Days at Hogwarts

Chapter 803 Proof of Weeping

Loren led Hermione by the hand, appearing in phantom form along the way.

Passing through howling sandstorms and scorching sun, we arrived at a place where magical light shone. Near the landing point, several sand dunes stood in an orderly fashion, forming a ring that guarded the canyon inside. In front of us was a narrow passage, only about ten feet wide, from the depths of which a cool mist blew, refreshing and invigorating.

Stepping into the passageway, the path, though without forks and not exactly straight, was winding and meandering, making it difficult to discern its length. The unique fragrance of plants gradually became more pronounced through the veil, and the loose, soft sand beneath my feet gradually solidified into earth.

It felt like a completely different world inside.

Loren sniffed the air in the corridor, feeling the lingering heat in his body dissipate with the warm, moist steam.

After several twists and turns, the soil on the passageway gradually changed from dry and hard to moist and soft, and sporadic greenery appeared in the field of vision, including moss and wild grass, and even aloe vera. After walking for about ten minutes, we made a sharp right turn, and the view suddenly opened up, with endless greenery filling the entire field of vision, and even the sunlight overhead seemed to soften.

Loren and Hermione exchanged a glance, the same thought flashing through their minds—

The magic spring really is located in the garden.

Loren looked around, observing the oasis.

Not far away are low, lush shrubs, verdant and green, while further away are even taller tree canopies, standing gracefully. Birds can be seen occasionally fluttering their wings among the branches, and lizards rustle in the grass on the ground.

Looking out from afar, the magical radiance was scattered into several beams, each landing at a different point. Pure magical energy rippled in the air, without any trace of alchemy or runes, let alone any wizarding spells, or even a Muggle banishment charm.

No matter how glorious the civilization or how powerful the magic that once existed in this region, it has all vanished without a trace, and everything is now just an ordinary, unremarkable place.

Hermione's soft murmur came from beside her: "Is this the garden where the Fountain of Good Fortune is located?"

"It is a garden created by the Lucky Spring."

"What do you mean?"

"This garden is located deep in the desert. As you saw when we came here, it may not rain for several years. The surrounding geographical environment does not have the conditions for water storage, and there are no underground rivers. The reason why a stable oasis can be formed is because of the existence of the Lucky Spring."

"Is only a magical spring capable of continuously summoning fresh water...?"

"Furthermore, this magic is influenced by the stars and undergoes a magical transformation, only revealing the path at the entrance on the summer solstice, the day with the longest daylight of the year. At other times, it is hidden among the sand dunes, and neither Muggles nor wizards can find its trace."

"Like a curse of unwavering loyalty from nature."

"That's right."

Loren saw Hermione's eyes widen slightly, her expression showing a hint of shock, and couldn't help but smile: "Anyway, we're not in a hurry, let's wander around. After all, it's a graduation trip, and a trip should look like a trip."

"That's what you just said too."

"You just agreed."

Loren took her hand and swayed it back and forth a couple of times. Instead of using Apparition to teleport, he led her slowly forward as if they were strolling through the streets, heading towards the nearest magical radiance.

The area around the Fountain of Good Fortune in The Tales of Beedle the Bard is full of magic, with attacking vines like the Man-Beating Willow, and abundant rare potions and fruit trees. Yet this oasis is unusually peaceful, without even a sign of magical creatures.

Although he didn't recognize the surrounding plants, Loren was certain that they didn't emit any magical energy and were just ordinary plants.

The ground was overgrown with weeds, with no roads or traces of any large animals. When encountering areas with dense vines, one could only use splitting and cutting spells to clear a path.

"【The Unseen Blade】"

Loren casually flicked a sharp blade, cutting through the vines blocking his path, and stepped forward, glancing at a puddle not far ahead.

The puddle was only a few square meters in size, barely qualifying as a small lake. A few blades of grass floated on its surface, and the water was crystal clear. Strands of aquatic plants and moss swirled around the bottom, and the entire lake shimmered with a magical, sparkling light.

There were no fish swimming in the lake, only a pure white serpent slithering about.

The snake's color seemed somewhat familiar to Hermione.

"Did you find anything?"

Loren noticed the doubt in her eyes.

"Do you remember the story of the Fountain of Good Fortune...?" Hermione said thoughtfully, looking at the snow-white serpent. "In the story, the first obstacle the three witches and the unlucky knight encountered was that they had to prove their suffering to a snow-white worm."

"The earthworm was coiled at the foot of the hill, huge and bloated, and blind..." Loren recalled the bard Beedle's description, "It certainly sounded like an albino snake."

"Splash..."

A soft murmur of waves could be heard from the lake.

Loren turned his head to look when he heard the sound.

The snow-white serpent had somehow swum to the shore, emerged from the water, and crawled towards them. With its pale, lifeless eyes and pink tongue, it looked completely harmless, even somewhat cute.

Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!

The snow-white serpent approached them, raised its head, and swayed slightly, hissing softly.

Loren and Hermione didn't understand Parseltongue, but they vaguely guessed what it meant and tentatively asked, "To prove pain to you?"

The serpent nodded slightly.

"I remember... in the story, a witch named Asha had a terminal illness. In her pain and despair, she unintentionally shed tears, proving her suffering." Hermione turned to look at him. "Will our tears pass?"

"Can you shed tears now?"

"..."

The two exchanged a glance and quickly came up with a solution.

Loren always kept his usual ingredients and potions in the pendant. Several potions had pungent smells, but he ultimately chose the milder onion.

If you pinch a few marks with your fingernails and sniff them a few times, your nose will immediately feel sore and your eyes will become blurry.

They sniffed, dipped their fingers in tears, one drop for each of them, and brought them to the front of the brocade snake's snow-white nostrils.

The blind serpent, which had been expressionless, now showed clear disgust, retracting its tongue, closing its mouth, and silently turning its head to the side.

"..."

Loren and Hermione also fell silent.

They were seventeen or eighteen years old, fresh out of Hogwarts. One was full of ambition, preparing to join the Ministry of Magic to strive for his ideals, with a bright future ahead. The other, still a minor, was already on par with legendary wizards and was preparing to change the world and create a better future... In short, their careers were going well and their love lives were fulfilling.

It's really asking too much of people to feel pain or suffering.

(End of this chapter)