Days at Hogwarts

Chapter 801 Graduation

Mid-June, early morning.

The students walked out of Hogwarts.

The sunlight was somewhat dazzling, but not scorching.

The edges of the leaves on the treetops are adorned with glistening dewdrops, shimmering brightly. A gentle breeze blows, and the dewdrops fall to the ground, slowly being absorbed by the soil. Some dewdrops hang in the bushes, where the grass is tender and green, and wildflowers whose names I do not know gleam in the sunlight.

Loren and Hermione walked side by side, lagging behind.

Harry and Ron walked a short distance behind, looking listless and dazed, as if they were processing the aftereffects of their nighttime stroll and sleepless night.

The faint sound of a ship's horn could be heard from ahead.

"Waaah—"

"The express train has arrived."

Loren gazed at the simple Hogsmeade Station platform as a red train slowly pulled into the station and stopped by the roadside.

A feeling of reluctance welled up in his heart.

Although the years spent at Hogwarts were spent away from outside the school and away from Muggle technology, it was still quite fun overall. It was just that in your spare time you had to deal with Voldemort and solve the problem of world peace, which made it a little busy.

Loren turned to look at the group behind him, a hint of emotion in his voice: "Harry, Seamus, do you guys feel a little dazed?"

"..."

Harry stiffly raised his head, his gaze focusing several times before he finally came to his senses: "You're so energetic, aren't you sleepy at all?"

"I didn't stay up all night."

"??"

Ron and Seamus, who were standing nearby, turned to look at them at the same time.

"I was already asleep when you went out at night, but I was woken up by the sound of you going back to your rooms. I took the opportunity to ask you about the Earth World Cup. You were talking about it so excitedly that I couldn't get a word in edgewise, so I hid under the covers and went back to sleep."

"Then why did you say Krum had a good chance of winning the championship...?"

"Just trying to start a conversation; I don't know anything about Earth."

"you……"

Harry didn't want to say anything. His eyelids were heavy and sticky. All he wanted to do was find a place to catch up on sleep. He barely opened his eyes and looked at the train in the distance.

The forest and shrubs were lush and verdant, much like a richly colored oil painting. A straight, bright red train stopped along the tracks, its smooth paint gleaming in the sunlight. Soon it came to a stop, and the doors opened with a bang, revealing clean and tidy carriages.

"Don't rush, please line up and board the bus in an orderly manner!"

Hagrid's voice was rough and loud.

Once you get used to taking the bus home, you'll be familiar with it after a few times. It's just that the first-year students might be a little confused, but you can just direct them to line up and get on the bus.

Once the new students figured out the boarding order, Hagrid chuckled and stepped back, patting each of them on the shoulder with a touch of wistfulness: "So, you're about to leave school."

"yes."

"I'm actually a little reluctant to leave you all."

"We know."

"..."

Seeing that he seemed a little confused, Harry added, "After the banquet last night, we didn't go back to our dorms. We were thinking that it would be hard to go back to school again, so we wandered around the castle. We saw you wiping away tears in the corridor, but it was too late, so we didn't go up to disturb you."

Hagrid paused for a moment, then quickly recalled the memory of weeping alone last night. The giant, now in his fifties, blushed with embarrassment, his eyes darting away, unable to meet their gaze.

Harry wanted to pat him on the shoulder for reassurance, but after raising his hand to assess the height, he hesitated for a moment and then only patted his arm: "Don't worry, Hagrid, we'll still be friends after we graduate. We'll still keep in touch, meet up often in Diagon Alley, and there are still the Three Broomsticks and the Hog's Head..."

Hagrid managed a forced smile.

"Woo! Woo!" The whistle sounded again.

"Let's say goodbye here..." Hagrid turned to look at the train, his deep, rough voice sounding somewhat strained, "Goodbye, my friends."

"goodbye."

Goodbye, Hagrid.

Loren and Hermione spoke solemnly.

