The days at Hogwarts

The flying brooms used in flying classes are still the old-fashioned sweeping series. Some magic supply stores have stopped selling this type of broom, but they can't bear to have them piled up in the warehouse, so they use them to sweep the floor.

For young wizards who are experiencing flying for the first time, this kind of broom often has some naughty little problems and there are also loopholes in safety issues. Professor McGonagall has planned to purchase a batch of cheap brooms during the holidays to retire the current batch of old brooms.

After listening to her colleagues talking about their needs, Professor McGonagall smiled and said slowly, "It's still a long way to go before the school can operate completely independently."

"If the previous accounts were not wrong, would the process be faster?" Dumbledore sat in the main seat, imagining happily.

When talking about the previous accounts, Professor McGonagall couldn't keep the smile on her face. She glanced at the old headmaster's white beard and said, "The most important issue that should be resolved now is the professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts, a 'real' professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts."

Dumbledore blinked, thought for a moment, and realized that he shouldn't have mentioned the accounting error when the atmosphere was right.

"Well, I think that expanding too quickly will mask some problems. It is wise to slow down appropriately." He hesitated for a moment and smoothed his beard. "As for the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, don't worry, Minerva. I have found a suitable candidate who will take up the position after the summer vacation."

"I hope he can spend Christmas at school. As for Easter..." Professor McGonagall also hesitated for a moment before raising her glass and saying, "Let's talk about it after Christmas."

Flitwick and Sprout lowered their heads and concentrated on enjoying their lunch, but they couldn't help but burst into happy laughter.

At the Gryffindor table, Loren was struggling with a dish of braised veal knee. The firm tender meat and chewy tendons of the veal knee had a wonderful taste when they collided with his teeth. Coupled with the salty and thick soup, one almost wanted to swallow his tongue.

The food is delicious, but when you hold a mandrake leaf in your mouth while chewing bones, you need to be careful. In addition to the possibility of accidentally biting off the leaf with your teeth, the bones and cartilage in your mouth are also sharp objects for the tender leaves.

When picking up the food, Loren had a bad feeling that he might fail today because of this delicious braised veal knee, but he picked up the food without much hesitation.

Is there anything more important than eating?

After carefully chewing the first piece of ox knee, Loren pursed his lips and pressed the leaf against his palate with his tongue to verify it.

Well, the leaves are intact, without any scratches, and there is no taste of grass juice.

Loren immediately relaxed and grabbed the second ox knee and started to eat it.

The crisp crunching sound was heard only twice, and a fresh scent of young plant leaves spread on the tongue, sour, a little astringent, with some sweet aftertaste.

The mandrake blade broke into pieces in the mouth.

Loren was stunned for a moment, even smacked his lips, and tasted it. It tasted not bad.

Looking at the stewed beef in his hand, the color was rosy and attractive, the meat was fragrant, and there was still some crispy bones in his mouth. Loren chewed the mandrake and swallowed it without thinking much.

The grass juice had a refreshing fragrance and even had the effect of relieving greasiness and enhancing the flavor, so Loren ate more happily.

"Is it delicious?" Hermione's voice sounded beside him.

Loren nodded: "It's delicious, mainly because of its good texture and chewy texture."

"I meant the mandrake."

"Hehe..." Loren smiled, "You found me."

He was stunned while eating, and judging from his expression he seemed to be savoring the food for a while. Anyone could see that. Hermione glanced at him, reached out to take the last veal shank from his plate, opened her mouth and took a small bite.

"Don't--" Loren stretched out his hand to stop her, but suddenly noticed that Hermione's diet was normal today. The soft banana oatmeal and stewed meat were replaced with steak, fried sausages, and even croissants with a hard crust.

Hermione lowered her head and nibbled on the chewy beef shank in small bites: "I accidentally broke it when I was brushing my teeth this morning, and I spit it out right away."

