The Wind and the Wings of Hogwarts

“Hey! I’m right here!” Eddie said unhappily. “Ravenclaw is my territory! And I have more connections in Slytherin than you do.”

"That was before."

Fred retorted with a grin.

“Scott isn’t very popular in Slytherin right now, and you’re his roommate.”

“That’s because you don’t know me at all,” Eddie said smugly, raising his head.

“Seriously, Eddie,” Fred said, putting his arm around Eddie’s neck affectionately, “how’s business on your end?”

"It's alright," Eddie grinned, his words belying his expression.

Upon seeing this, Fred quickly led him aside, and George followed. The three of them huddled together and began discussing business.

Scott tossed the purse in his hand, called out, and walked into the candy store with Milton.

He had no interest in lingering in the crowded store, so he went straight to the counter and promptly signed several orders.

For just a few extra silver coins, the shopkeeper would wrap the candy from the order into gifts in Scott's name and send them out according to the list he left behind at Christmas.

Scott liked the convenient service.

Of course, these rather perfunctory gifts are for people he doesn't have a very close relationship with.

Having quickly resolved most of the gift issue, Scott walked out of the candy store feeling refreshed.

By this time, Eddie and the Weasley twins had disappeared.

After Milton came out of the store, they went to Devis and Bans stores, as well as Wenrenju quill pen store, where Scott signed several orders at each of the two stores.

“That solves most of my Christmas gift needs for this year,” he said to Milton. “You should ask me for advice, Milton.”

Unlike Scott, who was relaxed, Milton was carrying several bags and insisted, "I think it's more meaningful to send gifts by hand."

Scott shrugged. "Of course, I'll personally send out the gifts for you guys."

“I’m really looking forward to it,” Milton said with a smile.

“Alright, Eddie should be at the Three Broomsticks Bar. We should head over and warm up with a butterbeer,” Scott suggested.

He helped Milton organize the things he had bought, and the two of them used a shrinking spell to successfully merge many bags into one.

Then they headed toward the Three Broomsticks bar.

As they passed Mrs. Patiffe's Tea House on the street corner, Scott stopped.

"Is that Roger's ex-girlfriend over there?"

He whispered, gesturing for Milton to look ahead.

A girl is standing motionless outside the glass window of the teahouse.

Milton nodded. "It's Miss Mil of Hufflepuff."

At that moment, the girl was standing there quietly watching the teahouse.

“Let’s go take a look,” Scott said.

As they approached, they could see couples sitting at small tables inside the teahouse, whispering sweet nothings to each other.

Roger and Cachini were one such couple.

At that moment, the two of them were holding hands and looking at each other. Roger seemed to be talking about something interesting, which made Cachini laugh non-stop.

Perhaps it was the angle, or perhaps they were too engrossed in their date, but they were completely unaware that Mil was standing outside the window staring straight at them.

Milton was also unaware of Scott's approach to Milton.

She was startled awake by the sound of Scott and Milton's footsteps on the snow as they drew closer.

She glanced back at the two of them, her expression as if she'd seen a ghost, then turned and ran away in a hurry.

Scott watched her retreating figure and said with a hint of helplessness, "I always feel that what happened with Du Ping last time wasn't enough. Roger might learn an even bigger lesson in the future because of his excessively rich romantic history."

……

Chapter 090 Milton's Choice, Shadow

Because he didn't want to disturb Roger's date, Scott didn't have a chance to tell him about Mill until Roger returned to his dorm that evening.

"I thought her keeping an eye on you guys while you were in class and eating was already the limit!"

Eddie was even more surprised than Roger, who had only just heard about it.

"Didn't you make it clear when you broke up with her?" Scott found this rather strange.

Roger has always handled this situation quite well, and even with frequent breakups, he hasn't caused any trouble.

I don't know why things started going wrong this semester.

Roger was also puzzled by this, and he hesitated before saying, "Maybe I should have a serious talk with her?"

"Maybe?"

The topic of how to appease an ex-girlfriend is too complex for Scott to offer any good advice.

That concludes this topic.

Because Milton stepped forward; he wanted to tell them something.

"...Scott must have noticed something was wrong with me, right?" he said.

Scott leaned against the headboard and said, "If that's what you say, then it's true."

Roger and Eddie looked at him curiously.

“I’ll just say one thing,” Scott said softly. “How long has it been since you composed music, how long since you played the cello, Milton?”

Milton lowered his eyelids. "I haven't composed anything in almost two months, and I haven't touched my cello for half a month."

"what?"

Roger and Eddie looked at Milton in shock.

“I thought you were experiencing a creative block or feeling tired. Sometimes I also go for long periods of time without wanting to pick up a paintbrush,” Scott said.

“No, I lost her.” Milton gave that complicated smile again.

"lose?"

Scott was also shocked.

He sat up in bed and asked, "What do you mean?"

Milton still smiled and said, "Literally, I've lost my inspiration and talent related to music."

"How could this be?" Scott found it unbelievable.

“It’s related to that piece of music,” Milton said quietly.

He turned and walked to the window, looking at the heavy snow falling outside.

"Isn't that all over?" Eddie couldn't help but ask.

“For most people, it was the end.” Milton turned around. “Because after that, I was the only one who could hear that music.”

Roger said incredulously, "But Professor Flitwick said..."

“I was indeed not hurt,” Milton said definitively. “Just as the professor said, it was a trade-off and a choice for me.”

"A trade-off? A choice? So you're saying you've given up music?" Scott found this incredible.

“Yes, I traded her for magic,” Milton said.

At this moment, he appeared quite calm.

What are you saying?

Eddie looked at Milton as if he were a stranger.

Of course, Scott and Roger were similar.

They all knew how much Milton loved music! Definitely more than he loved magic!

Moreover, exchanging musical talent for magic?

How could such a thing possibly be possible?

In short, they are now filled with doubts.

“I don’t know how I did it,” Milton said, “but that’s how it happened.”

He looked at Scott. "You sensed it, didn't you, Scott? My magic has begun to grow rapidly."

"I thought this was part of growing up during adolescence."

Scott looked at him with some concern.

“What happened, Milton?” he asked. “Why did you make this choice?”

"I just don't want to go on like this anymore."

Milton's face was very pale, but his eyes were firm.

"If my magical talent were a little better, many people would be happier because of it."

Scott opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately didn't.

He meant that Milton himself would be unhappy.

But he suspected that Milton's choice was related to his family.

He wasn't Milton and didn't understand his situation.

Even knowing his situation, I couldn't truly empathize with him.

What grounds do we have to question his choice?

Roger and Eddie were also conflicted, but like Scott, they ultimately didn't say much.

The atmosphere in the dormitory eventually became somewhat gloomy.

But Milton, who is usually the most sentimental, was the first to get over his emotions.

“This is my choice, my friends,” he said. “You just need to wish me well.”