days at Hogwarts

Chapter 539 Insomnia is good
Every weekend, the girl would return to her hometown in the countryside and tell the owner of the unpopular tavern next door about the new and interesting things she had seen in the city, and get some half-true and half-false magical stories from the old man.

One is an old man who uses white lies to coax others into studying hard, and the other is a girl who gave up the bustling city and returned to the countryside during the holidays when she was studying in the city. For the two people who have been together for more than ten years, there is no difference between them and biological grandfather and grandson, except for an insignificant blood relationship.

If the two young wizards Loren and Hermione had not accidentally exposed the old man's lie, the lie would have been exposed on its own two years later. Would old Dodd really have closed the tavern and hidden somewhere where Alice couldn't find him?
How could he give it up?

The same goes for Alice. Although her dream of becoming a wizard was completely shattered, she knew very well that what was more important than those illusory magics was the companionship of a certain fraudulent old wizard for more than ten years.

When she heard that they would have beef brisket stewed with potatoes for lunch, and that it was made by the old liar himself, tears flowed from the corners of her mouth and she reluctantly followed Loren and Hermione.

The girl had just cried in front of the old liar, and when the two men took her back to the tavern, she couldn't help but feel embarrassed.

It was almost 12 o'clock when the potatoes and beef brisket were stewed and fragrant.

The wizard's way of cooking is always simpler and easier than that of Muggles. During the most tedious and complicated preparation stage, the wizard only needs to wave his wand and use the cleaning spell to wash the ingredients clean. The cutting spell will neatly cut the beef brisket into even small pieces, and it can be done in a few minutes.

Old Dodd has carefully studied the recipe of this dish, absorbing the essence of many recipes. He is not a fundamentalist who advocates the original taste of ingredients, nor is he a postmodernist who pursues complex, diverse and layered tastes. He wants both...

Every step is very particular. The beef brisket is cut into pieces and blanched to remove the blood foam. It is fried with ginger slices before stewing. The potatoes are cut into irregular small pieces. Spices such as cinnamon and bay leaves are mixed and fried to stimulate the aroma. Salt, black pepper, soybean paste and other sauces are added. Finally, they are mixed together and simmered for an hour.

The fresh beef brisket has a rich aroma, the butter floats on the surface, clear and tempting, and the smells of several spices are clearly distinguished, the fragrance goes through the nose and into the head. The potatoes are grown by old Dodd himself, and there must be no magic. They are of different sizes and shapes. They are stewed until they are soft and full of the flavor of beef.

Loren chewed the soft beef brisket, the meat was filled with soup and crunchy potato chips. For a moment, he felt that potatoes were not so unbearable.

Hermione prefers eating potatoes, especially those that are crushed and soaked in soup, which are soft, crunchy and salty.

Alice ate a bite of beef brisket and a bite of potato, her lips becoming shiny. In order to eat more, she had to make room for the grievance in her stomach.

After having a good meal and a good drink, Old Dodd smacked his lips and savored the whiskey. He watched Alice somewhat awkwardly packing up the dishes and washing them. The heavy stone in his heart finally fell to the ground. His brows relaxed, and he asked Loren with a smile:

"Loren, Hermione, you just graduated, do you know what's happening in Hogwarts recently?"

"What do you want to know, Mr. Dodd?"

"I read in the newspaper that Professor Dumbledore was dismissed by the Wizengamot for publicly making false statements in an attempt to incite panic and stir up unrest?"

"This matter is very complicated. The newspaper only reported some of the facts that were deleted and revised. I think you already know some of Crouch's complicated things... There was a riot on the night of the Quidditch World Cup final. Death Eater Barty Crouch Jr. escaped in the chaos and teamed up with You-Know-Who to attack Mad-Eye Moody. They lurked in Hogwarts and, after a year of planning, they finally completed the resurrection ceremony of You-Know-Who on the night of the final."

Loren answered carefully, "Dumbledore publicly issued a warning, but the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, was greedy for power and the current stability. He refused to believe the fact that the You-Know-Who had made a comeback, so he slandered Headmaster Dumbledore and removed him from many of his positions."

"Voldemort..."

Old Dodd nodded, his expression thoughtful.

Hearing him calmly address the mysterious man by his name, Hermione asked in surprise, "Mr. Dodd, aren't you afraid of the Dark Lord?"

"What is there to be afraid of? I am already seventy years old this year. My parents died a long time ago. I have no children or grandchildren, and I don't have any property worth plotting. I am hiding in a remote village at the foot of a mountain. Will the Death Eaters come to trouble me?" Old Dodd drank the remaining wine at the bottom of the glass and said with a smile, "Besides, there is Professor Dumbledore. He was able to defeat Voldemort and bring him down last time. Will there be any accidents this time? Maybe it will happen even faster. I can't help, but I choose to believe in him."

"Mr. Dodd, you are wiser than the Minister of Magic."

"It's just living a few decades longer..."

Old Dodd glanced at the kitchen, then stood up and walked towards it with his empty glass in hand. "You guys chat, I'll go to the kitchen to talk to Alice. The kid is still making a fuss..."

Loren and Hermione didn't want to chat, so they sat side by side on the smooth marble steps at the door, stretched their legs, and looked up at the white peaks of the distant mountains. It was the snow that never melted all year round.

The sky is pure blue, with a few scattered white clouds low in the sky, as if you could touch them by climbing up the mountainside and stretching out your hand. I imagined they would feel as soft as cotton.

Some people felt their necks tired after looking at the scenery, so they decided to use a more energy-saving way to see the scenery. They leaned their heads lazily to the side and rubbed themselves to find the most comfortable position.

His nose was filled with the fragrance of Hermione, light and clear, and a few strands of naughty hair hung on the side of his face, making him feel itchy, but he was too lazy to raise his hand to brush them away. In less than five minutes, his eyelids began to droop, and he couldn't open them after blinking for a while.

"Don't sleep here." Hermione shook her shoulders and reminded softly, "If you sleep too much now, you will have insomnia at night."

"It doesn't matter. I just don't want to sleep at night."

"?"

……

The half-blood giant Rubeus Hagrid sat cross-legged in the cave, chewing up freshly picked herbs and applying them to the bruises on his cheeks. He grimaced in pain, but when he saw the giant next to him who was well fed and gradually falling asleep, he couldn't help but smile with happiness.

Grawp was much more obedient today. He simply threw a few hooks and did not pick him up by the legs and throw him out of the cave.

He must have recognized his brother.

Maybe it's a bit of the barbecue seasoning, too.

Anyway, things are moving in a good direction...

Unfortunately, Beauxbatons was about to start school, and Olimar was in a hurry to go back to deal with school affairs, so he had already left. Now he was alone and had no one to share this joy.

Hagrid rubbed his sore chest and happily imagined a bright future.

I don't know who Dumbledore will arrange to pick him up. Just wait until we get back to Hogwarts. Grawp will like it there...

(End of this chapter)