I, Hogwarts Second Time Around.

Chapter 403 The Feelings of Hogwarts and the Approaching Christmas

"Ginny?" Hermione peeked out.

"She's probably on a date with Michael Corner," Susan said, glancing at the screen.

"Ginny?"

Ron couldn't catch his breath; the tapioca pearls in his milk tea were stuck in his throat.

His face turned red, and he coughed for a long time before Harry kindly patted his back and helped him swallow the pearl.

"What's she doing?" Ron asked angrily, turning around. His ears looked like two raw beef rolls. "Dating—my sister's dating? With which Michael Corner?"

"Yes!" Susan cut a piece of her steak with her knife, took a bite, and explained, "Aw Chang told me."

"Huh?" Harry was also surprised?

"When? When did she start?!" Ron roared.

Susan rolled her eyes at him. She continued casually, as if it were no big deal, "Just this year, two months ago, but they met at the Christmas ball last year. Then something happened, and she broke up with him. They just got back together recently."

"Michael Corner? The one with the dark skin?" Ron asked.

"Hmm—he's a potions genius, very talented, and one of the few Ravenclaw students who gets extra points from Professor Snape," Susan said.

"I don't like him!" Ron said without hesitation.

"Why do you like him?" Susan looked Ron up and down, seemingly recognizing that this Gryffindor was also a domineering and authoritarian individual. "It's not like you're dating him. You should spend your time thinking about yourself!"

"But—" Ron stammered, like a rooster with its throat stuck, craning his neck but unable to speak for a long time. It wasn't until he turned his head and saw Harry beside him that he blurted out, "Doesn't Ginny like Harry?"

Upon hearing this, Hermione immediately gave him an impatient look.

"Ginny used to like Harry, but she started to get disappointed in third grade. She was supposed to start dating other boys at the Christmas party last year, but then—after that incident in the kitchen, she… cough cough."

At this point, Miss Granger coughed twice, looking somewhat embarrassed.

His eyes involuntarily glanced at Irving beside him.

Owen immediately understood and looked at her with a strange expression.

"What's wrong?"

"Miss Granger, have you bewitched that young girl again?"

He looked at her teasingly, "You—how come you're so alluring to women?"

"No way—she's just scared and needs someone to rely on!" Hermione said firmly.

"Oh! Relying on someone?" Irving raised an eyebrow. "Sharing a sister, huh?"

I suddenly remembered Nefertari from Egypt.

I wonder what happened to that little girl in the end.

"What sister?" Hermione blushed, her eyes darting around quickly, then she immediately turned her attention to Harry, "It's all because you've been going to the Black Lake so often these past few months! What girl can tolerate that!"

And then there's Qiu Zhang. She used to have some feelings for you, but those feelings have completely disappeared in the last few months!

"I"

Ok.

Harry rubbed his head awkwardly.

Although he didn't lead the group, he and the boys did frequently go to play with the siren in the Black Lake over the past few months.

He had only just found out that Qiu Zhang had feelings for him.

Good heavens—what has he done!

Harry was filled with regret.

"Are Qiu and Ginny close?" he suddenly asked. "Maybe."

"Maybe what?" Hermione's eyes flashed with a dangerous light.

The stern warning tone made Harry involuntarily swallow.

"Apologize—yes—I intend to apologize to both of them. Hermione—I was just curious. It was a siren, something I'd never seen before. It's normal for a creature like that to attract the attention of wizards, isn't it?"

"Normal? You've been curious for three months now." Hermione ruthlessly exposed Harry's lie.

Harry's face stiffened, then he looked at Owen, and immediately had an idea. "It's Owen! Owen told me to bring those sirens back to Hogwarts. If I'm guilty just for looking at them, what about him?"

"Hmm?" Hermione immediately turned her gaze and looked seriously at Owen, who was engrossed in eating.

Is that so?

“That’s right.” Owen and Hermione exchanged a glance, then Owen nodded, admitting it directly. “I did it to boost the economy of Hogsmeade! If there were these sirens in the Black Lake, it would definitely attract wizards from other places to come and spend money here.”

"???" Harry looked at Owen in shock. Wow—that's a really novel reason.

I almost thought you were the Minister of Magic.

"Really?" Hermione bit her lip, her eyelashes trembling.

"Oh my god!" Owen exclaimed.

Then he turned his head and cupped her cheeks in his hands.

"Miss Granger, you don't think those sirens are prettier than you, do you?"

The boy stared intently at her.

Hermione felt a little embarrassed, but still pretended to be tough and said, "I don't think I'm prettier than them."

