Harry Potter and the Burnt Badger

Milton's body stiffened and his hand stopped.Several little badgers nearby couldn't help laughing, and even the "victim" Alma Baker snickered--but she stopped laughing soon.

"As for you, Miss Baker..." Professor Snape crossed his arms and said in a mean tone with a nasal voice: "If you can't understand the pharmaceutical process I wrote down, you can ask the person over there. 'Know-it-all' Mr. Diggory and 'know-it-all' Mr. Fox, instead of blindly picking up the kind of medicine in front of you and throwing it into the crucible... of course, the premise is that you don't want to be Mr. Gravers Words to you as an accomplice in this murder.”

Moon and Cedric both wisely chose to pretend not to hear Professor Snape's taunt.Alma, who faced the firepower, had an embarrassed expression on her face, her eye circles began to turn red, and she seemed to be on the verge of crying.Milton froze on the spot, as if he had been hit by a petrifying spell, and did not dare to move.

Fortunately, something quickly helped them out. Three seconds later, a strong smell of rotten eggs suddenly began to spread in the Potions classroom, followed by a weird "gudonggudong" sound. Apparently, someone had another problem with their potion.

At that moment, Milton and Alma felt for the first time in their lives that the smell of rotten eggs didn't seem so... unpleasant?

…………

"Merlin's beard! He's too vicious!" Garr complained vaguely while stuffing meat rolls into his mouth. "I can't believe there is such a professor in the school. Have you seen it? Alma was lying on the table during Charms and I bet she was crying."

Arlin nodded in agreement, "Just now I saw Alma's roommate bringing some food to the common room. It seems that Alma doesn't plan to come to eat. Let me tell you, why doesn't the school change someone else? professor?"

"Professor Snape's words are indeed vicious-" Moon turned over a page of the book, thought for a while, and simply closed the book, and said seriously: "So I suggest that if you don't want to have this kind of experience, you don't want to hear these vicious words. If so, then you'd better be more serious in your next Potions class."

"Ha!" Garr looked in disbelief. "Moon, are you talking to Snape?"

Moon sighed, "Not to speak for him, but... you may not realize the seriousness of the problem, but Professor Snape's lesson is right. If Milton continued to stir it so hard, his pot would The potion will cause a serious explosion. Although it won't really kill him and Alma, I'm afraid he will have to lie in the school doctor's room for at least a week."

"As for the cause of the potion explosion... Although I didn't see it, I think it was probably caused by Alma's carelessness and throwing the wrong materials into it."

Gal, Yaerlin, and even the few young wizards around them looked at each other in shock after hearing Munn's words.Although he didn't want to believe it, Munn definitely had no reason to lie to them, and it was Munn who answered the difficult questions in today's Potions class. In the past two days, Munn could often be seen reading books related to Potions...

"Professor Snape's words are of course exaggerated. He even didn't forget to mock me and Cedric when scolding others." Moon spread his hands and smiled helplessly, "But I have to admit, he is indeed He is a veritable master of potions, not just what I just said - if you carefully compare the textbook and the potion preparation process written by Professor Snape for us, you will find that he has made a lot of changes to the content in the textbook. Slight adjustments and changes, when I tried them in class, I found that these adjustments and changes made the process of making potions much smoother..."

The likes and dislikes of children are very simple. Of course, Munn's words can't make the little badgers stop hating Snape. Munn himself doesn't have this idea - even he himself can't say that he likes Snape, at most. It's just that he is not prejudiced against him because of his appearance and cold temperament like others. After all, looking at his life performance, Professor Snape is indeed incompetent at all in terms of his identity as a "teacher".But at least, Moon's words at the dinner table made the little badgers start to look at Snape a little more.

The little badgers still hate Snape, but this way, at least some of them will be willing to be more serious in Potions class, and the chance of being scolded will be reduced.They were all classmates, and Moon didn't want two people to leave the get out of class crying every time they took Potions class.

By the time of herbalism class in the afternoon, Alma looked much better, at least her eye circles were not so red.Moon secretly told Professor Sprout what happened in the potions class in the morning. Professor Sprout found a random reason and stuffed Alma with two large pieces of chocolate, and also praised it seriously. A girl who was indeed much more attentive in herbal medicine class.

So, after the herbal medicine class ended, Alma returned to her usual happy self, holding the two pieces of chocolate lovingly, and went to the yard to bask in the sun with her roommate.

"Ah, there's no class, why don't we go to the yard to relax?" Gal said to Moon and the others while packing his bags.

