He Went for It!

After Harry left, Loren and Hermione paid for their ice cream and continued strolling along the street in Diagon Alley.

As they passed a Magical Menagerie, a large, ginger-colored creature suddenly darted out of the shop. It was a long-haired cat, its little paws pawing at Loren's trouser leg, its round eyes looking at him pitifully.

Hermione's eyes lit up. "What a beautiful cat!"

"You have a bit of a bias towards cats," Loren thought silently.

This ginger-colored Cat Hair thick, fluffy, and soft fur that feels great to the touch, but it looks rather unhappy, with its mouth turned down and its expression gloomy, somewhat resembling a strange dried persimmon.

Loren bent down, scooped the large creature into his arms, ruffled it for a bit, and scratched its chin. "Have you come to seek refuge with me?"

"Meow—" The cat strained its voice, trying to make a sweet, delicate sound, but it cracked as soon as it opened its mouth, its voice hoarse and husky like a cat.

Crookshanks: "..."

Hermione couldn't help but chuckle, finding the cat even more adorable. She reached out and stroked the long fur on its back.

Loren couldn't help but laugh; he probably remembered who the cat was.

Listening to the two men's laughter, Crookshanks felt that life as a cat was hard.

If it hadn't sensed a familiar aura from this person, it wouldn't have suddenly jumped out of its cage, nor would it have tried to gain sympathy like those scheming little devils. It backfired, and now it's too ashamed to show its face.

The ginger cat buried its head in Loren's arms, too ashamed to face anyone or make any more clips.

"Crookshanks!" A Witch wearing thick black glasses chased after them from the shop. Seeing the cat in their arms, she breathed a sigh of relief. "Great! I thought you were hiding until dark again."

"Thank you for stopping this naughty little rascal for me." She thanked the two of them, then took the cat from Loren. "It's because this cat was so naughty that it's been sitting in the shop for a long, long time and nobody wanted it."

She turned and headed into the shop, where Crookshanks could no longer stay still and started wailing at Loren and Hermione, looking utterly pitiful.

Hermione's heart softened, and she quickly pulled Loren along to follow.

The shop was small, with cages densely packed on the walls. The air smelled foul and was noisy, as the creatures in the cages were squeaking, chattering, and hissing.

Two enormous Purple Toad sat in their cage, wolfing down dead flies, drool dripping from their mouths. A frighteningly large tortoise sat by the window, its shell Winky like a jewel. A poisonous Orange Snail slowly crawled along the glass wall of its tank. A plump White Rabbit suddenly transformed into a tall silk hat, then suddenly transformed back, endlessly changing its appearance.

In addition, there were cats of various colors, a Raven of noisy ravens, and a basket of comical, eggnog-colored Fluffball buzzing. On the counter was a large cage where slick, Black Rat were playing a jumping game, propped up by their long, bald tails.

These Fantastic Beasts possess very weak Magic Power and are mostly insignificant abilities; it's more like a pet shop than a Magical Menagerie.

Hermione was haggling with the Witch she had just met. The shopkeeper was eager to sell Crookshanks as soon as possible, so he was quite unscrupulous when it came to the price.

Loren looked around and asked with great interest, "Aren't there any Fantastic Beasts here, like Demiguise, Occamy, Niffler, or Horned Serpent?"

"You flatter me, sir. Those dangerous Fantastic Beasts are strictly prohibited from being privately kept or traded by the Ministry of Magic." The black-eyed Witch looked up, glanced around to make sure they were alone in the shop, and then added quietly, "If you are truly interested, I can introduce you to some channels—"

"No!" Hermione interrupted their conversation decisively, glaring fiercely at Loren. "It's 10 Silver Sickle, check!"

"Okay, okay," the Witch said hastily, probably because she had said something she shouldn't have, as she even gave her an extra wicker basket.

Hermione carried the wicker basket containing the cats in one hand and pulled Loren, who looked regretful, away with the other.

Once outside the shop, Crookshanks was no longer well-behaved. He rummaged out of the wicker basket and followed Loren around his feet. The fluffy little thing was so well-behaved that even if it wasn't that cute, it was still lovable.

