days at Hogwarts

Chapter 596 A Wedding

Although Harry claimed that there was nothing else that needed help, by the afternoon, some inexplicable tasks popped up from nowhere and were entrusted to the free boys.

The sound of the rushing water is like waves hitting rocks, fine and crisp.

Loren waved his wand lightly, watching the magic power create waves that washed over the silverware, waiting for the metallic luster to reappear before sending them to the next stage of processing, where Harry and Ron would sort them out and neatly stack them in the cupboard.

“The deep, wavy ones are for thick soup.”

"The flat bottom with patterns is for goulash."

"..."

The sound of mumbling came from his slightly pursed lips. Harry and Ron had solemn expressions. Their hands kept turning the dishes over and over, but they still couldn't keep up with Loren's speed in washing the dishes. They could only watch in despair as the pile of dishes formed into a shaky and dangerous building.

Mrs. Weasley had strict rules about the purpose of each plate, and checking the patterns and sorting them out greatly slowed down the process of placing them.

Loren slowed down his movements slightly, waiting for the two men to demolish the dangerous building in front of them, and paid some attention to the situation upstairs.

The ladies were gathering in the living room on the second floor, planning their makeup for the bride the day after tomorrow. Unfortunately, the bride's wedding dress had been custom-made a long time ago, so they could only work their magic on some details such as her hairstyle and blush.

There is no need to worry. Whether wizards or Muggles, women have similar aesthetic tastes.

"The appetizers were wrapped in brown paper and placed in a wooden basket..."

Loren quietly enjoyed the leisure time he had gained from fishing, his heart was calm and peaceful, the small opening at the bottom of the pool seemed to be sucking, making kissing sounds. Loren stood opposite the marble fireplace, the warm firelight warming the back of his body, looking at the firelight coming from behind, his shadow swaying lightly, his movements were smooth and fluent like a bystander.

At this moment, a burst of brisk footsteps suddenly came from the direction of the stairs, and the sound of high heels stepping on the wooden steps interrupted Loren's wandering thoughts.

The complex floral and fruity perfume was rich, an obvious Muggle chemical product that was at odds with the wizarding atmosphere of the mansion.

Loren thought so subconsciously, turned around and looked at the stairs, and saw a lady in a pure white fluffy wedding dress approaching.

Her dark hair was tied up in a ball-shaped bun, which was radiant and restrained against the backdrop of the sky blue feather headdress and the jewel-studded headband. Her wrists and calves were not slender, nor were they voluptuous, but they bore the marks of physical labor, which were inconspicuous but clear. She had a fair face and a gentle expression. Her neck was not curvaceous, and her breasts were not tall and plump. If there was anything worthy of praise, it was probably her firm and bright eyes.

The woman exuded elegance, but Loren would rather praise her tenacity.

He is not a member of the Order of the Phoenix, and there is no trace of magic flowing on his body. He is a complete Muggle.

Loren had never seen her before, but he recognized her at a glance. She was a family member of the victims of the Hampshire bombing fifteen years ago and the protagonist of the wedding.

"Ms. Carver, Loren Morgan sends his regards." Loren smiled politely, like an ordinary underage wizard attending a wedding. "I'm Harry's classmate."

The bride, with exquisite makeup and hair, walked into the basement kitchen, her meaningful gaze also explored the little wizard. As the owner of a grocery store, her years of work experience not only increased her physical strength, but also trained her eyesight.

The slender wooden stick, the coat made of precious materials and exquisite workmanship, the exposed collar of the pure woolen sweater, the calmness when he took the initiative to introduce himself and greeted her, and the grace inadvertently revealed between his eyebrows were all introducing her:

This little wizard, who was born into a Muggle family and had both lost his parents and had the same experience as himself, lived a wealthy life and was mature in thought.

The bride, who ran downstairs from the dressing table, noticed that the splashing water in the basin next to her had not stopped until now. The silver plates floated up smoothly one by one, piling up higher and higher beside Harry and Ron. She was silent for a moment and met those eyes.

"You can call me Betty, Sirius's fiancée." Betty spoke slowly and evenly, "I want to talk to you... about Sirius, about us, and about the accident fifteen years ago."

"I and you?" Loren was a little surprised. "This shouldn't be what Sirius meant. It must be a sudden idea of ​​yours, right? It looks like you sneaked down from upstairs..."

