Days at Hogwarts

Chapter 762 The Return Journey

The sun rises and sets, and then comes another full moon.

August 17th, I had been in New York for two weeks.

Harry sat at the desk by the window in the hotel, recalling his experiences over the past few days and carefully writing postcards.

Suddenly, he heard light footsteps in the hallway outside. He immediately put away his quill, quickly grabbed a magazine to cover the postcard, and went to the door with a wary expression, listening intently.

The sound of footsteps gradually faded away, accompanied by the sound of the refrigerator door opening and closing.

It turns out that Tonks was just out looking for something to eat.

Harry listened for a while longer behind the door, making sure Tonks was back in the room, before tiptoeing back to his desk, moving aside the fashion magazine, and continuing to write about his experiences over the past few days in the "Dear Ginny" section.

Some Aurors and Order of the Phoenix members had already returned, such as Sirius Black. He's now a married man, and his daughter was only recently born; he couldn't stay here doing pointless paperwork for the Magical Congress of America. Bill and Charlie were also there, mainly due to pressure from Mrs. Weasley, who worried that if they delayed their return, they'd be kicked out of the house…

There were quite a few British wizards who remained in New York, including some who helped with the postwar work and others who were not involved in the war effort, such as Tonks and Remus.

The cause and course of the matter are quite complicated.

Dumbledore was an enlightened and friendly headmaster who always put himself in the students' shoes. So he agreed to Harry's travel plans almost without hesitation and even thoughtfully included his own travel suggestions, all of which were places he wanted to go after retirement, which sounded very interesting.

Minister Scrinker broke his promise. He initially said that he only needed the principal's consent, but later said that he was worried about an ungraduated student traveling alone and refused to let him leave.

Ultimately, the headmaster proposed a compromise: Auror Tonks and Order of the Phoenix member Remus would accompany and guard the animals, taking charge of security.

Harry's journey thus officially began.

Tonks Nymphadora, having graduated only a few years ago, still has the mindset of a young person. He loves to eat and have fun, and when he hears some sudden, whimsical ideas, he will seriously discuss them with him, making him a qualified travel companion. Remus is not the kind of parent with rigid thinking; he has a gentle and friendly personality, and even if he doesn't quite agree with his ideas, he won't say anything discouraging.

No matter how you look at it, it will be a pleasant trip.

This idea lasted for less than two hours.

After they finished touring Woolworth Hall, Harry's mind was still filled with those magical and interesting devices. He was about to talk to them about the differences between Aurors in the Magical Congress and Aurors in the Ministry of Magic when he turned around and saw—

The two of them were snuggling together, sharing ice cream, one bite at a time.

How come I can't seem to escape being with my partner no matter where I go?!

Harry felt a surge of resentment and indignation welling up inside him.

It was supposed to be his only trip before graduation, so how did it inexplicably turn into their honeymoon?

This country is a great place, far from England. Most of the wizards I met had never heard of the Savior, and they wouldn't come up to greet me just because of the lightning bolt scar on his forehead. Visiting the wizarding community here was very comfortable. I could even cast spells discreetly at Muggle sites when no one was looking. Apart from the accents sounding a bit strange, the experience was great.

But whenever he saw the two people next to him, Harry always felt that his wonderful journey was marred by something.

At times like these, he misses Ginny terribly.

Harry had considered bringing Loren and Hermione into the conversation, letting the four of them torment each other and see what ugly couples really looked like, but unfortunately they were never seen. He heard that the two of them were staying at Ifamony and were too busy to come back to this hotel.

While dining at a restaurant on the weekend, I would occasionally overhear staff from the Magical Congress of America talking about Hermione, whom they referred to as Miss Granger.

Hermione started her internship at the Magical Congress of the United States two weeks ago. At first, she only participated in the temporary working group and the coordination between various departments. In less than five days, she discovered three loopholes in the airport's post-war disposal plan and thirteen hidden dangers in the werewolf prevention measures. She also published three articles in the New York Ghost News, one of which was on the front page.

He was directly recommended by Congressman Kohler to join his campaign team, where he participated in campaign planning and policy development.

Harry was speechless.

