Dumbledore's Visit

"Occlumency!" Loren exclaimed in surprise. "You learned it so quickly?"

He saw that Harry hadn't learned Occlumency after a year of trying, and thought it was very difficult, but Hermione mastered it on her first try.

Hmm, is Harry just too simple-minded?

"No," Hermione explained helplessly, "It's because your Legilimency didn't work; the spell was interrupted halfway through."

In order to help Loren learn Legilimency as soon as possible, she did not resist at all, but instead cooperated very well, actively immersing herself in that state so that Loren could access her memories.

Loren rolled up his sleeves. "Then let's continue."

Loren spent his mornings practicing Patronus Charm and Memory Magic, and his afternoons reviewing the previous year's material. Under Hermione's supervision, Loren endured a day that was both painful and fulfilling.

As the sun set, Bates, returning from handling the property transfer, saw Hermione to the door and once again urged her to stay, "Are you really not having dinner at our house?"

"No, no, I have to have dinner with my mom and dad." Hermione waved her hands frantically in refusal, a faint blush on her cheeks barely visible in the glow of the setting sun.

She ate mutton noodles for breakfast and the unique "mutton soup rice pudding" that Loren mentioned for lunch. She was stuffed both times and couldn't eat like that for dinner again.

Hermione, Hermione, you can't do this again.

The girl shook her head and quickly returned to her home.

Bates watched Hermione's figure disappear with a smile, closed the door, looked at Loren lying on the sofa like a dead fish, and sighed with melancholy.

Bang!

Bang! Bang!

A knock on the door woke Loren, his head still foggy. He forced his eyes open and vaguely made out the hands of the alarm clock on the windowsill: 7:30.

"Grandpa Bates, if the house weren't on fire, let me sleep a little longer," Loren called out weakly.

"Loren! It's me, Hermione! Get up and practice your Patronus Charm!" Hermione's clear voice came from outside the door.

"Ah!" Loren groaned weakly and sat up in bed.

What a nightmare! Yesterday it was waiting for me downstairs, and today it just raided my bedroom.

He shook his head and got out of bed, dragging his soulless body to the door. He opened the door and saw Hermione standing prettily in front of it.

"This is way too early! If I remember correctly, Wendell and Monica should still be having breakfast right now." Loren strongly protested against this behavior that was preventing him from sleeping.

"Yes, I eat breakfast faster than them." Hermione pulled out the schedule again, referring to the text on it, and began to plan today's studies. "Your Patronus Charm progress is a bit slow. We should spend more time on the Patronus Charm, and then..."

Loren's vision began to blur again. He ignored Hermione and went downstairs. After getting downstairs, he looked around but didn't see Grandpa Bates. He asked in confusion, "Where's Grandpa Bates?"

"This afternoon we'll review Transfiguration and Potions Master— "

Upon hearing the question, Hermione stopped making arrangements, looked up, and replied, "Grandpa Bates said he has to deal with the bank and the fund today."

Let me take care of you...

Hermione didn't say the rest of the sentence.

Oh dear, another day of being dominated and tormented by Hermione... Loren felt a pang of heartache, and his vision blurred.

Listening to Hermione's tight and rigorous study plan, I mechanically washed up and brushed my teeth, lit the stove, made a baked bean dish with tomato sauce using canned beans, fried bacon with eggs and bread slices, and made a simple breakfast.

I divided the food into two portions, one large and one small, and handed the smaller one to Hermione before starting to eat it myself.

"I, I..." Hermione held the plate, the tempting aroma of the food wafting into her nose, making her mouth, stomach, and brain scream with cravings, but she couldn't bring herself to say the words of refusal.

She quietly added another breakfast to her plate, and once again ate until her belly was bulging.

Hermione, Hermione, you must never do this again tomorrow...

On the sofa in the living room, Hermione sat upright, looking directly into Loren's eyes, her mind captivated by the enchanting deep blue.

An invisible bond connects the two, and the contents of their memories are passed on through this bond.

Suddenly, Hermione relaxed her posture, as if the invisible bond that had been holding her together had snapped.

"So, how much did you see this time?" Hermione asked curiously, as she was very interested in how Legilimency worked.

