Tramp or Stray Dog

A slightly cool breeze blew out from the forest, the clouds in the sky gathered and dispersed, and the cries of Buckbeak came from afar.

Hermione looked calm as she watched the leaves swaying in the trees. Loren leaned on her shoulder, the girl's hair tickling his nose.

Harry tried to comfort Ron about Quidditch, but ended up getting angry himself, sitting sullenly to the side waiting for the embers to completely die down.

We must sprinkle some ashes in his eyes!

Ron must have been too full. After getting over his anger, he went to chat with Hagrid Harry: "Hagrid, how long are you planning to teach about Flobberworm in the Care of Magical Creatures?"

Hagrid, lying on his back in the wooden chair, opened his eyes a crack, thought for a moment, and replied in a muffled voice, "I asked Professor Kettleburn, and he told me not to rush and to get used to the professor's work first."

How long does it take to adjust?

"About one semester..."

"Oh no, we have to take care of caterpillars for a whole semester! Hagrid, you can't do that!"

Hagrid reached out and rubbed Fang's head, making it close its eyes in comfort. His tone was devoid of emotion as he replied, "I think those little guys are safe. They won't cause me any trouble, nor will they get Harry into any trouble."

"Don't say that, Hagrid ..." Harry looked away from the embers.

The Wooden House fell silent for a moment, with only the sound of burning embers remaining.

Hermione looked away and gently lifted the unconscious head off her shoulder, preventing it from falling. "If we're stuck with Flobberworm for the entire semester, won't we fall behind? There are plenty of gentle Fantastic Beasts out there. How about Puffskein, or Gnome?"

A hint of interest flickered in Hagrid's eyes. Though he didn't speak, he unconsciously increased the pressure of rubbing Fang's head. Fang whimpered and retreated a little, its scalp aching slightly.

"And Rolf's Bowtruckle!" Harry suggested loudly.

"There are animals in the forest..." Hagrid said softly, nodding slowly as he looked at Harry's hopeful eyes, but he was still a little worried. "You guys come with me to the forest to look for them. If there are no problems, I'll move them to the classroom."

"Yay!"

"Don't worry, Hagrid! Leave it to us."

Even after Hagrid finished cleaning up the barbecue grill, the embers in the stone trough hadn't completely cooled down, so Harry could only leave with regret, hoping to find some dry ash in the forest.

"See Hermione later!"

"Loren is all yours now, haha!"

"Woof woof..."

"What should we look for first? How about Doxy?"

"I remember that Doxy are poisonous, right?"

Harry and Ron walked away, chattering away.

Hermione's shoulder was sealed with a head, so she couldn't go out with them, and Crookshanks naturally stayed behind.

After watching the three people and the dog disappear into the distance, Hermione looked at the sky; it was overcast and not a good day.

The person on his shoulder was drowsy, not fully asleep, but certainly not fully awake. For him, any weather was perfect for sleeping.

Even though he was sleeping, my heart seemed to quiet down as well, and the whole forest quieted down as well, becoming utterly still.

The cabin was located on the Edge of the Forbidden Forest, where the woods and paths seemed somewhat secluded. The trees along the roadside were still lush and green even in autumn, standing side by side with their abundant branches reaching into the bushes next to them, like someone resting their head on someone else's shoulder.

There's no need to worry about scheduling conflicts with classes, no need to hide in the corners of the Castle for fear of being discovered by someone adding Hermione. It's as if all the worries weighing on my mind have been blown away by the wind, like clouds.

"Loren?" Hermione whispered.

The man shook his head and opened his eyes with some difficulty. "What?"

Hermione smiled faintly and said softly, "Good afternoon."

Loren vaguely felt a numbness in the instep and a sense of pressure, as if there was a heavy object, like a solid brick, but it was warm.

A small wisp of curly hair was blown by the wind to the tip of my nose, making it tickle.

"Hmm..."

Loren slowly opened his eyes, looked down, and saw Crookshanks lying at his feet.

A solid cat, a heavy lump.

Loren pulled his stiff feet out from under the belly of Crookshanks and tried to rest his head on the girl's shoulder, but was pushed away by a pair of soft hands.

