Before the Holidays

December was a month of continuous rain.

A light drizzle enveloped the entire Castle. It wasn't a continuous downpour, but it drizzled for two or three hours every day, regardless of whether it was day or night, which was quite annoying.

The Castle was enveloped in a thick layer of moisture, and the old wooden cabinets began to emit a faint musty smell. Even the times when Peeves hid in the cabinets and scared people became less frequent.

The young wizards hadn't run freely on the grass for days, and a faint itch emanated from the gaps between their bones.

Loren and the others were relieved of the burden in their mouths and began to use their wands to chant the Animagus spell to their hearts every morning and evening. The continuous drizzle made everyone nervous, afraid that a sudden clap of thunder would cause their Secret Potion to fail before it was even finished.

Wednesday afternoon, Animagus class.

"Hurry, hurry, we can only sit in the last row..."

"Who told you to get so engrossed in your book that you forgot the time?"

"And you even said, 'Shouldn't you have reminded me?'"

Loren replied matter-of-factly, "I'm sleeping, how can I remind me?"

"Stop talking, stop talking, let's go inside!"

Hermione, carrying a magazine and notebook in one hand and tugging at Loren's sleeve with the other, hurriedly ran into the Transfiguration classroom.

Just as Hermione had said, the front row of the classroom was already full of other young wizards who had arrived early, so the two of them had to find a seat in the back right corner.

Hermione greeted Lupin politely, "Good afternoon, Professor Lupin."

"Good afternoon."

Loren said with a grin, "Lupin, here to be the teaching assistant again..."

Lupin smiled helplessly.

Before he could say a few more jokes, Professor McGonagall had already started lecturing. Loren glanced at Professor McGonagall on the podium, his eyes drooping.

It's all stuff that's already been covered once, it's a bit boring...

Loren didn't really want to come to this class. In order to accommodate the new members, Professor McGonagall was teaching content that had been learned before. For Loren, this kind of class sounded a bit boring.

In particular, Professor McGonagall would call on people to answer questions, and the chances of the older students being chosen were quite high, so he couldn't just lie down and sleep.

Lupin's smile was somewhat forced, his eyes were complicated, and his expression was subtle.

Almost twenty years after graduation, he found himself back as Professor McGonagall's student, only this time with a different group of classmates.

Although Professor McGonagall claimed to be an assistant teacher for the Animagus class, Loren and Hermione guessed his purpose in the first class, which led to the scene before the class started.

"Ah..."

Lupin glanced at Loren, who was yawning beside him, and then at his notebook, which was filled with notes. His feelings became even more complicated.

Loren listened listlessly for half the class, and when it was almost time for Professor McGonagall to ask questions, he yawned and perked up a little.

Professor McGonagall tapped the blackboard on the stage. "That concludes the discussion on the correspondence between the human torso and the torsos of Transfiguration animals. Can anyone tell me the correspondence between the torsos of birds, quadrupedal mammals, and fish and the human torsos?"

Neville and Percy answered the correspondence between birds and mammals one after the other. Professor McGonagall praised them a few times, and then asked if anyone could answer the correspondence between fish, while scanning the whole class with a dangerous look.

Loren turned to look at the side. The little Witch had her right hand raised high, her fair face tightly clenched, her expression full of impatience, as if she wanted to stand up from her chair.

Professor McGonagall's gaze swept around and found that it was still the same old acquaintances raising their hands. Her gaze slowly fell on Loren, whose face tightened. Loren cursed his bad luck and prepared himself to be called on.

However, Professor McGonagall's gaze shifted to Lupin beside her. "Since no one has answered, Professor Lupin, why don't you review the correspondence between fish and the human torso for everyone?"

On this day, Lupin once again recalled being dominated by the professor...

I'm not afraid; I even feel a little nostalgic.

Lupin cleared his throat without batting an eye and calmly replied, "Yes, Professor. The key point to note about fish Transfiguration is the limbs. Compared to the obvious correspondences in the forms of other animals, the correspondences in fish are more subtle. The fins correspond to the arms, the tail..."

