Days at Hogwarts

Chapter 698 Entering Easter Night

Despite the bright stars and moon, Hogwarts Castle remained quiet for a long time.

The high-pitched soprano voices in front of the Gryffindor portrait cave continued for a long time. It turned out that the portrait of the Fat Lady was drunk again and was practicing classic opera arias. Her hands were clasped to her heart, her cheeks were flushed, and her expression was intoxicated. She was completely immersed in her own world.

"Just one drink."

"Just one drink."

"Just one drink!"

The young wizard standing in front of the portrait cave repeated the command several times, almost shouting it out on the last occasion. Only then did the fat lady belatedly realize what was happening and mutter to herself as she opened the door.

Loren and Hermione, returning late from their date, ventured into the Portrait Cave, where the common room was even more lively.

The younger students were chasing and playing in the hallway. Prefects Neville and Parvati, considering it was Easter, didn't restrict their roughhousing. The members of the Gobstone Club were sitting cross-legged on the floor playing cards and stones. Gobstone's face was covered in black splatter from the exploding cards, and he was covered in slime. Around the sofa, Ron and others were playing chess, cheating, chatting, and telling stories...

Countless sounds mingled together, making it impossible to tell whether it was noisier indoors or outdoors.

Loren's face clearly showed his disgust as he turned and whispered in Hermione's ear, "It's too noisy here. Let's go back to the tower, or how about the Room of Requirement?"

Hermione pursed her lips, feeling a slight numbness, and a faint orange flavor lingered on the tip of her tongue.

It was all this person's crooked idea; they said that if you eat a certain flavor of candy, your kiss will taste the same...

Thinking of what had just happened in the tower, Hermione immediately felt her cheeks burning, and she couldn't help but glance at the man.

"..."

Loren paused for a moment, lost in thought.

It seems Hermione doesn't want to go to the Tower or the Room of Requirement. Where else would be a suitable place for a date?

Abandoned classrooms are out of the question, but underground kitchens are also unacceptable...

Ideally, it should be a private environment where you won't be disturbed by others.

Hermione tilted her head slightly, staring at him calmly. "I'm sleepy. I need to go back to my dorm to wash up and rest."

"oh."

Loren sighed regretfully, escorted the girl to the wooden stairs, a glimmer of expectation in his eyes, "Goodnight then."

"Good night."

"..."

Hermione was silent for a moment, then leaned over and touched it.

It was an orange-flavored goodnight kiss, but it was a bit of a perfunctory one.

After watching the girl go upstairs, Loren had no intention of staying there any longer and turned to walk up the stairs leading to the boys' dormitory.

Pushing open the door to the dormitory, Loren found five four-poster beds sitting quietly in the room, the black curtains drawn up. After confirming that no one was there, Loren went to the washroom to wipe his face, confirming that no one was inside either. The entire room was eerily quiet.

"Seamus is playing Bomber, Ron is telling stories, Neville is watching the younger students, and as for Harry..."

Loren thought back for a moment and confirmed that he had no recollection of Harry. He hesitated for a moment, then walked to Harry's bedside. He glanced around but did not find the target. He then looked at the bedside table drawer and confirmed that the Half-Blood Prince's "Advanced Potions Making" was missing.

Just as he was about to fall into thought, he glanced out the window and noticed a familiar figure on the path in the field.

Loren watched as Harry sneakily made his way to the school gate, the moonlight spilling across the lawn and path. Before he could even feel any worry, he caught sight of an old man following not far behind Harry and couldn't help but laugh.

The old man walked slowly, stopping and starting. Loren shrank back, transforming into a spectacled owl, and darted out the window, landing in the bright moonlight. He glided for most of the way without flapping his wings, and caught up with him in less than two minutes.

Dumbledore, having somehow discovered his presence, greeted him with a smile, "Loren, good evening."

Loren deactivated his transformation and landed beside him: "Good evening, Headmaster. Going out so late?"

"Exquisite transformation skills."

Dumbledore gave him an appreciative look at the opportune moment. After hearing his greeting, he replied helplessly, "I also want to stay in my room, change into my pajamas, drink a cup of sweet and smooth hot cocoa, wait for sleep to come, and sleep until tomorrow morning. It doesn't matter if I don't dream, but it would be even better if I had a sweet dream."

