Days at Hogwarts

Chapter 761 The Shirt's Fit Isn't Great

As the sun gradually dipped westward, the evening glow filled the entire sky.

Greylock Mountain was draped in a layer of orange-red rosy clouds.

In a reading room, several thick, open books lay askew on the table, their covers bearing the title "Records of Research on the Iphamoni Snake Tree." These books primarily documented the research on the snake tree by successive generations of teachers and students at Iphamoni, spanning from the time the snake tree first sprouted in the 17th century until a few months prior.

Loren leaned back in his chair, flipping through recent documents.

Through Principal Fontana's abuse of power, he obtained a great deal of top-secret information.

The research files on the snake tree are only part of the research. There is also research on the characteristics of the long-horned water snake. There is a mutated long-horned water snake here, with a gem on its forehead. It has the ability to become invisible and fly. A very small number of water snakes also have the talent of prophecy. After obtaining permission, the wizards of Iphamoni made a crystal ball from the gem on the water snake. It is said that it can improve the accuracy of divination.

Loren intends to study its magic, ideally to simulate transformation and use it to replace the basilisk.

The longhorned water snake is originally amphibious, and some variants even have the ability to fly, making it a well-rounded species that excels in all aspects of life, possessing both agility and stealth.

The basilisk's enormous size somewhat slows down its movement speed, making it a bit cumbersome for Loren, who is used to fighting and running away. It's fine in special environments, but in open plains or places with recording equipment, you have to be careful about the impact. For example, in Brooklyn and the Ministry of Magic, you have to put out smoke before you start fighting.

Therefore, the more flexible and convenient longhorn water snake seems to be a more suitable choice.

Considering that the basilisk's unique petrifying gaze is still very useful, it can instantly disable the enemy's combat ability without causing serious injury.

Loren plans to modify two types of serpentine magical creatures by replicating the brow gem of the basilisk. While retaining the basilisk's petrifying magic, he will simulate its invisibility and flight abilities, and appropriately modify its physiological structure to improve the inconvenience caused by its enormous size, so that it can be used in group battles in the future.

There is also research material on snake-like voices.

Some scholars have attempted to develop it into a complete language, including characters and sounds, so that wizards without the talent for Parsley could also learn and use it.

Unfortunately, progress has been slow. After all, hissing is an instinct for snakes, and asking them to read and recognize words is asking too much of them.

And some school construction plans.

Similar to Hogwarts' educational reforms, the system design involves many more aspects and draws on many Muggle education systems. They even plan to add general education subjects and extend the length of education. Although it is only a concept and plan, and still somewhat rudimentary, it certainly looks more advanced than Hogwarts.

Loren decided to make several copies of the content first.

Next semester, the school will be handed over to Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall to give these two headmasters a good spur. What kind of school is it if it only tells students to study hard and strive? Look at the professors at other schools, look at the headmasters at other schools. All they know is how to enjoy themselves. They should learn from them...

"..."

The afterglow of the setting sun on the books on the desktop was suddenly obscured by shadows.

Loren looked up from his book and glanced to the side, where he saw Hermione standing beside him, her blazer folded up and draped over her hand, her satin off-white shirt draped naturally. She bent slightly over, examining him and the documents in his hand, her eyes sparkling.

Loren's eyes brightened slightly: "You look like a white-collar worker in a high-end office building..."

"Much more tiring than being a white-collar worker..."

Hermione's beautiful brows furrowed slightly as she shook the coat in her hand, sending up tiny, shimmering green specks of Floo Powder. "White-collar workers should commute by subway or car, not Floo Powder. Nancy told me you were in Evamori, so I came directly from the fireplace in Woolworth Mansion. But it turns out the fireplace in Evamori hasn't been used in a long time, and some of the Floo Powder clumped together and didn't burn completely, so it stuck to my clothes."

"There are some on my hair too."

Loren reached out and grabbed a few strands of hair, shaking off some of the shimmering light: "You know what, it actually looks quite good."

"Once the magic of the Floo Powder dissipates, it will look like dandruff," Hermione sighed wistfully.

Loren laughed immediately. She unconsciously dragged out the last syllable of her words, giving off a clingy and coquettish feeling, like when she was a little girl in first or second grade.

