Only Neville

A month will pass in the blink of an eye.

In May, summer's tentacles peek out from the corners of the forests and courtyards, and sunny days gradually become more frequent.

Bluebells bloom in vast fields, their elegant blue-purple hues carpeting the ground, swaying gently in the breeze, as if possessing some kind of Magic Power that draws people to stop and admire them.

It was the perfect time for asparagus to ripen, Hagrid had Hedwig deliver a letter that morning, inviting Harry and the others to the cottage to enjoy the fresh asparagus.

Harry and Ron, Loren and Hermione, had just finished their morning Transfiguration Class and ran straight to the cabin at the Edge of the Forbidden Forest. Fang, along with Ginny and Luna, were already waiting at the entrance to the Forbidden Forest; the first-years had Herbology Class in the morning, and they had come over on their way after class.

In front of the cabin, Hagrid was washing asparagus.

"Hagrid!"

"Harry! You've finally arrived! Ginny and Luna have been waiting for you for ages... Come and see the fresh asparagus, Unicorn love to eat it."

"Unicorn!" The group of people curiously crowded around.

Hagrid cut off the tough, old parts near the root, intending to feed them to the forest animals, leaving only the tender middle and tip to treat them.

Loren reached out and picked up a stalk of asparagus. It was so tender that he could easily snap it with his fingernail. It was fresh and juicy, with a vibrant green color.

Hagrid chuckled gruffly, "I was planning to stew the mutton in an earthenware pot, but you told me on the note not to rush, so I didn't. The fresh mutton is all over there."

"The weather is so nice, it's not suitable to drink mutton soup."

Loren didn't say the second half of his sentence: Hagrid's soup only has salt and pepper.

It wasn't bad to drink, but Hermione had been eating liquid food for a week, and she was so hungry that she was willing to gnaw on beef shank, which she used to never touch. So I took this opportunity to make her something different.

Loren set up a grill in the courtyard to roast some meat and cook a sea bass soup. Hermione followed to help.

Harry and Ron helped Hagrid prepare the ingredients. Ginny and Luna wanted to help, but they refused because they were too young. They could only sit on small stools and watch longingly.

Luna watched Harry scoop the asparagus out of the water. "Can you guys beat Slytherin in Quidditch Match? We've been talking about it in the common room."

Not long ago, Ravenclaw played Slytherin in this term's Quidditch Match and suffered a crushing defeat. As everyone predicted, Slytherin fought their way out of the losers' bracket by a large margin, earning the right to play Gryffindor again.

However, the Slytherin players were a bit dishonest during the match, and the Slytherin audience was a bit foul-mouthed afterward. The young Ravenclaw wizards are now desperately hoping for a crushing defeat for Slytherin.

"Our players are confident, but we'll only know the result after the game." Harry had watched that game, but he was more concerned about something else now. "Luna, do you know your team's Seeker?"

Ginny, who was sitting next to him, suddenly straightened up and became alert. She noticed that Harry was blushing and stared at him suspiciously.

"You mean Qiu Zhang?" Luna blinked. "Well, she's a good student and very popular at the academy. She's also a very friendly person. Last night, when I was arguing with Ekko about whether the Nargles actually exist, she even spoke up for me."

"Was she speaking up for you?" Ginny retorted loudly. "She was just stopping Ekko from casting a little curse on you!"

"Is that so? I thought she was a good girl." Harry realized his words were a bit abrupt after he finished speaking, and stammered to make amends, "I, I mean, she's very good at Quidditch, and she can defend against Malfoy's Nimbus 2001 with a regular flying broom."

Ginny noticed that Harry's face had turned even redder, and with a girl's intuition, she keenly sensed something unusual.

She couldn't quite describe how she felt, but suddenly she felt a little down.

Luna seemed to hear a sound and suddenly turned to look at her, a surprised expression on her face. "Nargles! Ginny, you've been Nargles! They're buzzing around your ears!"

"Yes, I felt it too." Ginny forced a smile and pulled her aside to whisper to her.

Harry and Ron, who remained where they were, were somewhat confused.

Harry scratched his head and asked, puzzled, "Why are they suddenly acting so strange?"

"That's just how girls are," Ron said. "I think you're weird too, ever since that Ravenclaw vs. Slytherin match."

"No, no..."

Loren and Hermione were some distance away and did not hear this conversation, which revealed the tender feelings of young lovers.

