Days at Hogwarts

Chapter 789 I didn't do it on purpose

Easter holiday.

Hogsmeade Village.

Today is undoubtedly a rare good day. In mid-April, the sun is already quite bright at nine o'clock in the morning.

The sun was warm and gentle, neither scorching nor dry, and the temperature was just right. At this time, Scotland had already escaped the rainy season, and the misty vapors in the Forbidden Forest and along the lake turned into morning fog, shimmering with iridescent colors under the sunlight. A cool breeze still lingered over the grounds outside the castle, making it a pleasant place.

Such beautiful weather, coupled with the holiday, makes it the perfect time for an outing.

Loren unwrapped two strawberry lollipops, handed one to Hermione, and popped the other into his mouth, crunching it to pieces as he walked out of the school gate, muttering indistinctly:

"Hmm... I still don't understand, what kind of serious professor would name their child Teddy?"

Hermione, with a candy in her mouth, savoring the sweet strawberry flavor on her tongue, looked somewhat helpless: "I can't understand it either. What respectable student would associate such a normal name with a dog breed?"

"You said that, I didn't say that."

"You talked about it for three hours yesterday."

"..."

Two indistinct voices drifted away, mingling with the morning mist under the sunlight, and gradually dissipated.

Outside the school gate, the flowers and grass on both sides of the path were still covered with glistening dewdrops. Fairies and bees mingled together, fluttering their wings and getting close to the flower stamens, sparkling in the sunlight.

The path was flat and the soil was damp. It was the Easter holiday, and only a few people invited by Professor Lupin had permission to travel outside of Hogsmeade Week. Harry and Ginny, full of enthusiasm for their newborn baby, set off early in the morning, while Ron lagged behind, still in bed...

There were several students on the road heading to Hogsmeade. Some had taken leave, while others were visiting relatives in the village during their holiday. Some of their faces looked familiar, but I couldn't recall their names. I simply nodded to them from a distance, which was enough to say hello.

There were just the right number of pedestrians, making it perfectly quiet.

They strolled along, stopping occasionally to chat and discuss what names they should give their future children, and even got punched a few times by an embarrassed girl. Despite the laughter and chatter, they didn't find it boring at all.

We arrived at Hogsmeade at approximately 9:30.

The trees were covered with enchanted candles, but there was no light, so they would probably be lit at night. The shop signs were decorated with ribbons of various colors, some new and some old, mixed together. Some of them were still Christmas red, which were obviously leftover decorations from last year.

Regardless of the type of shop, the display cases on both sides of the street were selling Easter-themed merchandise. Various hard-boiled eggs were painted in different colors. The ones that could be recognized were chicken eggs and duck eggs, the slightly larger ones were goose eggs, and the ones that were even larger were hard to identify. The main color was mostly red, but there were also some colorful ones, decorated with lilies, which made them especially festive.

"I'm not sure what kind of Easter egg that is..."

Loren glanced at the shop windows and whispered in Hermione's ear, "But I'm sure what hatches won't be the Easter Bunny."

"..."

Hermione glanced at his expression and thought to herself that rabbits are mammals and can't hatch from any eggs.

The Easter eggs in the Honeydukes candy shop window were easy to guess; the outer shell was mostly chocolate, covered with a thick layer of icing. What the filling was, however, was a mystery. They would probably only find out by breaking it open and tasting it. Unfortunately, they weren't there to go shopping; they would only buy a few to try on their way back.

Walk along the commercial street, pass the Central Avenue Post Office and continue for a while, then turn right and enter the neatly arranged alleyway.

The streets here aren't as bustling and colorful as the shops. There are only a few scattered magic candles on the trees, all burned out, leaving only some flowing, solidified wax. These houses are similar to those in Hampstead, with a lawn in front and a fenced yard behind. A few Easter eggs are hidden in the lawn, but there are no colorful ribbons. If you look closely, you can see a few traces of the festival.

Some late-rising residents are having breakfast at this time, and wisps of steam rise from the thatched roofs, exuding a sense of peace and tranquility.

As you walk through the corridor, you can vaguely hear voices coming from the houses. The high-pitched, loud voices belong to middle-aged witches, while the men's voices are weak and sleepy, as if they haven't woken up yet, and are not very clear.

