Days at Hogwarts

Chapter 768 On the Way Back to School

The sun was shining brightly outside the car.

The interior of the car was slightly chilly.

The locomotive on the tracks emitted wisps of white smoke, and several owls followed the train, flapping their wings and frolicking happily.

After Loren and Hermione boarded the train, they walked along the aisle to the back of the carriage, and sure enough, there were still empty compartments.

Loren randomly chose a clean and tidy seat and sat down by the window, leaning against it as if admiring the scenery.

Actually, it was to cover up her embarrassed expression.

Hermione sat down next to him, glanced at his reddened ears, and found it very amusing.

The two had engaged in more intimate acts, and had been almost completely naked together on many occasions, but this was the first time I had seen him react with such shyness, simply because of a normal physiological phenomenon.

Mr. Morgan is somewhat endearing in this way.

After admiring it for a few minutes, Hermione smiled and shook her head, changed to a more comfortable reading position, pulled out her seventh-grade textbook from the pendant, and began to preview it.

Loren glanced furtively at his reflection in the glass, determined to find a chance to avenge himself. He stopped admiring the scenery and silently returned to his seat.

Buildings and road signs flashed by outside the window. Before I knew it, the train had left the town, and the scenery outside the window changed to lush green forests and country lanes. Colorful wildflowers flashed by, leaving a few blurry shadows.

The hills ahead were faintly visible as the train roared through the road, its bright red color weaving through the verdant mountains and tunnels.

Footsteps sounded in the hallway, and Harry and Ron knocked and came in.

"I've finally found you."

Harry sat down in the window seat across the street, his breathing gradually calming down. He sounded somewhat relieved: "I never thought I'd almost miss the train on my last day of school."

"I ran too fast just now, and the little pig almost left at the station..."

Ron stuffed the empty suitcase into the shelf, picked up the owl cage, placed Zhu Qiongwei on the table, and while tidying up the seat, he complained, "We were supposed to leave at nine o'clock, so we could have arrived at the station at least half an hour earlier and not have to rush to board the train. It's all the Ministry of Magic's fault for taking back the car that was assigned to Harry, and my mother insisted on stuffing some kind of bacon into the car."

"Chirp!"

Zhu Qiongwei expressed her agreement.

I don't know how Mrs. Weasley fed it; it's a perfectly healthy scops owl, but its call sounds like a chick.

Loren turned to look at the door and asked, "Why isn't Ginny with you?"

"She said she didn't want to spoil the graduates' last ride experience."

"Actually, she went to find Luna to discuss the changes in newlyweds, saying it was a girl's topic and wouldn't let us come along..."

As Harry muttered to himself, he glanced at the cover of the textbook in Hermione's hand, immediately raised his chin, and said with the pride of a Potions prodigy, "Potions textbook? I've previewed part of it too. It's not too difficult. I'll get Professor Slughorn to give Gryffindor extra points in the first class!"

"The matter of Voldemort and the Death Eaters is over, and Professor Snape is back."

Loren's expression was calm, as if he were stating that the train had just entered a tunnel.

A shadow suddenly fell over Harry, who was sitting by the window, and everything became dim. He couldn't help but lament, "Retiring again? Why does he always have to retire?! Can't Hogwarts teaching positions be a little more stable? At least finish teaching the current graduating class!"

"..."

The atmosphere in the cubicle immediately became cheerful.

In previous years, the train back to school would always involve discussions about the Ministry of Magic and Death Eaters. This year, the topics were completely different: what new wizarding books Chocolate Frog had released, the back-to-school discounts at Honeydukes Candy Store, and finally, exploring every part of the castle this school year…

"I heard there's an attic at the top of the divination classroom. Let's find a chance to get Professor Trelawney drunk at the Christmas dinner or Halloween dinner, and then go up there to take a look."

Loren shared his adventure plans, then suddenly wrinkled his nose, sniffed, and smiled: "Can you smell it? Lunchtime!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the clattering of a handcart echoed down the corridor. The elderly witch knocked on a crack in the door, her dimples accentuating her warm smile: "Darling, would you like to buy some groceries?"

A sweet aroma wafted into the cubicle, a mixture of various desserts.

"Here you'll find Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Bubble Gum, Chocolate Frog, Pumpkin Pie, Crucible Cake..."