Asparagus cooked directly in plain water best brings out its natural flavor. Seasonal asparagus is crisp and green, with a delicate fragrance and a hint of sweetness, mixed with the flavors of artichokes and green beans.

But Loren didn't like this bland way of eating, nor did he want to make it into a salad. He set aside some asparagus as a side dish, mixing it with the sea bass and lamb before grilling, which made it much more flavorful.

"The Animagus Teaching Class is at three in the afternoon, right?" Loren asked.

Hermione nodded. "Yes, there is no Defense Against the Dark Arts anymore, only Teaching Class classes."

"They should make it in time." Loren shook his head. "Tsk, I really envy them because they don't have to go to class and can play here all afternoon."

Hermione glanced at him. "You can play too. Professor McGonagall said you can leave the Teaching Class at any time."

"I won't!" Loren muttered under his breath.

Hermione pursed her lips, but still couldn't suppress the smile on her face. She always thought that Loren looked much more pleasing to the eye at times like this.

Some concerns are not expressed in words, but those inexplicable feelings fill the heart, like pheromones, flowing through the blood and manifesting in every action, conveying to those around them.

After cutting the lamb into small pieces and marinating them, arrange them neatly on an iron plate. Roast for a while, then add the side dishes. This method is faster than roasting a whole lamb, but it's still not something that can be done in a short time. The aroma of the meat only begins to waft out after Hagrid's boiled asparagus and asparagus salad are finished.

The two worked together to prepare the ingredients, occasionally using Transfiguration to make some utensils that weren't in the Wooden House, and adding fuel to the fire with Fire Charm. Hagrid's Hut was rather simple, but one good thing was that there was plenty of firewood.

The rising flames licked at the fat and protein, slowly roasting out an enticing aroma of meat.

Harry, Ron, Hagrid waited anxiously to the side, while Fang circled back and forth around Hagrid's trouser leg, drool flowing from its mouth.

"I think it's ready, let's try a piece!" Ron urged impatiently.

Loren glanced at him indifferently, then looked away. He said nothing, yet he said everything.

Hagrid popped a piece of asparagus into his mouth to satisfy his craving, but the bland taste of the boiled vegetables made the aroma of the roasted meat even more enticing.

What followed was another long wait, until Harry's eyes turned green, and Ron felt like he was turning into Fang creature, drooling and spinning around on the ground, before the roast meat was finally finished.

As Ginny put the roasted lamb into her mouth, a feeling of emotion welled up inside her. Although she couldn't see, she felt as if the Nargles in her mind had been driven away.

Who does Qiu Zhang count for? I'm definitely better than her.

Harry and Ron ate with gusto, stuffing food into their mouths despite the scalding temperature, even when they were burned, making whimpering sounds just like Fang.

Hermione gently blew on the roast meat a few times, waiting until it was hot but not uncomfortably so before putting it in her mouth and taking small bites.

First, the crispy crust makes a satisfying crunch in your teeth, followed by juicy lamb with a touch of refreshing vegetables—a flavor completely different from that of Hogwarts Kitchen.

The roast lamb tastes different from what I had during the summer holidays. It might be because the cooking method is different, or it might be because many of the seasonings are not available here.

But she tasted a familiar flavor in it, and the taste that her tongue detected reminded her of Loren in her mind.

A feeling of joy filled her heart; she couldn't tell whether it came from the food or from the person who made it.

Try the side dish again. The savory meat sauce soaks up the asparagus, giving it a crisp texture. It's a bit too salty, and you can only taste the asparagus flavor when you swallow it.

Ron has already started barking.

After lunch, Harry and Ron, like Fang, sat on the steps by the door to digest their food.

Hagrid took the remaining asparagus to feed the Thestrals, Luna, hearing that they might encounter a baby Unicorn, excitedly dragged Ginny along to follow.

Loren and Hermione were chatting on the fence outside the pumpkin patch, staring intently at a small pumpkin with two slugs confronting a group of ants.

It seems the slug couple wants to make their home here, and the ant colony is guarding the peace of the pumpkin patch.

Loren explained earnestly, "This one is called Kassadin, and this one is called Kha'Zix. They are a couple who love and hate each other... Don't be fooled by the fact that there are only two slugs now; they are evil Void insects that will constantly corrupt other creatures..."

"These ants belong to the Ionia Tribe. The leader is called—" Loren thought for a moment, "Darius. It has an axe-like antenna. This one is called Draven, its brother. They are peaceful..."

