The days at Hogwarts

"Good children, good children, they have grown taller, especially Hermione, she is even more beautiful!"

Hermione's cheeks turned red as she smiled. Children of this age grow up very quickly. Compared to the beginning of the third grade, both of them had grown up. Fortunately, their parents had prepared their clothes in advance, leaving some margin. So it doesn't look short.

Bates was driving in the front seat, and Loren was sitting in the back seat. The two were chatting excitedly, mainly Loren asking Bates where he had been playing in the past six months, how many fish Wendell had caught, and how much money the bank's investment had made.

Hermione sat in the back row and chatted from time to time, asking how her parents were doing and how many times her father had been scolded by her mother.

When the car drove into Granger's garage, it was completely dark.

Monica and Wendell were waiting for them by the garage. Before the car was completely turned off, Hermione quickly got out of the car, ran all the way and threw herself into her mother's arms. She said coquettishly in a waxy tone: "Mom, I miss you so much. You..."

"Where's Dad, don't you miss Dad?" Wendell said in a hurt tone.

Hermione chuckled, took Wendell's hand and shook it for a while, but did not come out of her mother's arms.

"I'd better go with the boys..." Wendell shook his head in self-pity and walked towards Loren and Bates.

Hermione heard her father's excited voice in the distance: "Loren! You have no idea how big of a fish I caught last week, and it was ice fishing!"

Hermione: "..."

Monica smiled softly, lowered her head and whispered in Hermione's ear.

"Mom!" Hermione complained in a meek voice, her face even redder, and she buried herself in her arms, refusing to come out or answer.

Monica's smile became more obvious. She glanced at Loren from a distance and whispered: "After they leave, we will continue talking in the evening and have dinner first."

"Hmm..." Hermione muttered, burying her head in her mother's sweater.

Monica spent the entire afternoon preparing the dinner. There were three pie fillings: apple yam mashed, potato pork, and onion beef; Loren's favorite was apple yam mashed.

There is also stewed meat soup, mushroom stew, roast meat, lamb chops... Christmas is not here yet, so there is no roast turkey.

After dinner.

Monica was clearing the tableware in the kitchen, Wendell was helping. Loren and Hermione were sitting on the sofa to rest. Grandpa Bates came over with a plate of washed wild berries: "I bought it when I was shopping for ingredients in the afternoon. Try it." Try it, it’s valuable.”

Loren squinted his eyes and looked at it again and again: "This berry...why does it look familiar?"

"Yeah, I think so too." Grandpa Bates sat down, "It's just like the berries we picked in the mountains."

It's the same as the one you picked back from fishing last year. It almost made your eyebrows sore.

Loren nodded thoughtfully, took a few and handed them to Hermione: "Try it, the fruit will help digestion after a meal."

Hermione was silent for a while, and finally decided to expose him: "Grandpa Bates also sent me a plate of wild berries last year."

"Really?" Loren exclaimed as if he suddenly understood, "Then don't eat it yet. Last year's wild berries were sour. I'll try it for you first!"

"..."

Hermione looked at him expressionlessly, "What a poor acting skill. You just wanted me to try it first, right?"

"Well, it's sweet this time!"

"..."

The corners of Bates' eyes twitched a few times. This boy of his -

What a shame!

They chatted until late at night. After saying goodbye to the Grangers, Loren followed Grandpa Bates out of the neighbor's house and walked towards his own home.

There is a thick layer of snow on both sides of the road, which looks soft and soft. The goose-yellow light is not bright, but it looks warm. The crystal-clear snowflakes fall slowly in the light. In the quiet night, there seems to be something. The sound of snowflakes blooming.

Probably because he had had a few drinks, Bates laughed inexplicably from time to time and seemed particularly happy.

Loren only felt at peace in his heart, and he deliberately asked: "What, Grandpa Bates, have you caught a big fish too?"

"You said Wendell caught a big fish?" Bates laughed even louder. "That was because he fished too close to other people's fishing holes. The two fishing lines were entangled, and they happened to hook each other when they pulled the fishing rods. The unlucky fish caught it, and Wendell gave the man a dozen pounds just to claim the fish as his.”

"Hahahahaha..."

……

As Christmas approaches, Bates is moving things from the mall to his home every day, moving decorative items to his own home, and moving food and drinks to his neighbor's house next door. It is said that he and Monica prepared a big meal together. He hung colorful streamers on the corridor at home, and even erected a Christmas tree in the living room with small crystal lights hanging on it.

On Christmas morning, Loren was awakened by Crookshanks' claws.

As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw Hermione, a habitual criminal, sitting by the bed again. She was wearing a light pink velvet close-fitting sweater on her upper body. Her waist was slender, showing off her beautiful body lines. She was wearing thick straight pants on her lower body, with the trouser legs exposed. White cotton velvet makes the whole person look much softer.

It doesn't match the conspicuous red scarf around her neck, because it was given by me.

"The gift you give must be enough to offset your guilt, otherwise I will judge you on behalf of justice!" Loren muttered and got up from the bed, pulled his shoes and started to open the gifts piled up on the bedside.

Looking at the silly look on his face as he happily opened the gift, he didn't realize that the gifts they gave each other had collided.