Listening to the witch's sales pitch, Harry felt a little dazed, as if he had returned to that summer six years ago.

So he got up and opened the cubicle door: "Please give me a little of everything."

"Okay, okay!" The saleswoman was overjoyed, quickly selecting and packing the snacks, deftly tying them up and handing them over. "The total is—"

"Eleven silver siekos and seven bronze nats."

Harry spoke calmly and with a smile, handing over the coins he had prepared beforehand, feeling that he now vaguely resembled Dumbledore.

"But……"

The saleswoman looked at him somewhat awkwardly and weakly reminded him, "It's twelve scoops in total."

"……oh."

Harry's smile froze on his face. He expressionlessly pulled out a few Knuts to make up the difference, took the snacks, and coldly and decisively closed the door, his movements vaguely reminiscent of a certain Potions professor.

Turning around, Loren and the others lowered their heads, pursed their lips, and silently took out the food they had prepared.

Harry's eyes twitched a few times as he tried to reassure himself that, although their shoulders were trembling slightly, at least they weren't laughing out loud, and maybe they were laughing at the owl that had crashed into a tree outside the window.

Molly prepared corned beef, sandwiches, pumpkin pie, nougat for them...

Loren's pendant contains chilled pumpkin juice, butterbeer, and cola...

Actually, breakfast at the Burrow was eaten quite late. Harry and Ron were still full when they got on the bus, but the atmosphere in the compartment was like a picnic. Watching Loren take a bite of the cured beef with his left hand, chewing it with relish, and then take a sip of Coke with his right, the bubbles exuding a cool sweetness, the two of them secretly swallowed. The cured beef, which they were already tired of eating, suddenly became delicious.

After eating and drinking their fill, the group looked relaxed and leaned back in their seats. Even the little owl pig that was being fed nearby was lying on its back on the table, half-spreading its wings to cover its belly, revealing a human-like silly grin.

Harry patted his round belly and couldn't help but sigh, "If only the train could keep going forever."

He paused, somewhat stunned, after saying that.

He said the same thing that summer, except that back then it was a holiday when he was away from school, and now it's back to school for the start of the semester.

The same sentiments, but completely different states of mind.

A slight drowsiness came over him as his blood sugar rose, and the warm late summer/early autumn sun made Harry slowly squint.

Loren, who was opposite her, had also eaten and drunk his fill and was smiling contentedly. He changed positions several times before finally finding a suitable angle to rest his head on Hermione's shoulder, close his eyes, and begin to sleep.

The train had entered the open field, and the golden sunlight, somewhat hazy, shone through the glass window and fell on his face, casting a shadow on his eyelids with his long eyelashes.

Hermione's gaze shifted from her book at some point, staring at his face for a long time without looking away.

It's just a very ordinary sleeping posture, but I can never get enough of looking at it.

As the sun began to set, we arrived at the station.

Stepping out of the carriage, Loren stretched and turned to see two enormous figures standing beside the station sign, their rough, deep voices guiding the new students.

Gropp looked excited and gestured wildly.

The surrounding freshmen trembled with fear and dared not approach.

Only Hagrid, the former gamekeeper, showed a look of relief and kindness.

Once aboard the small boat, the new students quieted down considerably.

They huddled together in the ship, glancing up at the half-giant sitting in front of them, then at the pure-blooded giant behind them, their faces showing despair.

Hogwarts had no small boat to carry Gropp, so he had to tighten his belt and swim across the lake. His massive, heavy body stirred up surging waves, crashing against the shore, one wave after another.

The small boat drifted with the current, at risk of capsizing at any moment, which startled a chorus of screams and cries from the little witches.

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"Don't worry, my dear children, the gamekeeper, Grop, is protecting you!" Hagrid shouted encouragingly.

The new students huddled together in the boat, hugging each other, and trembled even more violently.

……

On the other side, older students rode in Thestrals into the school and entered the brightly lit castle.

The auditorium was as magnificent as ever, its velvety dome shimmering with starlight, thousands of candles floating in the air, illuminating the entire room, golden plates and goblets sparkling, and ghosts flitting among the college tables, gleaming with a hazy, transparent silver light.

Only the Slytherin table seemed shrouded in shadow, with many pure-blooded students remaining silent, even when they spoke to those around them, their voices weak and listless.

The atmosphere in Slytherin was somewhat somber.