Loren raised his eyebrows and looked at her in surprise: "I wouldn't have noticed it if you hadn't told me. Aren't you disappointed?"

“Not lost.”

"why?"

Hermione's tone was filled with the pleasure of enjoying a delicious meal. "Because we haven't yet mastered the principles of Animagus transformation, and haven't yet mastered the method of suppressing wildness with reason, this ritual is doomed to fail from the beginning."

"I told you so!" Loren couldn't help but twitch his lips and muttered, "I said so at the beginning, but you didn't believe me. You didn't tell me earlier when you failed..."

"If it wasn't for me, you would have vomited the grass on the first day because you were fed up. If I told you that I failed, you would have turned around and spit the mandrake into the trash can. I wanted to see how long you could hold on." Hermione whispered, "In the end, you failed yourself."

"It's not my fault. I was fine when I ate the first one. It must be the second one that's the problem."

Hermione ignored him, her expression calm, and she focused on savoring the food in front of her.

Chapter 255 Only Neville

In the blink of an eye, it was a month later.

In May, the tentacles of summer peek out from corners in the forests and courtyards, and the number of sunny days gradually increases.

Bluebells bloomed in clusters, and the elegant blue-purple color spread on the ground in clumps, swaying gently in the breeze, as if there was some kind of magic, attracting people to stop.

It was the perfect time for asparagus to ripen, and Hagrid had Hedwig bring a letter in the morning, inviting Harry and the others to the cabin to taste the fresh asparagus.

Harry and Ron, Loren and Hermione, just finished the morning Transfiguration class, they ran straight to the hut on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Fang, Ginny and Luna were already waiting at the entrance of the Forbidden Forest. The first grade had Herbology class in the morning, and they came here after class.

In front of the cabin, Hagrid was washing asparagus.

"Hagrid!"

"Harry! You're finally here. Ginny and Luna have been waiting for you for a long time... Come and take a look at the fresh asparagus. Unicorns love to eat this."

"Unicorn!" Several people came forward curiously.

Hagrid cut off the old hard part near the roots, intending to feed it to the animals in the forest, and the remaining tender middle and tips were used to treat them.

Loren reached out and picked up one. The asparagus was very tender and could be broken easily with just the fingernails. It was juicy and green.

Hagrid laughed gruffly. "I was going to stew the mutton in a clay pot, but you told me not to hurry up in your note, so I didn't. The fresh mutton is all over there."

"This is too nice a day to drink mutton soup."

Loren didn't mention the second half of his sentence, that Hagrid only put salt and pepper in his soup.

It wasn't bad to drink, but Hermione had been eating liquid food for a week, and she was so pent up that she was willing to chew on the ox knee that she had never touched before. I took this opportunity to make something different for her.

Loren set up a rack in the yard to make some barbecue and sea bass soup, and Hermione followed to help.

Harry and Ron helped Hagrid prepare the ingredients. Ginny and Luna wanted to help but were rejected on the grounds that they were too young. They could only move a small stool and sit beside them and watch.

Luna watched Harry pull the asparagus out of the water. "Can you beat Slytherin in Quidditch? We've been discussing this in the common room."

Not long ago, Ravenclaw and Slytherin played this semester's Quidditch match and lost badly. As expected by others, Slytherin made it out of the loser group with a large score and won the right to play against Gryffindor again.

It's just that the Slytherin players were a little dirty during the game, and the audience in the Serpentine Yard were a little dirty-mouthed after the game. The young wizards of Ravenclaw are now eager for Slytherin to suffer a crushing defeat.

"All the players on our team are confident, but we won't know the result until the game is played." Harry had watched the game, but he was more concerned about something else. "Luna, do you know the Seeker on your team?"

Ginny, who was sitting next to him, suddenly straightened up and became alert. She noticed that Harry was blushing a little and was staring at him suspiciously.

