days at Hogwarts

Chapter 803 Proof of Crying
Loren held Hermione's hand and Apparated along the way.

Passing through the whistling sandstorm and scorching sun, we arrived at the place where the magic light was shining. There were several sand dunes standing near the landing point, staggered and orderly, forming a ring shape to guard the canyon inside. In front of us was a narrow aisle, only about ten feet wide. There was cool water vapor blowing from the depths of the aisle, refreshing the heart.

I walked into the aisle. Although this road had no forks, it was not straight either. It was winding and I couldn't see how long the road ahead was. Only the unique fragrance of the plants gradually became apparent through the veil, and the loose and soft sand under my feet gradually turned into compacted soil.

It seemed like a completely different world inside.

Loren sniffed the air in the corridor, feeling the remaining heat in his body being dissipated by the warm water vapor.

After turning several turns, the soil on the ground in the aisle gradually changed from dry and hard to moist and soft. There were also scattered green spots in the field of vision, such as moss and weeds, and even aloe vera. After walking for about ten minutes, I made a sharp right turn. The view suddenly opened up, and the endless green filled the entire field of vision. Even the sunlight above my head became a little softer.

Loren and Hermione looked at each other, the same thought flashing through their minds -

The magic spring is actually in the garden.

Loren looked around, observing the oasis.

Not far away are low, lush shrubs, verdant and green. In the distance are even taller treetops, standing leisurely. Occasionally, you can see birds flapping their wings among the branches. There are rustling sounds in the grass on the ground, as lizards shuttle through it.

The magical light seen from outside was dispersed into several beams, landing in different places. Pure magical fluctuations were floating in the air. There was no sign of alchemy or runes, no trace of wizards casting spells, not even a Muggle-repelling spell.

No matter how glorious the civilization was in this area before, or how much powerful magic was born there, there is no trace left now, and everything is ordinary.

Hermione murmured softly beside him: "Is this the garden where the Fountain of Good Luck is located?"

“It’s a garden created by the Fountain of Good Luck.”

"What do you mean?"

"This garden is located deep in the desert. You saw it when we came here just now. It may not rain here for several years. The nearby geographical environment does not have the conditions for water storage, and there are no underground rivers. The reason why a stable oasis can be derived is because of the existence of the Fountain of Good Luck."

"Only the magic spring can continuously summon fresh water..."

"And this magic power is affected by the stars and undergoes magical changes. It only reveals the path at the entrance on the summer solstice, when the daylight is the longest each year. At other times, it is hidden in the sand dunes, and neither Muggles nor wizards can find its trace."

"Like nature's fidelity spell."

"Yes."

Loren saw Hermione's eyes slightly widened, with a slightly shocked expression, and couldn't help but smile: "There's no need to rush, let's go around and look around. After all, it's a graduation trip, so we should travel like a trip."

"That's what you said just now."

"You just agreed to it."

Loren took her hand and shook it back and forth twice. He did not use Apparition to move away, but instead pulled her forward slowly as if they were shopping normally, towards the nearest magical light.

The area near the Fountain of Luck in "The Tales of Beedle the Bard" is full of magic, including vines that attack people like the Whomping Willow, and dense trees of rare potions and fruit. However, this oasis is exceptionally peaceful, with no signs of magical animals.

Although he didn't recognize the plants around him, Loren was able to confirm that they did not have any magical fluctuations and were just ordinary plants.

The ground was overgrown with weeds, there were no roads to pass through, and no signs of any large animals' footprints. When encountering areas with lush vines, the only way to clear a path was to use splitting and cutting spells.

"[Shen Feng Wu Ying]"

Loren swung out a sharp blade, cutting through the vines blocking the way, and stepped forward, looking at the puddle not far ahead. The puddle was only a few square meters in area, barely a small lake, with a few grass leaves floating on it. The water was clear and transparent, with strands of water plants and moss lingering at the bottom of the water, and the entire lake was rippling with crystal magic light.

There were no fish swimming in the lake, only a snow-white elephant snake wandering around.

The colour of the snake looked familiar to Hermione.

"Did you find anything?"

Loren noticed the confusion in her eyes.

"Remember the story of the Fountain of Good Luck..." Hermione looked at the snow-white rag snake and said thoughtfully, "In the story, the first level the three witches and the unlucky knight encountered was that they needed to prove their pain to a snow-white earthworm."

"The earthworm was coiled under the hill. It was huge, bloated, and blind..." Loren recalled Beedle the poet's description. "It really sounds like an albino rat snake."

"Wow..."

There was a slight sound of waves on the lake.

Loren heard the voice and turned to look.

The snow-white rat snake swam to the shore at some point, emerged from the water, and crawled towards them. It had pale, lifeless eyes and a pink tongue. It looked completely harmless and even a little cute.

The snow-white rag snake came in front of them, raised its head, and shook it slightly: "Hiss..."

Loren and Hermione didn't understand Parseltongue, but they vaguely guessed what it meant and asked tentatively, "Prove pain to you?"

The rat snake nodded slightly.

"I remember... In the story, a witch named Asha was terminally ill. In her pain and despair, she inadvertently shed tears to prove her pain." Hermione turned to look at him, "Can our tears pass?"

"Can you shed tears now?"

"..."

The two looked at each other and quickly came up with a solution.

Loren always keeps common ingredients and potions in the pendant. Several potions have pungent smells, but in the end he chose the milder onion.

I made a few marks with my fingernails and sniffed a few times. My nose suddenly felt sore and my eyes became blurry.

He sniffed, dipped his fingers in tears, took one drop for each person, and put them in front of the snow-white nostrils of the king cobra.

The blind king snake had originally had no expression on its face, but now it revealed clear disgust. It retracted its tongue, closed its mouth, and silently turned its head to the side.

"..."

Loren and Hermione were also silent.

They were seventeen or eighteen years old and had just graduated from Hogwarts. One was ambitiously preparing to join the Ministry of Magic to fight for his ideals and had a bright future; the other was already on par with legendary wizards before he even reached adulthood and was preparing to change the world and create a better future... In general, their careers were going well and their love lives were happy.

It's really hard to force someone to feel pain.

(End of this chapter)