The days at Hogwarts

On the street, some people went to Zog's Joke Shop to see new prank toys, and some went to the Magic Equipment Store to buy magic robes that could automatically remove dust.

Hermione pulled Loren and ran a long way before stopping, panting while holding onto the lamppost. When they caught their breath, they seemed to think this was something really funny, and the two of them leaned against the lamppost and laughed so hard that they began to pant again.

"Why are you panicking?"

"Then why are you panicking?"

"I saw Prefect Percy in there and I was afraid he might find us."

The two continued walking along the street, and this time they sneaked into the Three Broomsticks Bar, which was famous among the student community.

The whole bar was extremely crowded and noisy. Even though it was not yet October, the fireplace was already burning, making it hot and smoky. There were all kinds of people in the bar, chattering little wizards, noisy adult guests, even goblins, and some strange creatures of unknown races, all crowded in this small bar.

In the noisy little bar, another kind of order is maintained in the chaotic atmosphere. In this order, no one needs to worry about fighting, and can focus on the things in front of them: it may be a glass of red currant rum, or a transaction with the mysterious man sitting opposite, or the iconic and curvaceous proprietress - Ms. Rosmerta.

The three broomsticks are famous in Hogwarts, which is inseparable from the bragging of most male students, and the main content of their bragging is Ms. Rosmerta.

Loren and Hermione went to the front desk to get their butterbeers and observe the lady who was attending to a group of noisy wizards.

She wore a close-fitting but skin-friendly cloth skirt that showed off her beautiful curves without looking gaudy. The goose yellow and rose red skirt made her look like a ripe peach.

A male wizard was drunk and making a noise. Madam Rosmerta handed him a glass of violet water. As she slid it, a few drops of water spilled out of the glass and landed on the wizard's hand. The coolness of the ice cubes penetrated into his heart along his skin, causing him to shiver.

The wizard looked up and met Ms. Rosmerta's gaze. He felt a chill rising from the bottom of his heart as if in a trance. The drunkenness faded away, and he lowered his head to take the violet water and stopped making noise.

From a certain coincidence, Loren noticed a flash of sarcasm in Ms. Rosmerta's eyes, and suddenly felt that this bar owner was unusual.

Loren and Hermione each grabbed a Butterbeer and chose a small empty table in the less noisy area behind the bar.

The Hogwarts kitchen occasionally mixes butterbeer. In order to cater to the students' tastes, the butterbeer made by the elves has a very prominent milky and sweet flavor and does not taste like alcohol at all.

The bar's butter beer doesn't taste like alcohol, but it does taste a bit sour. This wonderful fermented flavor sets off the milky and sweet flavors from another angle. The two butter beers may not be different in taste, but the latter tastes more wonderful. The foamy hops floating on top are salty and sweet, and have a special taste.

The two of them couldn't stop drinking, and drank a few mouthfuls of wine in a hurry. Soon, they felt dizzy and warm all over.

They relaxed unconsciously, some of them were carried away, speaking random words without realizing what they had said. It was like taking a nap during class, a dream like the passing of time.

Loren's cheeks flushed. "Hermione, do you think the bosses at Hogsmeade are extraordinary?"

Hermione quietly held the beer glass and sipped it obediently. She didn't hear Loren's question at all and responded dazedly, "Hmm?"

Loren took a sip of beer. "The owner of the candy store is proficient in potions and knows some alchemy. The magic equipment store and Zog's joke shop also have people who are proficient in various strange alchemy. They only need to slightly change the direction of what they know to make weapons for war."

"And there's Ms. Rosmerta at the bar. She's very sociable and can keep the messy guests in the bar under control. She—" Loren paused, "She's a very strange person."

Hermione was awakened from her daze when she heard Madam Rosmerta's name. She picked up her cup and tapped it on the table. "What's so strange about her?"

"She should be good at gathering intelligence and leveraging power, but this kind of behavior is using others to intimidate guests with bad intentions. If she doesn't have the ability to protect herself, she will be easily exploited." Loren said dazedly.

"Oh~" Hermione didn't hear anything noteworthy and became confused.

"Hogsmeade can be the military defense line of the school. It has a good location and personnel."

"Oh--"

Two little wizards who could get drunk even with butterbeer were muttering in the corner. No one would notice them, and no one could hear how horrifying what they were saying was.

In another inconspicuous corner, two mysterious men shrouded in black cloaks were having another conversation that could not be heard by others.

Although the two mysterious men were hiding under their cloaks, they were easy to distinguish. One of them was a tall man sitting on the outside, his movements were casual, and he was taking the initiative. His figure overshadowed the other mysterious man who was sitting on the inside and had an ordinary figure.

The mysterious man sitting on the outside had badly worn cuffs sticking out from his cloak, with even the threads showing. The other man had clean suit sleeves sticking out from under his cloak, and he seemed to be a person of status.

If someone else gets close to them, they can enter the invisible magic barrier and hear the two people's uneasy conversation.

"You're dreaming! How is this possible!" The mysterious man in a suit sitting on the inside shouted in a low voice, his hands on the table clenched into fists.