"But in my eyes you are much prettier than them," Irving said affectionately, "not just in appearance, but also in your soul."

Hermione blushed immediately.

She became hesitant and unsure how to respond.

Perhaps she shouldn't have responded.

Instead, she threw herself into his arms!

"Alright!" Ron pouted, his gaze still fixed on Susan. "You two can show off your love when no one's around."

Tell me about my sister!

"Okay!" Susan put down her spoon. She then began to give the boys a rundown of the girls' romantic history. "After Christmas last year, Michael pursued Luna for a while—but he didn't succeed—actually, I think Luna never realized that he was pursuing her. She told Michael a lot about the Minister of Magic secretly training a fire sprite army and horned snorkels. Michael thought she was a complete lunatic."

After that, he gave up pursuing Luna.

Later, he pursued Padma Petit, the Indian girl.

"We know she's Parvati Petit's sister, and one of the prettiest girls in the whole grade," Ron said impatiently.

They were twin sisters; the older sister, Parvati Petit, was assigned to Gryffindor and shared a dorm room with Hermione.

My sister, Padma Petit, went to Ravenclaw.

In short, it didn't work.

Padma Petit wasn't interested in that at all; she...

Afterwards, he went to chase after Qiu Zhang, but failed.

"Ha! Ha! Ha!" Ron exploded like a lit firecracker, "So he's just a playboy, and a nobody at that!"

Ron grew angrier the more he thought about it. "My sister is completely blind!"

After saying that, he stood up and sprinted out of the restaurant.

"Ron!" Susan called out, but Ron, who was already preoccupied with teaching Michael Conner a lesson, didn't hear her at all.

"What's the big deal?" Harry exclaimed. "That Michael Corner sounds like a jerk. What's wrong with Ron beating him up?"

"There's nothing wrong with that. Ginny has the right to choose her own boyfriend. She can't always revolve around you, Harry!"

Hermione, who was initially shy, immediately became angry after hearing Harry's matter-of-fact tone.

She turned to him and looked at him seriously. "Michael Corner confessed his feelings to Ginny before, but Ginny dumped him, so he went and pursued other girls out of spite."

"and--"

Moreover, Ginny had finally climbed out of Harry's quagmire. Hermione didn't really like Michael Corner either, but this was the first time she had a relationship with another boy. As a friend, she didn't want to see Ginny following Harry around, staring blankly at him, hoping he would change his mind.

Just like Harry is still foolishly waiting for Cho Chang.

They have such a good relationship, how could they possibly break up!

"But what I'm curious about is..." Owen looked at Susan beside him.

"How do you know so much about these things?"

As if remembering something, he asked, "I heard there's a secret club at school that writes vulgar and lowbrow articles."

"You're so resourceful, do you even know who's the mastermind behind that gang?"

"Crack!"

It's the sound of knives and forks scraping against plates.

Susan's expression froze for a moment, but she quickly masked it.

"What club? I don't know."

"Oh—you're the one behind it all, right!" Owen said decisively, never expecting that there was a traitor among them.

"I didn't—I'm not—don't talk nonsense." Susan immediately denied it three times in a row.

"Hmph!" Owen didn't press further, because he already knew from Susan's reaction that he had finally found a clue and would have plenty of time to nip it in the bud.

Next came mealtime.

Ron never came back.

About half an hour later, they got up and left.

Owen and Hermione went to the Wenrenju quill pen shop.

Hermione bought a black and gold pheasant quill pen.

This is probably a Christmas gift prepared for someone.

Hogsmeade Village has changed a lot, with many new shops opening up.

The two of them spent a long time choosing Christmas gifts until it got dark.

Half-asleep, the two arrived at the detached house with a yard.

But in the end they did not get in.

It's not that Irving suddenly became a gentleman and resisted the temptations of romance.

Unfortunately, a silly owl interrupted their ambiguous atmosphere.

He had already kissed Hermione on the cheek.

This area is part of the old Hogsmeade village. Very few people come here.

The courtyard wall is quite high, which can block some of the view from above.

This is definitely a great place for a date.

If it weren't for the cold weather and I wasn't wearing so many clothes

He felt the atmosphere was just right.

Just as he was embracing the little witch and preparing to push open the door...

Night fell, and an owl circled overhead, flapping its wings. It dropped a letter, which landed on the eaves in front of their house.

"Where did this silly bird come from?"

Irving was furious, his eyes blazing with anger, his mind already contemplating whether to burn him or steam him.

He threw the letter on the ground.

Then, glancing at the name on the letter, he obediently squatted down and picked it up again.

