The Granger House

Hearing this, the Mr. and Mrs. Granger felt immensely proud, and their conversation with Dumbledore became even more enthusiastic.

Mr. Granger, in his excessive curiosity about the magical world, apparently forgot to open the bottle and insert the straw. Mrs. Granger, too, didn't notice.

Dumbledore, but he had to maintain the duties and demeanor of a headmaster, mainly because he was unfamiliar with how to drink this Muggle beverage.

Loren couldn't help but laugh when he saw Dumbledore glancing at the cola every now and then.

He tapped the table lightly with his wand, and the caps on the five glass bottles popped open with a "pop," then transformed into straws and inserted into the bottles through Transfiguration.

The Mr. and Mrs. Granger looked at Loren in amazement, Wendell's eyes shining with curiosity.

Loren looked up and smiled shyly, "I'm a little thirsty."

He picked up the glass bottle, took a sip of cola, and let out a satisfied sigh.

"How convenient!" Wendell exclaimed.

Seeing the demonstration, Dumbledore happily followed suit and took a sip.

Carbonated drinks are much more stimulating than fermented sparkling wine; countless tiny bubbles fill the mouth, and the cool, sweet taste slides down into the stomach.

Delicious!

The old wizard narrowed his eyes and silently added the drink to his shopping list.

"Your lives are just as enviable," Dumbledore said sincerely.

The adults chatted for a while, mostly asking about Hermione's situation at school. Dumbledore praised her generously, making the Mr. and Mrs. Granger smile.

The only regret was that Wendell's curiosity was not fully satisfied. Whenever Wendell wanted to ask some strange questions, Monica would always interrupt him in time.

After finishing his Coke, Dumbledore soon took his leave.

"Have a wonderful summer vacation!" Dumbledore stood up, winked at Loren and Hermione, and glanced at the Coke packaging several times, as if trying to memorize it.

They then left the cabin after being seen off by the Mr. and Mrs. Granger.

Loren knew without a doubt that Dumbledore had gone to the Muggle store to buy Coke after leaving.

He was initially a little nervous about being left alone at Granger house, but Dumbledore's interruption made him relax.

The Mr. and Mrs. Granger seem to be kind and easy-going people, and should be easy to get along with.

Monica looked at the two children and thought that it would be easier to communicate with children of the same age, and she made a plan.

"Wendell, drive me to buy some things. We'll have a big meal tonight to treat our little guest," she said loudly, so that the two children inside could hear her.

Wendell gave her a strange look. The nearest supermarket wasn't far away, so why drive?

He was about to ask a question when Monica grabbed him and pulled him out the door.

"Hermione, entertain your friends and tidy up the Second Floor."

Hermione heard her mother's voice coming from afar, mixed with her father's feeble struggles.

Hermione tilted her head. They had gone shopping in the mall in the morning, had lunch at a restaurant, and returned in the afternoon. It was indeed almost time for dinner.

Only two children remained in the huge house.

Hermione's smile never stopped from the moment she saw Loren. She knew Loren would be coming, but she didn't expect it to be so soon!

"How come you're here so fast..." Hermione's excited voice paused for a moment, "I mean, I didn't expect you to come so quickly."

"Hogwarts Castle is almost deserted. Grandpa Bates hasn't returned yet, Dumbledore sent me here." Loren was very worried. Grandpa Bates was no longer the Grandpa Bates loved him so much.

He took a big gulp of cola to soothe his wounded soul.

"Oh, this is really..." Hermione tried to look regretful. "It's so pitiful."

A smile crept across her face, her heart overflowing with joy. Though it was somewhat immoral, Hermione sincerely hoped that Grandpa Bates would enjoy his trip and stay for a few more months before returning so soon.

That way, Loren might be able to stay at her house for the entire summer.

She was never very sociable when she was in school and didn't have many friends. After going to Hogwarts, she completely lost contact with her classmates there.

Although the children have their parents with them during the holidays, they still miss out on a lot of fun compared to other children who play wildly together during holidays.

Building blocks together, trimming flowers and plants together, eating ice cream together...

Hermione was very excited; she now had her own friends for the holidays!

"Come on, let's tidy up your bedroom for tonight!" Hermione grabbed Loren's hand and ran upstairs.

