The days at Hogwarts

Loren smiled sheepishly: "We were too relaxed during the holidays. On Christmas Day, we forgot to recite the spell to our hearts..."

"Have you forgotten even Hermione?" Harry and Ron then looked at Hermione in disbelief. It is normal for Loren to forget, but Miss Know-It-All has also forgotten. How is this possible?

Hermione's ears gradually turned red, and she couldn't refute, she could only teach someone a lesson in her heart.

It's not all Loren's fault. If he hadn't held her in his arms, how could she...

"We just came back from Diagon Alley..." Loren said in time, taking out several mandrake blades from the pendant, "These are the mandrake blades bought at the potion material store. You can start to practice. ”

"This……"

Harry and Ron looked at each other, with a strong struggle flashing in their eyes. If they took the mandrake blades in their mouths, the holiday would be over. They couldn't eat delicious food, play happily, and even had to pay attention to their tongues when speaking. s position.

They don't want to give up their leisurely vacation, but they also want to make progress.

This is the pain of ordinary students. They can't be completely messed up like Seamus and Dean, but they can't be cruel to themselves like Neville, stuck in the middle.

After struggling and hesitating for a while, Harry and Ron took the mandrake blades bitterly and took them into their mouths with painful expressions.

"What about you, when will you start practicing?" Harry looked at Loren and Hermione, feeling the cold bitterness of the mandrake blades as they spoke.

"Wait until the next full moon." Loren said cheerfully.

Harry and Ron's eyes suddenly opened wide with sad and angry expressions.

Lupine finally couldn't help but laugh out loud.

They chatted until three or four in the afternoon, and the bright sunshine slowly faded away. Just when Loren and Hermione were about to say goodbye, a silver-white phoenix with a soft light flew into Lupin's office. Dumbledore was gentle and gentle. A powerful voice sounded from Phoenix's mouth:

"Loren, Hermione, please come to the principal's office. I think it's time to send you back."

"Oh..." Ron sighed and muttered in frustration, "I thought you would just stay in school until the holidays are over."

The smile on Harry's face gradually disappeared. After Christmas, the deserted castle became a bit boring. The professors could not be seen all day long, and the few remaining students who stayed at the school were not familiar with them... Loren and Hermione was away, and so were George and Fred, making the Christmas holidays much more difficult than the previous two years.

"You can write to us, the vacation will be over soon..." Hermione comforted her a few words, then suddenly remembered something and reminded, "Remember to do your homework, and don't wait until the night when school starts and return to school to copy other people's work. There are mandrake leaves, so remember to eat less food that requires chewing..."

Hermione rambled on for a long time, and Harry and Ron suddenly felt that holiday life was not that difficult, at least not as difficult as Loren's. I heard that they were still neighbors.

Harry and Ron looked at each other, and then stared at Loren with pity, which made Loren confused.

After saying goodbye, Harry and Ron stayed in Lupin's office, while Loren and Hermione went to the principal's office.

……

"Principal..." Loren pushed open the oak door and Hermione squeezed in beside him, "When do we set out...?"

Loren's voice paused. He saw Dumbledore standing in front of the desk, carefully studying a small golden cup with two finely processed solid gold handles. The cup body was engraved with the symbol of Hufflepah. Beautifully carved in the shape of a strange badger.

If observed from another perspective, the golden cup is filled with pure yellow magical brilliance. The yellow brilliance is majestic and majestic, but it is mixed with wisps of black smoke, revealing an indescribable weirdness.

Loren and Hermione stepped forward and carefully inspected the delicate ear handles on the small gold cup and the badger-shaped carvings on the cup.

"This is..." Loren recognized the carvings on the cup and already had the answer in his mind, murmuring, "Hufflepuff's golden cup."

Hermione's eyes widened.

"Yes, Ms. Helga Hufflepuff's golden cup..." Dumbledore read softly, with a strange luster in his eyes, "It is also another Horcrux of Voldemort..."

Hermione's eyes grew wider.

Loren noticed that in addition to various silverware and gold cups on the table, there was also a small glass bottle, which contained a wisp of silvery smoke, which looked like someone's memory.

