The days at Hogwarts

Twinkle shook her head, tears dripping down her pointed nose.

Loren looked around the surroundings, and what he saw was a simple and mysterious castle.

It is said that this is a wizard village where pure-blood families live together. Many families of the twenty-eight sacred pure-blood families have their own mansions here, watching and helping each other, and jointly maintaining the glory of pure blood.

The Crouch Mansion is located to the west of the village. The surrounding environment is quiet, with a slowly flowing creek, not-so-dense groves of lush green, and towering exterior walls and towers that isolate the castle from the outside world. The vast area In the green space, a straight stone road leads to the main gate of the main castle, giving an overall sense of tranquility.

If guests who are not so close come to visit, standing in front of this tall door will easily give rise to a vague sense of distance. You may ask yourself in your heart whether your relationship with the owner of the castle is close enough and whether this visit is appropriate. .

After looking around in a circle and taking a general look at the surrounding environment, Loren withdrew his gaze and focused on Shining. Although the house elf still cried after expressing his wish to stay at Hogwarts, he did not behave in any other unreasonable manner.

Loren knew that she was used to the life of Hogwarts with a salary and holidays, but the long-term concept of serving the Crouch family since her grandmother's generation still partly remained in her mind. Crouch's death only prompted her to give up completely. opportunity.

He thought for a moment, squatted down, and looked into the twinkling eyes: "You only know the news about Barty Crouch's death, but you don't know the inside story, right?"

Winky immediately stood up straight and screamed: "Mr. Crouch will never be a Death Eater. He has always completed the work of the Ministry of Magic wholeheartedly. Winky can guarantee that!"

"What about Barty Crouch Jr.?"

Loren saw the pupils in the other person's huge eyes suddenly shrink, and the confident expression was frozen on the elf's face. He shook his head and continued: "You should be fully aware of how Mr. and Mrs. Crouch concealed the truth. , replacing the son of a Death Eater serving time in Azkaban, and you also witnessed with your own eyes Barty Crouch Jr. took advantage of the chaos on the night of the Quidditch final to seize the wand and release the Dark Mark, Winky, after all, you were there because of your care Something went wrong and I was expelled..."

Shining's breathing became difficult, and she almost didn't dare to breathe under the gaze of those black eyes.

Loren did not continue to torture the Crouches and her faults. She just raised her head and glanced at the sealed door and said in a calm tone: "But you also have many things that you don't know."

Hermione also followed his gaze as she looked around the entire castle, her eyes flashing with a complicated glint. She seemed confused and her expression was blank.

"On the night you were expelled by Crouch, Barty Jr. got rid of the control and restraint that Crouch had exerted on him for a long time, but he did not choose to fly away, but returned to the Crouch mansion..."

Loren glanced at Winky, stood up, took Hermione's hand and walked forward. With a tap of the wand, the seal fell off completely and naturally, falling lightly to the ground, and the door opened with a sound.

"He found the master he longed for, attacked Crouch with Voldemort, and made his biological father into a container for Voldemort's ghost...until the resurrection ceremony was successfully held, and Crouch's flesh and magic turned into Voldemort's new body nourishment, and then abandoned in the wilderness.”

"Master Batty, Master Batty..."

Winky shook her head, trembling all over, and staggered into the castle after the two of them. Wheat fell at the back, and his fist-sized eyes were shining with thought.

When Loren and Hermione arrived inside the castle, a thin layer of dust fell on the furniture and floors they saw. Exquisite crystal lamps hung from the high hanging ceilings. There were no lampshades, and the lamp oil in the lamps was turbid. The ropes The core burned down to a small, dark remnant, and the ashes were mixed in the hearth.

"It seems that no one has lived here for a long time. Counting it all, since the Triwizard Tournament, Crowe...Voldemort has never come back." Hermione looked around, sorting out the information revealed by these traces, "It seems that in the end Once someone entered, it was an employee of the Ministry of Magic who came to seize the castle..."

There is a series of fresh footprints on the floor leading to other rooms, stretching all the way up the steps. The footprints are neat and straight, with a clear purpose.

"should be……"

Loren's eyes moved between the remaining lamp oil in the lampshade and the ashes in the fireplace. He noticed that there were still obscure sitting marks on the sofa. He tried to restore the movements of the castle residents in his mind during the last period, but he could not find anything related to Voldemort. relevant information.

