The days at Hogwarts

There was a thin layer of dust on it, and it looked like these footprints had been there for a while, probably a few days before school started, when Wormtail entered the Room of Requirement. There were no new footprints, which meant he hadn't been back since he came in once.

Is it because he has achieved his goal that he won't come again?

Or did his purpose completely fail?

Loren had a vague guess in his mind. He walked along the footprints of the lame mouse, turned right, passed a troll specimen, ran a short distance, passed a large cabinet with bubbling surface as if it had been splashed with strong acid, walked past a broken bust of an old wizard, and finally stopped in front of a suit of armor.

Seeing the familiar armor and the empty head of the armor, Loren smiled slightly.

At this moment, Voldemort's plan, Peter Pettigrew's infiltration, and Bellatrix's stay seemed to be strung together by an invisible thread.

Wormtail returned to Hogwarts not because of Voldemort's bullshit promise to him, but to retrieve the Horcrux Crown. As for the reason, it was probably because Loren destroyed his notebook, which made him aware of the Horcrux.

Using the Animagus rat form, Peter Pettigrew, who was lurking in the castle, could easily steal the Ravenclaw diadem. Bellatrix was waiting outside the secret passage of Honeydukes Candy Store.

But they didn't expect that the Ravenclaw diadem had been reported to Dumbledore by Loren in the first year and taken away early.

The rat's footprints were a mess here. Loren could guess Wormtail's panic at that time. What Voldemort was looking for was gone. How could this humble rat report to his superiors?

Chapter 300 Muggle Studies

Professor Bubaji, with a focused expression, was repairing the old tin flashlight on the table.

The various parts of the flashlight were disassembled and scattered on the table. Professor Bubagji, who was wearing a tweed jacket decorated with plain blue flowers and had blonde hair, looked through the various parts. After some thought, she put the battery into the shell and then fell into deep thought again.

dong dong dong.

There was a knock on the door.

Bubaji was awakened from his reverie, and quickly pulled a newspaper over the parts, and replied in a panic, "Come in."

Hermione pushed the door open.

Metal speedboat models, stopped electronic watches, disassembled tapes...many items with distinct Muggle characteristics are placed on the shelves along the wall.

If Caridi Burbage's office were to be exposed, even though she was a professor of Muggle Studies, she would surely be scrutinized by the Ministry of Magic's Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Department.

This was Hermione's first thought when she entered the office. However, judging from Mr. Weasley's behavior during their last meeting, it was possible that Professor Burbage would become good friends with him.

"Good afternoon, Professor Bubbaji."

"Good afternoon, it's Miss Granger..." Bubbage exhaled softly, then happily lifted the newspaper covering her, "I thought it was Professor McGonagall. I'll be criticized if she sees me fiddling with these Muggle things. You're just in time, Granger. Please help me see how to assemble this thing."

Looking at the scattered parts of the flashlight, Hermione was silent for a moment. She would change the batteries in the flashlight, but she was not sure if she could restore it after disassembling it like this.

She asked tentatively in a low voice, "Can't we use a repair spell to assemble it?"

"Repair spell... that's fine. But I'd rather put it back together myself." Professor Bubbaji sighed as he looked at the parts. "After all, I took it apart myself."

"When you buy a flashlight, there should be an instruction manual. Professor, you can put it together according to the instructions. If it doesn't work, use the repair spell to restore it. Take it apart a few times and you will be able to put it together slowly."

"The instruction manual... There was no instruction manual when I bought it from Knockturn Alley. As for using magic, that would be boring. I want to experience the authentic Muggle life." Probably realizing that she couldn't spell either, Professor Burbage smacked his lips with regret, opened the drawer and swept the parts in. "By the way, Miss Granger, what do you want from me?"

"Knockturn Alley?" Hermione was stunned.

So Muggle items and Dark Magic items are sold together.

If you think about it carefully, it seems reasonable. After all, they are all contraband for wizards.

Hearing the professor's question, Hermione quickly said, "I attended the first class last week and I had a lot of ideas, so I wanted to talk to you more about the Muggle Studies course."