"You guys go first." Moon smiled and pointed at the book in his hand. "I'm going to the library. I've finished reading this book. I'll come over to find you later."

Chapter 18 Quidditch

Life at Hogwarts is really good, of course, provided that you don't have to go to class or have the burden of homework.

When he was pulled out of the auditorium by Arlin, Gal still had two baked potatoes in his hand.He was really hungry, even though they only had one Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson in the morning on Friday all day long.But it happened to be because of this that Garr had to finish his History of Magic homework piece by piece in the common room under the supervision of Moon and Cedric.

They made an appointment with the guy from Milton to watch Quidditch practice together in the afternoon.The price for Moon to be willing to give up the library and participate in their group activities was to complete his homework in advance.Although Yaerlin is not a top student, he does his homework very diligently, but Gal is not the same. He always likes to put off his homework until the last day.

"Cedric, how on earth do you remember the names of those people in the History of Magic?" Garr muttered while stuffing potatoes into his mouth, "If you ask me, they all look the same."

Cedric did not answer Gal, but looked at him slightly amused. Gal had asked this question many times.

"If you can clear out the recipes in your head and make some room, you will find that those names are not that difficult to remember at all." Yaerin said angrily, tugging on Gal's sleeve with one hand.

According to the agreement, Milton should be waiting for them on the other side of the court now.Yaerlin didn't want to be late, but Gal was really good at eating.

After finally arriving at the stadium on time, the four of them immediately saw Milton and his three roommates sitting in the stands.Gal muttered behind him again. Not only could he not remember the names in the History of Magic clearly, but he also always called two of Milton's three roommates by mistake - he couldn't be blamed for that. The names are so similar, one is called Ackerman, the other is called Atman, and luckily the remaining one is called Barton, otherwise he would only dare to talk to Milton.

Eight young wizards sat on the same stand, surrounded by some other scattered Hufflepuff students watching the training of their own academy teams.Moon looked around, and he actually spotted two Gryffindors in the stands opposite. They seemed to be senior students.

"I also want to join the Quidditch team." Arlin looked longingly at the players flying around on broomsticks in the sky. "I always wanted my mother to allow me to try riding a broomstick, but she always They used the story about me falling off a broomstick toy as a child to prevaricate me. Merlin, I was only two years old at the time. Isn’t it normal to accidentally fall off a toy while playing with it?”

"Broomstick toy?" When not eating, Gal can always quickly catch the words that interest him.

Next, Arlin began to share his childhood fun, from broomstick toys to picture books that turned pages on their own, and gummies that looked like green poisonous caterpillars but actually burst into juice when bitten. What's more, this last one made Gal disgusted to death.

Moon listened with a smile and did not interrupt. He really didn't know how to interrupt. Could he say, "I have never played with a broomstick. When I was six years old, I would fly to the treetops with a broomstick in my arms." "Brothers and sisters are picking fruits"?

It sounds a little too Versailles.

Speaking of his younger brothers and sisters, Moon couldn't help but smile happily. He had to admit that even though he had only been at Hogwarts for a week, he had already begun to miss those little ones.

He has a total of seven younger brothers and sisters - don't get me wrong, not all of them are biological relatives. Uncle Golov only has two children, a boy and a girl, one is two years younger than Moon, and the other is five years younger than Moon.As for Uncle Edgar, he wasn't even married yet.The remaining five little guys are some...well, children from side branches, such as the grandchildren of Moon's grandfather's brother. Most of them are war orphans. Uncle Golov adopted them voluntarily.Except for one who is also two years younger than Moon, the rest are the few little ones who are still lying in strollers this year and being cared for like nannies by Moon.

In fact, Moon, the three eldest siblings, has not seen them for more than a year, because Uncle Golov's wife, Moon's aunt, is from the American wizarding world, and she is still working in the United States. A powerful official of the Magical Congress.Uncle Golov himself is not only a member of the Wizengamot, but also needs to take care of the Shafik family.Therefore, their two children can only go back and forth between the UK this year and the US next year. However, the last time they went to the US, they got another little guy.Originally, they wanted Mu En to go with them, but Mu En preferred to stay at home with An, not to mention that he would have to start preparing for school at that time, so they had no choice but to leave it alone.

"Moon, which team is your favorite?" Yaerlin suddenly asked, and several other little wizards also looked at Munn, looking forward to his answer.This made Moon, who had been distracted and not listening to their chat, feel a little embarrassed, but he still answered truthfully:

"Well, to be honest, if you ask me, I don't pay much attention to Quidditch games. Relatively speaking, most of my time is spent reading books and taking care of my younger brothers and sisters." - and my mother and uncle. , but Moon did not say this outrageous thing.