"Well... I think Sirius will agree with me doing this." Betica paused, but quickly convinced herself, "Just ten minutes... five minutes is okay, we can go to the backyard to get some fresh air, George and Fred have already cleared the snow."

"If the bride sincerely invites you..." Loren shrugged his shoulders, stopping the turbulent water behind him.

Seeing the two of them going upstairs together, Harry and Ron, who had never had a chance to interrupt, opened their eyes wide: "Wait, Loren, how could you--"

Before he could utter his doubts, the plates and dishes stacked high beside him began to tremble. The clinking sound scared the two of them so much that they immediately hushed and hurried to hold on.

The two people who were bound by the tableware looked at each other, saw the helplessness in each other's eyes, sighed, and continued to divide the food according to the plates.

Not only was the snow in the backyard cleared, but there were also more than twenty clusters of brightly colored flowers, decorated with a thin layer of snow, as if it were a fairy tale world. A thin layer of ice crust had formed on the marble floor, but it was not frozen hard enough to make people slippery. When one stepped on it, there was a subtle and crisp sound of the ice breaking.

A trace of regret flashed across Betty Carver's face. Perhaps she hadn't expected that her current outfit was not cold-resistant at all. Her exposed skin was wrinkled. Her hands were folded together unnaturally. It took her a while to adjust before she spoke: "I... fifteen years ago..."

"Wait a moment, Ms. Carver..."

Loren stretched out his finger and lightly tapped the space between the two of them. A transparent ripple appeared, and the wave left a layer of thin film in the distorted space, which enveloped Betty like a soap bubble, isolating her from the cold wind from the outside world without hindering the circulation of fresh air.

Betty was stunned by this move. Although she was not a wizard, after getting along with them for a period of time, she had a basic understanding of the abilities of wizards. It was definitely not something that an ordinary wizard could do to isolate her from the cold without chanting any spells or waving a wand.

The sound of high heels crushing the ice brought Betty back to her senses. She took a deep look at the boy beside her and her voice spread in the wind and snow: "Carver is my husband's last name. It happened to be a weekend fifteen years ago. I originally planned to ask him to mow the lawn in front of the door, but he went out early to sell his worthless gadgets..."

Loren slowed down her pace, considering she was wearing high heels, thinking of herself as a considerate gentleman.

The Christmas tree in the backyard was slowly emitting smoke. I heard that this tree was previously blocking the curtain in the hallway, and Sirius moved it over to chat with his mother. I wonder if he regrets it now...

I wonder when Hermione will accompany him for a walk in the snow?

Oh, yesterday.

I wonder when Hermione will wear high heels?

I wonder when Hermione will wear a wedding dress...

"...I have been through these years like this." Betty's story came to an end. "I used to blame Sirius and even hated you wizards because of it. But when I saw Sirius helping Marjorie prepare Halloween clothes and seeing their smiles, I felt relieved."

Loren seemed to be thinking, and after a moment's hesitation, he finally nodded: "It's not a story of great literary value." Betty frowned, looked at Loren in surprise, and couldn't help explaining: "I mean--"

"It was to show that Sirius Black had realized his mistakes, to persuade me to cherish my present life, and to comfort me not to dwell on the sorrow of the past..."

Loren finished a long string of content calmly, paused, and looked at the bride-to-be inquiringly: "But what does your experience have to do with me? What does Sirius Black's thoughts have to do with me? What do I think and do have to do with you?"

Betty was a little stunned.

After saying this, Loren shook his head and walked back.

"You guys are so weird. You act like you know me better than I know myself."

Because she no longer had to coordinate her high heels, Loren's steps were light and swift, and she soon disappeared behind the door leading to the backyard.

……

The day before the wedding, the decoration inside the castle became even more gorgeous and brilliant.

Percy chased George and Fred up and down the stairs because they had mixed some hooky candy with the sweets for the party.

Not only the bride and groom, but everyone else had to dress formally. Mrs. Weasley asked them to dress up first to avoid making a fool of themselves tomorrow.

Sometimes his tie was askew, sometimes his hair was messy, and what made Harry most angry was that Ginny actually said that the color of his glasses didn't match his clothes...

So the boys began to revise and edit in front of the mirror again and again.