Professor Bubbaji smiled gently. She picked up the teapot and poured a cup of tea at the guest seat: "Sit down first. Come and have some tea. Don't be so nervous. By the way, I remember that you are a little wizard of Muggle origin. Perhaps you know Muggles better than I do. Is there anything you want to know from me?"

Hermione picked up the cup and took a symbolic sip. Upon hearing this, she quickly put the cup down: "Don't say that, Professor. I want to understand the mutual influence between Muggle society and the wizarding world."

Professor Bubaji suddenly became interested: "Oh, mutual influence?"

"Yes." Hermione nodded seriously. "From the perspective of transportation, the transportation in the past was very primitive. Muggles used horse-drawn carriages and ox-drawn carts, and wizards also used magical animals to pull carts. Later, buses were born, and wizards also had knight buses..."

The influence of wizards on Muggles is self-evident. The strange events recorded in various theological and religious texts are basically the magic of wizards. The influence of Muggles on wizards only gradually emerged after the Industrial Revolution. In addition to various invisible systems, the infiltration and influence of the Knight Bus and the Hogwarts Express are even more obvious.

"…So, I wonder if the Muggle society has some profound influence on the wizarding world."

Hermione finished speaking and looked at Professor Bubbage nervously. These were just rough ideas she came up with after listening to the first class, and she hadn't even discussed them with Loren.

Professor Bubbage looked up at the little girl in the third grade. Her heart seemed to be touched. Her eyes trembled slightly. She took a deep breath, gathered all her thoughts, and said, "You have the vision and intelligence to see the essence of things, Miss Granger. If you want to hear my opinion, then I would say, please remain silent, Granger."

Hermione widened her eyes in surprise: "Keep silent!?"

"Yes, keep silent. Publishing shocking truths will not help the corrupt wizarding world. They will only regard you as a lunatic."

Professor Bubbage's eyes were filled with a deep luster, like a whirlpool in a black lake. She looked at Hermione with a profound gaze, "The Ministry of Magic and people from pure-blood families occupy key positions in the wizarding world. The expression of opinions is not important, at least not now. When I just graduated from Hogwarts, I spent a lot of time traveling in Muggle society. The experience I gained in those years made me think that I had seen through the truth of both societies. I published many... well, immature articles in the Daily Prophet."

At this point, Professor Bubaji paused, as if recalling his memories from his youth. He thought for a few seconds and then continued, "At first, some people agreed, but there were more insults, slander, and even threats. The people at the Daily Prophet were very happy to see the surge in sales of their newspaper, and were willing to continue publishing my articles. I argued back and forth with those who held pure-blood beliefs for several years, but I found that nothing changed, even though I silenced them."

Hermione listened quietly to the Muggle Studies professor telling stories about her past. The teacup, which had hardly been touched, clinked in her hands, and the clear tea soup occasionally rippled, circle after circle.

She knew what Professor Bubbage said: he advocated equality between Muggles and wizards, and believed that intermarriage between pure-bloods and Muggles was not abominable and was even worth promoting...

"It took me a long time to realize that such articles were nothing but a joke to them. When I came to my senses and really wanted to do something for the two societies, I had already been isolated outside an invisible door. In the end, I could only teach an unpopular elective course at Hogwarts and play an insignificant role..."

Professor Bubaji came out of his previous state, poured himself a cup of tea, and took a sip. "So I suggest that you keep silent first, and speak out these words when you are able to make them listen to you seriously instead of treating you as a joke."

"Muggle Studies is not an unimportant course..." Hermione couldn't help but retort. She pursed her lips, her eyes changed thoughtfully for a while, and asked,

"Professor, do you think there will be a war between Muggles and wizards in the future, or can they develop peacefully together? You know, the situation in the wizarding world seems to be very complicated. Even in Hogwarts, there are professors like Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall who are close to Muggles, and there is also Snape -"

Before the little witch finished her words, she heard the crisp sound of a teacup knocking on the wooden table. Professor Bubbage shook his head with a smile on his face: "Severus is not the kind of wizard who is obsessed with pure blood and alienates Muggles. On the contrary, he and I are friends, and we get along well."