Several young wizards looked at Mu En in surprise, as if they saw some primitive people, except for Gal, who was born in a Muggle family and also didn't know about Quidditch.

"Oh my god, Moon, you never watch football games, do you?" The person who spoke was Barton, a freckled boy wearing thick glasses.

Moon rubbed his hair and showed an awkward yet polite smile on his face.He really doesn't pay attention to Quidditch because he doesn't like this kind of game at all, the rules are not so...appropriate, even a little outrageous.On the other hand, his younger brother, Owen, who is five years younger, likes Quidditch very much, and even has posters of his favorite team plastered on the walls of his room.

"It's really rare that there are boys who don't like Quidditch?" Yaerin was also surprised, but Gal understood this, because he didn't like most ball games, well, except football.

"It's not that I don't like it, it's just..." Moon's mind was quickly thinking about how to put it more tactfully, "...it's just that I prefer reading."

"This is not okay. If you continue like this, you will become a nerd. You will read even when you eat." Yaerin said exaggeratedly, but Cedric expressed his agreement for the first time. Moon really loves reading. Now, every waking hour, this guy spends most of his time holding a book and reading it with gusto. Anyone who reads it will feel that this is a bit too much.This is one of the reasons why they always want Lamoun to run out - he really needs to get some fresh air.

Chapter 19 Photos, Giant Squid and Strange Seniors

"There is no student who doesn't love weekends, unless his weekends require classes."

It's Gall's latest quote, but Yarling says he's taking it a little too far, pointing to two of their roommates as proof.

Cedric is eager to take more Transfiguration lessons these days - because he is about to successfully turn a match into a needle, which fully proves Cedric's talent in Transfiguration. Apart from Moon, he is the best in the class. people are currently only half successful.But with Moon Pearl in front of him, Cedric's light was still obscured a lot.He himself has no opinions or objections to this, let alone jealousy or anything. Compared with being better than his good friend Munn, Cedric obviously wants to defeat himself more. This can be seen from the fact that he often asks Munn for advice. Gotta come out.

As for Moon, after some research, Yaerlin and Gal finally had to admit that their good friend didn't feel anything about "weekends". He still got up on time and went to eat on time as if he was in class. Then he started to find a place to read and take notes. Perhaps the only difference was that the place he stayed would change from classrooms and auditoriums to the lakeside and castle courtyard, as well as the common room.

But Moon didn't read a book today.

Although Hufflepuff's common room is underground, thanks to the several windows that open above the ground, it not only lets in the sun, but also provides a unique perspective on the world.Mu En was holding up a camera at this moment, carefully photographing the small red flowers that grew out of the window at some unknown time through the window.

On a small barrel-shaped table in the lounge, there was an envelope, which was the letter he was going to send.

For three younger siblings living in the United States.

Of course, it was impossible to use an owl to deliver the message. Moon had no doubt that if Debbie was allowed to fly from Hogwarts to the United States, the stupid owl would become a meal for other predators on the way, or it would simply die of exhaustion.He just needed to ask Debbie to send the letter home, and Uncle Goroff would naturally help him solve the rest.

Photos were also to be attached with the letter. He had taken seven or eight photos since he got up this morning - all about Hogwarts, such as their lounge, dormitory, and of course, his A few roommates and good friends, and himself.

"Ha, okay, let's take a group photo. The last photo can be sent away after taking it."

The four little wizards sat in a row on the sofa, facing the camera, and finally took a cramped and weird photo.

After a few seconds, all four of them probably realized that something was wrong with this feeling, so the camera showed another picture of Arlin and Gal strangling each other. Cedric tried hard to pull the two away, and Mu A picture of Eun smiling helplessly on the side.

"I'm going to send a letter and I'll be back later." Moon put the envelope sealed with fire paint into the pocket of the wizard's robe and told several people.

"Ha, let's meet by the lake." Yaerlin put his robe on his body and responded: "It's a bit boring to stay in the lounge. Let's go sit by the lake. Maybe we can see giant giants." Where’s the squid?”

That's right, giant squid, this is Yalin's new source of interest recently. It seems that a senior classmate told him that there is a giant squid living in the black lake. It has a friendly temperament. Not only does it not hurt people, but it will also kill people who accidentally fall into the water. of junior students were sent ashore.When Arlin was retelling last night, Cedric kept looking at him worriedly, as if he was afraid that he would get distracted and jump into the lake.

