Days at Hogwarts

Chapter 774 A Little Bit of Intimacy

A Comprehensive Analysis of the Areas of Activity for Black Wizards in Britain

"Hmm...this title is really neatly written!"

Parvati was very satisfied with the title of his paper; it was a good start.

A comprehensive analysis that sounds profound, a dark wizard that sounds powerful, an activity area that sounds meaningful—this question is sure to get a high score.

This was a choice she made after careful consideration. A dozen minutes earlier, she had listened to Professor Lupin's lecture, and combined with the newspaper articles she had recently read, Parvati had already conceived the basic outline of her paper. She decided to distinguish between Death Eaters and ordinary dark wizards, and then connect this to the agility of special types of dark wizards such as werewolves and vampires, analyzing their activity areas, and at the same time, providing a clear and concise analysis of their circumstances. She was sure she could get a high score...

Her excellent roommate is celebrating her boyfriend's birthday today, and this weekend is Hogsmeade Week, so she hasn't been able to concentrate on finishing her thesis during her free time.

This advantage of being ahead of the class and having the potential to surpass it stirred a subtle excitement within Prefect Parvati.

For the past six years, whether it was an elective or a required course, Hermione had always been number one in any subject she was involved in. As the prefect of Gryffindor, Parvati harbored a secret hope that she could win a small victory before graduation.

This expectation has nothing to do with jealousy; it's just a subtle, unspoken thought between friends.

Parvati looked at the package beside her bed in the dormitory. It was a birthday gift she had prepared for Hermione. Inside were gift certificates for many shops in Hogsmeade, including a Honeydukes Couple's Sweet Gift Box and a Deluxe Couple's Lunch at Lady Patiffe's Tea House, both of which needed to be redeemed at the shops. Considering Hermione's hobbies, there was also a Wenrenju quill pen voucher, the limited edition kind.

"hey-hey……"

Parvati couldn't help but smile.

Happy birthday to Hermione! I hope she has a wonderful weekend.

Parvati planned to take advantage of the weekend while other students were enjoying themselves to finish her paper, research relevant materials, consult various professors, and even consult Professor Snape, the potions professor, since he was sure to know a lot about dark wizards.

My roommate Hermione was happily enjoying her birthday and weekend, but her free time was over just like that. She had to postpone it until next week when classes started again, and she would never have such free time to finish her paper again.

Then I will calmly submit this paper, which is the culmination of my hard work, and win the praise of Professor Lu Ping and the whole class!

Parvati fiddled with the prefect's badge on the table, smiled again, and began to concentrate on completing her paper.

It was half an hour later when I finally began writing the introduction.

Parvati was pondering the wording of the previous sentence, preparing to add a subordinate clause to make the article seem more profound, when he suddenly heard footsteps outside the dormitory, followed by the sound of the door being pushed open.

"Pavati, you're in the dorm."

"Hermione?"

Parvati turned to look at her curiously, about to ask why she had suddenly returned, but his gaze was involuntarily drawn to the beautiful white cat in her arms: "When did you get a new pet? Where's Crookshan?"

It was a medium-sized lion cat, pure white all over, with one crystal blue eye and one jet black eye; it was extremely beautiful.

"A friend asked me to take care of him for a day. He's afraid of strangers and a bit shy, so I brought him back because I was afraid he'd run away."

"Really? It's a shame it got away. It was really beautiful."

Parvati noticed that when they were chatting, the cat tilted its head to the side, its eyes revealing a hint of helplessness, as if it understood what they were saying, intelligent and spiritual.

"Does it have cat-like ancestry like Crookshanks?"

"I'm not sure either, maybe."

Hermione's eyes sparkled with amusement. Her slender, pale fingers stroked the cat's fur, sliding down its neck and scratching its chin before being impatiently pushed away.

Parvati was tempted to join in teasing the cat, but after glancing at the title of the paper on the parchment, she restrained herself.

Hermione was acting strangely today. When she got back to her dorm, she didn't study or read any books or newspapers. She even neglected important tasks like making her bed and tidying her wardrobe, and instead spent all her time playing with the white cat by her bedside.

Pinch its petal-like paws, stroke its fur, rub its belly, and even get close enough to kiss it a few times.

Hermione acting like a little girl is so strange!

Parvati kept writing with his quill pen, pausing and writing, unable to resist stealing glances at the scene over there.

