Days at Hogwarts

Chapter 725 The Taste of Home

"When are we leaving for Ifamoni?"

"Tomorrow."

"So urgent?"

"Severus and Gilbert have urged us several times, so let's not keep them waiting too long."

Are you confident?

"Not at the moment."

"I see..."

Loren kicked away the branch at his feet, watching it fall into the grass and disappear: "Then be careful when you go to Evamoni... Here, take this copper knuckle. If you encounter Voldemort and can't beat him, remember to contact me. Although we are far apart, with my current abilities, I should be able to get there quickly."

"Hmm...I will."

Dumbledore smiled gently, took the modified copper coin, and examined it from all angles. As an old wizard who was also proficient in alchemy, he could easily understand the function of the communicator, especially the part of the design that incorporated Muggle ideas, which he seemed to be very interested in.

Loren explained how to use it, and as the principal asked questions softly, the crickets chirped in response from time to time, making this summer night feel exceptionally quiet.

Headmaster Dumbledore is a good man. His life shouldn't be confined to the tower of Hogwarts. The past century is irretrievable. I hope that after retirement he can embark on his journey in peace, instead of worrying about where the Horcruxes might be hidden.

I walked around the courtyard path and didn't find the crickets, but I did find a few frogs. They were lurking in the shallow pond, with half their heads sticking out, croaking loudly. They would shut their mouths when people approached, and they weren't afraid of people at all. Their dark, round eyes stared straight at me.

Loren yawned. "You know Harry has to stay at school, right?"

"He told me."

"You agree?"

Sirius's daughter has been born, and he should go see her, but he's worried about bringing danger upon himself, as is the Burrow... Actually, I'd rather see him return to the Dursleys, simply to spend time with them, rather than for the power of protection.

"Oh, it's that same old family drama again..."

Before Loren could finish speaking, he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye.

The wizard's robe, specially worn for the year-end banquet, was slightly loose. The pure white shirt and gold-red tie exuded a unique elegance. Her slightly disheveled hair was loose, and a smile graced her beautiful face. She strode over quickly, sleeves twirling, and stopped beside Loren, her voice clear and crisp:

"Good evening, Professor Dumbledore."

"Good evening."

"..."

After a brief greeting, they said their goodbyes. The two walked side by side, occasionally turning to whisper to each other; these simple and natural actions seemed to have become a habit.

Dumbledore watched them walk away, a gentle smile spreading across his kind face.

……

It was already quite late, so Loren didn't keep Hermione outside for too long. After strolling around for a while, they went back to the dormitory.

The common room was filled with people who didn't want to sleep, chatting together. The noise wasn't too loud. Quidditch team members also sat together, with captain Ron maintaining order. Harry sat on the side, his eyes slightly red. Seated at the head of the table was the Chaser, Katie Bell, a teammate who was only one year older than Harry and had joined the team in the same year as him. She was about to leave.

With this, all the Quidditch players from the previous season have graduated.

The atmosphere was inevitably somewhat melancholic.

Loren and Hermione didn't disturb them. They said goodnight to each other at the bottom of the stairs and then quietly went upstairs.

When Loren came out of the bathroom after showering, he found that the team had already disbanded and returned to their dorms. Ron and Seamus were about to leave when they realized they still had luggage to pack, so they asked Neville for help. Harry sat silently in his chair, his expression still somewhat dazed, staring blankly at the burning candle.

Loren sat down beside him and looked at Harry, who was lost in thought: "Your godfather's daughter has been born. Aren't you really planning to go back and see her?"

Harry refocused his eyes and shook his head: "Dumbledore has already advised me against it, but I stick to my choice. Sirius and the others need a stable environment right now. If I go back, I'll only let Mad-Eye Moody and a squad of guards disturb their peace."

"Alright, I won't try to persuade you anymore, but have you thought about how to convince Mrs. Weasley?" Loren shrugged. "She'll be waiting at King's Cross station, only to find her most precious child is staying at school. Do you think she might just come to the school and take you away?"

"..."

Ron, who was packing his clothes, turned around and looked at the two of them, scratching his head, feeling that something was not right.

Never mind, packing clothes is the priority.

These changes of clothes need to be taken back to my mother for her to wash. Two of the robes have tears under the armpits, which my mother also needs to mend.

