The days at Hogwarts

Compared to a year ago, the sign of the Quidditch supply store has changed somewhat, but the scene in front of the store remains the same.

There was a large group of little wizards surrounding the display window at the entrance of the store. They stared wide-eyed and leaned on the glass window to look at the broomsticks inside.

The bearded middle-aged boss and the young clerk stood nearby, chatting with the little wizards with a smile, and from time to time they gave out a few candies from the candy shop next door.

"If I could have a nimbus..."

"The Firebolt is the fastest now!"

"What's the use of hurrying, Quidditch is not a flying game!"

"You're right!" The unshaven middle-aged boss took the opportunity to intervene in the discussion, "Just being fast is useless. I remember when I was studying at Hogwarts, although the broomsticks of the Slytherin team were faster than us... …”

When the middle-aged boss gets excited, the young clerk seizes the opportunity to sell the store's valuable merchandise.

The little wizards who were surrounding the store entrance just now were frightened. They dispersed in a swarm and ran into the crowd on the street, laughing and running towards the next store.

The middle-aged boss was so angry that he puffed his beard and glared, chased the young clerk back and forth, and finally kicked him out.

Loren and Hermione looked on with smiles on their faces. Although it had only been a year, the feeling of encountering a familiar scene after a long separation felt like a reunion after a long separation.

Someone is accompanying you all the way through this period of time... Thinking of this, both of them felt full of peace in their hearts.

Harry thought for a moment, walked up, and patted the middle-aged boss: "Sir, I want to buy a windproof goggles. It always rains during Quidditch training in the winter, which affects my vision."

"Windproof eye mask..." The middle-aged boss was stunned for a moment, and his face that was full of anger just now softened instantly, "Oh, of course, of course, windproof eye mask."

Hermione blinked and felt strange: "Isn't there a waterproof spell?"

"Although the glasses can prevent rain, the wind will blow the rain into the eyes." Ron nodded thoughtfully and followed quickly, "I have to buy one too, after all, I am about to take over as the captain of the team. people……"

Loren and Hermione looked at each other and said nothing in tacit agreement.

In order to protect the mandrake blades in their mouths, when passing by Zog's Joke Shop, Harry and Ron walked straight over with great perseverance, with painful expressions and stiff limbs——

Pass through the door without entering.

The same scene happened to Loren and Hermione. When passing Mrs. Puddifu's Teahouse, they wanted to say goodbye to Harry and Ron, but under the reproachful gazes of their two friends, they were unable to say it out.

……

After walking and shopping all the way, when we reached the end of the road, it was almost noon.

In order to protect the mandrake blades in their mouths and to avoid the temptations of Hogsmeade, they decided to spend the remaining half of the day in the Three Broomsticks pub.

It was a hot, messy, smoky little bar. A curvaceous woman with an iconic appearance was greeting a group of noisy wizards in front of the bar.

Not just wizards, but also strange creatures shrouded in black cloaks. Judging from the various colors of skin and sharp or rough nails exposed when they hold wine glasses, they are not human beings.

When Harry and Ron came here for the first time, they immediately saw Ms. Rosmerta in front of the bar. She was wearing a close-fitting sarong. The soft fabric was close to her skin, showing her graceful curves, like a ripe peach. .

When Loren took them to the front desk to get drinks and snacks and came back, Ron's face was a little red. After that, he took over the work of getting drinks and snacks, saying that he wanted to get familiar with the place.

Harry was confused.

Butterbeer, lemonade, cherry juice, hot mead...

They tried all kinds of strange-tasting drinks until their heads were dizzy and their stomachs were bloated.

They stayed up late last night due to excitement, but got up early to gather together today. The sleepy little wizards swayed their heads and lay on the table unconsciously.

They seemed to be asleep, but not completely asleep. When someone passed by them, they would sit up with their heads swaying.

Not only them, after lunch time, several waves of tired little wizards came here and found an empty table in the corner to rest.

For half the day, there was a lot of noise in the bar, and it was only quiet for a short time in the afternoon.

Ms. Rosmerta was cleaning the wine glasses at the bar, looking at the excited and tired little wizards from a distance, with a heartfelt smile on her lips. This was a rare moment of relaxation for her, even if these little wizards occupied the empty seats in the bar.

When the sun set in the west and the golden and red brilliant afterglow shone in from the window, the small bar became noisy again, and the little wizards who had eaten countless fish and chips gradually woke up.

"Loren! Harry! You're here too!"

Hearing Neville's delighted voice, Loren blinked his eyelashes a few times, opened his eyes, and pulled out his arm that was so numb that he was about to lose consciousness from under Hermione's head. Loren shook his head and slowly came back to his senses.

Several other people also slowly woke up.

"Neville? What a coincidence, you're here too." Loren rubbed his arms and noticed from the corner of his eye Hannah who was talking to Ms. Rosmerta at the bar. He smiled and joked, "I thought you were with Hannah would go to Mrs. Puddy’s Teahouse.”