Fortunately, there were no questions asked during the remaining half of the class, Loren slept soundly for half the period. After class, with some time left before dinner, some of the young wizards stayed in the classroom to do their homework, while Professor Lupin left the classroom with Professor McGonagall.

Loren, Harry, and Ron finished their homework faster than Hermione. Loren glanced at Hermione's work from behind, pondered for a moment, and then asked, "What kind of homework is this?"

"Ancient Rune," Hermione replied without turning her head.

"Oh, Ancient Rune ..." Loren paused for a few seconds, then asked, "What in Ancient Rune— "

Bang!

Hermione delivered a quick elbow strike without even turning her head, and the world instantly became quiet.

Loren rubbed his arm, muttering repeatedly, "If you don't want to talk, then don't talk, why hit me..."

Harry completely ignored the two men and asked, "Ron, are you going home for Christmas?"

"I'm not sure yet. My parents are both home on holiday, and Percy, George, and Fred have decided to go back too. I should go back..." Ron saw Harry's eyes gradually dimming, and after thinking for a moment, he put his arm around Harry's shoulder. "But I can't stand spending the whole holiday with Percy, so I've decided to stay!"

Harry's eyes lit up again, sparkling with gratitude. He knew Ron had stayed to keep him company.

Hermione suddenly stopped writing with her quill, looked up and asked, "What about Ginny? Is Ginny going back?"

"Of course!" Ron answered loudly. "If Ginny chooses to stay at school, my mom and dad will come to school for Christmas!"

On the other side, after Lupin discussed some Animagus topics with Professor McGonagall, he returned to his office. Before he could even settle into his chair, an unexpected guest arrived.

"Professor Snape?" Lupin opened the door, somewhat surprised. "What brings you to my office?"

Snape's lips curled into a faint, mocking smile, "As a professor, shouldn't you invite me in first when a colleague visits? Or are you just going to talk to me like this?"

"I apologize, Professor Snape, I was so surprised that I was rude."

Lupin opened the door to let Snape in, and brewed him some hot tea with the tea leaves he had just bought. As he poured the tea, Lupin asked, "So, Mr. Snape, what brings you here?"

Snape sniffed the tea, then slowly put down the cup to let it cool. "I heard you've started attending classes at Hogwarts again. I wonder how transfer student Lupin is doing, and whether he's keeping up with the lessons?"

"Thank you for your concern. I'm fine. After all, I was Prefect in Gryffindor when I was in school." Lupin sat behind his desk, sipping his expensive new tea, and continued, "Besides, Professor McGonagall is a gentle professor, unlike other professors. She won't deliberately make things difficult for students. What do you think, Professor Snape?"

Sensing the veiled meaning in his words, Snape's expression darkened, and he scoffed, "I don't care how well you're doing in your studies. I'm here to inform you that I'll be brewing this month's Wolfsbane Potion."

Lupin paused for a moment, then instinctively asked, "Where's Loren?"

Snape's smile grew even more smug, "He's going home for Christmas, and more importantly, you're about to begin your Animagus ritual this month when the moon is full. To ensure that the Magic Power of the Wolfsbane Potion doesn't affect the Mandrake, I have to make some custom modifications to the Wolfsbane Potion for you."

Lupin took a sip of tea and, trying to appear calm, said, "Is that so... then thank you, Professor Snape."

"Don't worry, I have a record of Loren's previous potion feedback. Rafflesia, Leopard-skin flower, Corpse-stinking Lily ... I assure you, this month's Wolfsbane Potion will definitely meet your needs completely..." Snape's smile was very bright.

Lupin felt a little regretful; he should have refrained from making sarcastic remarks earlier.

Time flies, and before we knew it, it was already a week before the holiday.

That night, a cold wind blew by, and the Whomping Willow leaves had completely changed color, shook its branches, shed all its leaves, and became bare.

The night passed, and dawn broke.

Still half asleep, Loren crawled out of bed, groped around on the headboard with his right hand, found his wand, and then ducked back under the covers.

The soft, thick blanket rustled, and a large bulge rose from the middle, from which a muttered voice came through, "Amado, Animo, Animado, Animagus."

After reciting the incantation, Loren calmed himself down and carefully sensed the heartbeat, but still couldn't hear a second heartbeat in the heartbeat.