Hermione hummed happily and got up to find Hanhan's mail-order copy of the Daily Prophet.

The largest and most substantial gift box was the candy gift box from Neville. It was so full that it weighed almost a quarter of Hermione, and the two of them together weighed half a Hermione.

"One is a Christmas gift, and the other is a thank-you gift... Neville, this kid, is so honest..."

Mrs. Weasley gave another hand-knitted sweater, dark red, with the Gryffindor lion pattern woven on the chest, as well as a dozen small round mince pies baked at home, some Christmas pastries and a Box of Pralines.

Professor Snape sent some general detoxification and healing potions. Based on the analysis of the materials that Loren could identify, he found that they were worth at least several hundred galleons, which was quite expensive.

Dumbledore sent another book, "Toadstool Tales", written by Lady Atrix Bloxham (1794-1910).

Loren originally thought it was a fable similar to "The Tales of Beedle the Bard", but after flipping through a few pages, he discovered that it was a crappy and beautiful fairy tale that was so sweet that the painting style of the jumping pot in the book was like this :

[Then, little Jin Jin'er jumped happily - bounce, bounce, bounce! ——Standing on tiptoes with rose-colored toes! Little Willyken cured all the dolls' bellies, and Little Pot was very happy. The pot was full of candies, and Little Willyken and the dolls ate as much as they could!

"Don't forget to brush your little teeth!" Xiao Chun'er said loudly.

Little Willie hugged the jumping pot and kissed it, promising that he would always help the dolls and never be a bad-tempered and stubborn old man again. 】

Loren shuddered with nausea and decided to study this masterpiece recommended by Dumbledore if he had the opportunity in the future.

After putting all the messy things away, Loren saw a square package lying underneath. There was a note on the carton, signed by Hermione Granger.

Chapter 343 Lu Ping: Suddenly a little flustered

Opening the carton, you will find a pure black cashmere scarf, which is soft to the touch and warm at first glance.

I gave Hermione a scarf, and Hermione gave me a scarf.

What a tacit understanding!

Loren happily put the scarf around his neck, feeling the cashmere gradually warm up under the influence of body temperature. Loren moved towards the girl at the desk: "Although I am very satisfied with this gift, this can only be regarded as a tie between us. , the matter of you breaking into my bedroom without permission is not over yet."

Hermione turned to look at him and pursed her lips.

This man's scarf was in a mess, rolled only a few times around his neck, and his eyes were bright and shining.

She didn't realize it before, but after seeing this look, Hermione felt inexplicably regretful.

Two people preparing the same gift is more or less mediocre.

Hermione reached out and untied his messy scarf and put it on neatly, one by one.

Holding both ends of the scarf, Hermione looked into his eyes and whispered in her heart: Next Christmas, she must prepare better and more special gifts in advance.

Loren didn't notice the girl's little thoughts and let Hermione's hands move back and forth on her neck, and he could smell the faint fragrance of hand cream.

Loren looked at the newspaper on the table curiously: "What are you reading? Is there any news recently?"

Smoothing out a few wrinkles on her scarf, Hermione turned around and replied, "I'm looking to see if there are any reports about Gringotts. If there is a battle, the Daily Prophet should publish some news."

Loren took a closer look, and there were only some useless ads on the page, some idiots who sent themselves to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Maladies during the Christmas holidays.

He thought seriously for a moment: "Maybe, with only Bellatrix Lestrange alone, so many Aurors and professors from the school, the battle might have ended silently."

"Hmm... it's possible." Hermione fell into thought.

Loren naturally squeezed into a chair with Hermione, stretched his right hand over her shoulder to flip through the newspaper, and teased the contents of the newspaper every sentence: "Ha, Flourish and Blotts actually advertised during the Christmas holiday, there are really people Will you buy books during the holidays?"

"Actually, I have some books I want to buy..."

Hermione came back to her senses and suddenly found this man's hand on her shoulder, and she didn't know when she was pulled into his arms.

Swear to Merlin, Hermione wanted to push him away immediately. But there was a strong, indescribable smell on his body, which made Hermione feel a little panicked and inexplicably greedy, so she postponed the idea of ​​pushing him away for a while.

"Then should we go to Diagon Alley to buy it, or should we order it through Owl Mail?" Loren asked pretending to be serious, as if he were having a normal chat, but he couldn't help but grin brightly.

"Everything is fine..." Hermione lowered her head and replied softly.

"Just push him away after a while, push him away after reading the newspaper." Hermione thought to herself.

It's just that the holiday special issue of the Daily Prophet has a lot of content, and the advertisements on it are very funny. The incident of stuffing fireworks into your nose, causing fireworks to keep coming out of your mouth and ears, is also very warning...

Looking over little by little, before I knew it, it was getting bright outside.

Bright daylight entered the room and shone on Hermione's forehead. Hermione, who was intoxicated in the gentle land, suddenly woke up. She stood up and exclaimed: "Oh no, we didn't do the Animagus ritual this morning." !”

"Animagus ritual?" Loren blinked.

It seems that there is such a thing. During the brewing of the secret medicine, every day at sunrise and sunset, the magic wand is pointed at the heart and the incantation is recited.

