Days at Hogwarts

Chapter 723 The Love Story of a Down-on-His-Luck Middle-Aged Werewolf

As midnight approaches, a chaotic and disorganized day is about to come to an end.

Families wait in a room at a private hospital in London.

A sweet-looking young witch slumped on a soft, comfortable sofa, gazing up at the ceiling with a languid posture. Beside her sat a composed middle-aged man.

Bright, white lights shone down, making it as if it were daytime. The private hospital was unusually quiet late at night. Only the occasional passing nurse could see the two figures and hear their voices, but under the influence of some invisible magic, she subconsciously regarded the two as decorations in the room, and the sounds were just normal electrical noises.

Nymphadora Tonks received a wizarding education from a young age, but her father was a Muggle-born wizard, so she was no stranger to Muggle matters. This was, in fact, her first time entering a hospital.

There's always an indescribable atmosphere here; the ever-bright lights are somewhat cold, yet they make people feel at ease.

It's said to be a place that specifically takes care of pregnant women. You often see pregnant women who move slowly and need nurses to help them and their families to take care of them. They usually have happy smiles on their faces. There are also slender and agile young women who, although expressionless, inexplicably exude a sense of vulnerability.

Some people come here to ensure a smooth delivery of their unborn child, which is just a matter of waving a wand for a wizard. Transfiguration is a fourth-year course, covering basic human transformation, or you can use some white essence.

Some people use it to prevent a fetus from being born. This kind of magic is very rare and was classified as black magic for a long time. It was only decades ago that it was classified as a healing spell.

"Finally, I can breathe a sigh of relief."

"When Betty was pregnant and waiting to give birth, the members of the Order of the Phoenix were reluctant to hold meetings at Grimmauld Place," Tonks said to the wizard beside him. "It was originally the Black family's old house, but we requisitioned it as a temporary base, which caused the lady of the house to have to go back to her own home to recuperate during her pregnancy. How could we accept that? So even if Sirius didn't mention it, everyone voluntarily reduced the number of meetings and tried to complete the intelligence exchange outside as much as possible."

"When things get urgent, Moody would gather everyone at the Leaky Cauldron, replenish his flasks, and we could also chat with old Tom."

"Easter night was the funniest. So many people saw the curse. Even though Grimmauld Place was the closest to the scene, we still met at the Leaky Cauldron. In the end, considering that the message from Dumbledore was too urgent and the Leaky Cauldron was not secure enough, we moved back to Black's old house."

Lupin listened quietly to her story with a gentle gaze.

Tonks let out a long sigh, lifting a strand of hair that had turned a joyful pink: "Things are finally over. Betty and Sirius's baby was born safely, and Voldemort and the Death Eaters are going into hiding for now... Ah, I can finally relax this summer!"

Pink spread along her hair, and Lupin's gaze followed the color before settling on her face. His voice was gentle and calm: "Wake up. You graduated years ago. Aurors in the Ministry of Magic don't have summer vacations."

Tonks gave him a disdainful look and muttered a complaint, "I know, I'm planning to use my saved-up vacation days, even if it's only two weeks, just to console myself and make it a summer vacation."

"I thought you were saving up your vacation days to celebrate Voldemort's complete defeat."

"I think the Ministry of Magic would have given us a holiday back then. Minister Millicent Barnold once said, 'We must uphold our inalienable right to celebrate.'"

"That statement led to hundreds of violations of the secrecy law, and Minister Barnold is still criticized to this day. You should know that."

"Oh..." Tonks groaned, "So there's no holiday after Voldemort's downfall, right?"

Do you think Minister Scringer will sign the celebration bill?

"He's a workaholic; he probably wanted us to work all night back then." Tonks sank deeper into the sofa and sighed. "I'll keep saving my vacation days until Voldemort falls. Ideally, I'll combine them with Easter or Christmas for a long, long vacation!"

Lupin couldn't help but chuckle. Tonks had that kind of magic, always bringing a sense of ease and liveliness, easing the pressure he was under.

"When do you think Dumbledore will finally be able to completely defeat Voldemort?"

"I'm not sure either, but I don't think it will be too long."

Tonks suddenly tilted his head: "If we really go to war with the Death Eaters, will Sirius still participate in the battle... I mean, his daughter was just born, Betty and her daughter need his care, he shouldn't get involved in such dangerous things anymore."

"The Sirius I know will definitely join the fight," Lupin said softly. "James and Lily died at Voldemort's hands, and his brother Regulus died because of Horcruxes. He certainly won't give up the chance to avenge them, even if it means risking his life."

"But Betty and his daughter..."

"It is because of the child that our fighting spirit is even stronger."

Why?

"Because I have no regrets."

"No regrets..."

Tonks repeated the sentence, pondering it, staring blankly at the incandescent light on the ceiling, "You know what, Remus, I suddenly realized something."

"What?"

"Voldemort and the Death Eaters are only lying low for now. Not only is Sirius Black in danger, but we are too. We might perish like the Potters. Like that Halloween night on the park lawn, when the Dementors were closest to me, I could see Death's gaze beneath their hoods, and missiles exploding right above our heads..."

"I...we will protect you."

"What I mean is..." Tonks sat up, turned to look into Lupin's eyes, and said solemnly, "We should also leave no regrets."

Lupin tried to avoid her gaze, but those eyes seemed to possess some kind of magic, a strange attraction that held his attention: "We've talked about this, Tonks. I'm too old, I'm not handsome enough, and I'm not strong enough..."

Do you think I care about these things?

Tonks stared directly into his eyes, drew his wand with his right hand, and gently waved it: "[Palmtops of the Eye]".

The tip of the staff emitted wisps of silver light mist, which gathered and wove together like silk, condensing into a lithe silver wolf that exuded the same gentle temperament as Lupin.

"It's still like this after all this time?"

"It's always been like this."

Lupin opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but the witch suddenly moved closer, and something soft instantly blocked his words.

The silver wolf landed on the floor, leaped lightly to the other end of the room, jumped out of the window, and left a trail of silver light in its wake.