Days at Hogwarts

Chapter 88 Hermione's Little Secret

on Tuesday.

Herb class is held three times a week, and the first-year wizard is still very enthusiastic about yesterday's game.

With nearly a month of Christmas holidays, the parents were getting restless from following their children's rules. To be honest, sometimes there are more rules at home than at school.

When you first come home, you are your parents' little darling. They cook your favorite food, hold your hand and speak softly to you, their tenderness evident in their smiling faces.

After you've been home for a month, your parents will start to miss the days when you lived at school, and they'll wish they could cook one less meal and wash one less set of dishes. At that point, anything you do will be seen as an unforgivable sin, and they'll be annoyed just by looking at you.

The little wizards, who had been keeping themselves in the good boy/girl position at home, finally let loose at school. The mud fight on their first day gave them a great start to their long-awaited school life.

As for Professor Sprout's advice, "Watch your appearance, don't get all dirty in Herbalism class," it was long forgotten.

Loren was sitting on a soft chair in the Gryffindor common room, pondering the runes, his head down, his fingers circling as if simulating the drawing process.

Simo rushed downstairs, his footsteps making a thumping sound on the floor.

"Come quick, the Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff 'Mud Battle' is about to begin!" Seamus patted Loren on the shoulder eagerly, not giving him a chance to reply, and rushed out.

Who came up with such a ridiculous name as "Mud Battle"? Before Loren could even ask, Simo had already run off.

He looked up and glanced around. There were no more first-year wizards in the common room. Harry and Ron were not there, and even Hermione was not there.

"They wouldn't actually go to participate in this mud battle, would they?" Loren muttered to himself. Harry and Ron might be a possibility, but why would Hermione participate in such a game?

A smile gradually spread across his face. How could I be left out of something like this!

Loren ran out of the castle and caught up with the large army that was engaged in a fierce battle along the path to the greenhouse.

Although Seamus was referring to a school battle, only a small group of excited young wizards were actually participating. From afar, Dean and Seamus could be seen bustling about in the crowd, stomping their feet and splashing mud at those around them.

The scene was even more intense than yesterday. The participants were covered in mud and water, looking like mud figures. He could recognize Simo and Di'an by their distinctive skin color.

Seeing the chaotic mob of mud-covered figures, Loren hesitated. Hermione would never get involved in something like this.

"It's just a game, it's not worth sacrificing so much." He convinced himself not to participate in this battle.

With nearly half the journey completed, Loren didn't want to turn back to the castle now, so he carefully bypassed the combat zone and entered the greenhouse ahead of time.

In one corner of the garden, a spherical canopy covers the ground like a lid, defining a greenhouse.

There are three greenhouses in total, numbered from the outside in. First-year herbology classes are held only in greenhouse number one. In George's words, this greenhouse contains herbs that are not too dangerous, so the young wizards won't have to use their own fingers and flesh as fertilizer while tending to them. It's different in second year.

The doors to Greenhouses Two and Three were both tightly locked with heavy iron padlocks, and the occasional flashes of magical light from them proved that the unlocking spells were ineffective; the keys were only in Professor Sprout's possession. This vaguely confirmed George's words.

As Loren stepped through the doorway into the greenhouse, a wave of heat hit his face.

Nearly an hour before class was scheduled to begin, three or four young wizards were already seated on small stools in the greenhouse. Rolf, dressed in Hufflepuff's house robes, was engrossed in a garden, examining the daffodils blooming in winter, his wide sleeves and hem obscuring a portion of the garden.

Loren walked over and greeted him, "Good morning, Rolf."

"Hello!" Rolf raised his head and stood in front of Loren and Putai.

Loren leaned closer to examine the flower more closely. "Do you recognize what kind of flower this is?"

Rolf moved aside to block Loren's view, saying, "Silent narcissus, a variant of the trumpet narcissus."

The two people blocked and pulled at each other; one wanted to see, while the other refused to let him.

"It's just a daffodil, what's wrong with looking at it?" Loren grabbed Rolf's arm and pulled him aside.

"It's just a daffodil, what's so interesting about it?" Rolf grabbed Loren and tried to pull him aside.

Just as the two were secretly working together, Loren suddenly released his hands, looking embarrassed, and stared wide-eyed at Rolf's back. "Professor!"

"Oh no!" Rolf stiffened, turned around rigidly, and was about to explain with a mournful expression when he found that there was no one behind him.