"You mean Qiu Zhang?" Luna blinked. "Well, she's a good student and very popular in the academy. She's also a very friendly person. Last night, I was arguing with Ekmo about whether the harassment flies existed or not, and she spoke up for me."

"She was speaking for you?" Ginny shouted back. "She was just stopping Edgecombe from throwing a little jinx at you!"

"Is that so? I thought she was a good girl." Harry realized that his words were a bit abrupt after he finished speaking, and stammered to make amends, "I, I mean, her Quidditch skills are very good. She can defend against Malfoy's Nimbus 2001 with an ordinary flying broom."

Ginny noticed that Harry's face had turned even redder, and with her girlish intuition, she keenly sensed something unusual.

She couldn't tell what she felt, she suddenly felt a little depressed.

Luna seemed to have heard some noise and suddenly turned to look at her with a surprised expression on her face. "Harassment flies! Ginny, you are entangled by harassment flies. They are buzzing around your ears!"

"Yeah, I felt it too." Ginny forced a smile and pulled her aside to talk in private.

Harry and Ron, who stayed where they were, were somewhat confused.

Harry scratched his head and asked in confusion, "Why are they suddenly acting weird?"

"Girls are like that," said Ron. "I think you're weird, too. You've been acting like this since you watched the match between Ravenclaw and Slytherin that day."

"No, no..."

Loren and Hermione were some distance away from them and did not hear this conversation which contained the thoughts of the young boys and girls.

Asparagus cooked directly in water can best highlight its original flavor. Seasonal asparagus is crisp and green, with a hint of sweetness and a mixed taste of artichokes and green beans.

But Loren didn't like this bland way of eating, and didn't want to mix it into a salad. He separated some asparagus as a side dish and grilled it with sea bass and lamb, which made it more flavorful.

"The Animagus class is at three in the afternoon, right?" Loren asked.

Hermione nodded, "Yes, there are no more Defense Against the Dark Arts classes, only teaching classes."

"It should be in time." Loren shook his head. "Tsk, I envy them for not having to go to class and being able to play here the whole afternoon."

Hermione glanced at him and said, "You can play too. Professor McGonagall said that we can quit the class at any time."

"I won't!" Loren hummed softly.

Hermione pursed her lips, but still couldn't suppress the smile on her face. She always felt that Loren was much more pleasing to the eye at times like this.

Some concerns are not expressed in words, but those inexplicable emotions fill the heart, like pheromones, flowing through the blood throughout the body, expressed in every move, and conveyed to the people around you.

Cut the lamb into small pieces, marinate them, and place them neatly on an iron plate. Add the side dishes after roasting them for a while. This is faster than roasting the whole lamb, but it is not something that can be cooked in a short time. After Hagrid's boiled asparagus and asparagus salad are finished, the aroma of the meat begins to spread.

The two worked together to prepare the food, occasionally using Transfiguration to make some utensils that were not in the cabin, and using the Flame Charm to add some fire. Hagrid's cabin was relatively simple, but there was one good thing: there was enough firewood.

The rising flames lick the fat and protein, slowly roasting the meat to produce an enticing aroma.

Harry, Ron, and Hagrid waited anxiously on the side. Fang circled around Hagrid's trouser legs, and his saliva formed streams in the dog's mouth.

"I think it's ready, let's try a piece!" Ron urged impatiently.

Loren glanced at him indifferently, then looked away. He said nothing, and yet he said everything.

Hagrid tossed a piece of asparagus into his mouth to appease his craving, but the bland taste of the boiled vegetables made the aroma of the grilled meat even more alluring.

What followed was still a long wait. It was not until Harry's eyes turned green and Ron felt that he was about to become like Fang, drooling and spinning on the ground that the barbecue was declared ready.

When Ginny put the roast lamb into her mouth, she felt touched. Although she couldn't see it, she felt that the harassing horseflies in her mind had been driven away.

What does Qiu Zhang mean? I am definitely better than her.

