days at Hogwarts

Chapter 724 Year-end Dinner 1997
The third Friday in June.

The day before the summer solstice.

The sky was getting darker and darker, and a full moon rose from the horizon and hung on the branches of the Whomping Willow.

The entrance hall of Hogwarts Castle was lit up with goose-yellow lights. The little wizards wandering outside gradually returned. Hundreds of candles were suspended in the air in the hall, and the brilliant and bright light overwhelmed the stars and the moon in the magic dome.

Tonight is the long-awaited year-end dinner.

Gryffindor won the house cup, so the accessories and banners in the hall did not need to be changed. The young wizards from other houses became a little numb.

The elves in the kitchen used all their skills to present a rich and delicious dinner for all the teachers and students. All the food was available without time limit or quantity limit. Some students and a few principals even planned to skip the main meal and just eat desserts to their heart's content.

Loren was not the kind of person who was addicted to sweets and had no sense of propriety. He made careful arrangements based on his appetite. Dishes such as steak and pie accounted for one-third, staple foods such as cheesecake accounted for one-third, and ice cream pudding was considered as dessert, accounting for one-third. The nutrition was balanced and the combination was reasonable.

Some enthusiastic students came over with goblets and clinked glasses with them like adults. The goblets contained juice, soda water, and the one with the highest alcohol content was butterbeer.

The Gryffindor students were a little disappointed. In previous years, when George and Fred had not graduated yet, they could always get some sparkling wine, brandy or whiskey, although no one dared to drink their drinks.

At eight o'clock in the evening, the feast was in full swing.

The room was full of guests, clinking their glasses.

Only Sir Nicholas sat in the corner with his head hung, looking sad, sighing. There was also a performance at the Ghost Theater tonight. He had choreographed the play for the past few hundred years, about the court misfortune of an unlucky wizard, but this year the job was taken away by Myrtle.

It is not known whose help she got, but she turned the story of Myrtle haunting Olive Hornby after her death into a comedy, adding many jokes, elevating the theme at the ending, and even adding some educational significance.

Considering the joyful atmosphere of the end-of-year party, Professor McGonagall handed the stage of the end-of-year dinner to Myrtle.

"Look at how Olive is running away in terror. It's so funny. How could someone be scared of a ghost and fall down the stairs?" Lavender and Ron were sitting in the middle of the long table. Their shoulders were shaking with laughter. Lavender wiped the tears from her eyes. "Is this still the Moaning Myrtle who lived in the toilet in the bathroom? I can hardly recognize her. I wonder who helped her change her lines and who arranged these plots."

"Myrtle only stays in the tank occasionally," Ron corrected. "The ghost's mood is unstable, so she's always crying."

"Oh, you're so kind, Ronnie!"

"..."

Parvati next to her chose to remain silent.

There were several couples sitting next to me, flirting with each other.

"Harry try this..."

"But both of my hands are busy. Mm... it's really delicious. I'm not talking about the taste of the steak itself, but because you fed it to me, it's delicious."

"Oh, how is that possible? Do you think my hands are magical?"

"It's not just your hand, your whole person has magic on me, and it's magic to the same degree as the Unforgivable Curse, but it's not out of malice, but out of love."

"Don't say that."

"..."

Parvati bit into the steak with a numb expression.

Worried that she would have a nightmare after seeing a scene she shouldn't see, Parvati looked straight ahead. Opposite her were Loren and Hermione. They didn't say anything corny or pretentious, but some of their actions were too tacit. They communicated with each other just by eye contact, passing paper and jam to each other, and sharing any delicious food with each other. The affection they showed naturally was even more hurtful.

I felt full without eating much. After the ghost play, the Toad Choir performed, followed by some graduating students who spontaneously performed. The choreography was not so exquisite, and the dance was more casual. It was not so exciting to watch, but the atmosphere was more lively.

Loren thought it was quite delicious and he ate a lot without realizing it.

……

The dinner ended at 11pm.

The candles floating in the air gradually went out.

The seventh-year students who were about to graduate or had already graduated were hugging each other and saying goodbye. Hermione was stopped by several Ravenclaw graduates, who pulled her to say goodbye before parting. Club activities, teaching classes, and even asking professors questions, Miss Know-it-all had made so many friends over the years, which really surprised Loren, but after thinking about it carefully, he felt that it was expected.

It was a bit stuffy inside the auditorium, so Loren went to the courtyard to get some fresh air and take a walk to digest his food.

The air outside is slightly cool at night.

Crickets could be heard chirping in the quiet courtyard. The first chirping was to the right of him, and the next chirping was near the branches above his head. If he was not sure that Apparition was prohibited in Hogwarts, Loren would even suspect that the crickets could teleport.

Loren pricked up his ears and listened carefully, then slowed down his pace and walked towards the source of the sound, trying to determine the location of the little thing. Suddenly, he seemed to realize something, and when he looked up, he saw Dumbledore standing beside him.

"Principal Dumbledore." Loren stopped.

Dumbledore looked at him gently. "I ate too much lava cheesecake at the dinner, and my stomach felt a little bloated, so I came to take a walk in the courtyard. I saw you here too, acting furtively. What are you doing?"

Loren didn't feel embarrassed at all, and said with a chuckle, "I want to catch a cricket."

"Did you catch it?"

"not yet."

Perhaps because they were too full, the two began to stroll along the path in the courtyard, taking small steps. Dumbledore spoke very slowly: "I heard that the Ministry of Magic's Transportation Department and the Egyptian Alchemy Research Center have both invited you?"

"Mr. Macross attaches great importance to the theory that explains Apparition from the perspective of the soul and the body. Egypt seems to value magical protective gear, and Beauxbatons is also involved."

"Have you decided what job you want to do after graduation?"

"I don't really want to work, but considering the need to maintain family harmony, I'd better go to work at the Ministry of Magic."

"It's a very good choice." Dumbledore smiled. "Grow your knowledge and grow in the Ministry of Magic for a few years. When you want to settle down, you can consider returning to school. I think Professor McGonagall would be happy to have you join as an assistant teacher of Transfiguration."

"It includes food and accommodation, weekends off, and winter and summer vacations. It sounds good."

"Yes, faculty and staff get discounts when spending in Hogsmeade."

"But classes are too tiring. I heard that Professor McGonagall has eight classes a day when she is busiest."

“It’s not so busy anymore after the teaching system was changed.”

"Let's talk about it then."

Dumbledore smiled and did not urge him to persuade him. Students are like this. They seldom think about what will happen after graduation. They always think that there is a long time to grow up slowly. But in fact, graduation and work are just around the corner, which makes people unprepared.

(End of this chapter)