Not far away, several preschool children gathered together, carrying linen bags filled with several painted red eggs. They squatted on the slightly raised slope, putting the eggs down together and letting them roll. Those whose shells cracked looked regretful, while those whose shells remained intact looked triumphant.

A dozen minutes later, the two knocked on Professor Lupin's door.

Good morning, Professor Lupin.

Happy Easter, Professor Lupin! Congratulations on the birth of your baby!

"Good morning……"

Lupin smiled politely at Hermione, then turned to see Loren's radiant smile. He felt a slight headache coming on and sighed, "Hogwarts doesn't have biology classes, but Hagrid should have taught us basic physiology. Male wizards can't have children, just as male magical creatures can't get pregnant."

"In fact, some animals can do it."

"..."

Loren walked on the flat, soft grass, looking left and right with his eyes wide open, surveying his surroundings like a classroom visit, but unfortunately, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor had no intention of explaining anything.

This courtyard, though not as grand as the detached manors of pure-blood families, is much larger than it appears from the outside, with an area close to that of the villa in Hampstead. It even features underground drainage pipes and pre-installed electrical wiring, modeled after Muggle houses. Although somewhat crude, it already has a touch of technology and magic combined.

Harry and Ginny heard the noise and rushed out, their faces flushed with excitement: "Why did you take so long to get here?"

"You've come too early." Loren carefully examined the electrical wiring and realized it was just an empty shell. He then remembered that Hogsmeade was a purely wizarding village and couldn't be connected to the power grid.

"Where's Ron?"

"When I got up, he said he wanted to sleep for another five minutes."

"I bet he slept for more than ten five-minute intervals."

Harry waved his hand: "Let's not talk about that. Come and see the newborn baby, only a few days old! It's so interesting, even though it's a little ugly, it's still cute!"

"what?"

Loren and Hermione turned to Professor Lupin: "Is this safe? A baby only two days old must have a very weak immune system. What if he catches a germ or something..."

"Let's go take a look."

Lupin shook his head and smiled gently, saying, "Muggles only care about vaccines and viruses; wizards don't need to worry about that."

"It's as if wizards don't have infectious diseases. Every year, several old wizards at St. Mungo's Hospital get draconian pox..."

Loren muttered to himself as he was pulled away.

The group squeezed into the nursery. Loren and Hermione remained somewhat reserved, worried that the baby might get hurt or sick. Harry and Ginny, on the other hand, played with the baby freely, flicking his pink and red nose, his short, jelly-like fingers, and his face, which was even more tender than a steamed pumpkin. It was as if they had seen a pet that was more novel and adorable than a fluffy cat, and they wanted to pick him up and hug him tightly, pinching his pink cheeks hard.

Harry and Ginny only withdrew their fingers with a smile when Tonks stood next to the crib and looked at them with disdain.

"What's so fun about this?"

"Oh dear, Tonks, you don't know..."

Ginny took her hand and swayed it back and forth, her voice tinged with a hint of coquetry: "I'm the youngest child in my family, with six older brothers. They were the only ones who ever played with me when I was little. After I started remembering things, they would tell me stories about my childhood. So I've always wanted a younger brother or sister to play with, but my mom doesn't want any more children."

Tonks chuckled twice: "Mr. and Mrs. Weasley already have a lot of energy. You have seven children in total. I only want one and I don't want any more."

Is childbirth very painful?

"It's actually quite easy for a witch, it's just that the months of pregnancy are so tough. You can't do this or that, your colleagues and friends all give in to you. Kingsley doesn't assign me any fieldwork, and when I was seven months pregnant, he even took back the job of training Aurors. And then there's Remus, you can't believe how nervous he was, acting like he was the one who was pregnant. I got annoyed by him and went back to my mom's house, but they ended up bringing me here with them. What kind of parents are they? It's not like she's never been pregnant before..."

Tonks seemed to have found an outlet, chattering away and venting the grievances that had been building up for months.

Wizards indeed do not have the troubles of childbirth. Their shapeshifting abilities allow them to freely manipulate muscles, internal organs, and bones. Before birth, the baby is also part of the wizard. Wizards with masterful shapeshifting skills can even directly shape the fetus they are conceiving. Even if their skills are not so refined, they can adjust the baby's position by adjusting their own body shape. Childbirth is much easier. With shapeshifting, they can even give birth without injury. Even if unexpected situations arise, healing spells and white cinnamon essence can ensure safety.