Unfortunately, too much time has passed and there is no residual magic information. However, many magic items have been found, but none of them have anything to do with Horcruxes, not even black magic items.

"Twinkle...Twinkle has never made the Crouch family's castle so dusty."

Shanshan sobbed, stretched out his hand and snapped his fingers crisply, and a new dry rag suddenly appeared in the air, looking like it was going to do a big job.

"Don't do unnecessary things." Loren shook his head, grabbed her wrist, and advised slowly, "According to normal procedures, the Ministry of Magic should have summoned you for questioning when reviewing the case of Crouch father and son, but someone was eager to make a final decision, so they didn't pay attention to you, the key witness... You have been in the interrogation room of the Ministry of Magic for some time, do you want to experience it again?"

Shining wiped his face, his eyes sparkling: "If I can get Mr. Crouch's reputation back..."

"You think too much."

Loren interrupted the house elf's fantasy: "The reason why Barty Crouch was identified as a Death Eater was not because no one stood up to prove his reputation, but because someone wanted him to be a Death Eater. ”

Listening to Loren's straightforward and cruel words, Hermione's eyes showed a little unbearable, and she squeezed his hand gently.

Just when Shining was suffering internally, a voice full of doubts came from behind:

"Who are you and what are you doing here?"

The witch who was no longer young but still lively ran over quickly, holding a handful of poppies tightly in her hand. Her blond hair behind her swayed from side to side with a very unladylike pace. This female employee of the Ministry of Magic who was disliked by everyone was curious. And he came over boldly: "Are you also here to pay homage to Mr. Crouch?"

Both Hermione and Winky recognized this Ms. Bertha Jorkins, but the starting points of their memories were different. One was at the Quidditch World Cup camp 10 months ago, and the other was at this castle several years ago.

Loren observed her condition carefully, and it was easy to see from her questions and expressions that Miss Jorkins had completely forgotten her memory about them.

"Miss Jorkins?" Winky looked at the poppy in her hand and murmured in a daze.

"Do you know me?" Bertha Jorkins's eyes sparkled with surprise, and then she sighed in frustration and complained to herself, "It seems that you all know me, but I don't remember who you are... It's really Sorry, my brainlessness is famous in the Ministry of Magic. My second cousin told me that it may be a symptom of early Alzheimer's disease."

She rambled on for a long time before slowing down and nodding apologetically to a few people: "Can you please introduce yourselves again? I will try my best to remember it this time!"

Hermione recalled the speculation Loren had said in her mind, and pursed her lips: "I am Hermione Granger, and this is Loren Morgan. We met in the camp and box at the Quidditch World Cup... …”

"Quidditch World Cup..." Jorkins first made an expression as if he was trying to remember. After realizing that it had no effect, he began to stare at the two people's faces and recited their names silently. After a long time, he finally nodded vigorously, "I remember. Come on, Hermione Granger, Loren Granger, let’s go pay homage to Mr. Crouch!”

Loren and Hermione looked at each other, their thoughts going up and down.

An astonishing brilliance bloomed in his sparkling eyes: "Pay homage? Is Mr. Crouch buried? Where is he buried?"

"I still remember this! He was buried under the apple tree next to the creek..."

Bertha Jorkins' tone was quite self-satisfied, and she pulled Hermione towards the woods beside the stream on the right side of the castle. "I asked several people and repeated it many times. They became impatient in the end, and it was still Wei. Mr. Sly was willing to repeat it until I had it down.

"Mr. Rufus Scrimgeour - our head of the Auror Office ordered him to be buried there. He said he hoped that the running water would wash away the filth on his body. In fact, many people suggested that he be buried directly in Little Hangleton. …”

The group of people followed her to the cemetery. The lawn had not been taken care of for a long time, and the wild grass and wild flowers were particularly lush. Jorkins seemed to like the soft touch of the soles of his feet on the lawn, and even hummed an off-key funeral march.

So much so that Hermione wondered if she had forgotten what death meant.

Loren looked at Jorkins' back with a complicated expression.

Shining's expression became more complicated. She opened her mouth and said softly: "Miss Jorkins... why are you willing to come to pay homage to Mr. Crouch?"

"Because he is very good to me!" Jorkins blurted out without thinking, "My memory is too bad, I always miss things, and my abilities are not good. I have been rotated in all departments of the Ministry of Magic, but I have no boss. Only Mr. Crouch is willing to have subordinates like me who always encourage me and are willing to persuade them to let me stay in the Ministry of Magic..."