"Oh, what a pity. It seems that we have to start over from the first step." Loren sighed, speaking in a tone that could not detect any regret, and once again put his arm on Hermione's shoulders, "We Let’s look at this case of detonating a whole deck of explosive cards at the same time..."

"You!" Hermione laughed out of anger.

……

The festive atmosphere at Hogwarts Castle is even more intense. Professor Flitwick and Hagrid together hung up the auditorium with small lanterns shining like stars. Thick ribbons made of holly and mistletoe were decorated with gold and silver threads. , shining with dazzling brilliance. Twelve Christmas trees are decorated with stars and the light of the moon.

Harry and Ron finished opening the presents and took a nap, then went downstairs to the Great Hall after lunch.

The college table was moved to the wall again, and a shorter and wider table was placed in the center of the auditorium. Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Sprout, Flitwick, Hagrid and Professor Trelawney Sitting there was Filch, the administrator.

Filch took off the brown coat he always wore and put on a tuxedo that was old, washed and faded and looked like it was moldy.

There were very few people staying at school this holiday, only three students, two very nervous first-year students, and a slumped-faced fifth-year Slytherin student.

"Merry Christmas! Come sit here!" Dumbledore greeted the little wizards with a smile. "The banquet continues until the end of dinner. You can eat as much pudding as you want."

"Then our stomachs might explode..." Ron whispered in Harry's ear, and the two sat side by side at the end of the table.

Just as they were about to start their meal, Professor Trelawney suddenly let out a low scream: "Thirteen people, thirteen people again!"

"My lord, Merlin, it's like this again..." Professor McGonagall put down the fork in her hand and made a crisp sound. She complained impatiently, "Oh, Sybil, are you sure you want to do this for Christmas? ?”

The little wizards present raised their heads blankly. They didn't know what happened. Why was Professor McGonagall suddenly angry?

Harry had never seen Professor McGonagall like this before, as if the next moment she would jump up and drive Trelawney out of the auditorium, just like driving naughty students out of the classroom and forcing them to stand.

"I don't want to either, Minerva, but there are exactly thirteen people..." Trelawney looked around with a frightened expression and said, "Oh, where is my dear Professor Lupin?"

Only then did Harry notice that Professor Lupin was not on the table.

"The poor man is ill again," said Dumbledore. "It's just in time for Christmas. What a pity."

Harry didn't know if it was his imagination. He always felt that when Principal Dumbledore said this, he glanced at Snape next to him with complicated eyes.

Snape cleared his throat and said calmly: "Eat in peace, Sybil, we are all willing to take risks, just like last time."

"Are you satisfied now, Sybil?" Professor McGonagall asked tartly.

"Oh, I know you don't believe my prophecy, but I still have to say..." Trelawney's tone became less panicked. She glanced at Professor McGonagall coldly, "Minerva, I use my third eye to see." Poor Professor Lupin won't be with us much longer. My Third Eye tells me he's not a good fit for Hogwarts, which is why he's always sick."

Professor McGonagall let out an obvious scoff.

Harry also noticed that Professors Snape, Sprout, and Flitwick had expressions that were a little hard to explain. They probably wanted to laugh, but they didn't show it.

"Okay, Sybil." Dumbledore raised his voice slightly, but still maintained a relaxed and cheerful tone, "I believe Remus is a good fit for Hogwarts. He likes school life and the children welcome him. Him. Severus, have you prepared the potion for him?"

Harry saw a flash of uneasiness on Snape's face: "That's right, Headmaster."

"Very good, then he should be able to get up and move around soon..." Dumbledore smiled, "Drake, have you tried these little sausages? They taste great."

The first year student who was greeted by Dumbledore blushed and took the plate of sausages with trembling hands.

The banquet officially started, and Harry and Ron ate full of doubts. At the end of dinner, Harry and Ron stood up from the table first, causing Trelawney to scream loudly. She stared at her big scary eyes and asked: "My dear! Which one of you stood up first? Which one?"

Harry and Ron were stunned and stood there numbly.

"That's enough, Sybil, do you have to say it? Today is Christmas!" Professor McGonagall asked coldly.

Professor Trelawney pouted, and the scene was a little stiff for a moment. Hagrid suddenly stood up, walked forward, took Harry and Ron into his arms, and said with a smile: "It's okay, it's okay, I'll take them outside to play for a while. , send them back to the dormitory before lights out."

After saying goodbye to several professors, Harry, Ron and Hagrid walked out of the auditorium and walked towards Hagrid's hut while discussing what had just happened in the auditorium.

Hagrid drank a lot of wine at the banquet, and his moleskin coat smelled of alcohol. The two of them squeezed out of the robes as soon as they left the auditorium. Harry raised his head and looked at Hagrid and asked, "Hagrid, what exactly is Professor Trelawney trying to say? What happened to the thirteen people?"

Hagrid's face turned red and he burped: "It doesn't matter. She always believed that when thirteen people dine together, the first one to stand up will be the first to die. Loren and Hermione were here during the summer vacation. It was the same at dinner...oh, I remember it was Dumbledore and Snape standing up together."