"Drinking beverages before bed will cause cavities."

"I'm a wizard, cavities can't do anything to me."

"That's right, otherwise, with your taste, you would have lost all your teeth long ago."

"I'm over a hundred years old, it doesn't matter if I lose all my teeth, but you, Loren, you should control your diet."

"What a coincidence, I'm a wizard too."

"Haha..." Dumbledore chuckled knowingly when he heard Loren reply with his words, his wrinkles, some deep and some shallow, creased together, giving him a kind expression.

The dirt path stretched out beneath their feet. After passing the Willow of Men and walking a short distance further, the school gate came into view in the distance. Loren asked curiously, "Sir, I remember you said that Scrimgeour should deal with Voldemort and the Death Eaters until at least Easter... Did you foresee today's situation long ago?"

"Actually, I just followed my intuition and picked a time."

"Um?"

"Don't you think that coming back from the dead sounds perfect for Easter?"

"Uh, are you really willing to see someone break the line between life and death and come back to life?"

"A child wants to bring his mother back to life, and I have no reason to stop him, don't you think?"

Dumbledore's voice was unhurried and his demeanor calm and composed, to the point that Loren began to doubt himself.

Is resurrecting the dead not considered a magical taboo?

Harry was almost at the school gate, but Dumbledore had no intention of chasing after him. He glanced at the half-moon overhead, seemingly recalling something from long ago, and with a nostalgic look in his eyes, he said gently:

"Would you like to hear about Professor Snape and the Potters?"

"I'll listen to you."

"It all started when Mr. Lyle Lupin approached me to handle the enrollment procedures for Remus, which was thirty years ago..."

Dumbledore's stories weren't particularly original, and Loren had heard much of it before. However, looking back at those grudges and grievances from the perspective of the old headmaster gave him a slightly different feeling.

When Lupin was six years old, he was framed by Greyback and contracted werewolf disease. After several years of investigation, his parents gradually accepted reality and gave up treatment. They changed their mindset and wanted Lupin to live a normal life as much as possible, so they sent him to school and asked Dumbledore to help take care of him. The Whomping Willow at the school was planted at that time...

"Remus, Potter, Sirius, and Peter were sorted into the same house. As classmates of the same age, just like you and Harry, they quickly became friends. Before long, they discovered Remus's little quirk..."

Loren clicked his tongue: "It's that same old trick of growing up together again, oh, I should call it an educational philosophy. There hasn't been any innovation in all these years."

"I sometimes consider myself an educator, well... at least a dutiful and competent principal..."

Dumbledore didn't argue, but chuckled softly, "In fact, I'm very pleased to see their friendship develop that way. Remus confided in his friends, they accepted his little quirks and tried to soothe his pain, and they began to study the Animagus, spending two years successfully..."

"Although the four of them are always getting into trouble, and every week professors apply for James and Sirius to be put in solitary confinement, I still have faith in them."

"Including the insect tail?" Loren raised an eyebrow.

"Including Wormtail." Dumbledore nodded in acknowledgment, paused briefly, and said in a complex tone, "Peter Pettigrew may seem timid and cowardly, but the Sorting Hat still sorted him into Gryffindor. I believe he harbors a hidden courage within him..."

"He mustered the courage to make bold friends, he was an average student but learned the complex and difficult Animagus for his friends, and most importantly, he loved his grandmother very much... I always thought he would eventually find the courage in his heart and even become an outstanding Auror."

You've misjudged him.

"Yes, I'm just a wizard, I can misjudge people too..."

The old headmaster, his steps slow and gray, sighed. His gaze passed through the school gate not far ahead and quietly settled on the figure standing guard by the roadside. "Severus is another example. He came from a poor family but couldn't feel compassion. He tried to find superiority and satisfaction by despising the weak. After entering the school, he mingled with the Death Eaters. He was exceptionally talented but became obsessed with dark magic..."

Loren said he was right, and he proved that Professor Snape was indeed like that.

"But I overlooked the love hidden in his heart. He did not completely fall into darkness; this love led him back into the light."

……

Beneath the black lake, the emerald green candlelight flickered and swayed through the glass window.

Draco sat back in his carved chair, staring at the serpentine carvings near the windowsill, trying to guess the sculptor's mood from the snake's green eyes.