Many students' families are facing trouble, not only with Death Eater relatives facing trial, but also with an unprecedentedly strict investigation by the Ministry of Magic, resulting in the dismissal of many family officials and the closure of many businesses.

The students of the pure-blood family realized that some far-reaching change was taking place, but they couldn't see it clearly or change it, leaving them bewildered and helpless.

As students from other houses entered, the Great Hall gradually became lively. After a summer break, the students seemed to have endless topics to discuss. Most people crowded around Harry, chattering and asking about Voldemort and the Death Eaters.

There are a few exceptions, such as the witty Simo.

He somehow found himself next to Loren and asked in a low voice, "The Daily Prophet reported details of the battlefield. They said a mysterious wizard defeated Voldemort, not Dumbledore, not Harry. I had a guess then!"

Loren looked up and glanced at him.

Simo's face flushed red, clearly agitated. He kept recounting newspaper articles, confirming his baseless yet inexplicably correct guesses: "Loren, were you there? Were you in the fighting?"

"Um."

Seamus held his breath and lowered his voice: "Then... are you that mysterious wizard?"

"Um."

"I knew it!" Seamus exclaimed in a low voice, even more excited than those present. "I heard you ambushed Voldemort at the airport, and the Ministry of Magic and the Order of the Phoenix joined in, along with the Magical Congress of the United States. Are the Aurors there stronger than those in the Ministry of Magic?"

"It should be about the same."

"What about the Death Eaters? Are they all vicious and ruthless, using Unforgivable Curses in their attacks, with the least severe being Tear to Pieces? Were there any werewolves involved, and on which side were they? What about the Dementors?"

"I'm not entirely sure about the specifics either."

"Look at my brain!" Seamus slapped his forehead, the sound crisp and clear. "Your opponent is Voldemort, the battlefield is completely different, of course they wouldn't know the situation of ordinary wizards, they couldn't even see your face clearly, no wonder the newspapers only said it was a mysterious wizard..."

"That's not what I meant." Loren paused for a moment. "I even told Headmaster Dumbledore afterwards that if you were there, your explosion magic would have definitely dealt them a heavy blow."

"Loren!!"

Ximo patted his shoulder hard, and although he tried his best to restrain himself, he couldn't help but grin, as if he had taken a stimulant and couldn't stop smiling.

He took a deep breath, and it took him a while to calm down: "It's said that several national wizarding governments have awarded you the anonymous Merlin Medal and even granted you a seat in the Federation. When do you plan to reveal your identity?"

"I don't have that idea for now."

"Okay, I understand." A smile returned to Seamus's face. "I'll keep it a secret. I won't tell anyone, not even Dean, not even my parents."

"Thank you, Simo."

Loren watched his retreating figure disappear into the distance, and couldn't help but smile. He shook his head and began to survey the main guest area, observing the faculty lineup for the academic year.

The main seating area was subtly divided into two sections. The back section housed elective courses and support staff, the same familiar faces, with no changes. The front section featured the main professors and four deans; their seating arrangements and positions were different from last year, but there were no unfamiliar faces.

Sitting in the very center seat was Dumbledore, flanked by two vice-principals, Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape.

The three professors were talking quietly when, whether they happened to mention Loren or sensed his gaze, they all turned to look at him and nodded and smiled.

Professor Slughorn was nowhere to be seen; he has truly retired this time.

Turning to the right, right next to Flitwick and Professor Sprout, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor had also changed; Remus Lupin raised his glass and gave him a gentle smile.

Loren paused for a moment, a vague guess forming in his mind.

A dozen minutes later, the college selection ceremony officially began.

As the new students lined up to enter, their faces still bore dried tear stains, and their curious gazes held a hint of fear as they discreetly observed the students at the long table and the professors in the main seats.

Snape, dressed in a black robe, stepped down from the main seat, placed the worn Sorting Hat on a stool, and then stood expressionless beside it, quietly observing the group of new students.

"what?"

The older students were somewhat surprised; Professor Snape seemed much gentler after two years.

But to the new students, it was a completely different picture—

The tattered, dirty hat sang an eerie song, while the strange, gloomy professor beside them had sharp, menacing eyes that exuded a chilling aura, as if he wanted to turn them into specimens.

The dried tear stains on the little witches' faces became wet again.

The shadow of fear once again loomed over these new students!

(End of this chapter)