That cat was really smart. It clearly resisted these playful actions, and would struggle and dodge each time, pushing away with its paws, but it wouldn't extend its claws, nor would it hiss angrily, and it didn't even meow much.

After finishing the introduction to her paper, Parvati put the quill back in the inkwell. After a few hesitations, she stood up, picked up the carefully prepared gift, and approached her: "Hermione, happy birthday. This is... this is a gift for you."

"Thank you, Parvati!"

"These are all Hogsmeade gift certificates. Tomorrow is Hogsmeade Week, I hope you and Loren have a great time."

"Thank you so much!"

Hermione accepted the gift, then scratched the white cat's chin again, teasingly saying, "Did you hear that? Have fun..."

The white cat had given up struggling, lying lazily on the blanket, its eyes slightly lowered, too lazy to lift them.

Parvati was somewhat tempted and tried to reach out, but was immediately met with a hiss of disgust, which startled her so much that she quickly took a few steps back: "This cat...it..."

"Sorry, sorry, he's afraid of strangers."

"..."

Parvati glanced at the white cat, a little disappointed. After thinking for a long time, she gave up the idea of ​​tempting it with treats, returned to her desk, and picked up her quill pen again.

The cat meant well; it was reminding itself to focus on writing its paper.

Over the next few tens of minutes, Parvati gradually finished writing the introduction to her paper. When she came to her senses, she realized it was time for dinner and prepared to invite Hermione to the Great Hall. However, Hermione didn't intend to come downstairs and only asked her to bring back a beef pie, planning to have a simple meal.

Hermione seems completely obsessed with petting cats, to the point of neglecting her studies and even her meals, which is truly worrying.

Parvati felt that she was just under too much pressure, and that long hours of hard work had caused her to be mentally strained. So she wanted to take a break on her birthday. As her roommate, Parvati should quietly support and help her, but only for today... only for this weekend.

After dinner, when she returned from the Great Hall, the sky outside the window was completely dark. Her other roommates were chatting and playing cards in the common room and hadn't returned to their dorm yet. Parvati pushed open the door with a pie in her hand and noticed that the curtains on Hermione's bed had been drawn, covering it completely in darkness.

"Hermione, I'm home."

"Thank you for your help, Parvati."

"It's okay, it's okay, it's your birthday today."

"..."

Parvati lifted the curtain and handed in the pie.

Hermione had finished washing up and changing into her pajamas. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking through the materials she had borrowed from the library.

The white cat seemed much more energetic, its bright eyes sparkling. It curled up in her arms, as if it were looking at documents with her.

Unfortunately, a cat is a cat; it can't read and quickly got bored. It fidgeted impatiently with a subtle expression, then got slapped by Hermione and gradually quieted down.

Parvati discreetly observed the man and the cat, finding an inexplicable harmony in their relationship.

Once the curtains were drawn, nothing could be seen; those outside couldn't see inside, and those inside couldn't see inside either. As night deepened, the other roommates returned to the dormitory and were surprised to find Hermione asleep so early. They all moved quietly and spoke in hushed tones.

Parvati was so engrossed in writing his thesis that he didn't say much and went to bed early after washing up.

The lights went out, and the room gradually quieted down.

Inside the curtain, Hermione was covered with a thin blanket. A white cat nestled against her chest, its fluffy head protruding slightly, its eyes bright. Its two front paws were alternately pawing at a soft spot, and then she received a slap.

He immediately quieted down after being hit.

Not long after, they started stepping on it again.

So I got hit again.

He repeated this over and over again, enjoying it immensely, until the girl became enraged and grabbed him with both hands.

This work was compiled and uploaded by [author's name].

"Meow……"

The white cat pushed away the hands that were restraining it, stood up straight, and faced her head, trying to communicate with her through its eyes: "I've played with you all day, how about you play with me for a little while?"

"..."

Hermione lowered her eyes silently and continued to hold her tightly.

This is her birthday present, not some kind of exchange. It's already too much for her to be able to hug him like this.

"Meow……"

"As an innocent cat, it's perfectly normal to be curious about things, to explore textures with your paws, and to taste flavors with your tongue, right?"

"..."

Hermione said she couldn't understand the cat's eyes and hugged the naughty cat tightly.

However, this person's shapeshifting skills were indeed superb. The white cat he transformed into looked exactly like a real white cat. As everyone knows, cats are made of water, and the pupa quickly began to flow, slipping out of his embrace.