The Granger house's villa is a three-story house. The first floor, besides the usual living room, Kitchen, and dining room, also has an office, a study, and Hermione's playroom. The Second Floor has two bedrooms, Hermione's playroom, Hermione's study, and the Mr. and Mrs. Granger ' office. The Third Floor is mainly used for storage.

The villa is clearly too big for the Granger family of three, with many rooms unused. Perhaps the Mr. and Mrs. Granger will have other children in the future, but they have no plans to at the moment.

Seeing Hermione's joyful smile, Loren was also infected by her happiness. The Mr. and Mrs. Granger were easier to get along with than he had imagined.

He asked, "Which room do we need to clean?"

Hermione pointed a pale finger to a white wooden door. "Come with me."

She pushed open the door. "This is my toy house, but all my toys can fit in the room on the first floor, so I use it to store other things."

As a girl who loved reading since childhood, she didn't have many toys. Her books were all kept in the study, which was mainly used to store her handicrafts.

The walls that greeted Loren's eye were adorned with a dazzling array of paintings, the brushstrokes childlike and full of innocence. Most depicted maple leaves and trees, while others were children's drawings of a family of three. Scattered around were shopping bags folded from plastic bags into thin strips, and woolen figurines of cats and dogs...

There was even a stethoscope.

From these works, Loren seems to see that little Hermione, with her cute little face, carefully and earnestly doing her handicrafts.

"Your craft class grade must also be an O," Loren exclaimed.

Although she received praise for displaying her childhood artwork, Hermione still felt a little shy.

"Stop looking!" she said. "Move these things to the storage room on the Third Floor. This room will be your temporary bedroom."

Loren was very disappointed upon hearing this. "I thought I could sleep in the same room as you."

Hermione was so embarrassed that she punched Loren hard, which brought back the familiar atmosphere between the two.

Hermione dragged out several cardboard boxes from somewhere and put the handmade items into them one by one, intending to stack them neatly and carry them upstairs.

Loren tugged at Hermione's clothes, gesturing for her to step back, "We're wizards, you know."

Loren waved his wand, and the handicrafts lined up and jumped into the box on their own, but the paintings remained on the wall.

"Let's leave the painting on the wall as decoration," Loren thought that was a good idea.

"No!" Hermione, driven by shame, rejected the suggestion and put all the paintings away.

Using Floating Charm, the cardboard box flew into the Third Floor storage room. With a Cleaning Charm to finish, the room was cleaned up.

Hermione looked around the empty room, clapped her hands, and was filled with anticipation for her holiday. "When Dad comes back, we just need to buy a bed and a table!"

Loren felt uneasy. Free food and lodging was one thing, but to buy such expensive furniture just for his short stay seemed inappropriate. Even if the Mr. and Mrs. Granger didn't mind—the money wouldn't be a problem for them— Loren couldn't get past his own conscience.

He hesitated for a moment, then said to Hermione, "I'd like to see your room."

"It's right next door!" Hermione, oblivious to Loren's thoughts, happily pulled Loren to see it. She had specifically chosen this room, which was next to her bedroom.

After breakfast, Hermione was dragged out by her parents to dress up as a doll all day. She didn't have time to make her bed, and the bed was a mess.

After pulling Loren inside, Hermione belatedly blushed, but it was too late for regrets.

Loren looked at the style of the bed, then at the desk and bookshelves, and had a plan in mind.

Hermione stared at her slippers, her toes twitching. The little Witch wanted to burn the blankets with Fire Charm and, incidentally, put her learning of the Memory Charm on her agenda.

Before Hermione could even feel a little smug after leaving the room, she saw Loren use Transfiguration to conjure a bed, desk, and bookshelves according to the layout of Hermione's room.

Even the carpets are exactly the same.

Hermione's feelings became complicated. This Transfiguration was truly impressive, but Transfiguration wasn't permanent and required regular maintenance. Once Loren left, the place would revert to its original state. She still hoped that Loren would have a place here permanently.

With this in mind, Hermione brought over her spare sheets and blankets.

"These have to be real to keep you warm," Hermione said earnestly to Loren, then climbed into bed and laboriously spread out the sheets.

Loren looked at the bright summer sun outside, shook his head, and climbed up to help Hermione tend to the plants.

Perhaps it's Granger house tradition; just as her parents disagreed with Hermione using magic to shrink her front teeth, Hermione believes that real sheets and blankets are more comfortable.

