Fifteen Already

Monday, September 19.

The last class in the afternoon was Divination. The incense burning in the fireplace released a rich aroma that made people drowsy.

Professor Trelawney habitually turned his back to his students, his ethereal voice seeming to come from distant clouds, his posture and tone exuding the air of Seer.

Harry stared blankly at the podium, his eyes vacant and his face expressionless.

Ron, who sits next to a chick pecking at rice, is sleeping soundly. It's clear that he has made profound and detailed observations of chickens. Whether it's the crowing last week or the pecking at rice now, his imitations are lifelike and very vivid.

Harry wanted to sleep but didn't dare. Ever since Professor Trelawney targeted him, he had realized that his friends wouldn't be in trouble no matter how they slept, but if he closed his eyes even slightly, Professor Trelawney's Inner Eye would be watching him.

Sometimes he would doubt whether Professor Trelawney, in his lucid state, was a genuine Seer, but the grading of last week's homework, which had just been handed out, shattered his illusions—

He and Ron received excellent grades on their assignments.

This really evokes mixed feelings.

Apart from a small number of people, including Lavender, who were listening attentively, most of the others were daydreaming. Strangely enough, Loren was neither sleeping nor looking at any other books.

He was always keeping track of the time, and would occasionally take out a silver coin to examine it.

Classes ended at 4:30. At 4 o'clock, Loren finally couldn't sit still any longer. "Tsk tsk... Harry, I'm going to Hagrid's Hut first. Neville will help me take my textbooks and bag back to the Common Room later. If Professor Trelawney asks, just say I went to the toilet because I had diarrhea."

Harry looked at Neville, whose eyes were glazed over, mouth slightly agape, his expression indescribable.

Then Loren, with a slight bow, quietly left the classroom. He closed the door with great care, making sure the hinges didn't creak, and the Lockhart clicked shut so softly it was almost inaudible.

At least Professor Trelawney didn't hear it.

Lavender Brown, who had been attentively listening to the lesson, watched Loren leave with the same shocked expression as Neville. She nudged Parvati in a daze, Parvati nudged Seamus, Seamus nudged Dean ...

Some of the young wizards' listless eyes suddenly lit up with a light, a surprise they had never seen before.

"..."

As Harry watched the smoke rising from the fire, many strange thoughts popped into his mind, such as how Loren might treat the school rules as a joke book, which was why Hermione, who could recite them by heart, got along so well with him.

For example, there might be some changes in future Divination Class; Professor Trelawney might take attendance before the end of class.

Harry stayed until 4:30 when class ended, handed his and Ron's textbooks to Neville, and the two of them walked out of the classroom together, following the flow of students leaving class towards the first floor.

Seamus and Dean were loudly plotting to skip class, their voices filled with excitement, and their voices could still be heard as they went down the stairs.

"Did you see that? Loren skipped class! Skipped class!"

"Professor Trelawney didn't even notice that someone was missing!"

"Nonsense, Professor Trelawney didn't turn around until the end of class."

"..."

What do you think of Professor Binns?

"Hey-hey..."

Harry and Ron exchanged a glance, both seeing eagerness in each other's eyes.

When they arrived at Hagrid's Hut, Loren and Hermione were already roasting lambs.

Hermione's forehead was slightly damp with sweat, but it was probably not from the fire being too hot; rather, it was from running hurriedly to the Castle as soon as class ended and sweating it out.

Loren pulled up a small stool and sat down next to the oven, directing Hermione to turn the grill, his tone extremely arrogant:

"The charcoal should be arranged in an H-shape because the front and hind legs of the lamb are relatively thick, and these parts need a stronger fire to ensure they are cooked through."

"First, bake the outer skin dry, then use a knife to make lines, and brush a layer of oil when the outer skin is dry and hard."

"..."

"Alright, Granger apprentice, I've taught you the basics of grilling. After a little practice, next time you can grill a Fire Dragon for us."

Hermione smiled faintly as she patiently turned the grill, ignoring the nonsense Loren was spouting beside her.

The pebbles, transformed by the Transfiguration, became smooth bricks of uniform size, which were stacked to form a simple grill taller than Fang. Lambs and many ribs, marinated for a day and a night in beer with ginger slices, onions, celery, peppercorns, etc., were tied to the grill and were emitting an enticing aroma.

Hagrid was carrying the wooden table and tableware out of the hut when he saw the two arrive. He greeted them with a smile, "Loren got back even earlier than me. I was still teaching the fifth-grade students. The fire is already lit over here."

It smells so good...

Tears welled up in Harry and Ron's mouths, while the hound Fang excitedly ran laps around the oven.

Unexpectedly, they craved the meat for four hours straight, until it was completely dark before they finally got to eat it.

