighed frequently.

Loren received a letter from Dumbledore, which was sent from Bavaria, Germany. The owl flew for several days and nights.

The letter was neither long nor short, and was interspersed with a few postcards.

Dumbledore briefly recounted his experiences and observations during his world travels during this period. He had seen in various places how Muggle technology had changed the world, including high-rise buildings and precision machinery in cities, signal towers and power stations in the wilderness, and Muggles had even set foot in the primeval forest. They camped several miles away from the unicorns and centaurs, but in the past few decades, most wizarding conquests had not been very strict about controlling such footprints, isolating wizard residents and magical creatures from Muggles. Only recently have there been signs of this being suppressed, and many magical creatures have even panicked as a result.

So Dumbledore took this opportunity to tell the elders and leaders of various tribes about Loren's spatial relocation plan. The magical intelligent creatures were amazed and shocked, and out of trust in Dumbledore, they quickly accepted the plan and were willing to provide help.

Then he mentioned Loren's upcoming graduation trip, and in the letter he introduced in great detail the location of the Fountain of Good Luck and the protective magic nearby, and suggested that Loren make targeted preparations.

Even after retirement, he is still busy saving the world. Dumbledore should get the Merlin Lifetime Achievement Award.

Loren put away the letter and looked through a few postcards. The girl, who had just come out of the shower, sat down in front of him.

His wet hair was filled with steam and the faint scent of shampoo. Hermione naturally handed the comb and hair dryer to him. Noticing that he did not move, she lowered her eyes to look at the letter and several postcards in his hand, which were written in elegant handwriting:

"A letter from Dumbledore?"

"You can blow dry your hair with just a few waves of a magic wand."

"The warm air from the appliance is more comfortable, and I like you to comb my hair." Hermione drew out the last word, with a bit of coquettishness, and shook her hair, deliberately sweeping a few strands across his cheeks, making them wet.

"Magic has made life easier for all wizards, except you."

Loren refused to give in, but took the comb and hair dryer and started to play the role of Teacher Tony. His movements were skillful and his skills were superb. He looked like he could open a shop and make money if he went out.

"I am from a Muggle family..."

Hermione snorted twice and flipped through the postcard: "What did Dumbledore say in the letter?"

"Something about magical creatures and the Fountain of Luck. Read it for yourself."

"call……"

Hermione lowered her head to read the letter. The sound of the hair dryer echoed in the room. The motor was still a little rough at this time. Hot air blew through the pipes. There was a little noise in the whistling wind, like a broken voice with amazing lung capacity.

The boy's fingertips were also warm and reassuring.

...Two days later, June 22, the summer solstice.

All preparations for the graduation trip were ready, and the packed luggage was thrown into the pendant. Loren and Hermione, dressed in neat summer clothes, stood at the door of the house. It didn't look like a long journey, but rather like a weekend date for young lovers. The atmosphere was too relaxed, and the Grangers and Grandpa Bates didn't feel nervous at all.

"From a wizard's perspective, with our current magical skills, this trip is indeed not a long journey. If everything goes well, we can come back for dinner. If not, we will come back to rest and have dinner."

Mr. and Mrs. Granger: "..."

Grandpa Bates: "..."

"Anyway, don't worry."

“We had no concerns.”

"Then we'll see you tonight."

"..."

With a slight sound of air, Loren and Hermione disappeared from the spot.

The three parents stood in the middle of the room, looked at each other, and couldn't help but smile sincerely, then continued to busy themselves with their own things. Wendell and Monica were going to work at the clinic, and Grandpa Bates was going to the bank as a large amount of time deposit was due.

……

nine in the morning.

In the desert of eastern Egypt, between the Nile River and the Red Sea, in the uninhabited river valley, a strange magical power enveloped the area. Driven by some will, the magic power condensed and twisted into unclear characters, and under the effect of runes, it connected this space with another unknown space. Signs of light distortion appeared in the transparent air, as if the space was trembling slightly.

Along with the low-frequency sound of air, two figures appeared out of thin air.