Moon nodded to indicate that he heard, then picked up his satchel and left the common room.

The weather outside is nice, the sun is warm and the breeze is gentle.When passing by the auditorium, Moon also saw several students sitting inside playing wizard chess, including Greg, but he did not notice Doreen. Obviously, the brother and sister did not stay together all the time.Playing chess with Greg was another little boy, probably named Lee Jordan.The Weasley twin brothers were standing behind Lee now, looking like they were trying to encourage Lee to do something.

Greg also saw Munn, so he raised his hand and waved vigorously. Munn also waved and said hello to him, and then left the castle all the way to the Owl Tower to send a letter.

Debbie is still the same, stupid, and it's hard to tell whether she is cute or stupid.Surprisingly, Debbie seemed to be doing well in the owl tower. When Moon arrived, she was squatting with two other unknown owls, calling with her mouth open, and she didn't know where she was. Talk about something.

After pecking out a few dried worms from the small pocket that Moon had prepared in advance, Debbie obediently allowed Moon to tie up the letter, and then flew out with fluttering wings.Moon was not in a hurry to leave - it was the first time for him to see so many owls. Although it was obviously a bit... smelly here, he was still curious.

Therefore, he came into contact with several owls here, most of which were the school's public owls.During this period, a few bolder owls came up and shared the worms in Moon's bag. Among them were the two little ones who had just had a "very pleasant conversation" with Debbie.

In this way, until the entire bag of bugs was divided by the owls, Moon put away the empty bag and slowly left the owl tower.

……

"Why have you been gone for so long?" Gal looked at Moon strangely. "It feels like a long time has passed."

Moon smiled, put down his bag, and sat next to the three of them. "I fed the owls there, how are you doing? Did you find the giant squid?"

"The giant squid was not found, but..."

"Ha! Eat my sword!" A handsome and sunny boy who looked about fifteen or sixteen years old suddenly jumped out from behind a nearby tree, holding in his hand the kind of straight wooden stick that Munn had dreamed of when he was a child.

Immediately afterwards, Sunshine Boy struck out with a sword - perhaps a stick was more appropriate. Sunshine Boy thrust out with a stick, and the sound of the sticks being exchanged was heard.Then, another young man who was a little thinner but equally handsome and more elegant jumped out from behind the thick tree. He also held a straight wooden stick in his hand. "Oh, dear Adam, you There’s no way to beat me.”

After saying that, the two men each held wooden sticks and competed with their unorganized and messy sword skills.

"But we met the senior and his brother again." Yaerlin pointed to the two teenagers and said, "They have been playing like this for a while. They just went behind the tree to discuss the script and said You have to put on a show for us.”

Moon looked at the two teenagers, and for some reason the pair of toy models of knights that he bought in Diagon Alley suddenly popped into his mind.

Chapter 20 Victor and Adam

The skinnier boy is named Victor, and the other boy who is obviously stronger and brighter is named Adam. One of them is from Hufflepuff, and he is also the sixth-year male prefect of Hufflepuff, and the other is assigned to Gryffindor.

Usually, people who meet the cousins ​​for the first time will regard the stronger Adam as the older brother, but in fact, Victor is two months older than Adam.

These were all revealed by the two brothers during their casual chat after they had staged their "wonderful" knight showdown - as they showed, the two brothers did not have any airs of seniors at all, but more like the kids next door. The big brothers we have played with for a long time, especially Adam, are even more familiar with each other than Gal.

"Ha! So, you are the little genius that our dean praised so much?" Adam held his "sword" in his arms and looked at Munn as if he had discovered some magical creature. "You look like an ordinary person." My young master."

Hearing Adam's words, Mu En didn't know how to complain for a while, but Victor was beside him and said lightly, "Otherwise? Does he still have three heads and six arms?"

"Three heads and six arms?" Different from Munn's kindness to this statement, Cedric, Gall, and Arlin all found it a little strange. In their worldview (whether wizards or Muggles), it is not always I have heard of such a weird little genius.

Victor also realized this, so he explained smoothly, "This is what I saw in a book about Chinese mythology. It is a very strange dharma."

Next, he tried to explain clearly what the "Dharma" was, but except for Moon, who was quietly flipping through the book, and Cedric, who was curious about all unknown knowledge, the other three people seemed to realize this. It was a long lecture that could rival a History of Magic class. So, following Adam’s gaze, Gal (who actually understood Adam’s gaze) abruptly asked Adam a question.

