Days at Hogwarts

Chapter 796 My Student Days Are Over

"For the fourth question, which answer best describes the legal enforcement division established by whom—Perseus Parkinson or Eldridge Diggory?"

"Uh, it's Yurik Gamp."

"Gamp!? Isn't he a wizard specializing in transfiguration?"

"You're probably referring to the Gamp Transformation Law, which is another Gamp."

"Damn it, couldn't they have chosen a more unique name?"

"..."

"Boom, boom..."

Loren stood in the corridor outside the exam hall, munching on hazelnuts as he listened to his classmates go over the answers, laughing and enjoying himself immensely.

Seeing Hermione walk out of the classroom, he continued talking, casually pulling a handful of hazelnuts from his coat pocket and handing them to Hermione as she slowly approached: "You really do finish what you started. You had to wait for the bell to ring before handing in your paper for such a simple magical task. Miss Granger has been in school for seven years, and you still look like you were when you were young."

"The final discussion took up a lot of time."

Hermione took the hazelnut from his palm, popped one into her mouth, and paused for a moment before saying, "If I remember correctly, this is the snack I bought for the silly boy last week, right?"

"hey-hey……"

Loren grinned twice. "Delicious, isn't it?"

"..."

The taste is indeed very good.

Hermione couldn't overcome her psychological barrier, silently putting the remaining hazelnuts back into his pocket, and subtly steered the conversation back to the exam: "How did you answer the last essay question?"

"After reading the questions, I roughly calculated the points and found that I could still get the certificate even if I skipped that question, so I simply didn't answer it."

"..."

The students gradually dispersed from the corridors, and the seventh-grade graduates scattered throughout the school, feeling relieved and relaxed after the exams, enjoying the evening scenery of the school. With the last exam over, some of the more perceptive students had already realized that their time at school had begun to count down.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, it will be difficult to return here again.

Many students were walking downstairs, wanting to stroll in the courtyard and along the shore of Black Lake, to breathe fresh air and savor this extremely special feeling that should only happen once in a lifetime.

Loren and Hermione went upstairs and unknowingly arrived at the top of the tower.

Sitting on the edge of the outer wall, Loren was still muttering about the exam he had just taken: "...I handed in my paper early to wait for you, but I found you were engrossed in your work the whole time, so you went to the courtyard to sunbathe for a while."

"Are you really not going to write anything on it?"

Hermione sat beside her, her legs dangling naturally and swaying gently in the breeze: "For example, your plan, the new teleportation device, the irreconcilable conflict between Muggles and wizards, the demands of other magical creatures... perhaps we can persuade them to help at the International Wizarding Congress."

"There's no need for that. Their help can speed things up, and their unwillingness to help can't stop me. Why waste so much time on this?"

Hermione's eyes gleamed: "Is Mr. Morgan already showing signs of a dictatorial mindset?"

"Emmm..."

Loren chewed the hazelnut in his mouth and swallowed it. He looked up at Hermione, who was secretly glancing at his expression, and fed her a hazelnut to shut her up: "If you can't talk, you don't have to."

Hermione remained unmoved, pursing her lips.

"Um?"

Loren immediately became interested, and with his other hand he reached over and pinched the fair nose, and soon pried open that stubborn mouth a crack.

Unfortunately, the jaw was clenched tightly inside, and the hazelnut remained blocked from entering.

Loren couldn't think of any other way in a short time, so he had to sacrifice himself to soften that cold and hard mouth. This time, he pried it open in no time.

Not only is it not hard, it's also fragrant and soft.

These hazelnuts undergo a special process, involving multiple steps such as drying, baking, and roasting, with salt, sugar, butter, and spices added along the way. Finally, they are magically shelled and packaged, making them a high-end snack among owls. They have a rich milky aroma, and the combination of salty and sweet flavors creates a wonderful sensation, making them truly delicious.

……

In midsummer of June, the hottest time of the year, the nights at Hogwarts still retained the heat, mixed with the students' jubilation after finishing their exams, and remained scorching hot even late into the night.

After saying goodnight to the Fat Lady, I slipped into the Portrait Cave. The noise from the common room hadn't subsided. Dozens of candles floated beneath the ceiling, and torches and oil lamps still burned on the walls, illuminating the room as bright as day. This lively atmosphere was interwoven with the shouts of wizards playing chess, the screams of Goblin spitting acid, and the cheers of Quidditch players racing across the table, all converging into a sustained burst of laughter that never sounded jarring.

This kind of lively scene happens every year, lasting for several days, and only subsides on the eve of the year-end party.

As Loren and Hermione, returning late, entered the common room, they were pulled to sit by the window. They were all familiar friends; surprisingly, Harry and Ron hadn't joined in the wizarding chess or Quidditch games. They sat together chatting, reminiscing about the many times they'd sat here on the nights returning to school after holidays, in similar scenes—now, all that remained were sighs of nostalgia.

Then Loren exposed him: "You were all rushing to finish your homework at that time."

"..."

The atmosphere became a little awkward, but fortunately everyone tacitly refrained from speaking, and the awkwardness was quickly forgotten.

For some reason, the conversation about the night sky turned into astronomy, and the astronomy brought back memories of stargazing in my freshman year, running into Professor Quirrell in the hallway, and the topic gradually shifting from Quirrell's headscarf to the curses in Defense Against the Dark Arts class, and then to Professor Lupin now...

"I remember the year Professor Lupin first came to the school, he was on the express train with us, and that's when we encountered the Dementors."

"His first visit to the school must have been during his student days."

"Oh yeah..."

"Of all the Defense Against the Dark Arts professors I've seen, I still think Professor Lupin is the most suitable."

"Professor Bashat is also good; he speaks very philosophically."

"I think Professor Moody from the fourth grade was the most insightful."

"Right?"

"..."

It seemed like they had endless topics to discuss, as if the gathering would never end.

They chatted until the early hours of the morning. Loren got a little sleepy, got up, and yawned.

"I'm going back to my dorm to sleep."

"It's only one o'clock now, let's chat for a few more hours and watch the sunrise."

"The sunrise happens every day, what's so special about that?"

"..."

Hermione turned her head and glanced at him.

"Save some energy for tomorrow. If possible, say goodbye to Sir Cadogan and Sir Nicholas, and chat with the professors. The exams are over, so you should be able to estimate your scores. You can do another career counseling session. If your scores don't meet the standards, ask about recommendation letters."

Loren yawned lazily, pulled Hermione around, and left. They said goodnight to each other at the bottom of the stairs, then slowly walked up the steps until they disappeared from sight, as if the noise had no effect on them at all, like a flag that stood out from the crowd.

The students sitting around the window glanced at each other and scratched their heads.

I always felt that they were more mature, and their perspectives and levels of understanding seemed different from ours. Now, this feeling is even stronger.

(End of this chapter)