The Spring of 1993 Had Arrived

Professor McGonagall graded the papers more slowly than they had expected, and she did not reveal any information about the grades in either the Transfiguration class or the Transfiguration Club.

On the first weekend of February, Lee Jordan, who was skating on Black Lake, fell into an ice hole and was eventually lifted ashore by the tentacles of Giant Squid.

This event signaled the beginning of the thawing of the frozen Black Lake, heralding the arrival of spring in 1993. A few months later, the reappearance of the Giant Squid elicited cheers from the young wizards.

With the snow completely melted and the ice and snow gone, the stone walls of Hogwarts warmed slightly under the warm sun, making people realize that the temperature was gradually getting warmer.

Dusk, in the Third Greenhouse.

Loren, Harry, and Ron had just finished checking the growth of the Mandrake.

After getting away from the Mandrake, they took off their gloves, put their gardener's aprons and earmuffs back in the tool shed, leaving only their boots on. The three of them stretched out their legs and lay down at the Greenhouse entrance to sunbathe, waiting for Hermione there.

"I had asked Neville to stay and help us, but he seems to have forgotten about it and ran off as soon as class ended." Ron tilted his head back, letting the golden sunlight shine on him more fully.

Harry swung his feet, the hard soles of his gardener's boots making a dull thud. "He's probably too anxious. Professor McGonagall's exam results haven't been released for months, and Neville is having trouble sleeping."

"It seems like he's anxious about more than just his exam results..." Loren was already lying down, squinting his eyes to feel the afterglow of the sun. Even with his eyes closed, he could feel the crimson glow.

"What's the meaning?"

"Speak up!"

"You only say half the story..."

Harry and Ron pressed for answers a few more times, but to no avail, so they gave up. They ended up lying lazily on the floor with him, looking like three salted fish basking in the sun, their bodies mingling with the faint smell of fermentation emanating from the Third Greenhouse.

"What do you think Hermione's been up to lately? We can never find her when she's not in class." Harry twisted his neck and moved to a more comfortable position.

"Ha!" Ron thought his guess was very reasonable. "She must be learning Animagus behind our backs. When Professor McGonagall announces the exam results and Hermione gets first place, she will stand up and tell us that she has actually learned Animagus."

"Then she'll turn into a little squirrel, or a little lion..." Loren was lost in his fantasy, completely unaware of the impending danger.

"Yeah?"

Hermione's mocking yet threatening voice rang out above them, and the next moment, the glow of the setting sun was blocked by a long-haired figure.

Harry and Ron sat up abruptly, pointing simultaneously to Loren on the far right, and said in unison, "It has nothing to do with us, he's the one who said it."

Loren looked completely bewildered.

Hermione grunted twice, pulled Loren up from the ground, and vigorously slapped off the grass and dirt stuck to the back of his robe, making a great fuss. However, the cloth absorbed all the force, and Loren felt no pain.

The two stood close together. Loren's nose twitched. He could easily smell the little Witch's scent, which included the scent of a girl who had just started to sweat, as well as a faint scent of Gillyweed essence.

Despite her attempts to conceal it, Loren still detected the scent. He subtly moved closer to Hermione, trying to see if she had any recently healed wounds or other clues...

Harry got up to lock the Greenhouse, and because he was skilled at it, Professor Sprout gave him a key.

When he returned, Loren's robes were clean, and after changing out of his gardener's boots, the four of them set off together on the road back to the Castle.

The sun had been completely obscured by the distant mountains, leaving only a large area of gradient color from orange to red on the horizon. Like the Gryffindor color on the little wizard's sash, the shadows, lengthened by the setting sun, danced with each step, like burning flames.

Ron chuckled and continued teasingly, "Seriously, Hermione, you don't want to end up like Percy. Prefect, student council president, first in every subject, Tom Riddle too, it sounds awful."

"From what you've said, the results above seem to be some bad news. If Percy knew his own brother was saying this about him, he would be very upset."

Hermione spoke up for Percy in a slightly hurt voice; she was in a good mood today.

