days at Hogwarts

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's 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!"

"Really? Tell me about it."

Bates snorted: "Before I joined the army, I was a celebrity in school..."

"..."

Loren glanced at Grandpa Bates, who had gray hair but was still strong and energetic, and a slight smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. After moving from the alpine ranch to the city, Grandpa Bates no longer had to endure the torture of werewolf disease, and he felt visibly relieved.

"Last month, I attended a charity party organized by the bank. Even though I'm an old man, I was in the spotlight. Many beautiful women wanted to dance with me..."

"Um, ah, right...what's for lunch?"

Bates glanced at him and couldn't help but suspect that this man was trying to change the subject. He hadn't said enough, but with the food in front of him, he smacked his lips with satisfaction: "What to eat... I like everything you cook. How about roast lamb?"

"It's probably too late today. The roasted lamb needs to be marinated in advance so that it can be flavorful."

"Then eat it tomorrow. I'll go buy some this afternoon!"

"Okay, I'll cook for you when I get it back." Loren thought for a moment, "I'll make tomato and shrimp pasta for lunch, buy some lamb and beef brisket in the afternoon, stew beef brisket with tomatoes in the evening, and use the marinade to make some stir-fried dishes. How about that? Invite the neighbors next door to eat together."

"Okay, okay..."

Bates thought of the dishes Loren made and smiled with his eyes narrowed and his face full of happy wrinkles, but he quickly frowned, feeling that something was wrong. Why did he feel like an incompetent parent again?
……

September 7, evening.

The day when they ate the roast lamb came five days later than Loren had expected. The main reason was that Bates tried to be a responsible parent and strictly controlled the quality of the ingredients. He was not satisfied with the careful selection, and it took him two days to ask a friend to buy a freshly slaughtered lamb at a high price.

Three parents and two children were eating roasted lamb in the courtyard.

The mutton, marinated for a whole day and roasted for nearly half a day, has an attractive color and rich meaty aroma. The marinade and fat dye the skin into an attractive golden color, and the roasted crust is crispy, and the whole courtyard is filled with fragrance. Dip it in the prepared green plum juice, chili sauce, and crushed mixed dry ingredients, and the gravy overflows in one bite, and you can't wait to suck every bone clean.

Wendell's face was greasy after eating, and he couldn't help but sigh that Loren's cooking skills were really superb.

He was so angry when he saw the letter from his daughter that he even planned to ignore Loren for half of the summer vacation. Unexpectedly, he was deceived less than a week after the vacation started.

Alas, I can only find an opportunity to show him my power later.

You should get along well with him this summer. When you have time, take him out for fishing and have a serious chat with him. Then, guide him on fishing techniques. You can't always use Transfiguration to deal with fishing gear... Bates is right. After all, he is a young and ignorant child who still needs his parents' guidance.

As he was mumbling in his mind, Wendell picked up a piece of lamb chop and dipped it in the mixed spicy dry seasoning prepared by Loren himself and put it into his mouth. Suddenly, his whole body was on fire from the inside out, sticking out his tongue and hissing. The dentist didn't care about the self-cultivation of protecting his teeth, and immediately opened a bottle of ice cola and poured it into his mouth.

Monica was so amused that she pulled out a stack of tissues and handed them over: "You are so old..."

Hermione tasted the food in small sips, but her movements were not slow. A row of lamb bones were already placed in front of her.

Bates watched with a smile, sitting nearby cutting the mutton.

Loren was tired from eating and took a break, fiddling with a copper Knut in his hand.

"To Loren Morgan: I just got home and my mom was the only one at home. I asked her what was going on with the mysterious man and she scolded me..."

"To Loren Morgan: Why don't you reply?"

"To Loren Morgan: Is this thing broken?"

"To Loren Morgan: Out of Distance?"

"..."

"To Loren Morgan: My dad came home very late and they thought I was asleep, but I wasn't. I wanted to eavesdrop on their conversation, but I was caught by the portrait of my great-grandfather... Why would you hang something like this in your home!"

"To Loren Morgan: My dad left in a hurry after breakfast. He must have gone to meet a mysterious person..."

Draco Malfoy is still a chatterbox, why didn't he realize it before?

Loren hesitated for a few seconds, then slowly poked the copper nub with just one finger.

"To Draco Malfoy: Read."

Ten seconds later, the Copper Nat began to vibrate continuously, and faint words kept appearing in the blank spaces.

"To Loren Morgan: It's not broken!"

"To Loren Morgan: Why are you taking so long to reply? I was planning to owl you!"

"..."

Loren did not look at the rest of the page in detail. After quickly flipping through it, he found that there was no valuable information. He slowly tapped the "read" button, then put the vibrating copper Nat back into the pendant and slowly started to eat the barbecue.

It seems that Voldemort did not move into Malfoy Manor, and the Malfoys were also aware that Draco would not be involved in the Death Eaters' affairs, so he would probably be bored for the summer vacation. With Lucius's ability to adapt to the situation, the Malfoy would not be in any danger of life.

Hermione, whose belly was already slightly bloated, sat down at some point and leaned over to look at him. Her eyes were fixed on the pendant and she blinked when her gaze met his.

Loren grabbed a piece of lamb tenderloin, dipped it in salt and pepper, and stuffed it into her mouth, threatening her fiercely: "What are you looking at? If you keep looking, I'll make you gain ten pounds in this summer vacation!"

Hermione thought calmly for a moment, and as she chewed and swallowed the mutton, she was horrified to find that this threat could actually be realized, and her face gradually became solemn.

Loren had a smug smile on his face.

(End of this chapter)