Days at Hogwarts

Chapter 56: Offense and Defense Have Changed

The unscrupulous capitalist Loren Morgan squeezed the snakes' venom out of them, forcing the workers to do it themselves. With the help of foreman Harry Potter, they quickly completed the work of making two boxes of snakes.

Loren closed the box again and neatly arranged the test tubes containing the venom on the shelf. He waited patiently for Snape to return and announce the end of the day's lockdown.

Hermione's words piqued their interest in visiting the storeroom, but none of them dared to touch anything, as no one knew whether Snape had cursed or poisoned the materials.

Harry felt that Snape had that kind of intention: to leave his office, let them lower their guard and touch something carelessly, and then they would die from poisoning, leaving no evidence behind.

Ron stood at a distance, curious about the value of the materials, and kept asking Hermione and Loren questions.

"How much is this worth?"

"The skeleton of the Invisible Beast is worth a few dozen Galleons, but their fur is more valuable."

"What about this one?"

"I don't know the price of the Winged Demon's wings either."

Snape waited a long time, but he never returned.

Considering Snape's act of placing the Galleons that Dumbledore had awarded them on the table beforehand, Loren speculated, "We probably don't need to wait for him to come back."

Hermione and her two companions did not object; they couldn't possibly wait in the office indefinitely.

Loren and his group checked again to make sure nothing was missed, then left.

Ron walked at the front, happily tossing the small cloth bag filled with Galleons, catching them as he went. He listened to the crisp metallic clinking of the Galleons inside the bag, and a heartfelt happiness welled up within him.

Wow, what a beautiful night.

Harry was also in a good mood. Without Snape in his confinement, those tedious and heavy tasks were easily solved by his Parseltongue.

Loren and Hermione walked behind, saying nothing, quietly following along. It seemed they could say anything, yet it also seemed they didn't need to say anything at all.

Stroll forward, past the shadows, into the candlelight. You can sense someone beside you, that you're walking on the same path, and there's no need to bother finding a topic to talk about.

The slightly damp night air seeped into my lungs, cool and refreshing, making it easier to breathe.

"Are you free tomorrow?" Hermione asked, as casually as if she were walking down the street and remarking that the wind was nice today.

Loren seemed relaxed. "Nothing planned. What's up?"

"I want you to train with me for duels."

"Of course, no problem."

The two quieted down again and walked side by side down the corridor, breathing comfortably...

The group returned to the lounge, found a corner to sit down, and opened the bag to divide the money.

There were 60 Galleons in the bag, 10 more than Dumbledore had said, so each person could get 15 Galleons.

Tomorrow is Saturday, and Mrs. Weasley has ordered Ron to take the weekend off and go home. He might get a spanking when he gets back, but the thought of his new wand and the extra Galleons still makes him incredibly happy.

……

The next morning, Hermione dragged Loren to the Room of Requirement.

Loren, with a stern face, seriously suggested that Hermione also start with the Armor Charm, a spell that could benefit her for a lifetime, capable of defending against most evil curses. For them, who had experienced a magical upheaval, learning the Armor Charm was the best choice.

Hermione sorted out her thoughts, nodded in agreement with Loren's opinion, and suggested starting with practicing the Iron Mantra.

The time has finally come for me to avenge myself. Loren could no longer keep a straight face, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up.

"Is there a problem?" Hermione couldn't help but find Loren's smile suspicious.

Loren rubbed his cheek. "Cough cough, it's nothing."

After that, Loren began to explain some details of the Ironclad Charm to Hermione, including the hand gestures used when casting the spell and the tone of the incantation.

Hermione was no stranger to these things; she had watched Loren improve little by little while he practiced the Iron Mantra and quickly memorized these key points.

Inside the duel room built by the Room of Requirement.

Loren and Hermione stood facing each other, wands held upright in front of them. From that moment on, Loren could no longer maintain his composure, revealing an eager and wicked grin.

The smile was almost blatantly malicious, making Hermione a little uneasy. She tightened her grip on her wand and focused her attention on Loren.

"It's my turn to perform!" Loren thought to himself.

"Are you ready?"

With no sneak attack, Hermione felt a little relieved and said in a deep voice, "Ready?"

"Are you ready?"

The curse is coming. Hermione took a deep breath. "Ready?"

"Are you ready?"

Hermione finally realized that Loren was teasing her, and although she was somewhat speechless, she still replied, "Ready."

Hermione recalled their first sparring session, when it was the first time she had cast a binding spell on someone, and she was so nervous that she unconsciously asked the question several times.

Hermione found it amusing; she was repeating herself because she was nervous, but Loren actually remembered it and wanted to recreate the scene.

Just when Hermione thought Loren would repeat himself several times and was prepared to answer several times, Loren made his move.

"【All petrified】"

Hermione didn't even have time to react before she was struck by the white light of the spell, her body stiffened, her hands pressed against her trousers, and she fell straight down.

yeah!

Loren's wicked scheme succeeded, and he secretly rejoiced.

He remained outwardly calm, walked over, squatted down, looked into Hermione's eyes, and said with feigned regret, "Sigh, it seems you weren't prepared."

The little witch stared wide-eyed at Loren's face. If there really were magic that could materialize eyes, Loren would have been reduced to skin and bones by now.

Loren pretended to break the curse for Hermione.

As soon as the spell was broken, Hermione immediately stood up to confront Loren.

Loren squatted on the ground and looked up at Hermione with innocent eyes. His sky-blue pupils were very clear, as if to say, "What did I do wrong? I just asked 'Are you ready?' a few more times."

Hermione couldn't find fault with anything and didn't want to retaliate, so she gritted her teeth and said, "Again!"

"Okay!" Loren answered readily, standing up decisively.

The two faced off again, taking their positions.

Loren smiled broadly. "Ready?"

Hermione wanted to slap Loren in the face when she heard this, but she held back and replied, "Yes." She didn't dare to relax for a moment, always on guard against Loren's sudden attack.

"Are you ready?"

"yes--"

"【All petrified】"

Before Hermione could finish her reply, she was struck by the Binding Curse again and fell to the ground.

You're dead, you're dead!

Hermione lay on the ground, eyes closed, the words echoing in her mind.

Loren squatted down next to Hermione again, wanting to strike up a conversation. Seeing that Hermione's eyes were closed, he reached out and touched the girl's eyelashes. The girl's eyes felt itchy and she couldn't help but open them.

"This is also part of the real battle. You need to learn how to deal with sudden spells." Loren's tone sounded very serious, and he looked earnestly into Hermione's eyes.

Hermione was led astray, and it seems that's indeed the case.

"Then, let's continue."

After Loren broke the curse, he walked to the side and assumed a dueling stance before Hermione could even stand up.

"Are you ready?" Loren asked loudly.

Hermione quickly adjusted her posture, "Yes."...

With practice getting on track, Hermione could avoid many pitfalls thanks to Loren's experience, and the greater magical power would make it easier for her to cast the Ironclad Charm.

Although she couldn't defend against Loren's Binding Curse all morning, Hermione was almost able to grasp the feeling of that magical barrier by the end of the sparring session.

The two decided to strike while the iron was hot and continue practicing in the afternoon.

On his way to the auditorium for dinner, Loren hummed an unknown melody, and anyone could tell he was in a good mood.

Are you happy?

Loren coughed twice to clear his throat. "I have something important to announce."

Hermione tilted her head and looked at Loren. "You say it."

"Hermione Granger and Loren Morgan's current record is 22 to 23, with Mr. Morgan in the lead for now."

(End of this chapter)