Loren frowned and said uncertainly, "I think I saw what you looked like when you were a child, but only a few fleeting images."

From being disconnected before I could even start checking yesterday, to being able to see fragmented images today, even Voldemort would have to admit that Loren has the talent to Legilimency, very suitable for manipulating people's hearts.

But Loren and Hermione were not very satisfied. Hermione said with a serious expression, "We still failed. We didn't even reach the first stage."

"Based on the information you've summarized, the next stage of Legilimency involves searching for the content one needs from the other person's memories, probing their emotions, and even reading their thoughts, much like mind reading."

Loren was amazed by Hermione's ability to memorize information and suddenly had an idea. "If you memorize the information and I read your memories, can I memorize the information too?"

"Stop dreaming." Hermione rolled her eyes at him slightly. "Let's continue. Let's get back to practicing. Once you've mastered Legilimency, I'll start practicing Occlumency."

The morning session consisted of Patronus Charm and Memory Magic, while the afternoon was dedicated to reviewing the previous school year's material. Hermione planned that they would spend a week reviewing the material, and would continue to review it from time to time afterward.

Although Loren didn't accept Hermione's method of memorizing and reviewing, and instead slacked off in his own way, he still managed to keep up with the pace.

Once again, the golden afterglow of the setting sun draped everything in sight in a shimmering golden coat. Under Bates's reprimand, Loren had no choice but to send Hermione back to Granger house.

At first, both of them felt that since it was such a short distance, there was no need to be polite and they didn't need to care about false courtesy.

But when you actually walk this path together, it doesn't seem so bad.

They hadn't spoken a word all day during their studies. Bathed in this light, they both enjoyed this short stretch of path, savoring the tranquil time without having to exchange magic or discuss spells.

Before they knew it, the two had arrived at Granger house.

Loren looked up, feeling he should say something, but words seemed insignificant. Finally, he smiled brightly and said, "The sunset is beautiful today."

"Yes, it's beautiful." Hermione smiled as well.

Life would be better without that rigorous study schedule, Loren hummed as he walked back.

As the sky gradually darkened, he walked through the empty streets and returned to his front door.

He turned his head and saw Dumbledore standing in front of the mailbox.

Dumbledore, dressed in a white, thin robe, with a beard that was combed even more neatly than his hair hanging down his chest, stood in front of the mailbox waiting for him.

Loren's face lit up with surprise. "Headmaster Dumbledore!"

"The sunset is beautiful today, and the moon will be beautiful too, won't it?" Dumbledore said with a smile.

Ignoring the teasing in the remark, Loren did the math and realized that tonight was the Full Moon, and he had almost been too busy to attend to it.

He quickly opened the door, pulled the man inside, and as soon as they entered the living room, he shouted, "Grandpa Bates, Headmaster Dumbledore I told you about, is here!"

After a lively introduction and greeting, the three of them sat down on the living room sofa.

"Grandpa Bates, Headmaster Dumbledore is here to treat Werewolf Disease."

With great excitement, Loren introduced the technique, speaking several times faster than usual, "A simple magical ritual will prevent you from transforming for the next few years."

Bates had always thought that at nearly 80 years old, he no longer cared whether the disease was curable, but when hope actually appeared before him, he was still filled with nervousness and excitement.

He sat upright on the sofa, his hands resting on his knees and rubbing them incessantly, forcing a smile. "Is that so?"

Loren found it amusing to look at Grandpa Bates like this. He bent down to pour tea for the two old men and left the situation to Dumbledore.

"Yes, don't be nervous. With just a simple magical ritual, we already have successful examples." Dumbledore said with a kind smile.

"Before that, we need to relax," Dumbledore said in a gentle tone.

"Oh, relax, relax, I know." Bates ' hands continued to rub his knees.

"Let's have a chat," Dumbledore, looking sincerely into Bates ' eyes. "I heard you met an interesting wizard on your travels. How about we talk about that?"

When the topic turned to familiar territory, Bates became less nervous, and her voice brightened. "Haha, back then I was..."