Her memorial process was as simple and straightforward as her memory. She placed a messy poppy bouquet in front of the tombstone and whispered a few words, "I will miss you, Mr. Crouch, if I remember..."

Winky sat slumped in front of the tombstone, wailing "Mr. Crouch" and "Master Barty", crying until he couldn't breathe.

Standing side by side with Loren on the bank of the creek, Hermione looked at the simple tombstone from a distance. She knew very well that in the new grave was buried a hard-working and conscientious employee of the Ministry of Magic. The hero who launched iron-blooded measures to punish the villains and protect the people under pressure was buried with a father who was murdered by his son and a dark wizard...

But looking at the back of Bertha Jorkins, I could not feel any admiration or pity in my heart.

She should spit on his grave.

"Miss Jorkins, please come here and take a look at this place..."

Jorkins walked over without knowing why, and followed Loren's guidance to look at the flowing stream. The not-so-calm water surface barely reflected her shadow, and the light and shadow were floating and slightly blurred.

The boy was clearly standing next to him, but his voice seemed to come from a very far away place. It was vague but could reach the depths of his mind: "Memory is like a flowing stream. When one section is blocked, the source becomes... There is a pool of stagnant water, which will be blocked later, so you need to clear the blockage bit by bit. "

"What?" Jorkins asked subconsciously.

The voice smiled softly: "You will have nightmares in the next period of time, please don't be afraid."

Stones hit the stream.

The sound of water is crisp.

Chapter 520 A Relatively Peaceful Holiday

Walking out of the castle's outer gate, a long and straight stone road stretches along the woods. It is a secluded road. Perhaps it was once bustling, but now there are only ginkgo trees and some unnamed trees. The road is covered with dried yellow leaves, and the footsteps can be heard with the rustling sound of leaves breaking.

Loren and Hermione strolled along the cobblestone path, while Jorkins and Winky remained in the castle, being looked after by Wheat.

The sun gradually rose higher, and it seemed as if the only sounds left in the world were the light footsteps and distant bird calls. A few early-rising, well-fed birds stood on the lush branches, tilting their heads to look at the two curiously, not afraid of people at all.

Loren was taking in his surroundings.

It seems like a quiet paradise isolated from the world, far away from the town, with lush forests stretching to the end of the horizon, a stream flowing through the woods, and mottled sunlight shining through the treetops onto the stone road and fallen leaves, quiet and peaceful.

Looking back, the outer walls of Crouch Castle have turned slightly yellow, with a few green spots appearing in the cracks in the stones. Because no one has cleaned or lived here for a long time, unknown seeds have sprouted and will surely spread along the walls soon. I don't know how long it will take, but it will probably be a whole other vibrant scene.

The former owners here will never come back, and there will be new residents here.

"call……"

Loren held Hermione's slender white fingers tightly, and used his arm to draw a circle with the girl's hand and lifted it high. When the two hands were raised to the highest, he suddenly released the strength, and the clasped hands fell down under the action of gravity, drawing another circle, and the two hands shook repeatedly like this.

Hermione tilted her head slightly and rolled her eyes, "Is it fun?"

"Fun."

Feeling the hand pinching again, Hermione looked helpless. What could she do with him? She couldn't beat him up for shaking his hand. "Did you just cure Miss Jorkins' amnesia?"

"It can't be considered a cure..." Loren took a step forward and swung his arms. "For the next period of time, she will intermittently dream about the memories sealed by Crouch. When she recalls everything, she will naturally break free from the shackles of the Oblivion Spell."

"Then... can Lockhart also be treated in this way?"

"Unfortunately, no." Loren shook his head. "Lockhart's spell completely destroyed his brain. Not only did he lose most of his memory, but he also lost his normal thinking ability. Miss Jorkins's injuries are much lighter, and she can still think normally..."

Listening to his explanation in her ear, Hermione looked back and sighed quietly in her heart. At least Mr. Crouch did not put himself in an unforgivable situation. She hoped that after Miss Jorkins remembered everything, she would feel relieved to come here to pay tribute to him.

The bird on the branch tilted its head and looked at the two people's backs. It chirped a few times, then spread its wings and flew into the blue sky, leaving only a few light feathers falling.

……

The towering towers seem to reach into the clouds.

