Hogwarts: A little lion in the skin of the Eagle School

The Christmas holidays are here.

A huge Christmas tree was erected in the Great Hall of Hogwarts, its branches adorned with twinkling stars and singing bells.

White snowflakes were falling from the ceiling of the Great Hall of the People.

"Have you two finished packing?"

Hermione carried a suitcase with ease, and a cat carrier in her other hand, as she arrived at the Great Hall to find Harry and Ron.

"Everything's all packed and ready, just waiting for you."

Harry, who was chatting with Ron, looked up and smiled at Hermione.

Then they picked up their luggage and followed Hermione out of the castle toward the train station.

This year, all three of them chose to go home for the Christmas holidays.

This is the first time Harry has chosen to go home for the Christmas holidays.

Before, it was because I didn't want to go back to my uncle's house, but now it's because Sirius is back.

They agreed to go back together during the Christmas holidays. Sirius Black hadn't said where they would go yet, but Harry didn't care.

Since Harry was going back, Ron naturally wouldn't stay at the school either.

I stayed at school for the first two years to be with Harry.

Hermione, needless to say, goes back every year.

......

The Hogwarts Express started up, carrying the young wizards toward London.

Inside the train compartment.

"Are you going to stay at that kid's house for Christmas?"

Ron said in disbelief.

Just now, the group was chatting about their Christmas holiday plans.

Harry naturally hung out with Sirius, while Ron spent the holidays with his family at the Burrow.

When it was Hermione's turn, I thought she would say something like going on a trip with her family.

She then surprisingly said she was going to stay at John's house for a few days and wouldn't go home until after Christmas.

"Well, since my parents didn't come back for Christmas, I'll have to stay at his place for a few days until they get back."

Hermione said it casually, as if it were just an ordinary thing.

Ron opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything for a long time.

Has her relationship with John gotten that good now?

When the three of them usually acted together, John was rarely seen. So when...?

Oh, right, it seems like they haven't spent much time together this semester except for chatting during class...

After all, Hermione is either at the library or on her way to the library every day, so she doesn't really play with him and Harry...

I guess I got to know that Ravenclaw kid while I was studying.

Even so, I still feel like something's not quite right. My feelings are a bit complicated, but I can't quite put my finger on it.

Harry, however, didn't think it was a big deal and chuckled as he spoke.

"That John guy is pretty nice."

Hearing Harry's praise of John, Hermione unconsciously curled the corners of her lips into a smile.

But she still spoke in a rather irritable tone.

"You have the nerve to say that? Hagrid has been looking gloomy lately because of Buckbeak's situation, and you haven't even gone to comfort him."

"John was the one who helped me organize those documents and accompanied me to visit Hagrid."

Harry was momentarily speechless, scratched his head, and gave an awkward smile.

He hadn't been paying attention to Hagrid's situation lately because Sirius's matter had kept him from focusing on anything else, so he felt somewhat guilty about it.

"I'll definitely visit Hagrid when I get back!"

Harry immediately made a solemn promise.

Hermione nodded in satisfaction as she looked at Harry's serious expression.

......

The train moved slowly, and the scenery outside the window rushed past.

John and his group were also seated in a private room.

Although he and Hermione had agreed to stay at his house together, they didn't actually go anywhere together.

Their respective circles overlap somewhat, but they're not familiar enough to ride together.

So they only agreed to walk together after getting off the bus.

Titus and the others were talking about their usual holiday activities and what they planned to do this holiday.

John leaned against the car window, idly flipping through the magic weekly in his hand.

This thing doesn't seem to be official, which makes the news on it even more interesting.

The magical world has been unusually lively lately, with all sorts of news emerging one after another.

Minister of Magic Fudge, and Barty the Elder, Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

The two seem to be at odds, smearing each other in the Magic Weekly.

The weekly magazine was full of dirt on the two of them.

However, it seems that Minister Fouché still has a greater advantage.

Many people are condemning Barty the Elder and demanding that he be investigated by the Ministry of Magic.

Barty the Elder responded forcefully, claiming that investigating him was an insult to his decades of dedication to the Ministry of Magic and would cause irreparable damage to his reputation.

However, some people joked that he had a Death Eater son and had long lost his reputation.

Unexpectedly, Sirius Black's exoneration has caused so much trouble.

It's clear that the wizarding world is indeed a very complex and murky place.

John closed the weekly magazine and stopped paying attention to the matter.

If the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up; he should worry about going home.

After John made plans with Hermione to stay at her house, he sent another letter home, but like the previous two, he received no reply.

John was speechless. Could it be that his parents really didn't want him anymore?

I'm not worried about them getting into trouble. If something happens to their family members, Hogwarts will receive the news and then notify the students.

So there are only two possibilities: either Mom and Dad aren't home, or they never intended to reply.

I feel like both possibilities are quite likely...

......

After a journey of most of the day, the train finally arrived at London King's Cross Station.

The platform was bustling with noise. The young wizards had already changed into Muggle clothes and walked out from Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, mingling with the Muggles as they went their separate ways.

After saying goodbye to his friends, John waited for Hermione alone at the platform exit.

He saw Sirius Black when he got off the bus; he must have been waiting for Harry.

However, John did not approach them, but instead followed the flow of people and left the platform.

He only carried a backpack and didn't bring much else.

Not long after, Hermione came over with a suitcase in one hand and a cat carrier in the other. Judging from her strained appearance, it seemed that she had quite a lot of things in the suitcase.

Hermione smiled with relief when she saw John; finding a familiar face in the crowd had clearly put her at ease.

"Let's go, Hermione."

John saw that she was smiling and smiled back at her.

Then, very naturally, he reached out and took the suitcase handle from Hermione's hand, accidentally pinching Hermione's small hand in the process.

Hermione did not object to John's actions; she smiled and gave a soft "hmm."

John was taken aback when he took the suitcase.

Huh? It's not heavy?

In his mind, something that would make Hermione struggle must be very heavy.

The result was surprisingly light?

John looked at Hermione suspiciously, and Hermione turned her head away at the same time, feeling guilty and avoiding John's gaze.

He now strongly suspects that Hermione is deliberately pretending to be struggling so that he can help her carry her luggage.

Cunning woman!