Take good care of yourself.

Harry gave him a serious warning.

Ron, on the other hand, was clamoring, "Write to me after you're done with school, how about we go for a drink at the Leaky Cauldron?"

"Molly will beat me up."

Hagrid waved to them and watched them board the train.

Just as the train started moving, dozens of seventh-grade students poked their heads out of the windows and waved at him in unison:

Goodbye, Professor Hagrid!

Goodbye, Hogwarts!

"..."

Loren sat by the window, leaned out and looked back.

The castle stands majestically in the morning light, with towering towers on both sides, endless forbidden forests, crystal-clear lakes, and rolling hills, appearing ancient and mysterious.

……

Around four o'clock in the afternoon, the train had crossed most of Britain and left Scotland. Familiar scenery indicated that they had arrived in the outskirts of London, with King's Cross Station in the distance.

The group was fast asleep in the carriage.

The group heard Hermione close her book and gently wake Loren, who was also catching up on sleep. Loren slowly awoke from his slumber, his eyes slightly opening.

Loren looked out the window at the sky. The trees were still green, but they were tinged with a golden halo. The sun was setting in the west, and the afterglow was slightly reddish and a little dazzling. It was early morning when he set off, and he arrived at the station at dusk, which made him feel a little dazed.

As the train pulled into platform 9, many parents were already waiting on both sides of the platform.

Grandpa Bates, dressed in casual summer clothes, was chatting and laughing with Neville's parents. Monica and Wendell were listening intently. In Loren's memory, ever since he and Hermione learned Apparate, he had always gone home by himself. A few years ago, he had convinced Grandpa Bates not to pick him up from the station anymore.

As soon as the train came to a complete stop, Hermione immediately rushed into her mother's arms.

Loren, a couple of steps behind, also arrived in front of them and gave Grandpa Bates a light hug:

"Didn't the letter say it was agreed upon? Why did you still come?"

"Thinking this is the last time, I'll take it anyway."

"Yes, this is the last time."

"Loren, remember to come visit when our new store opens."

The last sentence was spoken by Neville, while the Longbottoms stood beside him with gentle smiles, their gazes towards Loren filled with sincere gratitude.

The Longbottoms have now resigned and are no longer the Aurors. The laws that once restricted Aurors no longer apply. Based on the internal intelligence they gathered recently, they are opening a shop to sell some previously unavailable goods. Although they won't become rich overnight, they can still accumulate some wealth.

"Um……"

Loren hesitated for a moment, glancing at Neville and the Longbottoms beside him. He didn't immediately agree, but instead asked carefully, "When?"

"Around late August, the International Wizarding Union Conference will conclude, the agreed-upon new policies will be implemented, and the list of prohibited goods will be updated."

Where is the shop located?

"Next to the Leaky Cauldron Bar."

"Oh……"

Just then, Harry, Ginny, and the others came over to say goodbye. Upon hearing their address, they all made teasing noises.

Hannah works at the Leaky Cauldron, and your company chose to locate your shop next to it, yet you claim you weren't trying to poach her.

Next, he said goodbye to his friends Harry, Ron, Seamus, and others. This farewell wasn't particularly sad. Although they wouldn't be able to return to school and spend every day together, they would all remain in the British wizarding world and wouldn't disappear without a trace after graduation. The world isn't that big; Hermione would enter the Ministry of Magic, Harry would become an Auror, and Longbottom and Weasley would still have shops in Diagon Alley and would often run into each other.

"Neville, see you at Diagon Alley then."

"goodbye."

"Harry, don't go crazy during the holidays. Go to the Auror's office as soon as possible and train hard."

"..."

Harry looked a little upset: "Hermione isn't going to report to the Ministry of Magic right away; she's going to go on the graduation trip with you. Why do I have to go to the Auror's office so soon?"

"so?"

"I want to go on a trip with Ginny too!"

"I thought you would choose Ron."

"!!"

(End of this chapter)