Harry and Ron ate happily, stuffing the food into their mouths regardless of how hot it was right out of the pot. They were reluctant to spit it out even though it was burned, making the same whining noises as Yaya.

Hermione blew gently a few times, waiting until the roast was slightly hot but not uncomfortably hot before putting it into her mouth and taking small bites.

First, the crispy roasted skin makes a satisfying clinking sound on your teeth, and underneath is the juicy lamb with some fresh vegetables, a completely different flavor from the Hogwarts kitchen.

The taste is a little different from the roast lamb we had during the summer vacation. It may be because of the different cooking methods or because many of the seasonings are not available here.

But she tasted a familiar flavor in it, and the taste captured by her tongue reflected the image of Loren in her mind.

A feeling of joy filled her heart, and she couldn't tell whether it was brought by the food or by the person who made the food.

Then try the side dishes. The asparagus is soaked in the salty and fragrant gravy, and the taste is crisp and a little salty. You can only taste the asparagus flavor when you swallow it.

Ron had already started barking.

……

After lunch, Harry and Ron followed Fang's example and sat on the doorstep to digest their food.

Hagrid took the remaining asparagus to feed the Thestrals, and Luna heard that there was a chance they might meet a baby unicorn, so she excitedly pulled Ginny to follow.

Loren and Hermione were lying on the railing outside the pumpkin patch, chatting. They were staring with interest at a small pumpkin on which two slugs were confronting a group of ants.

It seems that the slug couple wants to settle down here, and the ant tribe is protecting the peace of the pumpkin patch.

Loren narrated seriously: "This one is called Kassadin, and this one is called Kha'Zix. They are a couple who love and hate each other... Don't look at the fact that there are only two slugs now. They are evil void insects that will constantly pollute other creatures..."

"These ants are from the Ionian tribe. The leader is called..." Loren thought for a moment, "Darius, and he has an axe-like tentacle. This one is called Draven, and he is his younger brother. They love peace..."

Hermione listened to every story he told, occasionally asking some questions. What surprised her was that this man seemed to have a complete world in his head, and the stories that sounded random actually had a coherent logic, which made those stories sound more interesting.

Maybe there aren’t as many scenes as the two of them imagined, but when you are with the right person, all the trivial things around you will have their own stories.

In the ordinary world, someone suddenly becomes interesting, giving rise to endless ups and downs, love and hate, and twists and turns. And all of these come from the fun of being with that person.

Luna came back once halfway, with a colorful wreath hanging around her neck. Unknown wild flowers were blooming vigorously, red, yellow, blue... all were roughly woven into a circle.

It can’t be said to be pretty, but when Luna’s little face was filled with smiles and she happily trotted over to show off in front of Loren and Hermione, it was always hard not to praise her.

"I knew it looked good. The Thestrals and the foal liked the wreaths I made. They all wanted to wear them around their necks." Luna paused. "I wonder if the little unicorn will like it. It always hides behind the tree and runs away when I get close to it..."

Luna's voice was ethereal, like she was singing. There was no rise or fall in her tone when she spoke. One could only sense her joy from the fact that her speech was a little faster than usual.

The animals in the forest are more sensitive than humans in some aspects. Although Luna seems weird to ordinary people, she is able to gain the closeness of animals.

Loren couldn't help but suggest, "You can hang the wreath on a shorter branch, farther away. The little unicorn will put it on by itself if it likes."

"Good idea!" Luna's eyes lit up and she couldn't wait to run into the forest again. From afar, she could be heard humming a cheerful tune.

"That's great. Edgecombe and the others from Ravenclaw have been saying that she is a crazy girl, but she doesn't seem to be affected at all." Hermione said with some admiration.

"Indeed," Loren turned around, "Well, where were we talking about?"

The ant tribe on the small pumpkin has been defeated. Two slugs crawled around the pumpkin, exploring where to start digging the hole.

Hermione thought for a moment and said, "Speaking of the love story of the Papaya Fairy and the Sword Demon."