"Well……"

Beneath the warm blanket, a fluffy little creature roamed over her body, its movements light and agile, impossible to catch. Even if she reacted quickly enough and managed to grab it, it would escape using other methods.

Not far away are the dormitories for the third-year students. Some of the young wizards are still awake and reviewing the lessons they learned today.

The magical world is home to all sorts of magical creatures, and the wizards chose three of them as companions, which were recorded on their Hogwarts acceptance letters: a toad, an owl, and a cat.

We'll skip the toads and owls; this lesson will focus on cats.

Felines are adept runners and jumpers, possessing long, soft tails, muscular bodies, and strong, powerful limbs. When running, their tails sweep back and forth to aid balance, and the soft fur brushing against them feels tingly and ticklish. A cat's body temperature is slightly higher than a human's, making its fur feel warm or even hot to the touch. When active, a cat's claws extend from their sheaths to aid gripping; their sharp horns can cause slight pain even without applying force, providing a stimulating sensation.

All extant felines, regardless of size, have tongues covered with barbs formed from keratin. These barbs are papillary structures formed by stratified flattened epithelium on the tongue surface, making the surface of a cat's tongue uneven and unusually rough.

Some scholars believe that these barbs are for the purpose of assisting in eating, and many popular science books often refer to the barbs as meat scrapers, which can scrape and peel off meat during licking. This is actually a fallacy and has been refuted by zoologists.

The barbs on the tongue are purely a grooming tool for styling hair, much like the fine-toothed combs of witches. The barbs on the tongue have evolved into a spoon shape, capable of holding a small amount of saliva, which acts as a lubricant when licking hair, reducing friction between dry areas and the tongue.

The texture is wonderful, tingling and itchy, like a fine comb gently gliding across your skin.

Additionally, the barbs on a cat's tongue are formed by the keratinization of its taste buds. Their sense of taste is very sensitive, especially to water, and they can easily distinguish the type of water in order to identify fresh, drinkable water.

……

September 20th, the third weekend of the new school year.

As the weather in the Scottish Highlands cools further, the leaves on the outer edge of the Forbidden Forest have begun to turn yellow. The thrush willows not far from the greenhouse have also become sluggish, spending less time shaking their branches to stretch their muscles. Some of the older leaves already show brownish-yellow stripes on their edges. Once all the leaves have withered and fallen, winter will have arrived at Hogwarts.

The morning light was faint; the sun had not yet fully risen.

Students in the third grade and above had gathered near the entrance hall. The administrator, Filch, stood at the crossroads, checking the travel list. His expression was sinister and terrifying, and his sharp eyes were full of vigilance, making people feel uneasy.

But this demeanor did nothing to intimidate the seventh-year students. The soon-to-be graduates of Gryffindor and Hufflepuff greeted him with smiles, and Seamus even reached out his hand as he searched through the list: "Mr. Filch, my name is here. Look, Finnegan, I am Finnegan!"

"Quiet!"

Filch glared at him, but all he saw were grinning faces.

When the list reached Loren, the administrator remained expressionless, pretending to search through the parchment with an air of official business. His gaze swept across line after line before finally finding a name near the fingers holding the list.

"..."

A group of students walked along the road toward the school gate in twos and threes.

The first Hogsmeade Week of the new school year.

As they walked through the grounds and past the greenhouse, the young wizards gradually increased in distance, their figures becoming sparse. Loren silently walked alongside Hermione, reaching out to take her hand as he asked:

Where should we go first when we get to Hogsmeade?

"Wenrenju Quill Pen Shop." Hermione said expressionlessly, and refused his invitation to hold hands.

"Stationery stores are great! I love browsing stationery stores!" Loren said cheerfully, reaching out again with great determination. "Is there anything you want to buy? Can you recommend something for me? I think I bought a bad pen when I went shopping for the new semester; the quill tube is jamming with ink."

"George and Fred sent you two boxes of quill pens!"

Hermione couldn't help but roll her eyes and simply put her hands in her pockets.

"I don't dare use the quill they gave me; who knows when it might explode?" Loren said seriously, putting his arm around her shoulder. "Let's go to the Literati House to buy quills first, then to the Honey Duke candy shop, and then to Lady Patif's Tea House for a romantic lunch."

Hermione twisted her shoulders and struggled a couple of times, but couldn't break free. She continued to argue relentlessly.

"Who wants to go to Madame Pastie's Tea House with you...?"

(End of this chapter)