So he got up, smoothed Hermione's slightly furrowed brows, cupped her cheeks, and shook her: "Let's go, let's find a place to wash your dandruff."

"I've been to so many places today, I'm so tired, can you help me wash up?"

Hermione's eyes glazed over slightly. Instead of taking a step, she leaned against him.

I was full of energy before I left work, but after spending a little while with him, all the fatigue I had accumulated seemed to come rushing back, especially when he put his hands on me, I didn't even have the strength to walk.

"Can."

"And let me tell you about my work today."

"Aren't you very tired?"

"So, are you going to listen or not?"

"Listen to a one-minute preview first."

"..."

Loren put his hands on her shoulders and pushed the girl out.

Hermione obediently leaned back slightly and walked into his room in Evamony without much difficulty. The room on the left at the back of the corridor was more spacious than a hotel suite, and the bathroom was also very spacious.

Ifamoni has ample financial resources, and renovations are a frequent occurrence for them. This is also reflected in the bathroom, which has a Muggle-style layout with separate wet and dry areas, clean white tiles throughout, a stainless steel shower, and a pure white ceramic bathtub.

A sink, a vanity mirror, and even a hair dryer.

For a wizard, isn't it just a matter of pointing a wand, creating a whirlwind, and drying the hair with the steam?

"?"

It seems I've discovered some blind spot.

Hermione stopped her thoughts there; she couldn't think any further, or she would realize something was wrong.

"How are you going to help me wash?"

"Stand under the showerhead, take off your clothes and shower yourself, I'll wash your hair for you."

"..."

"I'll close my eyes and promise not to peek."

Hermione paused for a moment: "I suddenly realized that there are other ways to clean your hair besides washing it, such as—"

"Lying down to get a haircut like in a barbershop."

Loren waved his wand and used Transfiguration to modify the bathtub, turning it into a recliner for washing hair, a leather sofa that looked soft and comfortable.

Hermione lay down with his support on her shoulders, and immediately heard the sound of running water and felt the warm steam spreading around her.

"Lie down a little more."

"..."

"How's the water temperature? Is it too hot?"

"fine."

What shampoo do you use?

"..."

This person is truly multi-talented.

Hermione couldn't help but look up to see his expression, but she was always worried about hot water dripping into her eyes. She blinked and blinked, and gradually her eyelids felt heavy, and she couldn't see anything clearly. She could only slowly squint.

I wasn't actually asleep; I was still conscious.

I could hear the sound of the showerhead spraying water and his muttering to himself.

"How did you fall asleep? Weren't we supposed to talk about today's work?"

I don't want to talk about it anymore. I've been in meetings all morning, accompanying Mr. Kohler to meet with the heads of various departments.

I ran around all afternoon, went to the airport, and also to the werewolf hospital...

"Wow, that's a lot of hair."

It's from my mother's genes, because my father doesn't have much hair and is already starting to go bald.

Wait... I'm not going to lose my hair in the future, am I?

"Curl hair looks good on me, so why do I always want to straighten it?"

It's all because you keep looking at Furong's hair.

"..."

Hermione had her eyes closed, but her mind was racing.

As a soon-to-graduate adult wizard, there is still a long period of growth in magic power, and knowledge and experience need to be accumulated. However, most basic spells have been fully mastered. For example, the quick and convenient cleaning spells, such as Whirlwind Sweep and Clean Up, have dozens of applications. While they cannot replace bathing to thoroughly clean the body, they can still clean the hair.

Loren was on par with legendary wizards, possessing immense magical power and mastery of various techniques. Those officials who valued or even respected him probably never imagined that he would personally wash people's hair.

Hermione's heart was filled with warm moisture.

The hands massaging her head were warm and strong, kneading her scalp and smoothing her tangled hair, bringing a comfortable and reliable feeling.

"..."

Loren, who was washing his hair, shifted his gaze upwards, glanced at it discreetly, frowned and pondered for a moment, then openly scrutinized it.

The satin shirt is made of excellent material; it drapes naturally when you're standing, and it also drapes naturally when you're lying down.

The only flaw is the design.

Why is the neckline so small?

……

Godric Valley, the cemetery behind the church.

As the sun sets and the sky gradually darkens, colorful lights shine through the windows of the distant church, and the streetlights along the streets are already on. Lights from different angles illuminate the cemetery, and the erected tombstones cast shadows.

