This Is a Devil, Isn't It?

In a small pavilion at the other end of the pier, some young Gryffindor and Hufflepuff wizards sat together, sharing snacks and occasionally letting out cheerful laughter.

"Professor, I have a few more questions I'd like to ask about Boggart."

Loren and Lupin strolled along the boardwalk toward the pavilion, a slightly chilly breeze blowing in their faces, cool yet pleasant.

"Oh, if I answer honestly, will it make next month's Wolfsbane Potion taste a little better?" Lupin looked at the potion bottle in his hand and made a small joke with a smile.

"I'm afraid there's nothing I can do about this," Loren smiled. "However, I will try my best to make sure that you, Professor, don't end up in the Hospital Wing with medication again."

"That's enough for me to be grateful for." Lupin put the potion in his pocket. "Go ahead and ask, if I know the answer."

"Where did you buy the Boggart, Professor? I noticed you bought a lot at once. Is there someone who specializes in this business, or is there some kind of origin for these Dark Arts items?" Loren asked.

These strange beings usually have special birthplaces. For example, Dementor were born in Azkaban, originating from a powerful dark wizard who conducted unknown Dark Arts experiments on the island, killing many lives.

If we can find the origin of the Boggart, we might be able to trace back to the dark wizard who created Boggart and unveil the mystery surrounding Boggart.

There is also his "mysterious connection" with the Boggart.

"Birthplace..." Lupin pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "Unlike ordinary dark Magical Creatures, Boggart, while unique, are not rare and don't have a fixed place of origin. They always lurk in sparsely populated places, such as abandoned Castle, deep and dark Cave, and the depths of deserted forests."

"People don't specifically seek out or hunt Boggart. They're often found during expeditions or while cleaning out old houses... under rotten staircases, in long-forgotten boxes... catching them is simple, and they don't have any unique use, so they don't fetch a high price."

"There are indeed merchants on the black market who specialize in trading dark Magical Creatures. Perhaps they can't really be called merchants; as long as they have enough Galleons, they'll do anything. By simply raising the price slightly, these 'merchants' can scour the land for Boggart from all over."

Loren analyzed the information in Lupin's words, pondered for a few seconds, and finally gave up the idea of asking Professor Lupin to buy Boggart for him.

He knows nothing about Boggart and has no feasible research ideas, so he can only look at it passively after buying it.

Seeing the young wizard lost in thought, Lupin wondered why Loren was so curious about Boggart, but he didn't bother to investigate.

He looked up and said gently, "That's enough for now. I need to go back to the Castle to find Madam Pomfrey and prepare for drinking the poisoned wine."

Loren looked up and realized they had arrived at the bridgehead. Harry, Ron, and a group of young wizards were chattering around Neville, while Hermione sat on the other side, engrossed in a large book.

Goodbye, Professor.

"Goodbye."

After bidding farewell to Lupin, Loren walked toward the pavilion, where not only Hermione and the Gryffindor were seated, but also Hannah, Ernie, and Justin from Hufflepuff.

As they approached, they heard Neville stammering as he answered their questions; he still seemed unaccustomed to being the center of attention.

"The exam wasn't difficult; if you studied hard, you could get in... I was just lucky..."

"I don't know if I can succeed. Although Professor McGonagall is helping me with tutoring, but... but... there hasn't been any heavy rain lately."

Seeing Hermione engrossed in her book, Loren tiptoed up behind Hermione, a strange smile on his face.

Inside the pavilion outside the Castle, the young wizards chattered excitedly about Animagus. Occasionally, Neville would come across a question he couldn't answer, and at those moments, they would remember that a bright young wizard was sitting in the pavilion.

However, Hermione's answer was too technical for the young wizards who hadn't yet attended any Teaching Class, so they preferred to pester Neville.

Hermione leaned against a pillar, holding a book in her hand, her expression focused on the pages.

In late autumn, although it hadn't snowed yet, the weather was already chilly. Hermione added a fuchsia sweater under her magic robe, and underneath the robe were the pure black trousers that Madam Malkin's had matched. The fabric was of very good quality, and the trousers were ironed flat, with even the wrinkles caused by her sitting posture appearing neat and orderly.

She was serene and graceful, like a quiet and elegant Fairy in the forest.

A slight rustling sound of wind reached my ears.

There was also the scent of oranges carried on the wind.