Taking this opportunity, Loren quickly darted to the front of the garden platform to see what was so interesting about this daffodil.

The daffodils with their pure white petals and yellow stamens are pretty, but nothing particularly special.

What's beautiful is that on the green stems and leaves, a little green figure is rummaging among the leaves, occasionally pulling out a beetle and stuffing it into its mouth, squirting out juice.

"A Bowtruckle?" Loren watched the little figure eat the insect with great interest, thoroughly enjoying the sight.

"Are you satisfied now?" Rolf came over, his tone slightly annoyed and embarrassed.

Loren reached out and hooked his arm around Rolf's shoulder, reassuring him, "What's there to hide about the Bowtruckle? It's not like it's a dangerous creature."

Rolf twisted his shoulders and struggled a few times, but couldn't break free, so he finally gave up. "Yeah, if you had read the contents of the acceptance letter carefully, you would know that Bowtruckles are not pets that freshmen can bring."

The Hogwarts acceptance letter states that new students may only bring owls, cats, or toads as pets; Bowtruckles are strictly speaking not allowed.

"It's against school rules, as long as you don't get caught, it's fine."

Loren, experienced as he was, then examined the little figures on the daffodil stems and leaves. They had long arms and legs, and looked as if they were made of plant stems and leaves. "Do the Bowtruckles eat insects?"

"I can eat other things too, but my favorite is insects." Rolf had no way to deal with such a scoundrel.

Loren teased the Bowtruckle, pinching a blade of grass between his fingers. The little green creature bared its teeth at him, looking rather silly and fierce. Loren teased it even more enthusiastically: "Why do you have to feed it here?"

Rolf pulled aside the grass leaves that Loren had been teasing the hunchback tree. "The daffodil has gotten some bugs in the greenhouse. Little Barton can treat it."

"Is its name Barton?" Loren caught a few small insects and fed them to the Bowtruckle. The little creature rubbed against Loren's hand without any ill will, as if it knew that this person was a friend of its master and was not afraid of strangers at all.

"It always liked to fiddle with buttons, so my grandfather named it Patton," Rolf replied.

The two watched the tree-guarding bonsai eat, and before they knew it, time had passed, and more and more people were entering the greenhouse.

"Barton's back." Rolf reached out his hand, and the Bowtruckle crawled up his hand and into the pocket of his robe.

Loren returned to the Gryffindor group. The people who had been playing in the mud fight had all come in, but Hermione hadn't arrived yet. He looked towards the door with some worry.

"Have you seen Hermione?" Loren asked Harry and Ron beside him.

The two didn't participate in the mud fight, but they were accidentally caught in the blast as they passed by. Harry was using his half-baked Clean Up skill to clean his robes.

He wasn't very skilled with his spells yet, and could only clean an area the size of his palm each time, but after a few repetitions, he was almost done.

"We didn't see her either. She disappeared early this morning after breakfast. She probably lost track of time while reading. You know, she's Hermione, so it's normal." Ron answered Loren's question by stretching out his arms, revealing mud spots on his back, with his back to Harry.

Just before class started, Hermione jogged into the greenhouse, almost right after Professor Sprout.

Hermione stopped beside Loren, panting heavily. Her nose was red from the cold. The slightly warm temperature of the greenhouse and the running she had just done brought two blushes to the little witch's fair cheeks. There were tiny beads of sweat on her forehead, and a few stray strands of hair stuck to it.

It's obvious that they ran all the way from the castle just before class started.

"Where have you been?" Loren asked in a low voice, his eyes fixed on Professor Sprout, who was beginning his lecture.

"Huff~" Hermione was still catching her breath. "I, I'm here, huff~ Room of Requirement, huff~ Practice the Unseen Stretching Charm."

Loren didn't ask any more questions. He listened to the little witch beside him slowly calming her breathing, then turned slightly to the side to block her from the professor's attention.

After a while, Hermione recovered and sat up to listen attentively to the professor's lecture. Seeing this, Loren decided to save the questions for the practical exercise.

Professor Sprout's voice echoed in the greenhouse, "Today we'll continue loosening the soil for the hibernating plants, and while we're at it, we'll apply insect-repelling potions to some of the infested nursery beds. We'll save one insect-repelling spell for the third period this week..."