"Is there really a giant squid in the lake? Adam, Victor, have you really seen it?"

For Gal's witty question, although the question was a bit embarrassing, Adam was still very satisfied. At least it saved him from listening to Victor continue to show off his exaggerated reading and knowledge reserves.

"Of course, I mean, of course there are real giant squids in the lake. Although I haven't seen them, some people have."

The giant squid was obviously more able to attract the attention of the little wizards than the three heads and six arms. Except for Munn, who was still quietly flipping through the book, the remaining three little wizards all showed surprised expressions.

"Okay, let me tell you about it." Adam cleared his throat and looked mysterious, as if he wanted to use this to enhance the credibility of the story he was about to tell. "That's what I just said. When I entered school, I was just like you now, just a little kid in the first grade."

Moon finally raised his head from the book. He rubbed his hair. While listening to Adam's story, he looked at the calm water of the Black Lake. He restrained himself from wanting to "lure fish" at the Black Lake. "Skill" impulse.

Theoretically speaking, fish luring techniques that must be effective in open water cannot be used in lakes, but he has thought about it before. It is unlikely that there are fishmen and aquatic magical animals in the black lake. A pure backwater lake may have undercurrents connecting to other waters, which can be verified using fish luring techniques.

Of course, it was definitely not now, so he restrained his impulse.

"You should all know that we in Gryffindor often have some... unsettled guys who like to run around, especially after the lights are turned off at night."

"I remember very clearly -" Adam used a standard story phrase as a link - "that I was staying up late to finish my Charms assignment, a three-foot-long paper that was due the next day, but I hadn’t touched a word of it before.”

"As a result, the door of the common room suddenly opened, and a fourth-year senior climbed in through the portrait door. He was soaked and shivering. He probably didn't expect that it was so late and there were still people in the common room. Someone was here and I was shocked."

"When I was still hesitating to ask him what was wrong, the senior walked silently to the fireplace and said to me in a particularly frightened voice..."

Adam drawled a long note, showing off his words.

"What did you say? What did he say?" In the end, Gal was the most supportive and asked the question seriously.

"He told me...'I just saw a giant squid,' and those were his exact words." Adam imitated the appearance of the drowned senior in his story, and the imitation was very realistic.

"Wow..." Gal exclaimed with satisfaction. Although this was just a very ordinary and even lackluster campus ghost story, for Gal, it seemed to be enough.Arlin looked at Adam suspiciously and muttered, "Why does it feel like I made it up?"

Adam probably heard Yaerlin's mumbling clearly, but he just blinked and said nothing.

"Okay Adam, it's time for us to leave. Don't forget that you promised Charlotte to help her complete her transfiguration homework." Victor took out a pocket watch and looked at the time, then patted Adam on the shoulder and said to He said, "If you don't leave, you will be late later."

"Okay, gentlemen, today's performance and story are coming to an end. I have to die heroically." Adam bowed like a dramatic actor. This action made him look slightly funny. "If there is If you have a chance, next time I will show you what that giant squid really looks like."

"!" The eyes of the four little badgers were all focused on Adam, even Moon was no exception, which made Adam laugh with satisfaction.

"Why...haven't you never seen a giant squid?" Gal asked in surprise, his brows knitting together. It was obvious that Adam's words made him very confused.

"Of course I have my own way." Adam laughed mischievously and wanted to say something more, but Victor, who couldn't listen anymore, grabbed his clothes by the collar and dragged him away.

After a long while, Gal finally stopped looking at the two brothers' leaving figures, but turned his gaze to the Black Lake, and said with longing, "I really hope I can have the opportunity to see what a giant squid looks like..."

Moon chuckled. He probably guessed Adam's so-called "method" and didn't say anything. There was nothing wrong with letting Gar admire him. After all, there really was a giant squid living in the lake at Hogwarts.

It's just not as mysterious as Adam said.

Chapter 21 Teaching Assistant System

For a long time afterwards, Moon and the four of them didn't see Adam again, but they often saw Victor, but he didn't know what he was busy with. He looked like he was in a hurry every day, and when they met, he looked like he was in a hurry. He just said hello and left quickly.Later, I heard from Gabriel that Victor had applied to be a teaching assistant for Professor Kamp in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class. It seemed that he was assisting Professor Kamp in completing a certain topic. His time every day was so full that he was almost busy. Top. [Note 1]

“The only good thing is that student teaching assistants don’t need to help professors share teaching responsibilities.” This was Gabriel’s last closing comment.