Only in very rare cases will a witch die during childbirth, such as when the witch is disheartened and has no will to live...

Merop Gaunt is a prime example.

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Loren and Hermione stood to the side, quietly observing Tonks after giving birth. She was wearing pink fluffy pajamas, and her hair was also a bright and vibrant pink. She still looked like a carefree young girl, except that her neck and cheeks were slightly swollen. When she glanced at her child, her eyes softened a little, and her lips were full of happy smiles.

"You guys don't know, I'm so bored."

"You must be so happy. Remus comes home to be with you every day after class. Except for the opening banquet, I have never seen him attend the Great Hall dinner this school year."

"Who wants to see his anxious face all the time!"

"Do you want to see how brightly you're smiling right now?"

"Anyway, I don't."

"A seasoned Auror is just stubborn."

"You guys are still criticizing me? I bet it won't be long before you all start 'humphing' too."

"nonsense!"

"..."

The girls chatted and joked around, while Loren also came closer to the crib to examine this new life whose fate had been completely changed. Its skin was still a little wrinkled and reddish, its eyes were bright, and it had no hair but some soft downy hair. It was indeed ugly-cute.

"Teddy..."

Loren called softly.

At this age, the baby's eyes and vision are not fully developed. They can only see blurry outlines and do not know their own name. Yet, they can strangely feel his gaze, hear his call, and wave their hands while making cooing noises.

A faint smile appeared in Loren's eyes, followed by a glimmer of crystal blue light that reflected the purest magic within the newborn infant.

"Is he alright?" A slightly nervous voice sounded beside me.

Loren turned his head and saw the ever-gentle and calm Defense Against the Dark Arts professor standing beside him, his brows furrowed, looking at him with a tense expression, his eyes showing both expectation and a hint of fear.

As a core member of the Order of the Phoenix and a professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts, Lupin had long heard that Loren possessed eyes that could see directly into magic, even souls. If anyone could make an accurate judgment about Teddy's situation, it would be him, besides Dumbledore.

Inviting Loren to my home today was actually partly motivated by this intention.

"Emmm..." Loren hesitated for a moment.

Lupin grew even more nervous, his heart pounding in his throat: "I've had the therapists at St. Mungo's examined the child, and they said the baby is too young, his organs aren't fully developed, so the diagnosis is unclear. Therapists at the New York Werewolf Hospital believe that werewolf disease isn't hereditary, there's no precedent for it, but Muggle biologists and infectious disease experts believe that since this infection can be transmitted through bodily fluids, the possibility of heredity cannot be ruled out. But since Tonks is fine, the baby should be fine too..."

"As a professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts, I think you should know that for wizards, traits are not actually inherited through genes, especially magical traits, which are more likely to be inherited through magic power."

"What do you mean?" Lupin asked, his face pale.

"Just like magical talent, the offspring of wizards are more likely to become wizards themselves, and the magic they exhibit is similar to that of their parents. For example, Slytherin's Parseltongue, Dumbledore's Phoenix Affinity, and the innate Legilimency..."

"So... Teddy..." Lupin swallowed, his voice hoarse.

"Yes."

Loren nodded slightly, his expression grave: "He did indeed inherit your magic, an extremely special kind of magic."

"I...he..."

Lu Ping's eyes reddened, and he swayed precariously, barely managing to stand by holding onto the crib railing. He dared not show any sign of distress, lest his wife, who was chatting behind him, notice.

Loren admired him for a few seconds before looking at him with some confusion: "Why do you look like you're about to cry?"

Lupin took a deep breath and forced himself to cheer up: "You're right, werewolf disease isn't a terminal illness. Now that there's a werewolf potion, he can have a normal life."

"What nonsense are you talking about? Who said he has werewolf syndrome?"

"???"

"I said he inherited Tonks' Disguise Magus, which is an extremely special kind of magic."

The Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, who almost never blushed in front of his students, had veins bulging on his forehead. His hands trembled slightly as he slowly clenched them into fists, forcing out the words through clenched teeth:

"Loren Morgan!"

On a bright sunny day in mid-April, Loren felt a distinct chill. He immediately turned to the group of girls and shouted, "Tonks, I have good news for you."

"..."

(End of this chapter)