"Don't go back to sleep now that you're awake, or you won't be able to sleep tonight," Hermione said calmly, though a faint blush hadn't faded from her cheeks.

Several bright blue flames floated around, beautiful as silk, radiating a faint warmth. So Loren didn't feel cold when he woke up.

"Hehe..." Loren didn't press the matter further, and chuckled as he pulled a small paper box from his pocket and handed it over, "Here, a birthday present."

Upon opening the cardboard box, a small, exquisite black kit lay inside.

"What is this?" Hermione asked curiously.

"It's made of Basilisk Scale, so you can attach it to the pendant's dorsal fin." Loren leaned against the wall and stretched vigorously. "Don't you often go hungry when you use the Time-Turner to attend classes? The space inside this scale can keep things warm and fresh, so you can store food in advance and you won't go hungry in the future."

Hermione attached the kit to the pendant, held the Orca pendant up to her eyes, and chuckled softly, "A practical gift..."

The blue flames, like silk, floated, their gentle light illuminating the skin. A soft warmth flowed through the blood into the beating heart, filling it to its fullest.

Boom!

A long, narrow bolt of lightning ripped across the sky, accompanied by deafening thunder, and a torrential downpour that had been building up for over a week poured down.

Four leaping figures darted into the Entrance Hall of Hogwarts Castle, leaving the surrounding wind, rain, and thunder behind. An invisible membrane seemed to flow around the four young wizards; large raindrops fell on them, then slid down the membrane to the ground, without even wetting a single strand of their hair.

"Thank you Loren!" Harry swung his legs, flicking the mud off his shoes outside the door. "Your spell came at just the right time!"

Ron's eyes kept glancing down the corridor, and he breathed a sigh of relief once he was sure Filch and Mrs. Norris weren't around. He then started picking at the mud sticking to his shoes, just like Harry did. "What kind of spell is this? It's so convenient. I wish it could even keep out this annoying mud."

"The improved application of the Bubble-Head Charm can only waterproof and block odors at present..." Loren lifted his foot to look at the sole of his shoe, which was also covered in mud. "However, another spell is very suitable for removing this mud."

"[Whizbangs] "

Loren's wand circled once, and the whirlwind he summoned also circled around their feet, swirling the mud and rushing into the torrential rain.

"Let's go back to the dorm and take a hot shower. Tomorrow's another busy Monday!" Harry laughed.

"Monday ..." Loren hesitated for a moment, then looked up at his two roommates and asked, "Have you finished your homework that's due tomorrow?"

Operation!?

Ron's eyes widened immediately, and his face turned terrified.

Harry paused briefly, then cried out in alarm and ran towards his dormitory as fast as he had when he was rushing back to the Castle.

Ron quickly followed, "It's all your fault! If you hadn't insisted on watching Digger Mole, we would have come back to do our homework long ago!"

"It's clearly your fault!"

"It's your fault!"

As their noisy chatter faded into the distance, Loren and Hermione exchanged a glance and burst into laughter.

The rain and mud had been dealt with, so the floor wouldn't get dirty. There was still some time before lights out, so there was no need to worry about Filch and Mrs. Norris's patrol. The two strolled leisurely toward the Common Room.

Outside the Castle, a noisy thunderstorm raged. But when the thunder and rain penetrated the thick stone walls and entered our ears, they were no longer harsh; instead, they made the Castle seem even more tranquil at night.

"Do you think Crookshanks can adapt to spending the night in Wooden House?" Hermione suddenly asked.

"Maybe it's more comfortable there than in the lounge." Loren walked behind the girl, placing his hands on her shoulders and pushing her forward. "Don't worry, go back to your dorm and get some sleep. Don't forget you have a full schedule of classes tomorrow. Speed up—"

Hermione paused, then turned to look at Loren as if she had made up her mind, and said slowly, "You should go back first. I suddenly remembered that I have an appointment with Professor Bubage."

"Another Muggle Studies topic?"

"Um."

"Oh well."

Loren didn't think much of it. The two parted ways at the next corner of the corridor. One went back to the Gryffindor Tower, and the other went to the Muggle Studies Professor's office.

After walking a few steps, Loren suddenly turned around and called out, "Hermione!"

"Um?"

Hermione turned to look at him, standing right in the light beneath the torch, her whole being bathed in a golden glow, dazzling and captivating.