Hermione didn't even need to look to know who it was; those were the scented wax tablets she bought, specially picked out for Loren at the mall, and also specially put in Loren's suitcase before school started.

The man raised his hands, probably intending to suddenly pat her on the shoulder and startle her.

Hermione suddenly turned and stared into his eyes, her face expressionless, yet her presence was incredibly intimidating.

When Loren was discovered, he paused for a moment, but still smiled and put his hand on the girl's shoulder as if nothing had happened, curiously peering at the book in her hand.

Hermione sighed softly; she always felt helpless when facing this person.

When he realized that the book in his hand was "Transfiguration Today," which he had read before, he withdrew his head in boredom and sat down. Hermione asked softly, "How is Professor Lupin?"

Loren replied, "It's fine now, but I don't know about tonight."

"?"

Hermione tilted her head in confusion.

Ultimately, Loren didn't know how Professor Lupin was doing after drinking the Wolfsbane Potion. At least during Monday's Defense Against the Dark Arts, Professor Lupin seemed fine except for being a little pale.

Filled with anticipation and longing for Halloween and the many activities that come and Halloween, the little wizards always felt that the days passed very slowly, and each class seemed exceptionally long. They fantasized that when they woke up, it would be Halloween, and the sun and moon would simply rise and set at their own pace.

It felt like a long time had passed, yet it also felt like only a few seconds. In this long yet short wait, the day came to October 29th, the day of the full moon and the last Friday before Halloween.

The weather was neither good nor bad. Although it wasn't raining, large patches of clouds lingered in the sky, like clusters of hydrangeas painted in a deep, ink-blue hue. The moon peeked out from behind the clouds, its light flowing gently down the Castle walls and into the courtyard, casting a pale, dappled white glow.

A large group of young wizards sat in the courtyard, most of them craning their necks, clutching Mandrake Leaf in their hands, waiting for the moon to fully emerge from behind the clouds.

In the Gryffindor Head of House Office, a small study on the Second Floor corridor, Professor Sprout stood by the window, looking at the young wizards in the courtyard with a helpless expression.

The plump Witch Sprout closed the window and turned to Professor McGonagall, who was calmly reviewing papers at her desk. "Minerva, aren't you going to go and give them some guidance?"

"You're worrying too much, Pomona. Just put the Mandrake in your mouth under the moonlight, and no one should have any problems, even if many of them are students who haven't taken Teaching Class." Professor McGonagall didn't look up, her quill scribbling on the parchment.

"Yeah, of course you're not worried." Sprout walked over, pouring himself Pumpkin Juice as he complained, "They won't come to you when they fail; they'll just try to steal Mandrake Leaf from the Greenhouse!"

The Herbology professor in charge of the Greenhouse seemed to have a lot of resentment about this, and she kept muttering, "I emphasized this to the students when the semester started, but they went even further. Even members who weren't in the Teaching Class were picking leaves."

"You really should go to the Greenhouse, Minerva. Several Mandrake that have been stripped bare are so ashamed that they've shrunk their whole bodies into the soil."

Professor McGonagall smiled slightly. "I'm sorry, Pomona, I didn't expect so many students to attempt the Animagus Ritual."

Sprout picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and gently set it down. "Yes, yes, I can guess what these little guys are thinking. They'll hold the Mandrake Leaf in their mouths first, and deal with the rest of the ritual after they pass the test. It's really baffling, Minerva, why are these little guys so confident?"

The same question lingered in Harry's mind. Sitting on the railing in the corridor, Harry looked at the Mandrake Leaf in his palm; it was icy cold. He asked softly, "Ron, shouldn't we take a test before the ritual?"

Ron was engrossed in a lively discussion with Seamus, Justin, and others, and didn't have time to answer Harry's question. He simply waved to Harry to indicate that it was no problem.

Harry sighed helplessly; he just couldn't believe it.

"Are you being bothered by Nargles again?"

A melodious voice rang out, Luna walked over from the side, holding Ginny's hand. The long-haired girl wore an oversized pair of colored-framed glasses, and her big eyes looked misty.

"Oh, good evening, Luna —and Ginny," Harry said, his gaze involuntarily falling on Ginny's fiery red hair, which stood out strikingly in the dim night.

"Is the Transfiguration exam difficult?" Luna asked in a light, airy tone, as if she were singing.