The crispy-crusted mutton was placed on a wooden table, some parts of which were already glistening from roasting. The juices and mutton fat sizzled and oozed out, and the aroma of chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns was like Imperius Curse, making one's mind go blank.

Harry and Ron, already dazed by the smoke, had red eyes. Ignoring the scalding hot roast meat, they grabbed the cut lamb chops and stuffed them into their mouths, grimacing from the heat but not slowing down.

After dinner, both of them were stuffed, with food piled up to their throats, feeling both satisfied and uncomfortable.

Fang was so full that she was lying on the ground groaning, but she still gnawing on the bone unwillingly.

Hagrid, his body sluggish, cleared away the dishes, a broad smile on his face.

He had watched for a long time and had almost mastered the technique of roasting mutton. The marinade for the lamb was still in the stone vat. He would hunt some game in the next couple of days and put it in so he could roast such delicious meat himself.

He might even be able to bribe the people in the forest with some roasted meat, and then he could get a closer look at those majestic Fire Dragon. If he's lucky, Norbert might be transferred over too.

That little guy used to enjoy eating what Loren fed him.

After everything was settled, the group sat side by side on the stone steps next to the pumpkin patch. A Half-Giant, a hound, and four young wizards gazed at the bright starry night sky, with an autumn breeze blowing in their faces.

Loren leaned back, hands behind his back, and tilted his head, suddenly asking, "Hagrid, what were Rolf and Luna doing during their nighttime stroll in the Forbidden Forest? Why did they get so many points deducted?"

Silly Fang lay on Hagrid's lap, its belly exposed, letting Hagrid knead it to make its swollen belly feel more comfortable.

Hearing Loren's words, Hagrid slowed his movements. "Hey, you mean those two? They went to play with a little Unicorn late at night, asking if Unicorn could hatch the Basilisk's eggs. The enraged Unicorn kicked Rolf over. I just came back from patrolling the Forbidden Forest, Fang smelled them, so I handed them over to Filius."

Fang barked twice, as if asking for credit, and snuggled into Hagrid's arms.

Ron burped. "Why are the points deducted so severely? I don't remember George and Fred getting caught sneaking into the Forbidden Forest at night and not losing this many points."

"Um..." Hagrid hesitated for a long time without answering, his face clearly showing his difficulty.

Hmm, there's more to it than meets the eye?

Harry immediately became interested. "Tell us, Hagrid! You can't share any news with us, you just stole one of my lamb legs!"

Loren and Hermione also looked over curiously.

"Um..."

Hagrid whispered, "The Triwizard Tournament staff are in the Forbidden Forest."

"The Triwizard Tournament!"

Harry and Ron exclaimed in surprise, and Harry pressed on, "What are they doing in the Forbidden Forest?"

"..."

"Tell us quickly, or we'll go see for ourselves!"

"No..." Hagrid was startled and hesitated before saying, "They've come to survey the environment and negotiate with the Centaur and Unicorn. They need to clear out a large enough space."

"Why in the Forbidden Forest? Isn't the Castle big enough?"

Hagrid refused to say anything more, "Don't ask anymore. I can't tell you the rest... and don't even think about going to the Forbidden Forest yourself. If I catch you, I'll hand you over to Minerva."

Harry pleaded, "Please tell me, Hagrid..."

"Don't ask anymore, you'll find out soon enough."

"Hagrid..."

"..."

Despite the long struggle, Hagrid remained mindful of his duties as the professor and the guard, and did not reveal any more important information.

Half an hour before lights out, Hagrid and Fang escorted them back to the Castle.

The night was as still as water, not particularly dark or thick. Tonight's moon was almost at its fullest, and the road was bathed in moonlight, like a carpet of white ginger flowers.

Loren was in a good mood and skipped along the way, walking faster than Fang.

Hermione stepped lightly through the moonlight, and somehow managed to grab his hand, slowing him down so that he fell behind Hagrid and the others.

"Hey-hey..."

He squeezed the girl's small hand; it was soft, tender, and smooth.

Loren looked up at the moon, then at the girl's face, which seemed to glow in the moonlight, and couldn't help but smile.

Hermione.

"Um?"

"Did you know that tomorrow's moon will be the fullest of the year?"

"I know."

Hermione's Astronomy grades were consistently O.

"It would be perfect if your birthday fell on tomorrow..." Loren clicked his tongue and shook his head. "Today is good too, everything is good."

Loren wanted to explain the meaning of the Mid-Autumn Festival, but he felt it was too much trouble. He was full and too lazy to say too much or too long, so he just kept kneading and playing with the girl's hands, chuckling foolishly.

"It's been almost a month since school started. Let's write a letter home tomorrow."

"OK."

Hermione didn't ask him what he was trying to say; she just listened to his laughter, felt his happiness, and felt happy as a result.