The mysterious man outside replied casually: "Hey, why not? There is no better deal than this. As long as you sell me the defense map of Azkaban and the Auror patrol time, you can get ten years of wolfsbane potion."

He held onto the table and leaned forward, pressing the man: "Think about it, you need the wolfsbane potion to maintain your decent life. Otherwise, your beautiful wife and well-behaved daughter will find out that their husband and father, the decent Deputy Minister of the Prison Department of the Ministry of Magic, has turned into a despicable werewolf. Hahahaha!"

"you!"

"Hehehe, think about it."

"You lowly beasts!"

"Same here, Mr. Deputy Minister."

The man sitting opposite with neatly cuffs was so angry that he wanted to smash the wine glass, but when he noticed the surrounding situation, he gritted his teeth, swallowed his anger, and put the wine glass back on the table.

Chapter 181 The Forgetfulness Curse

Loren and Hermione were talking nonsense that they didn't care about, but fortunately it was not uncommon to see little wizards mumbling like this.

Hogwarts students often venture into the bar on weekends, imitating adults to drink and falling asleep on the table before finishing a glass. The Three Broomsticks waiters are used to it.

The various guests in the bar did not dare to harbor any ill will towards these young wizards, not only because of Dumbledore's reputation, but also because professors from the school would often come to the bar to have a drink and relax.

The two of them were talking confusedly about the Transfiguration Club and the Potions Club, which had not yet started recruiting members. The young wizard was very willing to join the Potions Club, because preparing potions was a professional skill with a high threshold, and Potions Master was a respectable job.

Leisurely stirring the liquid in the crucible, brewing cheap raw materials into potions, and selling them for enough money to cover expenses for several months. Easy, comfortable, and elegant.

Loren couldn't understand why the young wizards had such unrealistic fantasies when they had potions classes every week. He could only think that this might be the same as the admiration of ordinary people for doctors.

After slowly finishing their butterbeer and even taking a nap for a while, the two left the Three Broomsticks feeling refreshed.

It was probably two or three in the afternoon, the sun had passed its zenith, and the faint sunlight streaming through it gave people a comfortable warmth.

"Is there anything else we should do?" Hermione and Loren walked out side by side.

"Is there anything else you want to play?"

"No more!" Hermione replied crisply.

They hadn't been to Zog's Magical Joke Shop, nor had they visited the Elegant Wizard Clothing Store. There were still many places they hadn't visited. In fact, Hermione also wanted to go to the Men of Letters Quill Shop, but she knew very well that she couldn't finish all the good stuff in one go, or she would get bloated.

How do you say that?

The days are long.

"Then let's find a place to eat something?" Loren looked at both sides of the street. There didn't seem to be any restaurants or shops on either side.

"Hmm..." Hermione felt distressedly, her stomach was still full. They had stuffed too much food in Honeydukes Candy Store, all high-sugar food, very filling.

She fell into deep thought: "No more eating, let's buy a cake and go back to school. I'm going to share some with Parvati and the others, and you can also bring some to Harry and the others to thank them for their birthday gifts on my behalf."

"Cake, what flavor do you want?"

"Avalanche Strawberry Cake! I always love Avalanche Strawberry Cake!"

"The chocolate cake is good too."

"Actually, I want to try a cake made with dark chocolate."

The two of them walked and talked.

The streets of Hogsmeade were still bustling. In Madam Puddifoot's Tea House, there were still many little wizards stuck together with glue, their hands and mouths stuck together. At the door of the Quidditch boutique, the untidy-bearded boss squatted, worrying about the strangely packaged candy gift boxes with the clerk.

"I just asked you to go next door and steal - no, bring out some candy for tasting. Why did you bring back such a big thing?" said the boss.

The young clerk blushed and stammered, "The new honey candy was so tempting that I couldn't help but eat up all the samples in the box. Plus, I was wearing this uniform, so I was caught."

He looked at the candy gift box in front of him: "You know the rest. Mr. Ambrosio Frum asked me to bring this to you."

The boss looked at the gift box suspiciously: "It won't be filled with a bunch of running cockroaches, will it? The last time I opened a gift box from him in the store, cockroaches were crawling all over the room!"

"Just open it and take a look."

"Are you a dummy?"

Loren and Hermione smiled as they walked past and into Honeydukes.

Bubbles in the colors of colorful flowers floated under the ceiling, the exploding sounds of fillings from exploding can be heard from time to time, there were spurting flames, and cackling white ice mist... The shelves were still crowded with little wizards, and the counter was surrounded by little wizards placing orders and checking out.

Although it was said outside that it was avalanche strawberry cake, when they saw the various cakes on display in the cabinet for tasting, they couldn't help but eat a piece of each.

The mousse cake was as soft as a cloud, the cherry cream black forest cake had a dense texture, and the nut brownie cake was sweet but not greasy. The undigested candies in the stomach welcomed a new partner, and both of them felt a little full and regretfully gave up.