Snape stood in the shadows, his eyes lowered and his face expressionless.

Such graves are not particularly noticeable in this cemetery. They are the final resting places of many wizards who live nearby, as well as the Dumbledore family. Unattended bushes and weeds grow rampant nearby. If you are not a regular visitor, you would probably have to slowly search for them by referring to the inscriptions on the tombstones.

The tomb was built of white marble, and the inscriptions on it were painted with special pigments that seemed to shimmer in the dim light, making them very easy to read.

Lily Potter

Born on January 30, 1960

Died on October 31, 1981.

"The last enemy to be eliminated is death."

Staring at the glittering light in the grave's carvings, Snape experienced that feeling again for several minutes. Guilt and self-blame tore at him, mixed with other indescribable emotions, as if his soul was being torn apart, revealing a bottomless, dark void.

Human adaptability is one of nature's greatest magics; as time goes by, this pain gradually becomes numb, but it never disappears.

It's as if the soul has slightly healed, the void has shrunk a little, but the suction has become stronger and more persistent. It quietly guards the depths of the body or soul, greedily devouring everything around it: bones and flesh, nerves and spinal cord, joy and excitement, sorrow and pain.

After nightfall, only an empty numbness remains.

Whether you talk to Lily's ghost or witness Voldemort's complete demise, this void has not disappeared; it has only become more hidden and occasionally falls silent.

"..."

Snape lowered his head and glanced at the parchment envelope in his hand, or rather, the offer letter.

The envelope bore the familiar Hogwarts emblem, with a shield in the center and four animals surrounding a capital H. He had read the contents of the letter sixteen years ago, only this time his position was no longer Professor of Potions, no longer Head of Slytherin House, or rather, not just those.

There's one more thing: Vice Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

"Lily... I won't bother you anymore."

Snape paused for a moment, glanced at the tombstone beside him, then flicked his sleeves and turned to leave.

The hem of the wizard's robe fluttered, rising and falling, stirring a gentle breeze that caused the unnamed wildflowers beside the graveyard to sway softly.

……

Massachusetts, Iphamoni.

Loren has been quite diligent these past few days, taking care of Hermione who is busy with work in the morning and evening, personally instructing Chef Pukchi to pay attention to the diet, personally helping her with massages to relieve fatigue, and occasionally enjoying a massage himself.

Her massage technique is mediocre; she only repeats the same single movements, which is rather boring, so I won't go into details here.

In short, Loren spent almost all his time in the Iphamoni Library, reading research materials in the relevant fields. He didn't just read for nothing; he would occasionally slip in his own thoughts to help them eliminate some incorrect options, especially in research related to snake trees.

For centuries, they've only explored the healing properties of the leaves, with almost no research on the snake tree itself. If Evamoni is so close to Muggle science, why doesn't he prune the entire lateral branches and take advantage of apical dominance? Why not try propagation by cuttings or grafting?

Why not try extracting sap from the snake tree, which has such a strong vitality?

Why are you still being so careful after burning everything with raging fire?

Open your mind and broaden your horizons.

At the same time, Loren would also read books on astronomy. The teaching content of astronomy in Ilfamoni and Hogwarts was quite different. Hogwarts was more focused on practical application, recognizing stars and calculating star orbits, which actually served other magical rituals. Ilfamoni was more pure, combining modern astronomical content and encouraging the exploration and discovery of the laws between stars and magic.

The course content is obscure and profound, and almost no one chooses to take it.

In the past century, only a few professors who love astronomy have persisted in teaching the course. Some people have applied magic to the exploration of the stars. They have devised several interesting spells, which, although they have not been successfully developed, are very inspiring.

Without magic, Muggles explore the cosmos by calculating angles based on their geographical location and adjusting telescope angles—a tedious and time-consuming process. Magic, however, can simplify this process to some extent, such as turning plain water into fine wine without adding any base or fermentation, directly achieving the desired result. This professor designed a spell to locate celestial bodies based on navigational magic.

The most amazing thing is that the positioning spell doesn't simplify the calculation process, but rather leads directly to the final result.

Regardless of where the Earth is orbiting, its rotation angle, or the location of the spellcaster, the spell can locate the target celestial body, even a constantly moving comet or a star being explored billions of light-years away...

(End of this chapter)