The person is at Hogwarts, but the system is in Middle-earth!

Chapter 107 The Incurable Fool of a Ranger!

The June sun shone brightly over the grounds of Hogwarts.

For most students, this means one thing: summer vacation is here.

Hufflepuff's dormitory was a mess. Clothes, books, and cauldrons were scattered everywhere. Ernie McMillan was trying to stuff his entire Wizarding Chess set into the bottom of a box, while Justin Finley was practicing a new hairstyle in front of the mirror, supposedly to look cooler when he got home.

Lowe sat on the edge of his bed, the surroundings unusually tidy.

His suitcase was packed neatly. But he was still holding a few last items in his hand, performing the final "seal".

[Item identification: Smaug's dragon scale.]

[Actual Item: Several gray stone shards, stained with an unidentified green liquid, pried off the floor of the secret chamber.]

[Description: Hard scales from that dark behemoth, containing ancient, evil power. Although they have lost their potency, they remain a rare and valuable forging material.]

Rowe carefully wrapped the stone pieces layer by layer with a piece of black velvet cloth.

"What are you doing, Rowe?" Justin asked curiously, leaning closer. "What's that? It looks like... a rotten rock?"

Lowe raised his head, his eyes grave: "There are some things that ordinary people are better off not looking at directly, Justin. This is tainted with too much darkness."

Justin swallowed hard, instinctively taking a step back. "Is...is it something from the secret room?"

"Spoils of war," Rowe replied succinctly, then stuffed the small black package into the bottom of the box, under a pile of socks.

Then he picked up the second item.

It was a broken, ornate peacock feather pen. He had found it in the chaos of Lockhart's office.

"Is that Professor Lockhart's pen?" Ernie chimed in. "I heard he's at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Injuries. Poor guy, he's completely lost his memory, he doesn't even know who he is."

"It's said that the nurses had to follow him around all day," Susan said, peeking out of the doorway, "because he was always trying to sign autographs for other patients, but he couldn't write."

A collective sigh escaped their lips. Just a few months ago, Lockhart was their idol, a recipient of the Order of Merlin, Third Class; now, he was a pathetic figure whose name they couldn't even spell.

Luo Wei looked at the broken pen in his hand and sighed softly.

"This is the price of greed," he said softly, without a hint of mockery. "When a person tries to steal glory that he doesn't deserve, that glory will ultimately turn against him."

[System notification: Profound insight into fallen wizards.]

[Slight increase in mental attribute.]

He wrapped up the broken pen and put it in the box.

"I hope he can find peace in exile." Lowe closed the box. "Without the temptation of power, perhaps he can rediscover his true self."

The surrounding badgers fell silent. Although they felt that comparing Lockhart to "exile" was a bit of an exaggeration (after all, it was a hospital).

"Alright, guys." Rowe stood up and patted the suitcase. "We should go. Charles... I mean, home is calling us."

As the other Hufflepuff students noisily poured out of the common room, Rowe felt someone tug at his sleeve.

It's Susan.

Instead of wearing her usual two ponytails, she let her long, reddish-brown hair fall loose over her shoulders, making her look a bit more mature than usual. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and she was clutching a small package tied with a pink ribbon tightly in her hand, which looked somewhat like the tragic package from Valentine's Day.

"Love, wait a minute," Susan said softly.

Luo Wei stopped and turned around.

[NPC Interaction: Eowyn's Farewell.]

*Scenario determination: A parting gift from an ally.

"Is there any military intelligence to report, Miss Burns?" Rowe lowered his voice, glancing warily around.

Or did you discover a hidden spy?

Susan took a deep breath, seemingly trying to suppress an urge to roll her eyes, but ultimately managed a helpless smile. She was used to Rowe's perpetually "ready for battle" way of speaking.

"There are no spies, Rowe." Susan took a step closer and stuffed a small package into Rowe's hand. "This is..."

This is for you. It's special gingerbread my aunt made; I thought...you might get hungry on the road.

Luo Wei looked down at the pink package in his hand.

[Item obtained: Lembas (Elf Bread)]

[Description: A single bite is enough to sustain an adult male for a whole day's march. It embodies the creator's blessings and care.]

"Important strategic supplies." Lowe nodded solemnly, carefully placing the package into his inner pocket. "Thank you for the supplies; they are crucial for crossing the wasteland... I mean, on the train journey."

Looking at his serious expression, Susan's prepared remarks—such as "Can you come to my house to play during summer vacation?", "I want to talk to you more", and "You are actually quite cute if you are normal"—suddenly got stuck in her throat.

Finally, she asked softly, "Will you write to me? I mean... normal letters, not those battle reports written in invisible ink."

"Communication channels must remain open," Lowe solemnly promised. "If a shadow looms over, or an owl brings ominous news, I will issue a warning immediately."

"I mean...we talked about the weather, about summer vacation and stuff," Susan added, not giving up.

"Ah, routine disguise code." Rowe realized. "I see. This is an encrypted communication to prevent the enemy from intercepting intelligence. No problem, I'll skillfully use 'the weather is nice today' to convey the message that the frontline is safe."

Susan paused for three seconds, then burst out laughing.

"You're such a...hopeless, hopeless idiot ranger." She tiptoed and quickly pecked Rowe's cheek, then turned and ran away like a startled fawn. "Remember to eat gingerbread! It had double the sugar!"

Lowe touched his cheek, watching Susan's retreating figure, a look of confusion on his face.

[System notification: You have received a mental buff—The Maiden's Blessing.]

**[Effect: Morale +10, Fear Resistance +5.]**

"A strange blessing ritual." Rowe shook his head, picked up the box, "But...it's not unpleasant."

Half an hour later, they dragged their suitcases across the lawn toward the small boat waiting by the Black Lake (second-year students could have taken a carriage, but Rowe insisted on taking the "waterway" because it felt more like saying goodbye to Los Lorien).

Sunlight danced on the lake's surface as a giant squid lazily basked in the shallows, its tentacles basking in the sun.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were already waiting by the lake.

"Hey, Rowe!" Harry waved from afar. He looked much better, a relaxed smile on his face.

Hermione was still holding a book ("Sailing with Vampires"), but she wasn't reading it; instead, she was gazing at the shimmering lake.

"What an incredible year, isn't it?" Hermione whispered as Rowe approached. "We broke the curse and saved the school."

"And he hasn't been fired yet," Ron added, chewing on a Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Bean. "That's the most important thing."

Rowe smiled. He turned around and took one last look at Hogwarts Castle behind him.

Bathed in the afternoon sun, the ancient castle stood majestically, its towers piercing the clouds. In his eyes, golden light enveloped its spires, making it seem like the sacred and inviolable domain of the Elf Queen Galadriel.

[Scene Scan: The Boundaries of Los Lorien.]

Status: Farewell.

"Goodbye, Golden Forest," Rowe said silently to himself.

He knew this was only a temporary separation. The darkness had receded for the time being, but it had not vanished. Mordor... well, Voldemort's shadow still lurked somewhere.

But now, it's time to go home.

"Let's go." Lowe picked up his suitcase and was the first to jump onto the small boat. "The train won't wait for anyone. Besides, I've heard that the journey home is always the longest."