Halfway through the class, Professor Sprout distributed the potions, and the young wizards and their partners went to their respective assigned areas to begin practicing. The greenhouse buzzed with excitement as everyone chattered away.

"Why are you in such a hurry to practice the Seamless Stretch Spell?" Loren finally got the chance to ask this question.

"To make my beaded pouch as soon as possible." Hermione followed the professor's instructions, examining the soil around the styrax in front of her, poking it a few times with a small shovel to check the soil's firmness.

The soil they were responsible for was fairly loose. Following the professor's instructions, Loren shoveled three times per inch, then added, "There's no need to rush. I almost missed herb class. I can just make one for you after I finish mine."

That was his original plan; storage devices made with the Seamless Extension Mantra, enhanced by an alchemical array, would have superior performance.

"Focus on your work!" Hermione didn't continue the topic, and the small shovel moved quickly in her hands.

I know you can help me, but I just don't want to fall behind you. Only the little witch knows what's on her mind.

When get out of class ended, Professor Sprout assigned today's homework and left the greenhouse.

Loren was still nagging Hermione about the Unseen Stretching Charm.

Hermione looked at the dirty dirt on her fingers and thought about smearing it on Loren's face.

That evening, Loren and Hermione returned to the Gryffindor common room, having just come from the Room of Requirement.

Ron and Harry, dressed in their bathrobes, sat facing each other in a corner of the common room, playing wizard chess.

"See you tomorrow!" Loren said goodbye to Hermione and leaned over to see why Harry was asking for trouble.

Loren's shadow was cast onto the chessboard by the light, and the two players noticed the newcomer and looked up.

Harry exclaimed excitedly, "Loren, you wouldn't believe it! George and Fred gave me a new set of chess pieces that obey commands!"

"It turns out that the problem before was just with the pieces. I can now play against Ron on equal terms."

Loren paused for a moment after hearing this. What good could the twins possibly do by giving something away? He always felt that George and Fred had ulterior motives. He looked at Ron, wanting to hear his explanation.

"George found these pieces inside a Christmas firecracker—a brand new Wizard's Chess set." Ron explained the pieces' origin while directing them, "Pawns, advance!"

"Oh, you want to stack the three soldiers together, I see."

Harry was smug, thinking he had seen through Ron's tactics. "Knight, eat it."

It was actually going back and forth, something was wrong, very wrong. Loren took a few steps back and sat down on the soft chair next to him.

The difference between the two players was evident in their demeanor. Harry had his head buried in the table, completely absorbed in the game. Ron, on the other hand, leaned back in his chair, occasionally taking a sip of hot cocoa; he was more focused on Harry than the chessboard.

Moreover, Harry takes a long time to think before making a move, while Ron hardly thinks at all, and Harry can immediately follow up after making a move.

"This water must have filled the entire Atlantic Ocean," Loren thought to himself. He also had some doubts. Ron usually found this kind of game boring, so why was he patiently letting Harry win this time?

After a long while, the game of chess was finally over.

"General!"

Harry won by a narrow margin, his eyes brimming with excitement. "I knew it was a problem with the pieces before."

He happily skipped back to his dorm, intending to show off to Simo and point out that there was something wrong with Simo's old chess pieces.

Loren sat down next to Ron and asked suspiciously, "You haven't seen Harry all holiday, so you're willing to go easy on him and play chess?"

"hey-hey!"

Ron was tidying up the chess pieces when he realized he'd been exposed, and he couldn't help but laugh. "I've found a new, challenging way to play chess."

"Force a draw with him?" Loren watched Ron pack up the chess pieces.

The knight piece brandished its lance and poked Ron's finger in disgust, yelling, "Get lost! You're incredibly stupid today!"

Ron tickled the knight's horse's rump with his little finger, making the horse laugh so hard it trembled, and the knight was bounced around.

"Enough! I surrender, but you must defeat him tomorrow." The knight finished speaking and rode back to his position in preparation.

After tidying up the chess pieces, Ron slowly began to speak: "I'm guessing which move Harry will make when he plays chess."

"When I first started playing against him with all my might, I couldn't guess correctly. But later, when I found that we were playing back and forth, it became easier to guess correctly. At first, I could only guess where he would move next, but now I can guess the next three moves ahead."

Loren clicked his tongue in amazement. "Wow, Go has really given you some brains. You're doing data analysis right here."

Harry is truly pitiful; let's observe a moment of silence for him.

(End of this chapter)