He knew that Hermione was exceptionally talented. All the students in this year's Hogwarts class knew that Miss Granger was outstanding. They were used to hearing from the professors about grades, bonus points, papers, and so on, which were never in doubt. But this kind of excellence was different from the excellence in school. When Harry heard the staff of the Magical Congress of the United States of America recounting Miss Granger's achievements over the past few days with admiration, he felt a kind of indescribable shock.

There's also a subtle sense of pride.

The once perfectly round full moon begins a new cycle of waning.

Hermione begins her third week of internship, Loren makes a breakthrough in the astral navigation magic he found in the Ilvermorny Library, and the Ministry of Magic announces the downfall of Voldemort and the Death Eaters.

That morning, the Daily Prophet printed an additional 3,000 copies.

……

Until August 22nd.

It's time to return home.

The trip here was by plane to keep the plan secret, but the return trip was to be simple. The Magical Congress of America provided a door key that led directly to Diagon Alley in London, with the activation time set at 7:30 pm.

Samuel Kohauer will return to London with the Death Eaters to arrange their extradition.

Loren had packed his things two days in advance, mainly using the Elder Wand to cast the Double Copy spell to steal the teaching materials designed by Evamoni. The paper was thick and the handwriting was clear, ensuring that no trace would be left.

After dinner, we went to the hotel lobby to wait.

"Good evening, Mr. Fontana. We're heading back today. All the materials we've reviewed are on the bookshelf, and I've also left a few copies of my notes. Please remember to write to me if there are any successes with your Snake Tree project."

"Okay, Loren, I got it."

"I would like to invite you to visit Hogwarts sometime!"

"I will." Fontana stood at the school gate and nodded slightly. He had already followed Dumbledore's example and was acting old-fashioned at only a few decades old. "If our ideas are useful to Hogwarts, and if there are any results from the teaching reforms, please remember to write and communicate."

"Uh, I'll pass that on to Dumbledore."

"Give my regards to Professor McGonagall."

"?"

Professor, you're very knowledgeable!

Loren grinned, nodded his thanks again, and was then pulled by Hermione to say goodbye to her colleagues whom she had met over the past two weeks, exchanging gifts and mailing addresses.

The staff of the Magical Congress of the United States of America had somewhat subtle expressions. In just three weeks, all the staff had been impressed by Hermione's abilities. They even felt that if Hermione continued to work, perhaps in a few years, the next president of the Magical Congress would be Miss Granger. Therefore, they were also somewhat curious about her boyfriend.

The staff members discreetly observed the young male wizard.

Scrimgeour, who was watching from the sidelines, had a somber expression and his brows were slightly furrowed. His gaze swept over the two people behind Koohauer, Pickley and Nancy, who would also be accompanying him on the visit to the Ministry of Magic.

Kohauer raised an eyebrow and subtly took half a step forward, shielding the young wizard behind him and blocking his covetous gaze.

The covert confrontation between the two high-ranking officials was conducted silently.

Time passed slowly, and dozens of wizards stood in the hotel lobby, clutching a tattered strip of cloth in the bright light, waiting quietly. At exactly 7:30, the cloth-shaped key activated on time.

The wizards felt the cold hooks instantly tighten around their navels, then pull them with irresistible force. In an instant, Loren's vision blurred, space seemed to twist and stretch, and he felt a slight sense of weightlessness and dizziness as he was propelled forward like a gust of wind...

"call out!"

When their vision cleared, they were above a street shrouded in mist, hurtling down through the cold wind, or rather, falling rapidly downwards, with the whistling wind in their ears and a faint glimpse of the winding, complex streets below.

It was London, which I had been away from for a long time.

……

Night fell on Hampstead.

The Granger house remained dimly lit, with no lights on, only the flickering candlelight and the subtle scent of perfume.

"Smack."

Wendell Granger lit the last candle on the table and expertly opened a bottle of fine red wine. It was a romantic candlelight dinner, and his wife didn't have to worry about a thing.

Happy marriages require effort and management.

It's inconvenient to run the business when Mr. Bates is around, and it's also inconvenient when his daughter is home.

Mr. Bates was able to have such a romantic evening at home only because his daughter and Loren were not at home and he took his house-elf, Wheat, out with him.

Wendell gave Monica a gentle smile and walked confidently into the kitchen. He unpacked the restaurant delivery package and put the delicate desserts, tender steaks, and rich mushroom soup onto the family's plates... They wouldn't eat these things at home if their daughter wasn't out; too much sugar is bad for teeth, and dentist parents should set a good example.