"It seems to really like you." Hermione's tone was a little sour. Even though she bought the pet, Loren seemed more like the cat's owner. "The Dolphin are like that, the cats are like that, all these animals are very close to you."

"Maybe it's a talent," Loren chuckled, gently pushing the cat away with his foot to avoid accidentally stepping on its tail while walking.

I browsed Second-hand Junk Shop, bought a bound volume of the Daily Prophet at the newspaper office, and then visited the Bouncing and Frolicking Magic Joke Shop. And just like that, the day came to an end.

In Hampstead Garden on the outskirts of the city, the setting sun casts an orange glow, and the clouds hang like a blanket, bathing everything in a golden light, making it dazzling and romantic.

Bang!

A gas explosion rang out, Granger house, which had been empty a moment before, was now occupied by two people and a cat.

Just as they stood still, the ginger-yellow Crookshanks leaped down from Loren's hand, lay down under a roadside bush, and began to gag, mouth agape: "Ugh—"

Not daring to disturb it rashly, Hermione squatted down beside it with some heartache, watching it. "It's its first time Apparition, it must be in a lot of pain right now."

"I'll be fine once I've mastered Apparition a bit more," Loren said.

After a while, Crookshanks vomited a Hairball from his stomach, whimpered softly in relief, and quickly perked up and started circling around Loren's feet again.

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled, "I was so worried about this little thing, you're so heartless."

After shopping, and with the cat all settled, it was time to say goodbye.

She stood up and looked at Loren, then suddenly hesitated and whispered, "Well, goodbye?"

"Wait!" Loren stared intently at her. "I've been holding back all day, where's my birthday present?"

Hermione felt that his gaze was like Fire Charm, igniting the golden glow of the setting sun. The air around her suddenly heated up and became scorching, causing her blood to flow faster and her heart to pound wildly.

The gift was inside the pendant; it was a tie I bought at the Twilfitt and Tatting's.

In the morning, Monica, who was combing her daughter's hair, learned about the birthday present she had prepared and jokingly smiled, "Usually only wives prepare ties for their husbands~"

Thinking of her mother's instructions, the little Witch's face flushed red, and Hermione refused to take it out.

It's all Mom's fault... I should have chosen a different gift!

"Look, here it is!" Hermione pointed to the ginger cat. "This cat is my gift to you."

Crookshanks: "Meow?"

"So that's how it is." Loren sighed, his expression one of utter dejection, his voice filled with grievance. "It's alright, even though I've been looking forward to it all day—no, I've been looking forward to it all year. Even though it's just a cat I bought on a whim, even though Harry's birthday present was prepared in advance. Even though—"

"Enough, enough!" Hermione knew this man was faking it, but she fell for it anyway, because he was Loren.

Hermione pursed her lips and took out the red and gold striped tie from the pendant.

The style is nothing special, just the classic Gryffindor design. However, the fabric used by the Twilfitt and Tatting's is much better than that of Madam Malkin's, so it looks better and has some added features to keep it warm in winter and cool in summer.

Hermione's eyes darted left and right, avoiding Loren's gaze. "The tie, a birthday present, bought from Twilfitt and Tatting's."

Loren's lips curled into a smug smile, "Tie my tie."

"You!" Hermione exclaimed angrily.

"Who told you to try to lie to me just now? This is compensation for my wounded heart!" Loren said righteously.

Hermione's fist hardened; if it weren't for this man's birthday, she would have definitely injured him as well.

But it's his birthday, after all.

Hermione stood in front of Loren, feeling his hot breath, which made her feel even more scorched. The girl gritted her teeth. "Close your eyes!"

"Okay." Loren obediently closed his eyes.

Looking at the person in front of her, Hermione pursed her lips and remained silent, her eyes sparkling... He was much more pleasing to the eye when he was quiet.

She unfolded the tie and wrapped it around his neck. Although she had seen her father tie a tie and her mother tie a tie for her father, this was the first time the girl had ever tied a tie for someone else. She was a little clumsy, and her hand unconsciously brushed against his chin and neck, which felt hot and burning.

In his panic, he slowed down even more when tying his tie.

