Harry Potter: Back-to-School Day

August 7, Hampstead Garden, suburbs, Granger house.

When Loren appeared in Hermione's room, she was still asleep.

The girl's sleeping posture was just like her usual style: she lay neatly on the soft mattress, covered with a light summer blanket with a blue starry sky pattern, and wearing cute bear pajamas.

The girl's eye bags were slightly puffy, and there was a faint dark circle around her eyes.

She probably went to bed very late last night... Loren thought, looking at Hermione's sleeping face.

He had intended to wake her up and give her a good scolding for her repeated intrusions into his bedroom during the holiday, but the moment he saw her face, all his thoughts of making a scene were temporarily put aside.

Crookshanks found a narrow gap between the cabinet and the wall, squeezed in and curled up into a ball, tucking its two front paws under its body. It sat obediently, all fluffy, and looked at its two new owners intently, looking rather adorable.

The sun came out, and the sky gradually brightened.

Hermione's eyelashes trembled slightly as the light triggered her long-established biological clock. Her regular routine was resisting mental fatigue, waking her from her slumber.

Loren thought for a moment, then sat down beside him, covering the light with his palm while simultaneously lifting his wand with his other hand and softly chanting, "[Expecto Patronum]".

He naturally recalled the memories of yesterday evening. He controlled the spell, not summoning all the Patronus, but only letting a faint silver light flow from the tip of the staff.

He felt Hermione's eyelashes fluttering slower under his palm, and eventually stopped completely, and the girl continued to sleep peacefully.

Just as Loren thought, the peaceful and joyful light of the Patronus has a calming and soothing effect.

The two remained in that position for an unknown amount of time. Then, Monica knocked on the door once, saying that she and Wendell had gone to work and that Hermione should remember to eat breakfast...

When Hermione slowly woke up, she felt that she had had a very comfortable sleep and a very long dream.

In her dream, she kept kissing Loren. Sometimes Loren initiated the kiss, and sometimes she did. Later, the dream became increasingly chaotic, with Loren's burning lips repeatedly landing around her eyes and on her forehead...

How could I have such an absurd dream...

Hermione shyly opened her eyes, feeling the softness and warmth of Loren's palms around her eyes. Through the gaps between his fingers, she could see some morning light shining through the window.

The air was filled with Loren's scent, along with the aroma of orange toothpaste, which was incredibly comforting. The warmth on my eyes made me want to keep sleeping.

Loren felt a tickle in his palm, the sensation of the girl's eyelashes brushing against his skin, until Hermione woke up and he withdrew his hand from her face.

"Hmm..."

The sudden light made everything brighter than usual, and Hermione found it a little dazzling. She squinted slightly and made a soft, kitten-like whimper.

Loren lowered his head and met Hermione's brown eyes.

Hermione recalled what had happened yesterday evening and her chaotic dream just now, and a blush suddenly rose to her cheeks. She shrank further into the blankets, hiding half her face, leaving only her bright, shy eyes showing. "What are you doing here?"

Loren smiled and said softly, "I've come to wake you up."

"I don't need you to call me!" Hermione's humming came from under the covers, a little distorted, but the buzzing sound was kind of cute.

"By the way, let me tell you about yesterday."

Hermione's eyes widened instantly, and she glared at him fiercely, threatening, "You're not allowed to say it! You're not allowed to mention it!"

Loren blinked, his expression innocent and naive. "I meant Crookshanks. I wanted to discuss with you whether it should be kept at my house or yours."

Crookshanks, nestled in the corner, chimed in at just the right moment. "Meow~"

"You!" Hermione was both embarrassed and angry. "You go out first, I'll change into my pajamas and then I'll talk to you!"

Loren went out as instructed, with Crookshanks following closely behind him in small steps.

The morning air was a bit cool, carrying the scent of dew, and the late summer breeze felt refreshing on my face.

From the Second Floor open-air balcony, you can see the Granger house's yard, the neighboring Loren family's yard, and the greenery along the paths of Hampstead Garden.

Summer is drawing to a close, and the sycamore trees have passed their greenest period; the edges of their leaves are beginning to fade. Plants are becoming more sensitive, and they have already begun paving the way for autumn.

Most spring and summer flowers, such as bluebells and tulips, have already finished blooming, with only a few scattered blossoms still stubbornly clinging to their petals. Willowherb, which has a longer blooming period, is still smiling, with its large and small purplish-red flowers hanging all over the branches, standing out brightly against the backdrop of varying shades of green.

