Night at Sea

It was evening in the Library of the Fantasy Book.

Loren gently embraced Professor Granger's waist, and the two twirled and swayed to the soothing music, their movements light and fluid, a significant improvement over their stumbling practice during the day.

However, from Flamel's professional perspective, their dance moves were truly an eyesore, especially Hermione's self-righteous explanations of some incorrect movements, while Loren imitated them without any regard for the consequences.

After watching for a while, Flamel decided to give the two a lesson. "The waltz originated in Germany, Bavaria, and was introduced to the Vienna court in the 17th century. The noble ladies at that time were very fond of this free and unrestrained dance, and later people even called the fast-paced waltz the Vienna waltz."

Hermione paused in her spinning motion, storing this historical knowledge in her mind. She leaned closer to Loren's ear and said, "Slow down your square steps. If you can't remember them, just move along with my toes."

"Okay..." Loren replied in a low voice.

Flamel, hearing this unorthodox teaching method, slowly exhaled a sigh of frustration and continued, "Nicol and Perenelle once lived in Vienna for a period of time, Perenelle really liked this kind of dance."

"The waltz is easy to learn and free and comfortable, which has attracted a large number of dancers. Often, they can learn it just by watching for a while. It fits the social trends and changes in fashion at the time, so it became widely popular and has now become one of the most representative dances."

Hermione continued to lead Loren in a swaying motion, her mind telling her that this knowledge didn't need to be memorized; just having an impression of it was enough.

"As a 4/3 time dance, its basic step is to hop one step per beat, and three steps per measure, but there are also specific steps in a measure where you hop two or four steps..."

"..."

Hermione automatically ignored what was about to be said and continued spinning and sliding with Loren.

Loren didn't hear Flamel's voice at all, silently following Hermione's rhythm.

They were immersed in their own world, one daring to teach and the other daring to learn, both feeling that the experience was good. They seemed to faintly hear Flamel saying, somewhat angrily, that their movements were wrong. After a while, Flamel calmed down and began to point out their mistakes without any emotion.

Listening closely, it seemed like just a vague hallucination. Anyway, the Library was very empty; perhaps it was just an echo of music. Whatever...

Song after song, an hour later, Hermione finished her dance class, feeling quite satisfied.

Yes, the student is a good student, and the professor is a good professor!

Loren snapped out of his reverie and turned to look, but Flamel was nowhere to be seen.

Just say it was just a hallucination.

The group of five enjoyed their dinner at a leisurely pace.

Unlike the buffet restaurant upstairs, this place offers paid customized set menus. You pay three hours in advance to reserve your meal. After deciding on a few main dishes, the staff will note any dietary restrictions you may have. You will then be able to dine at the restaurant three hours later.

Since it was the last night on the ship, Bates decided to book this restaurant.

The melodious strains of a violin filled the air, causing diners to lower their voices slightly as they chatted. The silver cutlery clinked softly together. The bread with butter served before the meal was unremarkable. The appetizer consisted of a special cheese made from duck liver, frog legs with parsley sauce, and a salad with a fermented cheese. The main course was ribeye steak with red wine sauce and black truffle pasta...

In short, by the end of the meal, everyone felt that their belts were a bit too tight around their stomachs.

Leaving the restaurant, Bates and Mr. and Mrs. Granger rushed off to see the final performance of Macbeth, leaving Loren and Hermione to wander around the cabin.

Before I knew it, I had arrived at the open-air teahouse. There were hardly any customers left, except for a small, pale yellow lamp hanging on the wall, which made it seem quiet.

The cool sea breeze carried a moist, salty smell, but fortunately they had gotten used to it over the past few days. The hull cut through the sea, and the white waves crashed against each other, making a soft, rustling white noise.

Hermione tilted her head back slightly, breathing in the boundless night view of the sea with a sense of contentment. The noise and music from the cabin mingled together, becoming very faint and somewhat distorted after being blocked by the ship's hull.

The girl felt as if they were in another world, a world that belonged only to them.

Loren saw the phonograph on the counter, and gently beckoned to it. The stylus fell automatically onto the black record, and as the melody of "The Blue Danube" slowly poured from the phonograph, he bowed slightly to Hermione: "Beautiful lady, may I invite you to dance?"

Hermione smiled and extended her right hand.

The massive ship, carrying tens of thousands of tons of cargo, crashed against the waves. The dim light in the tea house cast long, intertwined shadows of two people, and the Atlantic Ocean seemed to quiet down as a result.

It was evening, half an hour before the theater ended.

Loren and Hermione sat facing each other at the small round table on the balcony. He held a quill pen and looked down at his Arithmancy homework, looking very serious. But if you turned the angle slightly, you could see that his eyes were not focused at all, and he was obviously absent-minded. Occasionally, a strange smile would appear on his face.

He stopped laughing abruptly and glanced up at Hermione across from him.

Hermione's face was tense as she focused intently on her homework, her expression very serious. Her brows were slightly furrowed, her eyebrows were long and thin, and you could see her eyelashes fluttering. Her eyes were filled with seawater, and below her delicate nose were her lips pressed together.

The girl's lips were originally thin, giving her a delicate yet aloof look, but now they are slightly red and swollen, completely dispelling the coldness in her demeanor. Even with her lips pursed and her face tense, she still looks charming and lovely.

She remained silent, and if one ignored the quill pen that wasn't even dipped in ink, Loren would probably think she was doing her homework.

Hermione stared intently at the letters on the paper. After a while, some of the letters became unfamiliar, as if she didn't recognize them at all.

After staring at them for a while, they slowly began to sway, some even splitting into several, holding hands and starting to shake, spin, and waltz.

The slightly salty sea breeze filled her nostrils, reminding Hermione of her experience in the tea house earlier. She shook her head vigorously to clear her mind of the images, then looked up from her homework and saw the person opposite her staring straight at her without blinking.

"..." Hermione tried to make her tone firmer, "What are you looking at me for?"

Loren's gaze lingered on her lips. "Enjoy the scenery."

Hermione immediately chickened out.

Loren stopped teasing Hermione and chuckled twice, "Besides the International Confederation of Wizards, let's visit some famous tourist attractions when we get to New York."

What tourist attraction?

"The Statue of Liberty, Times Square, the Empire State Building, and the Golden Gate Bridge that's always being bombed in movies."

There is no Golden Gate Bridge.

"What?"

"The Golden Gate Bridge is in San Francisco..."

"Ugh, you're so annoying. Do you really have to correct me?"

"..."