Hermione's eyes widened. No one could believe what Professor Bubbage said. The head of Slytherin House, where the pure-blood ideals were most prevalent, was not a pure-blood supremacist.

After refilling his tea, Bubbage picked up the cup again and sipped the tea while saying, "In fact, the professors at Hogwarts in recent years are not supporters of the pure-blood concept. To be honest, I suspect this may be one of Albus's criteria for recruiting faculty members."

"Besides, I can't answer your question." Bubbage sighed faintly, "No one can predict what the future will be like. In 1945, Albus defeated the first Dark Lord Gellert Grindelwald in that legendary duel. Many people believed that Dumbledore would dominate the direction of the wizarding world and begin to get closer to Muggles. But the times did not develop that way...

Later, the second generation of the Dark Lord launched the Wizarding War and was defeated again... The lurking saints, the ambitious pure-blood families, the Death Eaters who escaped trial... Well, who knows what the future will be like?"

"An uncertain future..." Hermione murmured softly.

In the next hour, the two chatted about many things in the Muggle and wizarding worlds, from small things like snacks and candies to big things like the Ministry of Magic and the Royal Cabinet. They talked about everything they thought of and had a very pleasant conversation.

The two ended their conversation only when the light outside the window gradually dimmed and the magic candle in the office lit up on its own.

Bubbaji didn't know how many times she had picked up the teapot to add tea, but found that not even a drop could be poured out of the spout. She put down the teapot with some regret: "Miss Granger."

"Ok?"

"With your knowledge, the Muggle Studies course is of no help to you. A lot of the content in the class is common sense to you. I suggest you drop this course."

Looking at the little witch who was eager to refute, Bubbaji stretched out his hand to signal her not to be impatient. "This is just a suggestion. Whether you take this course or not, you are always welcome to come here to communicate with me."

Hermione pursed her lips and finally shook her head: "Thank you, Professor. I know you mean well, but I still want to try."

……

At dinner time, Loren and Hermione met up in the Great Hall.

The two of them arrived a little late, and since the weekend dinner was not unlimited, there were not many choices on the table. After getting the food, they found a seat at the end of the Gryffindor table and sat down.

Both of them had their own concerns and were thinking absentmindedly, and seemed a little silent when they got their food.

But for Loren, nothing is more important than eating. The moment he put the delicious roasted chicken leg into his mouth, he suddenly came out of his afternoon thoughts and started to eat.

Hermione remained silent, nibbling her croissant.

It wasn't until Loren put the croissant he didn't like on Hermione's plate again and took her roast chicken leg that Hermione couldn't help it.

"Do you think I'm blind?" Hermione looked at her plate, furious. The only remaining roast chicken leg was in her hand, and there were three or four croissants piled on the plate.

"I'm helping you!" Lori said confidently, "I thought you liked croissants, not roasted chicken legs."

"Oh, what a coincidence." Hermione sneered and did not follow his logic. "I don't like croissants either. Please help me eat all these."

"I can't eat anymore." Loren spoke loudly.

"Then I'll force it into your mouth!"

Seeing that the man was about to fight, Loren tried to change the subject: "Let's put the croissant issue aside for now. I want to tell you something."

Hermione remained calm, pressed his shoulder with her right hand, grabbed a croissant with her left hand and was about to attack.

Loren was a little panicked and spoke quickly: "It's about Peter Pettigrew. I found his trace this afternoon!"

"..."

Although she knew it was a poor way of changing the subject, Hermione still stopped; she really cared about the matter.

Loren breathed a sigh of relief and told him about the rat footprints he found in the Room of Requirement that afternoon: "...The shape of the front feet must be Peter Pettigrew."

Hermione looked up at the man. He still had a grin on his face, as if trying to prevent her from stuffing the croissant into his mouth...

He didn't seem to care much, but how could he really not care?

That's Peter bloody Pettigrew.

The little witch's heart twitched slightly. She didn't know whether he was pretending to be indifferent or really didn't care. Hermione didn't want to expose it directly, nor did she want to say anything correct like reporting it to Dumbledore.