I stepped on the soft sand and sank a few centimeters before I could stand firm. Then I could clearly feel the burning air and the glaring sun. It was only nine o'clock in the morning, but the sun was already showing its blazing attitude, radiating its light and heat without any scruples.

Hermione felt it silently for a while. Between the undulating sand dunes in the river valley, the temperature was wrapped in air convection. A tactile wind blew towards her, mixed with sand, hot and rough.

The feeling is over and the body feels uncomfortable.

Hermione took out her wand and prepared to cast a Foaming Head Charm, but was stopped by Loren.

"The Bubble Head Charm will block the wind and sand, but it will also hinder our sense of smell, delaying our exploration of the desert to find the Fountain of Good Luck. I have prepared a sun hat with a veil."

"You think this is interesting?"

"..."

Loren pursed his lips. Miss Granger had grown up and knew him too well. "I want to find the Fountain of Good Luck as soon as possible."

"Oh."

"Here, I'll put it on for you."

"Don't overdo it, and pay attention to the time."

Hermione gave a warning and watched the man take out a sun hat and a white cloak and put them on each person, which looked like the indigenous costumes here.

"It's a graduation trip after all..."

Loren muttered quietly, glancing up at the dunes and the sky.

The only sounds you can hear in this desert are the hot wind blowing and the sand flowing. The wind whimpers vaguely, and the sand rustles. The similar terrain and colors blur the direction and distance, and it is difficult to tell where these sounds come from. In addition, there are no other sounds of any living things. It is a bit too quiet. I don’t know if it is the ecological environment here, or for some other reason.

Ten minutes later.

The two moved forward quickly in this desert area.

The desert is vast, with undulating sand dunes and loose gravel. Whether climbing or sliding down, you always need to be careful to prevent slipping, and you also need to pay attention to the quicksand terrain, which is full of dangers. For adult wizards, this kind of terrain with a wide field of vision is actually very safe. They can Apparate hundreds or thousands of feet in a flash.

"Wow……"

Loren stood on the top of the sand dune, ready to marvel at the magnificent sight before him, when a gust of hot wind blew in his face, lifting his veil and bringing in a few wisps of sand and dust, interrupting his sigh.

"Bah bah bah!"

After finally vomiting everything out, Loren pulled her veil tighter and looked into the distance.

Fengsha squinted his eyes a little.

As far as the eye can see is endless golden gravel. Although this is a river valley, the river has long dried up. The gravel has gathered into a huge complex like sand dunes and mountains under the pull of the never-ending wind and gravity. Each sand dune looks like it was carved out of the same mold. But they have experienced it just now. With just a few steps, the sand dunes that have been in sight have changed their appearance.

Loren glanced around.

Behind the hill in front of him on the right, he vaguely saw a sparkling magical light. It should belong to some magical relic, perhaps a tomb like a pyramid, or perhaps the fountain of good luck.

"Is the Fountain of Good Luck hidden in this desert..."

"That's what Dumbledore said."

"According to the description in The Tales of Beedle the Poet, the Fountain of Good Luck is in a magical garden, on a high hill..."

“The hills here are really high.”

"Where's the magic garden?"

"Who says that gardens must be emerald green?"

"..."

Hermione looked around and saw the sunlight refracting on the gravel, as if the surface of the sand dunes was glowing with a faint glow. After reading Dumbledore's letter, she also read a lot of information about this desert. The history here is even more profound than Hogwarts.

One of the birthplaces of Egyptian culture and wizard culture, there were traces of human life there as early as the Paleolithic Age.

Year after year, Gringotts recruits curse breakers and sends them here to seek the gold hidden in the sand dunes. Hundreds of wizards venture deep into the desert to pursue the truth deep in history.

In the story, Beedle the Poet said that on the longest day of each year, between sunrise and sunset, unlucky people gathered near the Fountain of Good Luck. After passing through many obstacles, one person would be chosen and bathe in the magic of the Fountain of Good Luck, and would be blessed by the goddess of luck forever.

(End of this chapter)