Hermione listened intently to every story he made up, occasionally asking questions. To her surprise, it seemed as if he truly had a complete world in his mind; the seemingly random tales actually possessed a coherent logic, making them all the more interesting.

Perhaps there aren't as many dramatic scenarios as the two of them imagined, but when you're with the right person, even the most insignificant things around you will have their own stories.

In this ordinary world, someone can suddenly make things interesting, giving rise to endless ups and downs, love and hate, and countless twists and turns. And all of this comes from the joy of being with that person.

Luna returned once, wearing a garland of mixed colors around her neck. Unidentified wildflowers were blooming profusely, unrestrained red, yellow, blue... all haphazardly woven into a circle with rough hands.

She wasn't exactly beautiful, but when Luna's little face beamed with a smile as she happily ran to Loren and Hermione to show off, it always made people want to praise her.

"I knew it would look good. The Thestrals and the foals love the flower wreaths I made; they fight over wearing them around their necks." Luna paused. "I wonder if the little Unicorn will like them. It always hides behind a tree and watches, and it runs away as soon as I get close..."

Luna's voice was ethereal, like singing. She spoke without intonation, and one could only sense her joy from her slightly faster-than-usual speaking speed.

Animals in the forest have a more acute sense of perception than humans in some aspects. Luna may seem strange to most people, but she manages to win the affection of the animals.

Loren suggested, "You can hang the wreath on a slightly lower branch, a bit further away, and the little Unicorn will put it on itself if it likes it."

"Great idea!" Luna's eyes lit up, and she couldn't wait to run into the forest again. From afar, you could hear her humming a cheerful tune.

"That's great. Ekko and the others in Ravenclaw have been saying she's a Loony, but she doesn't seem to be affected at all." Hermione with some admiration.

"Indeed," Loren turned around, "Hmm, where were we?"

The ant colony on the little pumpkin had been defeated, and two slugs crawled around the pumpkin, exploring where to start digging a hole.

Hermione thought for a moment, "Speaking of the love story between the Papaya Fairy and the Sword Demon."

"Oh, okay, let's continue..."

It wasn't until after 2 a. m. that Hermione remembered that the Animagus class was about to start, and she hurriedly pulled Loren towards the Castle.

They weren't late. When the two arrived at the Transfiguration classroom, not all the other Teaching Class had arrived yet; they were considered early.

Neville sat in the front row early, his head buried in the picture book that had been distributed last time.

Cedric and the Weasley family children sat together, with Cedric choking George and Percy choking Fred. The four of them looked like they were about to die together.

"I have never let the professor down! It's all your fault, it's all your fault!" Percy shook Fred violently.

Cedric shook George: "You promised you wouldn't play pranks on me! You guys... I almost made it!"

George held his hand and shook his dizzy head. "Peeves did it himself, it really has nothing to do with us."

"Yes, yes, Percy, you found your leaf was damaged the next morning. It's because you grind your teeth. Believe me, you really do grind your teeth." Fred pulled his hand away from Percy's.

"Impossible! I don't believe it!" Percy's face turned red with anger.

The Twins exchanged a glance and chuckled. They pulled Percy and Cedric closer, put their arms around their shoulders, and the four of them huddled together whispering.

"You are the best students who know the professor best. Don't tell me you didn't see through Professor McGonagall's plan. This ceremony is doomed to fail."

"Join us! Flying brooms are expensive, and dating requires money too..."

The rest of the Teaching Class gradually arrived, and the young wizards almost all found the Twins and playfully punched them a few times.

Neither George nor Fred cared, and they cheerfully approached the top students from each grade to discuss the answers.

The talking in the classroom didn't stop until the bell rang. Professor McGonagall entered carrying a sketchbook, followed by Rita was wearing a mask.

"Who succeeded in the mission of holding Mandrake Leaf in their mouth for a month?" Professor McGonagall asked.

Immediately, a cacophony of complaints erupted in the classroom:

"They all failed! It was all George and Fred's doing!"

"They told jokes right in front of me!"

"I was scared by their faces, they were so awful!"

Professor McGonagall just smiled.

Amidst the uproar and commotion, Neville looked around blankly and cautiously raised his hand.

The classroom seemed to have been muted; everyone fell silent, their eyes fixed on the chubby figure, filled with disbelief.