Days at Hogwarts

Chapter 52 The Lively Scene in the Lounge

George and Fred went straight to Ron's bedside, their voices as vibrant and cheerful as ever.

"Look who's here?"

"The one who defeats the troll!"

"The pride of the Weasley family!"

"Mom will send you a letter praising your yelling!"

The two of them took turns speaking, rubbing Ron's freckled face as they talked.

Ron was enjoying the first few sentences, but when he suddenly heard his mother's name, he turned pale with fright.

"Ugh~ I'm doomed, I'm sure Mom will hang me up and beat me when I get home." Even though he was being rubbed so hard he couldn't speak clearly, Ron could still imagine the scene.

Percy chimed in, "We haven't written yet, you can tell your mother yourself."

George and Fred each grabbed one of Ron's hands, changing their rubbing to pulling his face, and said in unison, "We'll teach you a lesson you won't forget."

"It hurts, it hurts!"

Ron struggled but couldn't break free, and angrily shouted, "You two are dead meat! My magic power has increased, and when I'm in my third year, I'll hang you up and kick your asses hard!"

"Hahaha!" the twins laughed.

"But when you were in third grade..."

We're already in fifth grade.

"When you were in fifth grade."

We've graduated!

"Poor baby Ronnie!"

He'll never catch up.

This cruel reality shattered Ron's dream. His eyes were lifeless, and he was powerless to resist as the twins dragged him around, howling in pain.

The three lively characters brought joy to the ward.

"If I had stopped you then, no one would have been hurt."

Neville thought they should take Loren and Harry with them to find the professor. Since there was only one person in the bathroom, they might not attract the trolls and no one would get hurt.

"Neville, this was an accident; no one could have predicted it," Loren comforted Neville.

Hermione chimed in, "Yes, not even Dumbledore."

Once Ximo's fear subsided, his thoughts began to clear up, and he spoke with regret, "If I had known it would be this exciting, I would have gone with you."

What a magnificent adventure! Now everyone outside says the Gryffindor Four have defeated the monstrous giant. Seamus deeply regrets not having gone with them; he could have become the fifth champion.

Seamus started muttering strange things, "My roommate is a savior, a giant-slaying hero, an Auror..."

No one paid any attention to the strange Simo.

"The patient needs rest!"

They were kicked out by Mrs. Pomfrey after only a short time.

……

The three of them, including Loren, stayed in the hospital for three days before being allowed to leave on Sunday night.

Walking down the street, Ron complained, "If it weren't for classes on Monday, I think Mrs. Pomfrey could have kept us for a few more days."

"It's not us, it's just you." Loren took a deep breath of fresh air; he hadn't been able to hold it in for two days.

Harry nodded repeatedly. "Loren and I woke up the next day, and we were mostly unharmed. You were the most badly injured."

Ron clearly couldn't accept it. "Please! We're brothers in arms now, can't we even go to the hospital together?"

"Okay, okay, okay!"

Harry was about to give the Fat Lady the password to open the door to the Gryffindor common room, "Dragon Scum".

The plump lady excitedly raised her hand and cried out in a beautiful voice, "The Gryffindor warriors have returned!"

They dawdled for quite a while in order to appease the fat lady.

The door opened, and the lounge was pitch black. After Loren and the other two entered, the fire in the fireplace suddenly lit up.

"Welcome our hero!" the crowd cheered in unison.

Snapped!

Colorful ribbons floated above the heads of Loren and his companions.

The common room was packed with people. George and Fred were standing at the front. Harry saw that all the Quidditch players he knew were there: Wood, Angelina, even the usually stern Percy, and other Gryffindor students. Almost everyone was there.

Hermione was originally in the corner, but her roommate Parvati Petit pushed her forward, and the girls together pushed her next to Loren, so that they could receive everyone's cheers.

The little witch was always watched when she answered questions in class, but this was the first time she had ever been watched like this. Her pretty face turned red, and she was very happy.

"Tonight is to celebrate the victory of our Gryffindor hero—the monstrous monster!"

Let's party together!

Lee Jordan's voice perfectly complements this atmosphere.

The crowd surged forward. Seamus and Dean, pulling Neville along, surrounded Harry and Ron, loudly exaggerating Harry's heroic feat: "...Just then, Harry delivered a flying kick that sent the troll flying..."

Harry wanted to bury his head in his neck. Why did you have to brag about me?!

Ron, on the other hand, was eager to try and create his own content.

Loren and Hermione were pleased with the scene, but they weren't used to being watched. They slipped away to the fireplace and grabbed some food.

Loren was so bored during his days in the hospital that he started stuffing meat into his mouth.

Hermione watched Loren wolf down his drink and placed the cup beside him. She propped herself up on her hand and watched, her eyes bright.

Loren ate for a while, swallowing the food with orange juice, then looked up and saw Hermione. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Hermione was relaxed, her voice soft and gentle, "I thought we were all going to die."

Loren, thinking Hermione was still a little shaken, comforted her, "It's all over now."

"I've thought about it."

"What have you been thinking about?"

"Magic has never been a gentle, safe trick."

Hermione's voice hardened. "From Potions class to Flying class, to trolls, people have paid the price for it."

Loren hesitated for a moment, "So?"

"So we must be able to protect ourselves. Defense Against the Dark Arts is clearly not enough. We have to rely on ourselves." Hermione's voice, which had been gentle at first, became crisp and resolute as she said this.

Loren never expected that Hermione would develop the idea of ​​improving her strength after experiencing the troll, and even feel that the school's teaching was not enough and wanted to study on her own.

This is certainly a good thing. Hermione was able to keep up with Harry in the early years because of her excellent theoretical knowledge, but after the third year, she couldn't catch up in terms of practical combat skills. Starting to focus on practical combat now will lay a more solid foundation for the future.

Loren asked, "What are you planning to do?"

"Sparring with you is like practicing the Ironclad Spell before."

Hermione relaxed, a smile playing on her lips. "What do you think, Mr. 22-0?"

"What are you saying? What are you saying!"

Loren couldn't sit still any longer. "What do you mean 22-0? We clearly agreed not to use that nickname anymore."

"And it wasn't 22-0, I won the last game! Besides, that was the old me, now..."

Hermione just smiled as she watched Loren mutter to himself. When Loren slowed down occasionally, the girl would casually add, "22 to 0."

Loren then began to mutter to himself again, saying things like "things have changed," "yesterday's glory," and "we should look to the future."

This game is really fun! Hermione used to think Loren's pranks were a terrible hobby. Now that the roles are reversed and she's the one playing the pranks on Loren, she's definitely experiencing a different kind of enjoyment.

(End of this chapter)