He looked up at Dumbledore: "Headmaster, can you tell us what happened in Diagon Alley? And how did you find this golden cup?"

"Of course, there is still some time before dark, we can sit down and drink another glass of pumpkin juice, right?" Dumbledore sat back behind the desk, poured pumpkin juice for the two of them, poured a glass for himself, and held it. The cup said slowly, "Mrs. Lestrange attacked Diagon Alley. She caused multiple explosions in the streets to attract the attention of the Ministry of Magic's Aurors."

"And she disguised herself as a customer handling business. After waiting for the explosion to draw away the Aurors and Dementors, she kidnapped an elf manager, broke into the underground vault, and snatched the gold cup."

"Fortunately, Minerva and the others arrived in time. Although Bellatrix Lestrange injured Severus and escaped, the gold cup was recaptured."

"Injured?!" Loren quickly asked, "Is Professor Snape okay?"

Dumbledore shook his head, a deep light flashed in his eyes: "It's okay, I just broke a few ribs due to the repelling spell."

Loren was stunned for a moment when he heard this.

Repel spell? Would a senior Death Eater like Bellatrix use a repelling spell?

Didn't it start with the Cruciatus Curse, followed by the Crushing Curse and then the Death Curse? How could a low-level spell like the Repel Curse be used?

Loren glanced at Dumbledore and subconsciously felt that Professor Snape took the initiative to let Bellatrix go, but he didn't know whether it was Dumbledore's instruction or Professor Snape's own initiative.

If it's the former, fine, if it's the latter...

"Headmaster, how do we destroy this Horcrux?" Hermione asked softly, her eyes still resting on the small golden cup. "Can you find a way to keep Ms. Hufflepuff's golden cup?"

"I can't promise you, Hermione, but I will definitely find a way." Dumbledore gave her a gentle smile, and then slowly drank the pumpkin juice in the cup, drinking it together with the thoughts in his mind. many doubts.

The diary, Ravenclaw's diadem, Gaunt's ring inlaid with the Resurrection Stone, Hufflepuff's golden cup...How many Horcruxes did Tom leave behind, and did he create new Horcruxes?

If he wants to completely defeat Voldemort, he must determine the answer to this question... At present, there are only two ways he can think of - Harry and Severus.

What is Tom planning while hiding in Ilvermorny? Is it related to the strange snake tree?

Dumbledore caught a glimpse of a wisp of memory smoke in the glass bottle on the table, and couldn't help but feel an even bigger headache.

Loren also noticed the smoke containing a wisp of memory and asked curiously: "Principal, whose memory is this? Is it an important clue?"

"It's a house elf named Hao Qi..." Dumbledore came back to his senses and said, "Its owner is a descendant of Ms. Hufflepuff, Ms. Hepzibah. She bought it and bought it at Boginbok. The Slytherin locket there, at first I thought it was because she is a descendant of Hufflepuff and collects relics of her ancestors’ friends..."

"But later, I investigated and found out that Hao Qi was accused of manslaughter of Ms. Hepzibah and was imprisoned in Azkaban... I realized that there might be something hidden in it, and I always hoped to see it alone. But since last year Connelly was wary of me at first."

A strange and intriguing smile appeared on Dumbledore's face: "To this day, Cornelius hopes that I can give the credit for repelling the Death Eaters to the Aurors, and for this reason he did not hesitate to allow me to meet Hao Qi alone... He probably thinks that I'm investigating Hufflepuff's gold cup, and I'm even willing to give it to me."

Hermione was keenly aware of something and asked tentatively: "Ms. Hepzibah was killed by Voldemort, right, Headmaster? He did it for Slytherin's locket and Hufflepuff's golden cup. In order to make the relics of these two legendary wizards into Horcruxes!"

Dumbledore nodded: "I think so. If I have enough time, I would like to show you this memory, but now it can only be narrated by me... In short, after Voldemort learned that Ms. Hepzibah had these two founders Lady Hepzibah died two days after the relic, and the Ministry of Magic determined that the house elf Hooch mistakenly put poison in her mistress's bedtime cocoa tea..."

"Poor house elf..." Hermione said sadly, she had already deduced what happened next, "Headmaster, can we save her?"