The Slytherin common room, formerly known as the Slytherin dungeon, has undergone several renovations funded by the Board of Trustees in recent decades, transforming its interior into a luxurious mansion, but the room layout and structure have not been completely altered.

This is a small hut built from rough, massive stones, which is damp and cold year-round.

The interior of the common room is predominantly dark green, with a somber atmosphere. Strange and fantastical sculptures are carved into the stone walls, and the fireplace is exquisite; when the flames leap, magnificent illusions surge forth. A lavish tapestry depicts Slytherin's past glories. Greenish chains hang from the low ceiling, and skull decorations adorn the walls, lending the room a somewhat eerie and sinister feel. The room is long and narrow, with rows of ornate chairs for students to rest.

There are no portraits guarding the entrance to Slytherin, and the method of opening the door is more direct. You only need to say the correct password to open the door, and the password is changed every two weeks.

The passwords are mainly divided into two categories: one is to praise Slytherin, and the other is to despise other houses.

"Glory endures forever."

The stone door opened with a click, and Theodore Nott, who had returned late, entered the lounge. He immediately spotted Draco in the corner and walked over.

Draco, still staring at the serpentine carvings on the windowsill, didn't turn around. "Is there something you need?"

Nott sat down in a nearby chair, following his gaze to the window, not understanding what was so interesting about the carvings: "Did your father ask you to monitor Dumbledore and Harry Potter, and report on what was happening at school?"

A dark glint flashed in Draco's eyes: "Where is your father?"

"He told me this not long after he was released..."

Nott then changed the subject, "But, in my opinion, passing the message on to him is pointless."

"What do you mean?"

"He's just an insignificant, marginal figure in the Death Eater group. Our family's wealth and his abilities aren't enough to support him becoming a core Death Eater, to gain a prominent position, or to earn the Mystic's trust. So passing the message on to him would be a waste..."

Nott explained casually, not thinking it was a big deal, "It's not just me, many other Death Eater families' children have received the same instructions."

"Why are you telling me all this?"

"Be smart, Draco. We're about to graduate. Unlike your Malfoy family, our Death Eater relatives are just low-level fry. Even if we make contributions, we won't get any recognition."

Theodore Nott's eyes gleamed with a dark and enigmatic light. "If you ask me, why not pass the message on to your father and make him a key figure among the Death Eaters? You can get more intelligence from him in the future, which will help us survive the war."

"..."

Draco turned to look at him, frowned slightly, and his expression became serious.

"I have a message for you to pass on to your father."

"What?"

"Dumbledore has left the school. I saw him walk out of the hall just now when I went downstairs."

"..."

After Nott left, Draco silently stared at the serpentine carvings on the windowsill, pondered for a few minutes, and then pulled out a strangely shaped Galleon from his pocket.

……

In an abandoned playground in the suburbs of London, some rusted iron frame remains stand on the grass. Several ropes hang from the crossbars, which look like swing ropes. Unfortunately, the seats are made of wood and have been eroded beyond recognition by years of sun and rain.

Not far from the iron frame, bushes that have not been tended for many years have grown wildly, forming a dense canopy that shades the surrounding area and almost encloses a small room.

The sudden burst of air shattered the tranquility of the abandoned site. Harry, his feet planted on the grass, was pale and his body was being compressed by the long-range apparition; he was about to vomit.

Snape glanced at him out of the corner of his eye and walked forward at a leisurely pace.

Harry looked around and saw the huge chimneys towering in the distant sky. Some blurry dream images flooded his mind. Comparing them with the slightly different scenery around him, he vaguely knew where he was.

The place where Snape met his mother.

"Come on, hurry up, time is of the essence, we still have a lot of preparations to do."

"..."

Many thoughts flashed through Harry's mind. He silently watched his retreating figure, then took a step and followed him.

As the two walked away, about half a minute later, a phoenix flame quietly bloomed in the shadows of the bushes, and the orange-red light flashed and disappeared. Two mysterious figures suddenly appeared in the bushes.

Dumbledore stood quietly, watching the two figures gradually disappear into the distance. Then, glancing at the dilapidated swing not far away, he sighed with emotion.

Loren was about to say something when his expression suddenly shifted, and he reached into his pendant and took out a bronze nat.

(End of this chapter)