Seeing Owen's angry expression, Hermione smiled slightly.

Few things could annoy him so much, especially being interrupted like this—she blushed and pulled a bag of snacks from her pocket, which she had just bought at the Weasley's alchemy workshop.

Hermione took out a few pieces of dried beef from her package and handed them to the poor owl who was delivering mail so late at night.

The owl showed remarkable humanity in response to the little witch's kindness.

It nuzzled Hermione's palm before taking the jerky, then flapped its wings and flew away contentedly.

"Whose letter is this?" Hermione stuffed the package back into her pocket.

Then, quite naturally, she put her arm around the boy's and leaned closer.

"My grandfather!" Owen read the letter in his hand carefully.

I haven't been in touch with him for a year since he left for North America a few days before Christmas last year.

Even after the Battle of Poseidon, Owen did not receive a letter from him.

This makes Irving a little sad.

"Troublesome matters"

The information in the letter was extremely brief.

It is said that a similar mutation and infection has occurred at a huge underwater ruin in the waters near Brazil.

The Magical Congress of the United States and the Brazilian Ministry of Magic are conducting a joint investigation, but the injured and infected wizards need medical treatment.

The personnel have been delivered to Paris.

They hoped he would provide medical treatment, etc.

"What the hell—don't dig randomly if you don't have anything to do!" Owen angrily stuffed the letter into his pocket.

The South American marine ruins—needless to say, are divinely ordained towers.

Of the seven divinely ordained towers in the world, six remain besides the one in Italy, which has already been resolved.

It's not certain that all six of these sites contain parts of the Outer God's essence, but who knows what might be unearthed by reckless excavation! After all, there are several thousand of them.

"Forget it, who cares? If something goes wrong, America's there, isn't she? She's a superpower, after all; dealing with an Outer God should be a piece of cake," Owen muttered to himself.

Although the letter mentioned the infection.

But it should only be the initial infection.

Even if they were sent to Paris, they could be treated with Victor's inventions; there would be no need for him at all.

"What are you saying?" Hermione didn't hear Owen's muttering; she only sensed an unseen danger from the boy's suddenly furrowed brow.

"It's nothing—" Owen waved his hand and put his arm around her waist. "Well, you're really lucky today." He winked.

"but--"

He gently stroked her hair, his lips approached her cheek, lingered briefly, and then kissed her deeply.

The girl responded passionately, her lips pressed tightly against his, her limbs wrapped tightly around his body, as if she wanted to pour all her emotions into this kiss.

After a long while, they finally managed to loosen their grip a little.

Irving pressed his forehead against hers.

Did I ever say I love you?

"You can say it again," the girl said with a sweet smile.

"I love you."

The two embraced tightly, savoring this brief moment of happiness.

Snowflakes began to fall from the sky at some unknown time.

The snowflakes fell on them and immediately melted into water.

They seemed unable to withstand such intense heat.

————————————————————

The last day of the third week of December.

Owen got out of Hufflepuff's bed early in the morning.

Last night wasn't perfect, but it was still quite memorable.

I pulled back the covers. Above me, magical plants clung to the copper fireplace, singing a joyful song.

The bed curtains opened automatically.

Irving was in a good mood.

Then he was shocked by the letters scattered all over the floor.

"What's going on? Tomorrow is Christmas."

The floor was covered with a thick carpet, and a moving Christmas tree was painted on the stall.

Then, on this blanket, next to his bed, lay a layer full of letters.

Irving frowned.

I have a feeling that some trouble is about to come knocking.

He snapped his fingers, and all the letters beside the bed floated up, then came to his hand one by one.

Irving picked up a letter.

"Hospital--"

Another letter read, "Hospital—"

"Still at the hospital!"

The first few letters were hospital reports, saying that some patients' conditions had worsened and they hoped he could go back home.

The following dozens of letters were all thank-you notes from patients.

From all over the country.

In addition, there was a special letter because it had a strange badge on it, which was the emblem of Durmstrang School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

After tearing open the letter, it turned out to be from his maternal grandmother.

The whole thing can be summed up in one sentence.

Let him go home for Christmas.

"What the hell?" Owen examined it carefully and confirmed that it was his grandmother's notebook.

That's strange, has his grandmother really changed her personality?

Is she finally starting to make peace with herself?

After putting the letter away, Irving stood up.

Justin and Earl's luggage was already packed in the room.

He didn't see Zacharys Smith's luggage, but that was probably because he hadn't had time to pack it yet.

After all, the Hogwarts Express wouldn't arrive until the afternoon.

After a quick wash, Irving arrived at the lounge wearing a simple brown sweater.