"I don't know either." Harry scratched his head a little embarrassedly. "During the last exam, Ron and I didn't look at the questions carefully. We didn't expect Professor McGonagall to teach Animagus."

"You can ask Loren and Her—" Harry looked around, trying to find the two academic geniuses in the corner of the courtyard, but he couldn't find anything.

"They're not here," Ginny said, a hint of envy in her eyes. "They're probably on a date somewhere."

"Probably, they're always glued together." Harry nodded, noticing Ginny and Luna looking at him with strange, inexplicable expressions, and awkwardly twisted his neck.

Ginny asked, "When did they start dating? In their first year?"

"I don't know either. When I first saw Loren and Hermione on the Hogwarts Express, they were together..." Harry recalled. "But it probably wasn't then, they weren't very close in the first few weeks of school..."

"I'm so envious, don't you think, Harry?"

Ginny looked at Harry with eyes brighter than the Full Moon, making Harry feel flustered. Harry felt that Ginny had changed since coming to Hogwarts; before, she would shyly hide whenever she saw him.

And now...

"I... I don't know," Harry stammered, then his eyes lit up as if he'd seen a savior. He pointed toward the Entrance Hall, "Look, Loren and Hermione are back! You can ask them if you have any questions!"

Upon hearing Harry's voice, many young wizards ran in that direction, and Harry was pulled along by Ron.

Watching their retreating figures, Ginny gritted her teeth fiercely.

Hermione and Loren walked side by side from the Entrance Hall to the courtyard. "Is it really alright to leave Professor Lupin there alone?"

"Don't worry, I think he'd be fine even if he stayed in his office Transfiguration."

Hermione nodded slowly, then asked in confusion, "But why would the professor specifically ask you for a storage pendant that can keep things warm?"

Thinking of Lupin in his Werewolf form spinning a chicken leg, Loren pondered for a moment, "Hmm... maybe it's because of Crazy Friday."

"?"

Just then, many familiar young wizards ran towards them. At the front was Seamus, holding Mandrake Leaf in his hand, panting as he asked, "Loren, Hermione, what preparations are needed to hold Mandrake in your mouth? Please help us, Neville can't explain it to us alone."

Dean, Justin, and the others followed behind, their eyes fixed on them intently.

"What preparations?" Loren pondered for a moment, licking the inside of his mouth with his tongue.

On their way back from the Shrieking Shack, he and Hermione had just spat out the Mandrake had been holding in their mouths for so long, and now they felt relieved and light all over.

He answered seriously, "Be mentally prepared."

"Ah?"

"What's the meaning?"

The young wizards looked blank.

Loren explained, "Tomorrow is Hogsmeade Week, so if you start sucking on Mandrake Leaf tonight, be prepared that Week won't be as fun."

Seeing that some of the young wizards were still confused, Loren patiently explained, "This means you can't taste the magical candies from Honeydukes, whether it's Pepper Imp, Ice Mice, or the exploding Exploding Bonbons, Bubbling Brew, Acid Pops, or the jumping Peppermint Toads..."

The little wizards listened, mouths agape, dumbfounded. With each new type of candy he mentioned, the light in their eyes dimmed a little, and they looked utterly pitiful, their pleading expressions utterly heartbreaking.

"Furthermore," Loren paused, "the Zonko's Joke Shop has become unsafe, not to mention the crowded Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop and the Three Broomsticks ..."

The devilish babbling finally stopped after Hermione pinched him. Looking at the blank-faced young wizards in front of him, Loren clicked his tongue, seemingly still wanting more.

"I think, maybe we should wait until we pass the Transfiguration exam before we start..." Justin of Hufflepuff said weakly.

The other young wizards remained silent, but their eyes sparkled with excitement.

Just as hope rekindled in their eyes, Loren's soft voice rang out again. "The exam results will be out in December. December brings Christmas, a wonderful feast awaits you, and even more delicious food..."

The full moon peeked out from behind the clouds, and a gentle breeze swept through the courtyard, carrying with it the sounds of broken hearts.

Ron's eyes flickered with a struggling fire, Animagus, Hogsmeade, and Christmas delicacies kept swirling in his mind.

It was as if an evil ghost was whispering:

Young wizard~

Do you want the Animagus that lets you shine, or the wonderful Hogsmeade trip and Christmas?