As she spoke, Hermione slapped Loren's robe again, purely to tease him. When he gave her a reproachful look, Hermione immediately adopted a serious expression:

"Tell me about your work. Professor Sprout has been having you take care of the Mandrake a lot lately. How are your ears?"

"In fact, the Mandrake are rapidly leaving their childhood stage; they're becoming somewhat taciturn." Ron kicked a small pebble away.

"Not entirely. Some of the precocious Mandrake have already entered their rebellious phase, and they are unpredictable. If they discover that someone is not wearing earmuffs, they will definitely learn a lesson they will never forget."

With each step, the four of them caught up with the pebble again, and Harry added a kick.

Hermione kicked it too, her kick going the furthest. "This is good news. According to the information, once they develop pimples and heal, we can give them a bigger pot and wait for them to mature."

"Then you can cut down the Mandrake and boil it into soup."

Loren noticed no signs of injury on Hermione, and feeling relieved, he kicked the pebble away.

Hermione: "..."

Harry and Ron: "..."

Meeting their puzzled gazes, Loren asked, "Is there a problem?"

Harry's expression was complicated. "You know, this sounds a little cruel."

What happened next was almost even more cruel. On February 13th, the night before Valentine's Day, Loren and the others had finished dinner and were enjoying a sweet dessert pudding.

"Don't say I didn't warn you, tomorrow don't go to the Black Lake, don't go into the bushes in the courtyard, and don't go into any abandoned classrooms," Seamus said listlessly.

Harry swallowed the last bite, then turned his head to look at him in confusion. "Why?"

"Because you don't know which couples will be secretly kissing in which places," Loren answered for him.

The surrounding young wizards heard this and simultaneously let out secret laughs.

"You guys think they should be bolder, right?" Sirius Black walked over from the side and sat down between Harry and Ron as if they were old friends.

Quidditch, Flying Car, Flying Motorcycle... they've been playing together for almost a month and have gotten to know each other well.

Sirius Black's eyes still had some bloodshot streaks, but his pupils were bright and he looked quite energetic.

Loren wasn't surprised; the illusion only gave Sirius Black nightmares, not completely deprived him of sleep, which wasn't a big problem for a wizard.

"What do you mean, Sirius—" Ron paused, "Professor Black."

"Take a look at this. It must have been left by your Professor Lockhart." Sirius Black pulled a beautifully wrapped letter from his pocket.

Harry and Ron immediately crowded around and spotted the signature on the envelope. "The Dwarf Choir?"

Sirius Black raised his chin, gesturing for them to continue reading, while he himself reached into his pocket, pulled out a curved tin can, and took a sip.

Noticing Loren's scrutinizing gaze, Sirius Black, realizing he had just acted like a drunkard, laughed and explained, "It's a potion that Madam Pomfrey helped prepare, diluted Wit-Sharpening Potion and other stuff, I'm not really sure."

"I don't think I've adjusted to life as a professor yet. I'm not sleeping well and I'm worried about affecting my classes, so I use this to stay awake." Sirius Black took another sip as he spoke.

Hermione's lips were pressed into a straight line, and even the strawberry pudding didn't taste good anymore. She cautiously glanced at Loren beside her, and seeing that his expression was normal, she inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief.

"I wonder when Dumbledore will be able to find out the results," Hermione thought to herself. She thought Loren was a good person, and the new Professor Black was also very nice...

Beside them, Harry and Ron had already finished reading the letter, both wearing expressions that were hard to describe.

"According to the letter, Lockhart started preparing for this as early as Halloween. He hired twelve dwarfs to deliver Valentine's Day Cards to the students. They would read the love letters aloud and even sing them with music."

Harry paused, "In front of everyone."

The situation was so outrageous that the surrounding young wizards fell silent, taking time to process what had happened.

"Lockhart has already paid a deposit. The dwarf wrote to ask if I wanted to continue with the service. I guess the mailing address Lockhart left is the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor's office."

Sirius Black was very interested in this and waved his hand, "Let me ask you if you want to add some other services. I think twelve dwarfs are too few."

Harry coughed violently, choking on Pudding: "No, no, not even the usual service."