Girls were even more troublesome. Their curly hair was combed into bunches and made smooth and shiny with magic potions. They hung down smoothly and flatly. Then they put on satin dresses, tied long belts, and put on long lace gloves...

Loren and Harry moved a small stool and sat at the door of the living room, staring at the girls they loved dressed up, wearing satin dresses, belts that outlined their graceful curves, carefully styled hair, and taking restrained steps in shoes that were not quite suitable for them, enjoying the adults' praise shyly and expectantly.

Marjorie was very interested in the magic potion on her hair and always messed up her bun, which earned her a slap from Betty.

A mother who raises her daughter alone cannot always teach her child fairy tales and philosophy.

December 12th, the wedding day.

Loren got up fairly early, opened the window, and the cool, refreshing air made his mind completely clear.

Fairies were dancing on the Christmas tree in the backyard, casting sparkling spots of light. Roses were blooming wantonly, with branches sticking out of the wall. The hibiscus was as red as cream, not dull, and bloomed luxuriantly, and there were long blue irises hanging delicately.

Loren tied his tie neatly, his clothes were as smooth as if they were made of wooden boards, put on matching socks, and made sure his hair was combed smooth without any stubble, then he pushed the door open and went out.

When Loren went downstairs, he saw Hermione, Ginny and Marjorie sitting quietly on small chairs, pursing their lips and looking serious. It seemed that they had dressed up long ago and were afraid of wrinkling their clothes. Their solemn and serious expressions were just like those of a current professor of Transfiguration.

Loren bowed slightly to Hermione and said, "Dear Professor Granger, may I invite you to dance?"

"Pfft!" Marjorie couldn't help laughing first, followed by Ginny.

Hermione's lips curled up into a smile, she rolled her eyes at him, put her hand on his arm, and carefully lifted the hem of her skirt with her other hand, then stood up and adjusted herself to her high heels before taking a step.

"Why are you so reserved? Didn't you wear it at the Christmas ball?"

"The shoes I wore that day were not that high, and my prom skirt was wrinkled..."

"I don't like to hear that. I advise you to take it back."

"..."

The two chandeliers in the entrance hall and the magic candles floating in the air were all lit, the gold embroidery on the golden wall cloth was shining with golden light, the gilded statues and candlesticks, the stone slabs on the floor, the carpet, the curtains in front of the portraits, and the black family tree, everything was bathed in light.

The fireplaces dyed with Floo powder were shining with green light one after another. Sometimes, the ladies dressed in fancy clothes lifted their skirts, and sometimes, the men took off their wizard hats or black top hats and walked into the old house.

Kreacher stood in front of the fireplace, unafraid of the fire, his special dress shining brightly.

Although neither the man nor the woman had many relatives or friends, they came together as a group from the Order of the Phoenix, so there were quite a few guests.

Most of the wizards of the Order of the Phoenix gathered in the living room, holding goblets filled with champagne and talking softly to each other. Occasionally, a one-eyed cripple's voice was not so polite, and occasionally a red-haired man with strange clothes and an unusually beautiful witch with a strange accent attracted attention. Occasionally, a half-blood giant bumped into a house-elf serving wine in the dark, causing an exclamation...

Fortunately, most wizards are willing to be as careful about their words and actions as possible in front of the beautiful things on ladies, such as brocade skirts with hoops, satin gowns, lace ribbons, etc.

In general, the order at the scene was relatively stable.

Next to the curtain that sealed the portrait, Dumbledore, wearing a brand new golden robe, a small felt hat for women, and a white rose from the backyard pinned to his chest, looked at the guests with a smile.

As if he noticed the gazes on the stairs, he looked up and saw the little wizard with black hair and black eyes. He smiled and winked at Loren.

The sound of a copper bell with a long lingering sound drowned out the noise in the auditorium and brought silence to the venue.

A moment later, the curtain rose, and Sirius and Lupin appeared in front of everyone, standing on a slightly higher platform. Both of them were wearing expensive black suits, which set off their not-so-tall but very straight figures. Sirius's eyebrows and beard were carefully trimmed, showing a different demeanor than usual.

He no longer looks like the playboy he once was.

Many older wizards sighed in their hearts.

As cheers rang out, Marjorie slowly walked down the stairs holding Betty's hand, her wedding dress sparkling in the candlelight.

(End of this chapter)