"I think I forgot to mention," Loren scratched his head and shouted, "Happy Birthday!"

Hermione was taken aback for a moment, then a bright smile bloomed on her face.

Knock knock knock.

"Please come in."

Hermione knocked on the door of the Muggle Studies office. The room was dimly lit. Professor Bubage looked up from his desk and asked the little Witch with a puzzled look, "Miss Granger, what's the matter so late?"

"Professor, I'd like to withdraw from this course."

A thin man stood in the convenience store's warehouse, an apple dangling from his mouth, looking at a jumble of miscellaneous goods with a troubled expression.

To be honest, inventorying goods and organizing the warehouse is indeed a troublesome task, but for a Pure-blood wizard, as long as he has a wand in hand, this complicated task is just a matter of waving the wand.

However, he promised that no magic could be used in any of his actions within Muggle society, and that he would have to do everything himself to show his sincerity. Although the Pure-blood wizard Sirius Black Black initially couldn't understand why having a wizard do things without using magic was a sign of sincerity, he still hadn't figured it out.

However, his Muggle life over the past six months has given him some insights that he has never had before. He didn't have these feelings when he was living a life of comfort and ease with the Black family, when he was young and hanging out with other Muggle, when he was studying at Hogwarts, and even less so when he was imprisoned in Azkaban, his family was destroyed, and then released.

Sirius Black sometimes reflects on his experiences over the past six months, of course, after he has solved his basic needs for food and clothing.

Having agreed to Loren and Dumbledore's request, when he first arrived in Hampshire from Hogwarts, he still had some Pound Sterling he had brought from Privet Drive. At that time, he could eat steak and ham when he was hungry and drink coffee when he was thirsty.

The coffee at the Muggle coffee shop is a bit different from what he makes himself. Lattes and such are better, but there are also things that are even worse, like Americano. Sirius Black swears that even the most patient House-elf couldn't drink it, and even dogs wouldn't drink it...

Having spent all his money, he had also obtained information about the families of the victims from that year. The days that followed became difficult. Without Muggle status, he couldn't receive food or financial aid from the Muggle Government, and when he was hungry, he could only rummage through garbage cans.

It was around that time that Sirius Black learned that some bakeries and fresh food shops would give away unsold food to homeless people at night. It was all cold and hard stuff that didn't taste good at all, but it could fill their stomachs.

Thirst is easy to solve; there's plenty of tap water in the Muggle park.

The worst part is that the weather in Britain is terrible; it's always raining. When it rains, you have to find shelter, which means fighting with other Muggle for territory, but you can't use magic, so every fight ends up in a mess.

He considered turning himself into a dog using Animagus, because from his observation, stray dogs were a little better off than homeless people...

However, Sirius Black thought it over carefully. Although Animagus doesn't use wands, it still counts as magic. Whether it was for keeping his promise or for the dignity of a wizard, he ultimately chose to become a vagrant rather than a stray dog.

There were a few times when he really couldn't hold on any longer, so he used his wand to summon the Knight Bus and exchanged some food with the ticket seller... Just raising his wand shouldn't count as using magic, nor as breaking a promise.

When Sirius Black first boarded the Knight Bus, he considered going back to Gringotts to exchange some money before returning, but when he remembered what Loren had said, he inexplicably decided to stick to his original plan.

Later, he found a job at a convenience store, working as a cashier during the day and a security guard at night. He helped unload goods every morning and tidied up the small warehouse on weekends. He did everything, but the pay was pitifully low, though at least room and board were provided.

Most importantly, the convenience store owner was one of the victims' family members from that year.

Twelve years ago, she and her husband were street vendors selling handmade wooden and woven products when her husband was killed in a bombing, leaving his wife and daughter to struggle to make ends meet.

This is an ordinary yet extraordinary story. Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. At first glance, Sirius Black didn't feel much guilt towards this strong woman.

This unfortunate woman said she didn't shed a single tear back then. She took care of her husband's funeral, received a sum of government compensation, and opened this small convenience store... She worked hard all day, leaving early and returning late, and managed to raise her daughter.

The woman recounted these experiences calmly, even smiling at him with amusement, "Luckily, schooling isn't too expensive..."