Loren, who was deeply studying Legilimency these past two days, noticed a strange fluctuation that was transmitted from Dumbledore to Grandpa Bates and then quickly back to Dumbledore.

"... He even taught me how to smile more charmingly, hahaha, you wizards are all different from what I imagined—"

Bates ' voice gradually softened and slowed, then he closed his eyes, collapsed onto the sofa, and fell into a deep sleep.

"The old wizard's little trick, a bit of soul guidance, doesn't even qualify as Stunning Spell." Dumbledore winked at Loren. "But you can rest assured, his memories haven't been lost or altered in any way."

Loren grinned.

Dumbledore brought the materials needed for the ritual, and Bates was free from Nagini's interference. As the full moon emerged from the clouds, they quickly completed the ritual and the Human Transformation Spell.

Loren placed the unconscious Bates on the sofa and returned to the courtyard to accompany Dumbledore to admire the moon.

The courtyard was still bare, and the bright moonlight shone directly on the soil, revealing a different scene.

The two sat on the stone bench, feeling the cool, refreshing summer night breeze that carried the scent of grass and trees from afar, then swept past them and drifted further away.

"Want to go next door and see Hermione and her parents? It's very close, and Hermione will be very happy to have your visit," Loren said cheerfully, swinging his legs.

The burden that had been weighing on him from the beginning has finally come to an end, and he feels lighter than ever before.

Dumbledore shook his head. "No need to rush. I believe there will be many more opportunities to meet in the future. Besides, as the headmaster, I still have a lot to do."

Loren didn't believe it. "Isn't Hogwarts all run by Deputy Headmaster McGonagall? What are you trying to do?"

Dumbledore laughed heartily for a while, "It was Minerva proposed Hogwarts ' independent jurisdiction. At the Board of Governors, she ruthlessly pointed out the ideas of some dark wizards and Death Eater. The Ministry of Magic also wanted to take advantage of the situation, and various forces fueled the fire, launching a major purge."

"The Ministry of Magic has begun seizing contraband, mainly Dark Arts items. Hogwarts Castle and Pure-blood Families are both within the scope of the investigation. Even families like the Malfoy are not immune. Draco's father used a lot of connections to buy himself some time to move the contraband items out of the country."

"Minerva secured a compromise between the Ministry of Magic and the Board of Governors. If Hogwarts is without problems, but some members of the Board of Governors are not so clean, Hogwarts ' autonomy will be perfectly legitimate."

"I can't leave Hogwarts Castle for too long in preparation for a surprise inspection by the Ministry of Magic." Although he said this, Dumbledore showed no sign of tension. "Although there are many secrets hidden in the Castle, I don't think they can find anything out. It's just that Minerva doesn't want any surprises."

"You see, what should have been a simple matter has become complicated because of interests. Hogwarts wants independence, the Board of Governors wants more authority, and the Ministry of Magic of Ministry of Magic wants more power."

Dumbledore sighed, patted Loren on the shoulder, and said with encouragement, "Minerva will be a great headmistress in the future."

I'm just a first-year student, why are you telling me all this in detail... Although Loren was puzzled, he didn't ask.

Loren avoided the topic of power and profit, instead asking his magic mirror, "Headmaster, did you ask about the Unicorn Horn for me? What did Hagrid say? Is there any hope?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "Unicorn value their horns as highly as human heads. No one wants their head to be used as material."

"I also asked Hagrid, and he told me to advise you not to touch their horns unless you want to incur the wrath of the Unicorn Tribe."

Loren was somewhat discouraged; it seemed he would have to think of another way.

"But--"

Dumbledore's change of heart rekindled his hope. "You can go to Windsor Castle in Muggle and inquire about it."

"Muggle? How could Muggle have anything to do with Unicorn?" Loren asked.

"If you live long enough, you will naturally learn some secret information, and Muggle are not weak creatures."

Loren wanted to ask for more details, but Dumbledore said no more. He stood up, straightened his robe, and winked at Loren: "Seeing how well you and Miss Granger are learning, I believe you will soon be able to learn the Patronus Charm."

"I have to go back now. See you when school starts."

After saying that, his figure disappeared from the spot with a "whoosh".