Ron and Seamus quickly stepped forward to explain the pros and cons, stating that they had no use for the service.

After some persuasion, Sirius Black was still a little hesitant. "Neither of you have been in a relationship... Besides, Lockhart has been voted the most popular multiple times... I mean, there must be some merit to his plan, right?"

Harry didn't have a talent for Prophecy, but he had a strong, ominous premonition. Driven by this premonition, he eventually persuaded Sirius Black to abandon his strange ideas.

In March, several Mandrake held a lively and noisy Yule Ball in the Third Greenhouse, which pleased Professor Sprout very much.

After the Herbology Class that day, Sprout said to Harry and the others who stayed behind, "We'll know they're fully mature when they want to be moved to other pots. Then we can bring those poor people in the hospital back to life."

Nevertheless, Harry and Ron continued their previous work, checking the growth of the Mandrake and recording it.

Based on past experience, Loren would stay to help them, while Hermione would mysteriously disappear for a while.

This time was a little different. Not long after Professor Sprout left, an owl flew in and landed on her shoulder.

Hermione ruffled the owl's head and took the letter, a small note, from its leg.

"It's a letter from Professor McGonagall." Hermione's face scrunched up, revealing a troubled expression. "Professor McGonagall wants me to go to her office right away."

"So you're going?" Loren was completely baffled. What's with that expression? Anyone who didn't know better would think Snape was asking you to go.

"I, I—" Hermione couldn't say it. She couldn't very well say that she had arranged to meet Professor Flitwick at the Edge of the Forbidden Forest, and that going to see Professor McGonagall would mean breaking her promise.

In her panic, Hermione's eyes kept drifting towards the Forbidden Forest, and Loren noticed this detail... If she really was going to see Hagrid, why would she worry about breaking her promise? No matter how late she was, Hagrid wouldn't care.

A thought quickly crossed Loren's mind and he understood her concerns.

"Have an owl carry a message to Professor McGonagall, telling her you'll be a little late. You should take care of things over there first." Loren gestured towards Forbidden Forest.

Hermione said somewhat anxiously, "What if, what if Professor McGonagall's matter is urgent and cannot be delayed?"

The little Witch looked pitiful. Loren sighed and said, "You go to the Forbidden Forest first. I'll go talk to Professor McGonagall and explain the situation. If there's anything I can help with, I should be able to."

You're the best!

Standing at the door of Professor McGonagall's office, Loren knocked and entered after hearing a response.

Unusually, Professor McGonagall wasn't grading papers or reviewing documents; instead, she was taking some time to read the newspaper. However, her expression was serious, and the news in the paper likely displeased her.

As Professor McGonagall laid the newspaper down, Loren tiptoed and glanced at the headlines of a few pages.

The Daily Prophet featured a front-page photo of Hogwarts Castle, with a phantom of Dumbledore and a giant phantom of the Basilisk floating on either side of the Castle. The headline read, "Basilisk? The Dark Lord?"

This isn't just a hint; it's practically a direct statement that Dumbledore is the Dark Lord.

Loren stood on tiptoe again, this time craning his neck for a closer look. Sure enough, the reporter was Rita Skeeter.

Watching him tiptoe and tiptoe until his neck was almost touching the front of his face, Professor McGonagall's temples throbbed. She grabbed a stack of documents and placed them on top of the newspaper to block his prying eyes.

"I haven't finished reading it yet," Loren muttered softly.

Professor McGonagall: "..."

Professor McGonagall took a deep breath. "What brings you here? Where is Miss Granger?"

"Hermione couldn't get away, and she was worried that your matter was urgent, so she sent me instead."

Loren sat down at the desk, mimicking Hermione's posture during class, sitting up straight like a good student, and said passionately, "Is there anything I can help you with, Professor!"

There wasn't much to do today, but Professor McGonagall suddenly felt exhausted; all she wanted to do was get Loren out of there as soon as possible.

Professor McGonagall pulled four notices from her drawer and handed them to him, saying briefly, "The list of those who passed the Animagus Exam has been compiled. Post these lists in the Common Room."