Harry pondered for a moment, recalling the scene of Mrs. Weasley chasing him into the school, and his brows furrowed, his expression becoming serious: "I told you I had a legitimate reason to stay at school. I stayed at Hogwarts not only for safety, but also to fully dedicate myself to practicing Legilimency, in order to find Voldemort's last hidden Horcrux as soon as possible."

"Can't you practice after leaving school?"

"I can concentrate better at school."

"How can you practice when you're all alone at school?"

"Who says I'm all alone? Dobby, Sparkle, Grawp, and Hagrid will be with me. House-elves can take me to the Burrow and Grimmauld Place. With two giants helping me practice Legilimency, I'm sure I'll improve very quickly."

"It sounds like you're saying they're simple-minded and easy to read."

"..."

Harry picked up his teacup, took a sip, and gave a subtle look, neither admitting nor denying it.

The year-end banquet ended quite late, and after taking a walk to digest our food, washing up, and chatting, all the other roommates had already gone to bed. Ron was the last to pack all his luggage, blow out the candles, and finally lift the covers to get into bed.

The midnight bells have already rung.

My roommates were lying in bed, still not asleep.

Harry tossed and turned, unable to sleep. He rolled over to face Loren and whispered, "Loren, do you remember that night when I tried to use Legilimency on you and saw my own memories?"

"so?"

"I've been practicing Legilimency for a while now, but I still don't know how to find that passage between my head and Voldemort's. I don't even know how to search my brain, except for that night."

Harry became more and more animated as he spoke, and finally sat up, leaning against the headboard: "So I was thinking, if I could get into my own head like that night, maybe I could find that passage."

"so?"

"Loren, tell me, what should I do?"

"It's just a magical mirror," Loren explained with a yawn. "I thought you had already figured it out. Legilimency uses your gaze as a medium. When you look into the mirror, you receive your own gaze, which is to say, you are using Legilimency on yourself."

"Mirror……"

Harry muttered to himself, his gaze falling on the wall of the room, where a massive magic mirror called Erised stood, its ornate carvings hidden by a black curtain.

……

The next morning.

Loren and Hermione had a simple breakfast and sat quietly in the Great Hall waiting.

At 10:30 a.m., the Hogwarts Express arrived at the station, and the young wizards leaving school began to board the train, dragging their suitcases and owl cages.

Harry, for some reason, followed along empty-handed, saying he was there to see them off, but ended up spending the whole way clinging to Ginny, making Ron roll his eyes.

Loren, dragging his and Hermione's empty suitcases, spoke to the students next to him: "What are your plans for summer vacation?"

"The first week I'm Mommy's sweetheart, the second week I'm a stranger in the house, and the third week I'm Mommy's enemy. That's about it." Ron shrugged, his self-awareness extremely clear.

"Autri St. Cachipol Village, right? Perhaps Luna and I can visit you. I'll be staying at Luna's house for a while, not too long, about a month." Rolf pressed his left breast pocket, his mantis-like head retracting, leaving only his eyes showing. "I hope Mr. Lovegood won't dislike me."

"Why?" Hermione stared wide-eyed at Rolf and Luna in surprise.

"Dumbledore invited my grandfather to Ivermony for an inspection, I think it was the same project as last time. This time the school offered to do some more radical tests, just in case, for..." Rolf paused, "...that thing you know."

Loren glanced at the Bowtruckle, which seemed to have grown a bit: "Are you confident?"

"I don't know either."

"Remember to write to us if you have any news."

Loren knew Mr. Scamander was quite knowledgeable about magical creatures, and considering the remaining Horcrux was a living one, Dumbledore's invitation to Scamander was quite normal. In a way, the Snake Tree could be loosely classified as a magical creature, or perhaps a magical plant…

Even if they don't find a living Horcrux on this trip to Ilfamoni, at least they've given Rolf a legitimate reason to stay at the Lovegoods' house, so the Scamander family won't lose out no matter what.

Looking at Luna humming softly beside him, seemingly happy for her friend who was about to stay at his house, Loren shook his head. Staying at someone's house all the time, young couples in the throes of new love love these childish behaviors.

"Tsk tsk..."