She picked up the plate, poured half of the croissant into Loren's plate, and took back two roasted chicken legs. Hermione took a bite of the roasted chicken leg. The skin was a little cold, and the taste was still good, but a little greasy. She asked calmly, "Do you have any way to catch him?"

Loren grinned, "George and Fred have a Marauder's Map with magic names on it that can track people in the castle."

Hermione put the remaining chicken bones into another plate and wiped the grease from the corners of her mouth. "They should check the map frequently. Peter Pettigrew's name is also very conspicuous to the Weasleys. It's been almost two weeks since the start of school. If they haven't discovered it, the mouse may have used magic to cover up its name."

"I've considered this possibility." Loren picked up a croissant, put it to his mouth and gestured for a few times, but still found it a little hard to swallow. "If the Marauder's Map doesn't work, I can make some spyglasses and use them to catch the hiding mouse."

"Looking glass?"

The peepscope is the most commonly used alarm device for wizards and is generally used to detect black magic. Ordinary peepscopes are usually transparent gyroscopes, but they can also be button-shaped, hat-shaped, or even sock-shaped, and can be customized according to the application scenario.

If there are suspicious people around, it will light up, heat up, and send out a piercing alarm. Of course, the alarm can also be customized.

Chapter 301 The Marauder’s Map

At the end of the dinner, Loren still had one croissant left. It was cold, the burnt brown crust was a little cold and hard, and it was hard to eat.

In front of him, Hermione took out brown paper, wrapped the bread tightly, and put it into the pendant space.

Loren looked strange: "You're not going to save it for me to eat tomorrow?"

"What are you thinking about?" Hermione rolled her eyes. "For Hanhan. School has started for a week or two. I plan to write a letter home. This is a package for Hanhan to eat on the way."

"Oh." Loren suddenly realized.

"Oh, right." Hermione hesitated, glanced at him, and tentatively said what was in her heart, "Why don't you wait until the end of the month to write the letter? Write it with me and send it tonight."

It was Loren's habit to write home at the end of each month.

In fact, this was not the time for Hermione to write a letter home. She had originally planned to write a few days before her birthday so that she could receive a reply from Wendell and Monica on her birthday.

Loren was stunned, and looked at the little witch, a smile appeared on his lips: "You think I will be sad, so you want to invite me to write a letter home?"

"Well." Hermione responded in a low voice, carefully observing his expression, "I think it would be easier if you wrote to Mr. Bates."

"give me a hug."

"What? Um..."

Loren had already stepped forward and embraced the girl in his arms, his arms around her slender waist, and buried his face in the crook of her neck. Between his slow and quiet breathing, mixed with a few strands of hair, he could smell the girl's subtle fragrance, the lavender scent of detergent on her clothes, the lemon scent of shampoo on her hair, and some of the grease aroma from dinner.

It’s not a breathtaking smell, but it just makes people feel extra at ease, and the empty chest is filled with some kind of soft emotion.

Hermione's face turned red immediately, and her body seemed to be cast under a binding spell, stiff and petrified.

Her voice was muffled and soft, like a kitten: "The auditorium, this is in the auditorium..."

"No one will notice us."

Hermione twisted her stiff neck and checked. There were few people coming to the hall for dinner on Saturday, and they arrived relatively late, so there were indeed not many people in the hall.

Well, just hold me for a while...

The world seemed to have quieted down. The dome of the auditorium simulated the sky outside the castle. Dark clouds gathered, and even the dim candlelight seemed a little dim.

After a while, Hermione suddenly asked, "Why do you stink?"

"Huh? Do you dislike me?" Loren strangled her hard.

“It stinks anyway.”

The scent of the Rafflesia flower had not yet completely dissipated. Loren cursed Shabby in his heart again for being naughty. He loosened his hands around her waist and smiled: "Let's find an empty classroom to write the letter, and then go to the Owl Shed to give it to Hanhan. We can still be back before lights out."

"Oh." Hermione was a little dazed, and inexplicably felt a little regretful.

……