Dumbledore stood on the top floor of the tower, his wide wizard robe fluttering in the wind, his white beard tied together with a rubber band. He looked into the distance with a calm expression, like an old man with nothing to do, gazing at the scenery, not sure what exactly he was looking at, or maybe he was looking at everything.

Just looking at his beard and face, no one would have thought that he was the greatest wizard in the wizarding world today. No one would have thought that he had fought a fierce battle with the Dark Lord a few nights ago, and now he has broken up with the Minister of Magic and is under attack from all sides.

The old wizard didn't seem worried at all. His peaceful eyes reflected the Black Lake and the Forbidden Forest, the path leading out of the castle, and the azure sky.

Snape stood behind him expressionlessly, reporting recent intelligence without any ripples in his voice: "...He believes that the accident that night was related to the prophecy, and repeatedly asked me about the details of the prophecy, but I don't know the complete prophecy either."

Snape paused, his expression finally showing some movement. "He has learned that all prophecies will be stored in the Department of Mysteries of the Ministry of Magic, and he has sent spies from within the Ministry to steal them."

"Don't worry, Severus..." Dumbledore said calmly, as if he was delighted by the silver fish jumping out of the Black Lake. "Alastor and I have already checked it out. In fact, the magic ball that stores the prophecy can only be taken out by people related to the prophecy."

Snape's face gradually darkened, and his voice was cold: "That is to say, it's only him and Harry..."

"Harry is hiding in a safe place. I have arranged for Mundungus Fletcher to stay by his side."

"That shabby dealer?" Snape sneered faintly. "Albus, do you really think he is trustworthy?"

"Well... I have arranged for someone else."

"What about him? How do you know he won't go to the Ministry to get it himself?"

"I know him. He lacks the necessary courage, especially when seeing those dead people appear in front of him..." Dumbledore comforted gently, "I assure you, Severus, he dare not take the risk himself."

Snape looked at him deeply, his irritated eyes seemed to pierce his back.

"By the way, how is Harry's Occlumency studies going?"

"His mind is so empty that you can hear echoes, and it is big enough for a hippogriff to gallop freely in it, until its wings are sore and it can't even find a place to land." Snape snorted coldly, "I have never seen such a stupid student."

"Being willing to open your heart to others is a rare quality." Dumbledore said with a smile, "Give him a chance to practice, and he will show his talent."

……

Bates sat upright in front of the dining table with his back straight. He had just gotten up and had just finished washing his face and brushing his teeth. He had not had time to take care of his gray hair.

I scanned the breakfast in front of me. There was a nearly perfect round fried egg with the slightly browned yolk right in the center of the egg white. The freshly-baked bread exuded an intoxicating wheat aroma. The fried sausages were shiny and attractive, and paired with several blanched green leafy vegetables. It was a nutritionally balanced and rich dish.

He couldn't help but frown slightly, thinking about a question that Loren had been thinking about since he was 8 years old: Who is the parent?

Whose child has mastered the superb cooking skills since childhood?

Whose child would treat his parents to a luxurious breakfast when he goes home for the holidays?

Why not sleep in during the summer vacation and get up so early? I stayed up all night writing a letter last night, repeatedly deleting and revising it, and it was not until dawn that I finally copied a letter without spelling mistakes. Unconsciously, I overslept and missed the opportunity to make breakfast for him.

Speaking of getting up early, Loren went out before she got up, and it seemed that he was with Hermione. I don't know what he went to do? He left without leaving a note.

"Ugh……"

Bates sighed sadly and slowly enjoyed the breakfast in front of him.

Bates burped comfortably after drinking the warm milk and then heard the door open. He looked up and saw Loren coming in to change his shoes. Bates coughed twice and asked, "Where did you go this morning?"

"To uphold fairness and justice in the wizarding world."

"speak English!"

Loren sighed. No one believed him when he told the truth. He shook his head, put on his slippers and walked inside. "The air is fresh in the morning. Let's take a walk to the river with Hermione."

"That's right..." Bates muttered to himself, "Be nice to Hermione, don't tease girls all the time, it's okay to be bullied by her sometimes..."

"You've never been in love, what do you know?"

"I don't... understand..." Bates was so angry that he blew his beard and glared, "You little bastard, you have never been beaten in school, right?"

"Is there something wrong with what I said?"

"I'm just not married, not that I've never been in love!"