Don't worry, some flowers have already bloomed, while others are still nurturing their vibrant life force.

Hermione's voice preceded her words: "Crookshanks is of course kept here by me; I bought it!"

Loren looked at the hydrangeas blooming on both sides of the street. The elegant blue and white flowers hung down from the branches, blooming beautifully and showing no sign of withering.

He smiled.

There is ample time.

September 1st, back-to-school day.

The night before, Loren had packed everything up.

Just throw the clothes, textbooks, and snacks you need into the charm, and leave the empty suitcase as a mere decoration. It's easy and convenient.

While he was sleeping and resting, Bates stuffed some winter clothes, candy, and cat food that the old man had bought himself into his empty suitcase.

After breakfast, Bates dropped Loren off at Granger house next door.

Hermione stood in the doorway. She had packed her things long ago, in a light trunk, and in her other hand she carried a wicker basket that was supposed to contain ginger Crookshanks.

But Crookshanks is still in Wendell's arms, and he's holding him very gently, like he's holding Hermione's younger brother.

"You're here!" Hermione waved happily.

She glanced at her watch; it was not yet nine o'clock. The Hogwarts Express departed at 11 o'clock, and they Apparition to King's Cross Station in less than five minutes.

So the group went back inside and sat down to say their final goodbyes.

"Wendell, wanna go fishing this weekend? My friend said there's a current that's been flowing through here and it's full of fish." Bates sat on the sofa, his tone full of enticement.

Wendell's eyes lit up. "Go! Of course we'll go. We've been busy at the clinic, we really need to relax."

So Bates turned to Monica and started discussing the itinerary.

Loren and Hermione exchanged a bewildered glance; this wasn't the farewell scene they had imagined.

Wendell laid Crookshanks down on the sofa and rubbed its belly. "Can Crookshanks be taken to school? Is it convenient for you to take care of it at school? Or should we just leave it at home?"

Crookshanks lazily opened his mouth. "Aim!"

Wendell wasn't bothered by the rejection. He chuckled and pried open its mouth to check the health of its teeth, and even squeezed its paws to examine its nails.

Crookshanks nestled in the soft sofa, letting Wendell do as he pleased, only occasionally kicking his hands away with his hind legs when Wendell made him uncomfortable.

Around eleven o'clock, Loren and Hermione finished packing and stood up, dragging their suitcases. Crookshanks suddenly woke up, broke free from Wendell's embrace, ran towards Loren, and clung to his shoes.

Bates stood up and looked at the two children, who had grown so tall in the blink of an eye. His eyes sparkled. "Will you be back for Christmas?"

Loren picked up Crookshanks and pulled out his wand with his other hand, holding it tightly. "We'll go back, this time we'll definitely go back."

"You little rascal, you said the same thing a couple of years ago," Bates said with a laugh.

Loren grinned.

Bang--

As soon as Loren and Hermione got into the car and put their luggage away, they were caught by Harry and Ron, who were waiting at the door.

Harry looked preoccupied, but his shirt was clean from Mrs. Weasley's washing, and his hair was neatly styled; he looked much better than when Loren had seen him at the ice cream parlor.

As for Ron, after a summer break, his freckles seemed to have increased even more.

"Loren! Hermione! You'd never guess! This morning we actually came to the station in a Ministry of Ministry of Magic!" Ron said, waving his hands excitedly, barely containing his excitement. "My dad said it was a classic dark green one. The drivers are all mysterious Ministry of Magic employees. It's a shame you didn't see them; their bright green velvet suits were absolutely awesome!"

Hermione placed Crookshanks in the wicker basket. It looked listless and dispirited, a Apparition effect of Apparition.

Loren noticed Harry's expression and asked, "What's wrong?"

Just then, a train whistle sounded from ahead, and the train started moving. The feeling of the shifting center of gravity made them realize that the train was gradually accelerating.

Harry whispered to his friends, "Let's find a place to talk alone."

Loren and Hermione, Harry and Ron, the four of them walked down the corridor, trying to find an empty cubicle.

They hadn't gone far when they saw Percy walking towards them, wearing his prefectural president badge, his face radiating a reserved pride. It was the kind of posture and movement that seemed to crave attention for his Prefect Badge, while his expression maintained a humble feigned indifference.