Neville's face turned slightly red and he said unnaturally: "It's not what you think. Hannah wants to come and see the Three Broomsticks. She is related to Tom, the owner of the Leaky Cauldron."

Loren didn't answer, just smiled.

Harry and Ron, who had just woken up, looked at Neville and then at Hannah at the bar, their eyes full of surprise.

"Neville! Hannah!"

"When did this happen?"

"Tell me quickly..."

Accompanied by laughter and feeble excuses, the group got out of the three broomsticks and headed back to the castle along the street.

The other young wizards also returned at about the same time. Amidst the laughter and noise, wizards in twos and threes walked together with people they knew well, telling each other about the novel experiences during the day.

"I'll tell you a sad thing..." Seamus said with a heavy tone, attracting everyone's attention, "The mandrake blades of Dean and I were broken in Zorg's Joke Shop."

"I'm sorry to hear this sad news..." Ron nodded solemnly, and his tone suddenly became lighter: "But our leaves are still fine, hahaha..."

So they chased and fought on the spacious road, laughing and cursing all the way without stopping for a moment.

The sky was getting dark, and Harry frowned tightly, as if he was worried about something.

"What's wrong with you?" Ron asked.

"I feel like I've forgotten something, but I can't remember..." Harry replied absently.

"Oh, then this should be helpful to you." Neville dug in his pocket and took out a small transparent ball and handed it to him.

As soon as Harry took the ball into his hand, the transparent ball immediately turned red and bright.

Neville thoughtfully reminded: "This is to remind you that you have indeed forgotten something important."

"I also know that I forgot something important." Harry's tooth hurt from looking at it, "But the question is, what exactly did I forget?"

"The memory ball doesn't know either, it can only remind you." Neville shook his head.

Loren and others on the side couldn't help laughing. They had seen similar scenes many times, but this time the person involved was Harry instead of Neville.

At the corner of the main road in Hogsmeade is a dirty bar. Compared with the Three Broomsticks, it looks like an abandoned shop. The exposed door frames and windows are covered with thick dirt, and the light is almost transparent. Without going in, a faint candle light shines from the crack in the door, and the surrounding air is filled with a strong smell that may be mutton.

The smell was overwhelming, and the little wizards avoided this small bar with vigilance.

Harry, who was holding the memory ball, suddenly stopped and exclaimed: "I remembered it!"

The group of people looked at him in confusion. Harry put his hand into his coat pocket and took out a brand new camera from the storage scale: "Colin gave me the camera and asked me to take some interesting photos for him. But I forgot all about it as soon as I came out of the candy store!”

At this time, the sun was slowly setting, and the sky was a cloudy dusk that is rare to see in late autumn. The golden and dark red afterglow hung down like a flat piece of cloth, covering the entire street.

Loren stepped forward and patted the regretful Harry, grinning: "How about taking a group photo here? It's like those old photos in Principal Dumbledore's office. Decades later, when we see this When I take a photo, I will remember the day when I came to Hogsmeade for the first time in third grade. Isn’t it cool?”

The eyes of several people around him lit up. They didn't understand the rotation of time that Loren described, and they simply thought that it was really cool.

"Okay, okay, let's find a cooler place."

"How about the entrance to Honeydukes Candy Store?"

"Turn back now?"

"It's too late, the sun is setting."

"..."

Hermione did not participate in the discussion. She followed Loren quietly, tilted her head and looked at the arm she had been resting on all afternoon, and tugged on his sleeve: "Does your hand still hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt at all, just a little numb..."

After a few minutes, they finally decided to take the photo at the entrance to Hogsmeade, and Harry roped in a Hufflepuff senior to take their photo.

On the left is Hannah with a bright smile, tugging on Neville's sleeve to remind him to look at the camera. Moving over, Harry and Ron stood in the middle with awkward expressions and uncomfortable smiles, while Seamus and Dean smiled with bright gums. Loren and Hermione stood on the right, with identical gentle eyebrows.

Other third-grade students saw them taking pictures and joined in playfully, gathering around them and laughing crookedly.

Under the afterglow of the setting sun, the scene is frozen.

Chapter 330 The wind is howling and a heavy rain is coming

Sunday night.

The auditorium was decorated with hundreds of candle-lit pumpkins, a swarm of live bats flying around, and many orange banners stained with flames, like colorful water snakes, on the ceiling that was brewing a storm. Drifting lazily.

Looking at the tempting delicacies on the table, the little wizards who had their bellies full in the Honeydukes Candy Shop were a little worried.

My stomach said I couldn't eat anymore, but my brain and tongue wanted more.

While enjoying the food, Loren turned his attention to the guest of honor seat.

Leopardskin Flower's improved version of Wolfsbane Potion should be very successful. Professor Lupine looked the same as usual and was chatting animatedly with the little Professor Flitwick.

If anything was wrong, it was probably Professor Snape, whose eyes were flicking to Lupine an unusually high number of times.

An open space was cleared in front of the auditorium, and a straight stage was set up. Sir Nicholas reenacted the experience of being beheaded, and it was a great success...at least it was an eye-opener for the first-year students.