Without magic, making the bed was too tiring for the two children. They both tried to make sure everything was tidy, but each of them kept moving things, which only made things worse.

After working for an unknown amount of time, Hermione and Loren slumped onto the carpet, leaning against the bed to rest.

A few strands of Hermione's hair were stuck to her forehead and the corners of her mouth; she was too lazy to fix them.

Loren's body hadn't been enhanced, so he was even more tired, panting heavily.

"Cola, Accio!" Loren waved his wand, his lazy voice ringing out.

The half-finished Coke bottle on the first-floor table flew up, swayed a few times, flew over the stairs, into their room, and landed in Loren's hand.

Because he had summoned the briefcase countless times while inscribing magic circles in the Alchemy Laboratory, he had become very proficient in using this Summoning Charm.

Loren took a sip and let out a satisfied sigh.

Hermione blinked, looking at the cola. She wanted a drink too, but her Summoning Charm wasn't quite there yet, and she didn't want to go down and get it.

Hermione shrugged and bumped into Loren next to her, letting out two whimpers.

Loren looked at her with feigned ignorance.

Hermione stared wide-eyed.

Loren suppressed a laugh and stared at her blankly.

If it were the beginning of the semester, Hermione would have thought Loren was genuinely confused, but after a year together, she had long since seen through his true colors.

Hermione didn't tolerate him at all. She snatched the Coke, pulled out the straw, and gulped down the rest of the Coke straight from the bottle.

Loren stared in astonishment at the empty bottle, while Hermione looked at Loren triumphantly. The two of them grinned and laughed heartily.

This was a feeling Hermione had never experienced before. She had no siblings, nor any friends to invite over. Her parents doted on her, and from a young age, she could eat whatever she wanted, as long as it wasn't excessive and wouldn't damage her teeth.

Therefore, this bottle of cola that I snatched from someone else tasted incredibly delicious, and I felt a sweet warmth in my heart.

Hermione thoroughly enjoyed this moment and was very talkative. She pulled Loren aside to chat about all sorts of things, including that Loren would probably stay for two weeks and that they would go camping in Dean Forest.

Loren brought up the three bottles of soda water from below, but Hermione and the Mr. and Mrs. Granger didn't touch them while they were on the table. At first, they drank with straws, but later they both started drinking directly from the bottle, and finally they split the last bottle in half.

Their bellies were round and full from drinking, their mouths tasted sweet, and their laughter never stopped.

"Hermione! We're back!" A voice suddenly came from downstairs.

Hermione and Loren exchanged a glance, hurriedly stood up, and prepared to go downstairs.

Hermione stood up and realized she had some stomach discomfort. She looked miserable and pitiful, saying, "Oh no, I'm going to get yelled at if I can't eat dinner tonight."

Her tummy was already bulging, filled with soda.

Hermione's family had always been very restrained in their consumption of beverages, but under Loren's influence, Hermione unknowingly made a mistake.

"I'm a guest at your house, your parents definitely won't scold you," Loren said with a smile, though he himself was full of nausea.

"No..." Hermione groaned twice, feeling her bloated stomach. She didn't want her parents to think that Loren was a bad child who had corrupted her by making her drink beverages as soon as she arrived.

Loren suggested, "Then stand up and walk around, and you'll be fine once you pee."

Hermione blushed when she heard this and punched him lightly.

After hiding the beverage bottle, the two went downstairs to greet the Mr. and Mrs. Granger.

The sun outside is moving westward, not yet setting, and the clouds on the horizon are slowly igniting, turning from pale yellow to orange. The setting sun is about to burn out a fiery red haze of clouds.

The Mr. and Mrs. Granger carried the bags and packages inside and into the Kitchen.

Hermione could tell at a glance that tonight's dinner was very lavish, and her face grew even more bitter.

"Hermione, how's the house coming along?" Monica called out from the Kitchen. "Wendell, go check it out and call the furniture store to order some things. They should be able to deliver them."

The couple had already discussed it on the way, intending to be considerate of Loren's feelings and prevent him from feeling self-conscious or embarrassed. All their actions were natural, treating Loren like Hermione.

Wendell asked for the room details, smiled, and went upstairs. He was going to measure the dimensions so he could call and place an order.

Hermione's mind was completely elsewhere. She tried to urinate and empty her tummy, but it was no use.

Watching her father disappear upstairs, Hermione cried out anxiously, "Loren, what should we do?"