Because of Christmas, the entire common lounge has been given a fresh new look.

The carpet had been cleaned and felt soft and fluffy underfoot.

The ceiling above was covered with colorful flowers. They were singing Christmas carols.

Countless candles floated in mid-air, and sunlight streamed in through the square skylight overhead.

The floating buckets are watering the flowers around the window.

"Are you all going home for Christmas?"

In front of the fireplace, Hannah and the others sat in the closest seats, talking by the fire.

Irving walked around the huge Christmas tree in the center of the room and came to the fireplace.

"I'm going back," Justin said first, then added with a hint of helplessness, "I invited Susan to my house, cough cough—my mom loves magical girls. She's always nagging me about inviting a witch home—"

Actually, the person his mother most wanted to see was Hermione.

"Hannah, what about you?" Owen asked, looking at Hannah again.

"My mother isn't well. She hasn't recovered from what happened with my aunt, so I need to go home to take care of her." Hannah looked up, the orange light shining on her couldn't hide the worry on her face.

"What's wrong? What illness?" Owen pressed.

"It's not that I'm sick. I'm just feeling listless," Hannah added.

"Hmm—" Upon hearing this, Irving had a rough idea of ​​what was going on.

She must be depressed, after all, she witnessed her own sister die in front of her.

There's not much that can be done to save him.

Or perhaps a forgetting spell could be used to make her forget that past?

No, no—in this situation, family companionship is more important.

"And you?"

"I'm not going home," Ernie said. "But I'm going to America."

"And you?" Hannah asked Owen. "What are your plans for Christmas?"

They all knew that Owen spent every Christmas at Hogwarts.

He lives alone.

He lived in an orphanage before meeting Grindelwald.

"My grandma is calling me home." He found an armchair and sat down.

"Huh?" Everyone looked at him in surprise.

"Where? In France?"

"Um."

"Wow, doesn't that mean we can go on a trip to Paris?" the other young wizards exclaimed excitedly.

"Hannah, are you going? You can take your mother with you to relax; it might help improve her condition," Owen suggested.

Hannah hesitated, frowning before pausing for a moment. "I don't know. I don't know if she'd be willing to go out for a walk."

"I see—" Owen wanted to say that she could go back and ask, and then send him a letter.

However, considering the speed of international mail, by the time he receives the letter, half of his holiday will have passed.

Hannah's family doesn't have a telephone. Instant messaging isn't possible.

However—it seems Hermione's fake Galleon can communicate instantly, but only very simply. If someone contacts it, the Galleon gets hot.

That's one way to do it.

With that in mind, Owen told Hannah about his thoughts.

She nodded, indicating that she would discuss it with her mother when she got home.

If she agrees, she will notify him using a fake Galon—now it should be the DA badge; if her mother is unwilling to go out, she will not contact him.

After making the arrangements, the group chatted about other things for a while before heading to the auditorium.

The auditorium has been completely renovated.

A huge Christmas tree was placed under the main seating area.

Magical little stars fell from the ceiling.

Colorful ribbons were hung on the door and the surrounding walls, creating a festive atmosphere.

Irving was eating at the long table in Hufflepuff.

A moment later, Harry and the others walked in.

"What's wrong with him?" Justin noticed that Harry seemed to be in a bad state today.

Irving also looked over.

He saw Harry arguing with Ron and Hermione about something.

His face was filled with fear and anger, and his brows were furrowed.

Seeing this, Irving suddenly had a bad feeling.

He didn't say much, and simply got up and walked towards the Gryffindor bench.

"Hey Owen, Merry Christmas," Ron greeted him.

He looked smug, probably because he ruined his sister's date yesterday.

"Harry, what's wrong?" Owen asked.

"He was scared by a dream," Hermione said lazily from the side.

"That wasn't a dream!" Harry shouted angrily. "I saw it, like I was right there next to him. Damn it—Professor Dumbledore isn't at the school, and Professor McGonagall said she'd contact him later."

But then it was too late—how could you not understand?

"Okay, Harry, what did you see?" Owen guessed that Harry had probably connected to Voldemort's soul network.

Speaking of which, ever since the third year—when the high priest used other people's souls to complete Voldemort's soul—although our senior Tom was no longer himself after that, Harry had never been able to access Voldemort's consciousness again—the last time was when Voldemort was resurrected in front of them at the top of Azkaban Tower, and Harry's scars started to hurt again.

This time, Voldemort's consciousness was inexplicably connected again?

Could it be that sixteen-year-old Tom has come back to life?

So it had a big impact on Harry?

(End of this chapter)