The lively and joyful Halloween has passed like this, and November has entered Hogwarts.

The weather became colder, and the north wind blew continuously, making some old wooden windows in the castle crackle. When the cold wind blows through the corridor late at night, it will emit a wailing female voice, like a howling banshee hiding in the shadows of the corridor. For this reason, the number of little wizards wandering at night has significantly decreased.

On an ordinary Friday night, before the torches in the castle went out, Loren came to the underground Slytherin Head of House's office.

The effect of the leopard skin flower version of wolfsbane potion has been confirmed. Judging from Professor Lu Ping's physical and mental conditions after taking the medicine, the increased concentration of leopard skin flower concentrate is more effective than Rafflesia flower to some extent.

It's just that the controlled experiment hasn't been completed yet. This month it's the turn of the corpse-smelling konjac.

Loren silently prayed for Professor Lupin and knocked on the office door.

Snape was sitting behind the desk, working as usual, with the notebook in front of him that recorded his experiences on the African continent. He held a quill in his right hand, with the tip hanging in the air, about half an inch from the paper.

He seems to be hesitating how to write.

Seeing Loren come in, Snape inserted the quill into the ink bottle and nodded slightly, the luster in his eyes changing.

"Professor, here are some records of Professor Lupine after taking the medicine..." Loren took out a parchment form. The handwriting on it was crooked. It looked like Lupine had dug it out bit by bit with his werewolf claws. In some places, there were even Got busted.

While Snape was reading the report, Loren explained: "From an effect point of view, the leopard skin flower extract with a higher concentration is much more effective than the Rafflesia flower. Judging from Professor Lupine's description, the effect of maintaining sanity is It was also effective for a longer period of time, until noon the next day after the transformation, he was always very energetic and couldn't sleep even if he wanted to."

"...So, I think we can lower the concentration appropriately, or reduce the amount of concentrate added." Loren secretly glanced at Snape.

The crooked handwriting made Snape frown. Thinking that Lupine had dug it out with a wolf's claw, he was even more disgusted. However, in order to improve the Wolfsbane potion, he still read it patiently.

Putting the report on the table, Snape frowned tightly, thought for a moment, and asked slowly: "If the effectiveness of the Wolfsbane potion is to be extended, what ideas do you have for improving it?"

"Prolong the effect of the potion..." Loren muttered and repeated, slowly nodding his head.

The effectiveness of the current Wolfsbane Potion modified from Leopard Skin Flower has already kept Professor Lupine awake at noon the next day. Snape definitely did not mean to make Wolfsbane Potion into a wake-up agent to keep Lupine awake. Sleep, sudden death.

"Professor, you mean...drinking the medicine once for several months?" Loren asked tentatively.

"Hmm." Snape snorted impatiently from his nose.

Loren frowned slowly, following this line of thought, and fell into deep thinking.

When he improved the wolfsbane potion based on several stinky flowers, he carefully understood the wolfsbane potion. The mechanism of action of the wolfsbane potion is very complicated, and there are many ways to take effect. They are not isolated, but work together together.

The werewolf must drink the potion one week before the full moon. During this week, the active ingredients and magic power in the potion will flow through the body along the blood and fall into a dormant state.

One of the effective ways is that when the full moon magic induces the werewolf's transformation, it activates the wolfsbane potion and awakens the sleeping potion magic. This magic keeps the werewolf from being captured by the wild and becoming a captive of flesh and blood. Maintaining the werewolf's sobriety and sanity.

But this magic is mandatory to maintain sanity, which is why Professor Lupine still has to wait until noon the next day to fall asleep after returning to human form.

"If you forcibly increase the dosage of the drug and prolong the time it takes for the drug to take effect... it will only cause the werewolf to lose sleep, and at least he will fall into madness, and at worst..."

At this point Loren paused and shook his head slightly, "Professor, I can't think of a solution right now."

"You are still too young and have insufficient experience in potion research and development..." Snape said calmly, his tone was very calm, and it could be heard that this was just an objective reminder, not a reproach.

Snape's fingers subconsciously tapped on the report, and he felt a slight touch on the damaged part of the paper. He then moved towards the notebook with disgust. He glanced at Loren and considered his words:

"In the primitive African tribes, the relationship between wizards and Muggles is different from ours. Some wizards are respected as tribal...well, elders, priests, shamans, or something else...although they abide by the International Federation of Wizards The system generally does not disclose the existence of the magical world to Muggles."

"But the rich Muggle countries occasionally send people to assist primitive tribes. I have seen a kind of Muggle tablet medicine in those tribes. It cannot be broken, chewed, or ground into powder." Snape used his unfamiliar The limited Muggle knowledge guided Loren's thinking, "Because the potion that really works is too powerful, it must-"

"Sustained release medicine!"

Loren's eyes lit up and he called out the type of medicine.

Sustained-release drugs refer to preparations that slowly release drugs in the patient's body after oral administration. Compared with ordinary preparations, the frequency of administration is reduced, which can increase the patient's compliance or reduce the side effects of the drug.