Then he returned to the castle carrying the avalanche strawberry cake packed in two boxes. Although the sun had not yet set, the lighting and candles were already on.

The two of them savored the sweetness left between their lips and teeth, talked about the shops they would visit next time, and planned their itinerary. They would go to the post office to see the owls, and to see the Screaming Shack included in "Famous Places in the Magical World". There were many more interesting places, and it just so happened that their future was still long.

He walked into the shadows, half of his body was exposed to block the light, and his shadow was cast on the ground...

They bounced along until they reached the stairs of the Gryffindor common room, where they stopped and looked at each other.

Loren tilted his head to the side, looking at the entrance to the girls' dormitory and said, "Your birthday present is stuffed into the cake box. Remember to check it out."

Hermione smiled: "Thank you! This is the happiest birthday I've ever had!"

"I'll let Wendell and Monica know."

Hermione:? ? ?

With complicated thoughts, the two parted ways.

Hermione opened the box before entering the dormitory. It was a small pendant, just like the birthday gift she gave to Loren. The brown grapevine wood was carved into a cartoon whale with a square head and a square brain, waving its tail upwards, clumsy but cute.

The carving is exquisite, and the tiny incisions are very neat, with concentration and carefulness engraved in the neat incisions.

Hermione held the small locket and felt a sweetness sweeter than cream cake.

Back in the dormitory, Loren divided the cake among Harry and the others, using the free shell plates and small forks that looked like they were made from the spines of a hedgehog.

Harry ate the cake and made some movements with his wand, occasionally thrusting it forward and then quickly pointing it behind him. He simulated the scene of being attacked from all sides by Death Eaters and fighting against many enemies alone, and he made "whoosh! whoosh!" sounds from time to time.

If the atmosphere is right, Ron will join in, and in their imagination, they will play out a drama of a lone hero fighting his way out of the siege.

But he was still eating the cake, so looking at Harry's behavior from a third-person perspective, it's hard to describe.

"What spell can you cast instantly and defeat the enemy in one move?" Ron tried to make Harry's role play more serious.

Harry said, "Disarming spell, my Disarming spell is a little different. Many seniors only disarm when they use it, but I can also make it have a knockback effect, so I can defeat the enemy in one move."

So Ron remained silent. He had practiced with Harry before and had seen the kind of Disarming Charm that was not magical at all.

Seamus asked, "Loren, what is the spell you chose?"

Ron came over, put his hands on Loren's shoulders, and said solemnly: "Think it over before you answer. This concerns who will write the stargazing report for Seamus and me this semester."

"You actually bet on something like this?" Loren thought it was outrageous. "There are so many spells. What if the ones I choose are different from the ones you bet on?"

"You didn't choose a specific spell. Seamus guessed you must have chosen an offensive spell, and I guessed a non-offensive spell." Ron said.

Loren hesitated for a moment, then winked at the two of them, hinting, "Choosing a spell is something that needs to be done carefully, isn't it? I think maybe "my" "stargazing report" will reveal some signs, I need to see it before deciding."

His accent bite is wonderful.

Seamus waved his hand to dispel his threats and fantasies: "Don't even think about it. Your stargazing reports will be checked by Hermione first. If we write more than three words for others, we will be discovered."

"Alas," Loren sighed and gave up struggling, "Then you lose, Iron Armor Spell, non-offensive type."

"Ha! No need to write a stargazing report this semester!" Ron cheered immediately.

Seamus looked at him in disbelief. "When I first came to school, you took me to the Forbidden Forest to blow up branches, and now you tell me you chose the Shield Charm?!"

Seamus couldn't accept it, absolutely couldn't accept it.

Fearing that Loren might change his mind, Ron dragged Seamus away to work on last week's stargazing report, which was due the day after tomorrow.

The two of them whispered to each other and reviewed the game:

"How did you guess that?"

"From his chess playing style, it can be seen that he is good at both offense and defense, but not that aggressive."

"Can this be seen?"

……

night.

Saturday night was not a good one for Harry and Ron, because they could not get away with the detention they had shirked last week. Ron had to go to the trophy room to clean hundreds of trophies without magic, and Harry had to go to Lockhart to help him reply to fan mail.

Loren also has to go see Lockhart. The teaching of the Oblivion Charm that was agreed upon last week will start tonight.

In the deserted corridor, Harry listened to Loren's footsteps and felt more at ease. He said gratefully, "Thanks to you, Loren, otherwise I would have to face that best-selling author alone."

"I, I should thank you." Loren felt a little guilty and changed the subject, "How is the new Quidditch tactics training going? Can we beat the Slytherin team?"

Speaking of this, Harry sighed, "We won't know until the official game. After learning that the Slytherin team had changed their brooms, Wood calmed down, but he became more and more nervous, sensitive and irritable. Everyone is under a lot of pressure, and the atmosphere in the team is like a powder keg. I really hope the game can start soon."

"Don't worry, Quidditch is not just a sport that pursues speed..." Loren repeated what he heard during the day, which gave Harry great encouragement.

As they were talking, the two of them came to Lockhart's office and knocked on the door of the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.