"I will find a way..." Dumbledore said, he pursed his lips, looked at the girl's eyes full of pity, and failed to tell her the rest of the situation.

Hao Qi is already a very old house elf. Its memory was modified by Voldemort. It really believed that it had accidentally killed its master. It spent a long life in prison filled with guilt and self-blame. Although the dementors were not very good at it. Love the smell of the house elf, but it's still tortured.

Judging from Dumbledore's experience as an old wizard, Hao Qi probably won't live long.

Loren noticed the old principal's hesitant expression, and had some vague suspicions in his heart. He looked at Hermione beside him and couldn't think of anything to comfort her for a while.

"Let's go, the sun is about to set!" Dumbledore put down the empty tea cup and winked at the two young wizards, "Please be considerate of me, a hundred-year-old wizard. After I send you home, I will also I have to rush back in the dark."

The more than 100-year-old headmaster held the hands of the two young wizards. Fox consciously stood on Dumbledore's shoulders. The firelight circulated and the three of them disappeared into the office.

-

Happy New Year! I don’t know if the stuck point is successful or not hehehe

Chapter 356 The snowstorm reaches the distant mountains again

The sky is getting dark, and the street lights on both sides of the street have been turned on. The goose-yellow lights have dispelled some of the chill. The small roads in Hampstead on the outskirts of the city are covered with layers of white snow.

An old man with a long white beard looked towards the city. After a long time, he looked back, hesitated for a moment, and finally asked: "Well... I remember the candy store is in that direction, right?"

"Maybe it's not open during the Christmas holidays..." Loren replied a little speechlessly. He really didn't know why Dumbledore didn't have any cavities with his sweet tooth. "But there should be other desserts nearby. Shop, you can go and have a look.”

So Dumbledore smiled and narrowed his eyebrows: "Then let's say goodbye here. See you at the beginning of school, children."

"Goodbye, Headmaster Dumbledore."

Dumbledore turned around and walked into the shadows where the light could not reach, and disappeared with a bang.

Loren led Hermione, whose eyes were still a little out of focus, to push open the wooden door of Granger's house. The warm breath instantly dispelled the chill of the outside world, and the bright off-white light filled the whole room. Loren was also in a trance for a moment.

Wendell's voice suddenly sounded from the chair next to the dining room:

"You're back! Let's rest for a while. Monica is making potato soup, and we'll have dinner soon. By the way, Loren, Mr. Bates has gone out to attend the banquet, so you don't have to wait for him."

Wendell held the "Daily Mail" with his head buried in the newspaper and remained motionless. While turning the pages, he rubbed the head of the big ginger cat in his arms, causing Crookshanks to squint and take a rest.

"Okay, got it!" Loren replied loudly.

Crookshanks, who was lying in Wendell's arms, woke up when he heard the sound, shook his head and got out of Wendell's arms, meowing and running towards Loren on the sofa.

After putting on her shoes, taking off her coat, and sitting down on the sofa, Hermione felt the warmth coming from the fireplace. Her mind slowly came back to the news she heard in the principal's office. She tugged on Loren's sweater. , asked in a low voice: "Tell me, can Hao Qi be saved?"

"..."

Loren was silent for a moment. He thought Hermione was thinking about the Horcrux, but he didn't expect it to be about the house elves. When he thought it was Hermione, it made sense again.

He reached out and pressed a few times on the girl's shoulders. Feeling the tight muscles in his palms gradually softening, Loren comforted her: "Don't worry, Dumbledore said he would do his best."

"Hmm..." Hermione's little face, which was white from the cold, gradually returned to rosy under the heating, and she nodded slowly.

……

After dinner, Loren chatted for a while at Granger's house. After confirming that Hermione was slowly recovering, he returned to his home, followed by a bunch of ginger tails.

As soon as Loren opened the door, Crookshanks couldn't wait to trot in and lie down on the carpet, holding his four paws under his body, looking like he was frozen in the snow.

Loren couldn't help but laugh: "Remember to clean your paws. I'll ask you for help later."

Crookshanks looked at him confusedly: "Meow?"

