Days at Hogwarts

Chapter 754 An Ordinary Day

Wizards reach adulthood at the age of seventeen.

Today happens to be Loren's birthday.

The two got up at the crack of dawn and set off from their New York hotel, following the directions in the travel brochure, to the volcano located on the eastern part of Maui, Hawaii.

The volcano is called Haleakala, and it is a dormant volcano.

Geologists presented hundreds of thousands of words of explanation, examining geological movements, plate compression, and ocean currents over thousands or even tens of thousands of years, demonstrating that it had not erupted for two hundred years. However, at the end, they abruptly changed their tone, adding a stern warning that the possibility of another eruption in the future could not be ruled out.

Merchants and tourists alike ignored the warnings, dismissing them as the ramblings of an old scholar. Now the area has been developed into a tourist attraction, and travel brochures tout it as having the most beautiful sunrises.

It took more than ten minutes for the two phantoms to appear.

When we arrived at the bottom of the volcano, it was still dark. There were only rough trails between the lava piles, which could shorten the distance for tourists to reach the crater. The only drawback was that the sand-sliding trails were soft, and tourists with less stamina would struggle to climb them.

It took the two of them more than ten minutes to climb up to the crater.

For a wizard who has mastered apparition, crossing half a country and traversing a vertical distance of a few hundred meters are actually about the same.

There's a stretch of the scenic area without public transportation, and a few drivers, even darker than obsidian, are soliciting passengers. Whether tourists get ripped off depends on their skin color; Black people are the worst off. Judging from their arrogant manner when arguing with tourists, the IRS probably can't touch them here.

Loren and Hermione did not linger.

The crater is covered with silver sword chrysanthemums, one of the rarest plants in the world, which only grow in this area. Hundreds of leaves spread out like silver swords, straight and hard. These leaves have no magic, but they can withstand the low temperature and strong winds near the crater.

A gust of wind swept by, and the silvery leaves danced in unison, their rustling sounds mingling with the howling wind. Loren seemed to be able to feel the joyful and exhilarating emotions emanating from them.

Tourists at the nearby campsite, dressed hastily, emerged from their tents, carrying cameras and lenses of all kinds, their expressions solemn, ready for the sunrise.

Loren also took out his camera, and while adjusting the settings, asked:

"Why did you decide to bring me to see the sunrise?"

"I'll take you to see the sunset tonight."

"Miss Granger is so romantic."

"..."

Hermione nestled quietly beside him, watching him adjust the small numbers on the screen, muttering to herself in an excited tone:

"Attention everyone, white balance is now set to auto, ISO 100, aperture 11, aperture priority..."

Hermione looked up at the sky.

It was a beautiful day. The sea of ​​clouds was level with them, surging between the cliffs. Only a sliver of morning light peeked through the gap between the ground and the sky, a faint, dancing orange hue. Large areas remained a dark blue, appearing as a purplish-black on the camera screen, gradually turning to a bluish-green from top to bottom, creating a layered effect.

"Start filming now!"

As if in response to Loren's call, a red sun leaped out of the ground, dyeing half the sky red, like a child's scribbles covering the entire sky. Rays of sunlight fell, illuminating the rolling volcanoes in the distance, coating them with a bright orange hue, the outlines of the peaks appearing and disappearing amidst the sea of ​​clouds.

Hermione turned to look at the person next to her.

He took a few photos with great interest. They looked similar, slightly overexposed, and actually quite nice, but not stunning. There was no disappointment in his eyes; he didn't seem to be looking forward to capturing a magnificent sunrise…

Loren readjusted the settings, but instead of continuing to shoot the sunrise, he flipped the camera over and held it at an angle, put his other arm around Hermione, gestured for her to look at the camera, and then forced a bright smile.

"Click..."

The shutter clicked, freezing the moment in time.

Loren lowered his head and examined it carefully.

In the photo, both of their heads look a bit big. Loren is grinning with a bright smile, while the girl next to him has delicate features and a face that is the color of the morning sun, like blush spreading across her cheeks. Her long, curled eyelashes flutter, and her eyes are full of gentleness.

Although I didn't get a good sunrise photo, I captured even better scenery.

Loren grinned, glancing at the camera screen, then at Hermione, then at her again, as if he couldn't get enough of looking at her: "Oh my, she's so beautiful."

Hermione's eyes gleamed, and she asked softly, "What's interesting?"

"I complimented myself on my good looks!"

"..."

Hermione pursed her lips, and considering it was his birthday, she didn't object.

As the sun rises higher, the magnificent and vibrant colors quickly fade, the sunlight becomes pale, and the sky and earth are evenly illuminated, creating a clear and bright scene.

……

Malfoy Estate, Wiltshire.

Draco sat by the fountain, holding peacock feed in his hand, trying hard to keep his expression calm.

"Gringotts goblins, those eyeing pure-blood families, and merchants from other countries... are all sources of intelligence."

He muttered to himself, casually tossing grain feed on the ground, which attracted the peacocks to lower their heads and peck at it.

Peacocks have pure white feathers, long necks, and wings folded at their sides. Even when they make the same movements as domestic fowl, they appear elegant and noble, just like the Malfoy family they inhabit.

Draco stared at the peacock as it gracefully walked away for a long time before pulling two coins, or rather, a communicator, from his pocket.

Galleon received several messages from Theodore and his group. Through their connections within the Ministry of Magic, they had noticed that Minister Scrimgeour had not shown up for two days. Ms. Burns had taken full control of the minister's affairs, and the main force of the Auror office had also not appeared.

There is only one person in the world worth launching a raid on: Voldemort.

As a pure-blood family that has survived for generations, they keenly sensed the opportunity now. Regardless of which side wins, the situation in the magical world will undergo a dramatic change. Before the storm arrives, some people want to take advantage of the situation to seize more benefits.

Some are also preparing for a new round of escape trials.

Draco read the message but did not reply. He shifted his gaze to the right, looking at another bronze nugget. Upon seeing the inscription on it, the Malfoy family heir couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his eye.

The last message from the metallic-looking copper-clad Nat was sent last night, with an exclamation mark from Loren.

What does an exclamation mark mean?

Does this represent good news or bad news?

Can't this person just explain it clearly?

What's even worse is that this person doesn't reply to messages. The communicator has made things convenient for all wizards, but it hasn't made things convenient for its inventor!

Draco was furious. He put away the communicator and it took him a long time to calm down before he lowered his head and continued to think about what other channels he could use to obtain information.

"Draco".

A familiar voice came from the courtyard gate. Draco paused for a moment, turned around, and disbelief and surprise gradually welled up in his eyes.

(End of this chapter)