Because he was eager to show off and the restaurant packaging was difficult to fold, he crumpled it into a ball and haphazardly stuffed it into the trash can.

As Wendell turned to leave the kitchen, he caught a glimpse of the neighbor's owl fluttering and circling excitedly on the roof.

The spectacled owl that I raised from a kitten usually doesn't come home at night during holidays, only returning when the sun rises in the morning. It always looks silly and goofy. Now that night has fallen, it's clearly time for it to leave home and go out to play.

Wendell fell into thought. If the magical owl wasn't having a nervous breakdown, then this excited, puppy-like behavior could only mean its owner was coming back soon. And if Loren was coming back, then…

"Monica!"

……

The Hampstead community boasts excellent greenery, with flowers blooming every season. As summer draws to a close, the lavender remains beautiful, and plants resembling osmanthus are in full bloom in the green belts.

However, it was already late August, the end of summer, and some perceptive plants had already sensed the autumn chill and began to prepare for winter.

The greenery along the way has changed somewhat, yet it all feels very familiar.

Loren stopped in front of the lawn gate and glanced at the girl beside him. He noticed that Hermione was also looking at him, so the two stared at each other in silence.

Did you bring them gifts?

"I'm so busy with work every day..."

Loren tilted his head, frowning slightly: "You seem to be implying something?"

Hermione pursed her lips: "I didn't."

"I'll let it go for now."

Loren looked up at the second floor and saw the Spectacled Owl waving its wings at him from the roof. It seemed that the owl had received some kind of letter while he was away from home. So he waved to the idiot to stay at home and said he would go upstairs later.

"Why are all the lights off? Nobody's home. Did they go out for dinner tonight?"

"..."

Crookshank emerged from a gap in the fence at some point, approached Loren's feet, tugged at his trouser leg with its paws, and tilted its head back, letting out a rough meow.

Crookshan has always been free-range, possessing cat-like bloodlines. It is exceptionally intelligent and agile, and there is no worry about it being bullied by stray cats and dogs in the vicinity. In addition, its keen senses prevent malicious humans from getting close.

It's practically a Hampstead cat bully.

"Someone's home."

Loren bent down and picked up Crookshank, scratching its chin: "Why aren't the lights on?"

As if they had heard them talking, the Granger house lights suddenly came on. Hermione was a little surprised and pushed open the courtyard gate to go inside.

As soon as they stepped inside, footsteps quickly echoed from within. Then the door opened, and Wendell appeared before them with a broad smile. Monica followed leisurely behind him.

"Why did you suddenly come back?"

"What do you mean, Dad? Don't you want me to come back?"

"Uh, I meant to ask if you've had dinner yet?"

"have eaten."

"Are you hungry now? Do you want to eat something else?"

"Dad, you seem a little strange..."

"Ignore him."

Monica put her arm around her shoulder and ushered her into the house, whispering in her ear as they walked in, "How's everything going over there?"

Hermione nodded: "It went very smoothly. The terrorist organization was destroyed, and the wizarding world is now at peace."

That's not what I meant.

"Oh dear, Mom..."

The mother and daughter chatted quietly like that.

Once the two had walked away, Wendell, who had overheard a few words, frowned and looked at Loren suspiciously, but unfortunately, he couldn't glean anything from the man's expression.

"Loren, Bates took Wheat out to see a play. Would you like to sit here for a while?"

"?"

"The Royal Opera House is showing Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice tonight."

"??"

"Don't worry, they've disguised themselves; no one will notice."

"..."

Back at home, Loren sat on the sofa, stroking Crookshanks' fur. He had been able to remain calm when facing Voldemort just a few weeks ago, but now he was somewhat dazed.

Wheat, as a domesticated elf, has a cautious and timid personality.

Grandpa Bates, a retired veteran and a werewolf who had been cured, had been living in seclusion on a high-altitude ranch for decades...

Question: Who is the commander of this operation?

Unable to come up with an answer, Loren could only put the matter aside for the time being and wait for the suspect to turn himself in before conducting further investigation.

Susu!

Hanhan flapped its wings and flew down from upstairs, carrying an exquisite greeting card in its beak. The cover read:

"wedding

William Arthur

Hibiscus Isabelle