Legilimency

"Loren, get up!"

"Hermione's here to play!" Bates' aged but strong voice came from downstairs.

Loren, who had stayed up Dumbledore, was still half asleep, his mind a complete mess. He crawled out of his newly bought summer quilt, opened his eyes with difficulty, and glanced at the alarm clock on the table; it was exactly 7:30.

"What's Hermione up to? Even in the Granger house, people should just be getting up at this hour," Loren muttered to himself, closing his eyes as he fumbled to change his clothes.

When Loren came downstairs, Bates was combing her hair with a small comb, and the sound of mousse spray could be heard from time to time. Hermione was sitting on the sofa waiting for him.

"Good morning, Hermione." Loren yawned and plopped down next to Hermione, waiting for his brain to kick in.

Hermione pulled a study plan from her pocket. "We have to catch up on our studies. Yesterday, I actually opened the materials I brought back from school for the first time. It's terrible."

According to her usual schedule, she should have gone through all these books within a week of returning home, then marked the key points to memorize, practicing magic while memorizing them.

Before Loren could react, Hermione continued, "My plan is that we'll learn three key spells during the summer: the Freezing Charm, the Engorgement Charm, and the Counter-charms, which we've already discussed before."

"Wait, wait." The string of words gave Loren a headache. "Have you forgotten? We still need to practice the Patronus Charm and three Memory Magic."

"No, these spells are also on my schedule." Hermione pointed to the schedule and said, "Don't rush, just study according to my plan."

Who's in such a hurry...? Looking at the densely packed schedule, Loren thought that he might have low blood sugar since he had just woken up, and his vision was blurry.

"I need to go out and handle some property transactions." Bates walked out of the dressing room, his slicked-back hair complementing a brand-new linen suit. He looked energetic and charismatic despite his age.

He didn't speak to Loren, but earnestly instructed Hermione, "Please take good care of this boy for me, keep an eye on him, and don't let him cause any trouble."

Loren couldn't hold back any longer and protested loudly, "You're making it sound like she's my parent."

Bates ignored him, turned and went out. "You can cook for yourself. I put some change in the drawer by the door. You can spend it as you see fit."

Bang!

The door was closed from the outside.

"He's getting more and more unreliable," Loren complained.

"Grandpa Bates is a very interesting person," Hermione said with a smile.

Loren took the opportunity to change the subject, his mind also starting up, and he slipped on his slippers and went to wash up.

After a while, Hermione remembered the topic from earlier, and holding the schedule in her hand, she stood at the bathroom door and muttered, "It's important to preview the material for next semester, and we also need to squeeze in time to review the material from last year."

"Ugh, ugh..." Loren's mouth was full of orange-flavored toothpaste foam, and he couldn't speak clearly.

But Hermione understood, and she retorted, "Summer vacation? Summer vacation doesn't mean I can stop learning."

Loren spat out the foam, took a mouthful of water and gurgled it down his throat before spitting it out. He neatly arranged his toothbrush and cup and walked past Hermione: "Impossible. It's impossible for me to memorize such a huge book like you. Don't even think about it."

Hermione followed in Loren's footsteps, advising him incessantly. "Repeated recitation will deepen your memory and make your spellcasting smoother."

"That makes sense, but I won't memorize it."

Loren opened the refrigerator door, took out the leftover roasted lamb from last night, and came to the Kitchen. "Have you had breakfast? I'm planning to make some Italy."

"No need, I've already eaten." Hermione shook her head, chattering like a little swallow beside her. "Combined with spellcasting practice, you'll memorize it quickly. Give it a try."

Loren lit the fire, poured the mutton into the pot to heat it, and added some water and sauce. The aroma of spices and fat mingled with the meat, wafting up from the roasting meat once again. The steaming heat carried the fragrance, and the dry, tough meat absorbed the broth, becoming tender. He heated the roasted mutton into a pot of sauce.

On another gas stove, a pot of water was boiling. When Loren threw in the Italy, he glanced at Hermione, whose speech was gradually slowing down, and added an extra portion for one more person.

Loren used two small wooden sticks to pick up the Italy that had been boiled for 8 minutes and put it into two plates. He then poured plenty of lamb and broth over it, stirred it a few times, and the pasta was coated with the meat juice and dyed an enticing color.

Loren stuck the smaller portion on a fork and handed it to Hermione, Hermione stared blankly at it.

"Go ahead," Loren said.

Hermione blinked, unable to resist the temptation, and took the plate of noodles.

Hermione twirled a small ball of noodles with her fork and put it in her mouth. The meat juices, infused with the flavors of spices and sauces, clung to the noodles. The lamb, chilled overnight, had become even more flavorful, with a more subtle aroma.

Loren picked up a large clump with his chopsticks, slurped it into his mouth, and ate with great relish. After satisfying his craving, he began to tease Hermione, mimicking Hermione tone and saying, "No need, I've already eaten."

Hermione felt a slight pang of embarrassment. She knew Loren; the more embarrassed and annoyed she was, the more excited Loren became. She cleared her throat and asked a different question, "How come you use these kinds of cutlery?"

"It's convenient to eat noodles, so I learned it."

"Wow, that's impressive. It looks like it would be hard to control."

With the slurping sound of noodles going into her mouth, Hermione was stuffed again. She made a silent vow, "Hermione Granger, you can't go on like this."

When Loren returned after washing the dishes, he saw Hermione with a slightly protruding belly and a determined look on her face. He couldn't help but repeat himself in an even more exaggerated tone, "No need~ I've already eaten~"

"It's time to practice the Patronus Charm! We're going to try Memory Magic this morning." Hermione stood up abruptly, her face serious, and dragged Loren to the back courtyard to Patronus Charm.

"Before we begin, let's double-check." Loren stood ramrod straight, staring intently into Hermione's eyes. "Legilimency will not cause any harm and will not produce any irreversible effects."

After their daily Patronus Charm practice, the two prepared to begin practicing Legilimency and Occlumency. However, Loren felt guilty towards Hermione, fearing he might have some negative impact on her or cause her any harm.

Hermione, sitting across from Loren, sighed and said helplessly, "You've already repeated it three times. I'm the one being treated, so why are you more nervous than me?"

"We've already wasted a lot of time, and it would be impolite to delay any longer," Loren coughed. "Then, Legilimency."

He gently raised his right elbow, which was holding the wand. In fact, the Legilimency doesn't have high requirements for the wand trajectory or the casting gesture, and it doesn't even have high requirements for the spell itself.

It's more like something emanating from the soul, using the gaze as a medium to probe into another person's soul. A wizard who masters this spell can cast it imperceptibly, leaving no trace.

Hermione was unconsciously drawn to the crystalline blue in Loren's eyes. Following the speckled blue within, her consciousness seemed to be transported to a High Mountain, surrounded by an endless wilderness.

Memories surged within her, and every scene she had experienced seemed to resurface.

Loren sensed the presence of a vast, empty void, composed of countless images and sounds— Hermione's memories.

Before they could even check, this profound and mysterious state ended. They both regained consciousness, realizing they were in the living room, one sitting on the sofa, the other standing in front of her.