Loren looked at Neville, who was silent to the side, and asked, "And you, Neville, have your parents inadvertently revealed any information? What are the Ministry of Magic's plans for the summer? What are the Aurors' plans?"

"No, at least it wasn't mentioned in the letter. I'll ask again when I get back."

"Remember to let us know."

"understood."

Arriving safely at Hogsmeade Station, the group dragged their suitcases onto the train, walked to the back of the carriage, found an empty compartment, and Loren put down his luggage, opened the window, and said goodbye to Harry, who was eagerly waiting on the platform: "Go now, stay at school and study hard, remember to come visit us when you have the chance to go out."

Hermione earnestly instructed, "Don't break the school rules, and listen to Hagrid."

Ginny and Ron waved to him, "We'll miss you!"

"hiss……"

Harry frowned, sensing something was off.

With a whistle, the Hogwarts Express slowly departed, winding its way along the tracks and gradually disappearing into the rolling hills. It departed in the bright morning light and arrived in London as the sun was setting in the afternoon. King's Cross Station was as crowded as ever.

At 5 p.m., Loren and Hermione walked out of Platform 9.

At 5:05, they arrived in the suburb of Hampstead.

Today happens to be the weekend, and Monica went out early to buy plenty of ingredients, preparing to cook a big meal for her two children.

I don't know which TV cooking show or cooking magazine Monica saw it in, but she firmly believes that every type of meat has its best pairing: lamb with mint sauce, pork with apple sauce, beef with hot sauce, chicken with cranberry sauce...

The kitchen looked very lively. To cater to the different tastes of the group, she specially prepared several kinds of meat, made corresponding sauces by hand, and served them with croissants, Yorkshire pudding, and other side dishes.

It sounds pretty good, but from Loren's perspective, it feels a bit monotonous.

After sitting on the sofa for a while, listening to Grandpa Bates and Wendell chat, I finally couldn't sit still any longer and slipped into the kitchen to make some side dishes with other ingredients.

"You don't need to come and help. You've been on the train all day and you must be tired."

"It's because I've been sitting all day that I don't want to sit anymore."

"Oh, my dear Loren, you are so thoughtful."

"..."

The concepts presented in cooking shows may need to be corrected. The ingredients they recommend are quite good, all high-end meats, and aside from being expensive, they are almost flawless.

It's just that it's quite troublesome to process. The meat needs to be soaked to remove the blood, washed to remove the blood foam and oil, cut and seasoned... a whole bunch of messy stuff. Fortunately, the wizard's wand is the best automated machine.

After finishing the remaining beef, I vaguely heard Hermione coming downstairs.

"Dad, Grandpa Bates."

After taking a shower, Hermione changed into a more comfortable silk loungewear. Her curly hair was still steaming. She didn't see Loren at first, so she knew he had gone to the kitchen. She didn't mind and slung her slippers over to sit down on the sofa.

Oils and proteins trigger the Maillard reaction, and the aroma gradually emerges.

The three of them sat on the sofa, and suddenly they didn't feel like talking anymore. They looked at each other in silence, and could vaguely hear the sounds of chopping meat and talking coming from the kitchen.

"Loren, why did you pick out this piece of meat?"

"This piece of beef is too lean, with little fat, so it will easily become tough and taste bad when grilled."

"Then what should we do?"

"Cut it into strips and stir-fry it with onions, you'll like it."

"Oh, darling, I wish you were my child."

"..."

"I don't want to say anything bad about Hermione, but you should already know that nerdy girl. I might need your help in the future..."

Hermione blushed, slowed down her combing, pursed her lips, and unconsciously glanced towards the kitchen.

Grandpa Bates and Wendell exchanged glances, their eyebrows twitching and their eyes darting around, communicating without any barriers, just like a father and son.

"Should we remind Monica?"

"don't want."

"Should we comfort little Hermione?"

"don't want."

"Then what should we do?"

Pretend you didn't hear it.

"Good idea."

After reaching an agreement, they tacitly looked away, pretending not to have heard anything, and focused intently on the television. A shopping program was playing, a housewife's best friend, featuring all sorts of strange knives, multi-functional toilet brushes, and the like…

Who wouldn't love these helpful household chores assistants?

The two watched with great interest.