After completing the Animagus ritual, Loren was fully awake. He got out of bed, slipped on his slippers, and went to the window.

I pushed open the small window of my dormitory room a crack and looked out into the cold wind blowing through the gap. The weather, which had been gloomy for more than a month, suddenly cleared up, and the sky turned into a bright and dazzling eggshell color.

It's a perfect day to go to Hogsmeade.

As his gaze shifted downwards, Loren suddenly noticed that the muddy ground outside the Castle was covered with a layer of glistening white frost, a thin layer that subtly reflected light.

"It's starting to snow..."

Loren smiled, then suddenly flung open the window, letting the cold air rush in without any obstruction.

Harry and the others screamed in agony from the cold, tucking their hands and feet under the covers and condemning Loren's self-destructive behavior through the blankets.

Loren pulled at their blankets one by one. "Get up! Don't forget we're going to Hogsmeade today!"

A dozen minutes later, Hermione, who was waiting in the Common Room, saw a group of boys chasing each other downstairs, pressing their cold hands to each other's necks.

Loren emerged from the commotion and stood in front of Hermione, his eyes fixed on her slender, snow-white neck.

Hermione knew what he was thinking without even guessing. She rolled her eyes and took out a scarf in the classic Gryffindor colors from her pendant to protect her neck.

Loren was a little disappointed, but he still put his hands inside her scarf, where they warmed up in no time.

The group arrived at the Great Hall and found that the Castle walls had been decorated with Christmas decorations. Professor Flitwick had set up colorful lights, which would turn into Fairy when touched with a magic wand, fluttering their Winky wings.

After breakfast, the young wizards, wrapped in scarves and cloaks, followed Professor McGonagall and slid all the way to Hogsmeade Village.

The snow from last night had formed a thin layer of ice on the road, and if you weren't careful, you could slip and slide. The little wizards would run fast on the ice, then suddenly stop and slide a distance due to inertia, having a great time doing it.

Some people stop and lose their balance, often making those nearby laugh.

Upon arriving at Hogsmeade Village, Harry squinted at the bright Christmas ribbons adorning the streets and exclaimed with delight, "Great! Those pesky Dementor are gone! They're finally gone!"

"Haven't you already learned the Patronus Charm? Why are you still worried about Dementor?" Loren put his hands behind Hermione's neck and pushed her forward, occasionally moving them to different spots. The scarf was warm from the girl's body heat.

"I wouldn't want to see Dementor even if it meant dealing with them; it's cold enough as it is," Harry muttered.

"Then you might be disappointed. Look at this." Hermione put her hands in her pockets, leaned back slightly, and used the resistance to signal the pushing hands to stop. She raised her chin to draw the attention of the others to the notice at the entrance of the candy store.

Loren rested his head on Hermione's shoulder and went with Harry and Ron to see the notice.

Ministry of Magic:

Customers please note that unless otherwise announced, Dementor will patrol the streets of Hogsmeade, Diagon Alley, and Knockturn Alley every day after sunset. This measure is for the safety of residents in these areas and will remain in effect until Bellatrix Lestrange is apprehended. Therefore, all customers in these areas are requested to finish shopping before sunset.

Merry Christmas!]

"I guarantee it!" Ron shouted. "Hogsmeade was an extra addition. That despicable Minister for Magic wasn't there to protect Hogsmeade; he just wanted to spy on Hogwarts."

Harry nodded in agreement. "Needless to say, the greatest danger here is the Dementor."

They complained in front of the notice for a while, then, lured by the sweet aroma of the candy, they strolled into the Honeydukes.

Large chunks of creamy yellow Cream Almond Candy, sparkling Coconut Ice Cake, hundreds of neatly arranged chocolates... and all sorts of magical candies, Bubbling Brew, Pepper Imp, Ice Mice, and Exploding Bonbons...

Without the restriction of Mandrake Leaf, Loren and the others filled their stomachs to the brim at the candy store, and even bought several boxes to take home. Harry and Ron also bought several boxes, planning to enjoy them during the Christmas holidays.

It was too cold, and they weren't really interested in shopping, so they quickly reached a consensus—to go to the Three Broomsticks and get something hot to drink.