Fortunately, the evening breeze was slow, the clouds drifted slowly, the sun set slowly, and even the Crookshanks circling beneath their feet seemed to slow down.

Loren quietly opened his eyes and carefully examined the girl who had moved closer. This wasn't the closest they had ever been; they often touched forehead to forehead when they were playing and joking around.

But this moment seems different from usual. The wind is gentle, the clouds are drifting slowly. I can't quite put my finger on what's different, it's just different.

Hermione's skin was beautiful, snow-white and delicate, bathed in the golden glow of the setting sun. At such close range, Loren could see the faint blue veins and fine downy hairs on her face.

Her eyelashes were long and she was focused on tying her tie, her blinking like the fluttering wings of a butterfly. Her lips were delicate and beautiful; although the lipstick had been washed off while eating ice cream, only a few streaks of bright red remained on the edges, making them even more alluring.

I wonder what it will taste like.

Thinking this, Loren crouched down slightly and moved closer.

"Ugh—" Hermione's mind went blank, her hands stopped moving, and her heart was pounding faster than ever before.

Bang! Bang!

It almost jumped out of my chest.

Loren felt a delicate, soft texture, like pudding. Even stronger than the touch was the girl's breath; her suddenly quickened breathing, carrying her delicate fragrance, filled his heart.

It's slightly warm.

The scent of hairspray and shampoo, the detergent scent on the dress, the milky scent of a young girl... I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but my nostrils were filled with Hermione's scent.

"Loren, I'm home!" Bates opened the door, carrying a large bag of fertilizer and plant medicine, and went inside after changing his shoes.

He noticed a ginger-yellow cushion on the sofa, and Loren sat upright beside it with a silly smile on his face.

Bates found it strange. Usually, as soon as Loren's butt touched the sofa, he would slump into it like a soft-bodied animal, but today his sitting posture was so normal.

"How was your day with Hermione? Oh, by the way, Wendell and Monica are too busy and tired to come over, so they asked me to give you their birthday present." Bates said, and only when he got closer did he realize that the cushion was actually a large cat.

This triggered his memories of managing animals on the ranch. Bates picked up Crookshanks, who was sleeping on the sofa, parted its long fur to take a look, and then opened its mouth to check its teeth.

Bates chuckled and exclaimed, "It's a fine lamb, just a little malnourished. If you feed it properly, it'll definitely be a good hunter."

Crookshanks looked completely bewildered as Bates examined him.

Loren remained motionless, staring blankly at the air in front of him with a silly smile on his face.

"Dumb and dazed, I don't know what's wrong with it?" Bates muttered, taking Crookshanks into the bathroom to give it a bath.

Meanwhile, at Granger house.

"Hermione, dinner's ready!" Wendell knocked on his daughter's bedroom door.

"I won't eat—"

The daughter's voice was muffled, as if it were coming from under a blanket or pillow.

Wendell scratched his head, as if remembering something. "Did you guys eat with Loren today after you went out?"

"Yes! I've already eaten!"

This time the sound was clearer; it seemed her daughter had crawled out from under the covers, but strangely, her voice sounded indignant and embarrassed.

"The girl has reached puberty?" Wendell was completely baffled. He shook his head and went to discuss his daughter's puberty with his wife, only to be scolded by Monica, leaving him even more confused.

Loren groggily opened his eyes and woke up in bed.

As he straightened up, he stretched his arms and back, then leaned against the headboard, staring blankly at the bedroom door. Usually at this time, Hermione would Apparition into his bedroom to wake him.

Then, memories of yesterday gradually surfaced in my mind.

I got into A!?

I actually got it right away!!

Will Hermione never talk to me again?

"Emmm..."

She didn't seem to refuse or get angry at the time.

Thinking this, Loren got up, put on his shoes, and walked to the bathroom while rubbing his face. After washing up, he found the clean ginger cat on the sofa.

Sensing the approaching figure, Crookshanks raised his head and opened his yellow eyes. "Meow?"

"It's nothing." Loren chuckled. "We'll go wake your master up."

"Meow?"

"That's right, that's right. Hermione is your master. She paid for you."

Loren scooped up Crookshanks, shook his wand, and vanished with a "bang."