After taking a bath, washing up, and putting on pajamas, Loren returned to the bedroom, took out the book of fantasy and crawled under the quilt...

In the library of the Book of Fantasy, Flamel, who was reading a book, slowly raised his head and watched Loren's projected consciousness gradually take shape.

Ancient history, Merlin, Fairy Morgan and the Immortals, the four founders, Slytherin's prophecy...

Thoughts were swirling in his mind for a few seconds. Loren looked at the lazy Flamel, and after a moment of silence, he asked: "Flamel, has Nico seen Slytherin?"

"What?" Flamel looked shocked, "How is it possible? They are separated by centuries. When Nico was born, Slytherin had been dead for hundreds of years... How could you ask such a question?"

"That's it..." Loren was a little disappointed. He found a seat next to Flamel and sat down. Looking at the white dome of the library, he began to talk about everything he saw today: "..."

After listening to his narration, the silver light in Flamel's eyes continued to flow and seemed to be a little brighter. He glanced at Loren calmly and closed the book in his hand: "Do you think Slytherin stayed?" Backhand, maybe Nico has any connection with him?”

Loren nodded.

"The ancient history you told has answered many of my questions. In fact, I do have some things I haven't told you, but it's a pity..." Flamel shook his head and said,

"Nico didn't play any role in ancient history. He just happened to get the Book of Abraham, and happened to refine the incomplete Magic Stone with the help of Hebrew scholars. He spent his long life traveling around the world. I came into contact with some secret people and events, happened to learn some information, and got a glimpse of some things in the long past."

"So is there anything you can tell me now?" Loren asked.

A smile appeared on Flamel's face: "Don't worry, we still have a long time left. When the right time comes, you will know everything."

It's the Riddler again... Loren rolled his eyes: "Can you tell me about Fairy Morgan? Why did Ms. Daisy Doddridge say I don't need to practice Animagus?"

"The legendary fairy Morgan has the ability to freely transform into various animals. Perhaps this talent can be inherited through blood, just like Parseltongue..." Flamel came closer to look at Loren, "In your There must have been some clues in life, just like a parselmouth talking to snakes unconsciously, think about it carefully..."

"Clue..."

Loren carefully recalled his memories in this regard. He did have some strange talents. He had noticed it since he first came into contact with magic. His rapid magic learning speed, subconscious intuition of magic...

There is also a strange affinity with some animals and plants!

Loren's memories suddenly stopped. He had felt this way at sea, at the aquarium... and even used this talent to tease Lockhart in the Hogwarts greenhouse.

He immediately told Flamel about these experiences and asked doubtfully: "...But, what does this have to do with transformation?"

"This innate instinct requires you to explore on your own..." Flamel replied thoughtfully, "It shouldn't be more difficult than learning Animagus, but it requires an opportunity, such as a python appearing among snakes. In front of the laoqiang..."

"Opportunity..."

When Loren exited the book of fantasy, he happened to hear a soft scratching sound on the door outside the bedroom. Crookshanks' little paws had already warmed up.

Loren waved her wand and opened the door, and a ball of ginger fluff jumped in quietly. Crookshanks was very smart, even though he was very clingy to Loren, he did not go to bed, but lay on the bed and curled up in a ball. , the big fluffy tail swayed, as if he was about to sleep here.

Loren reached out and picked it up, holding it in front of his eyes and looking at it carefully: "Although you have the blood of a cat, you shouldn't be considered a magical animal, right?"

"Meow..." Crookshanks called weakly.

Loren almost didn't think about it and subconsciously heard that it was urging him to sleep. Loren was stunned for a moment and realized something was wrong.

Whether it's Hanhan the little spectacled owl or Crookshanks the cat, he seems to be able to figure out what they want to express without much effort. In the past, he thought this was a peculiarity of magical animals, but now it seems that there is something else. Hidden story.

Loren held up the cat and shook it for a while, and said with a serious expression: "Crookshanks, you are now officially appointed as Professor Cat. Please teach me how to transform."

"Meow..." Crookshanks' voice sounded a little depressed.

"Change quickly!"

"Meow……"

"Yes, I should be the one to change...but I can't..."