"Prefect Percy!" Loren called out deliberately, "Do you know where there are any empty cubicles?"

"Oh, Loren and Hermione, hello. All the compartments are occupied, but when I was assigning tasks to the Prefect at the back of the train, I think I saw one empty compartment." Percy frowned, casually straightening his collar and seemingly unintentionally adjusting the student council president badge on his chest. "Ahem, you might be wondering why I was assigning tasks to the Prefect. It's because Professor McGonagall entrusted me with the duties of student council president."

"I'm not showing off. What I mean is, if you have any questions or difficulties in your studies or life in the future, you can come to me." He raised his head proudly and gave Harry and Ron a look. "You two too."

Loren suppressed a laugh and pointed to his badge, "Mr. Percy, why does your badge say 'Humungous Bighead '?"

The student council president is spelled Head boy, Humungous Bighead is spelled Hummungous Bighead. Both are abbreviations of HB, which may be overlooked if you are not paying attention.

Hermione, Harry, and Ron, who were watching the show, couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Remembering that he had just walked the entire train wearing that badge, Percy's face flushed red, and he growled angrily, "George! Fred!"

He stormed off in a fit of rage toward the carriage where the Twins were.

When Loren and the others reached the back of the car, they found that a man was fast asleep in the empty compartment that Percy had mentioned.

The stranger wore a tattered wizard's robe, patched in several places, looking utterly wretched. He appeared sickly, with a gaunt face and a unkempt mustache, and seemed to have no strength at all. Although he looked quite young, his light brown hair was already turning gray.

They tiptoed into the cubicle, closed the sliding door, and sat down away from the sleeping man.

Loren activated his Magic Sight, carefully examining the Werewolf wizard before him. As a wizard, his Magic Power reflexes weren't weak, but there was another color of Magic Power within his body, giving Loren a familiar feeling.

It's rare to see a wizard in such a sorry state; malnourished, mentally exhausted, and with very low Magic Power activity. Because of his adherence to his principles, he has had a much harder time than other Werewolf.

Seeing him, Loren felt as if he were seeing his Grandpa Bates again...

Loren calmed himself down and calculated the date: September 1, 1993. Today was the full moon, no wonder Lupin was so weak.

The others didn't notice Loren's odd behavior, so Ron lowered his voice and asked, "Who do you think he is?"

"Professor Remus John Professor Lupin," Hermione replied, pointing to the luggage rack above the man's head.

There was a tattered little box, bound together with many ropes, the ropes neatly knotted, and Professor Remus John Professor Lupin's name was printed on one corner of the box, though one corner of the letter was slightly peeled off.

"I wonder what subject he teaches?"

"Is that even a question? The only teaching position available is in Defense Against the Dark Arts," Hermione whispered.

Upon hearing this, Ron immediately stared at Lupin with a wary look, as his past Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor had left him with a rather unfavorable stereotype.

"Sirius Black told me about Lupin; he's a good friend of my dad's." Harry pursed his lips, ultimately deciding not to reveal any information about Lupin.

Ron breathed a sigh of relief and said with a wistful tone, "I hope he will be a qualified and normal professor, for our own good and for his own good."

Out of some sympathy for the kind Werewolf, Loren brought up Lupin's matter. "By the way, Harry, what did you want to say when you asked us to talk alone?"

Harry glanced at Loren, a strange light gleaming in his eyes. "It was the Ministry of Magic. Fudge sent two cars to take us to the station so that Mr. Weasley could look after me, and we stayed there until I was safely on the train."

"How come I didn't know?" Ron exclaimed incredulously. "Dad said it was a car the department sent for him. I thought he got a promotion!"

"I overheard your parents' conversation last night."

What?! You didn't even invite me?!

Hermione ignored the two people who were oblivious to the point and calmly said, "Harry, don't worry too much. We've discussed it, and Loren and I both believe that Bellatrix Lestrange has already escaped from England."

"I think so too." Harry shrugged. "I even used your analysis to convince Sirius Black to sign my Hogsmeade permit."

"Yes, Hogsmeade! This year we can go to Honeydukes together!" Ron's face lit up with a dreamy expression. "They have everything... Pepper Imp, Sugar Quills ..."

Harry listened intently, completely absorbed.

Loren looked up, met Hermione's slightly reproachful gaze, and grinned.