That's It?

"Today is almost over."

Hermione squeezed his hand and said softly.

This man was very restless when holding her hand, sometimes even hurting her a little. She would have to squeeze back hard to calm him down, but he would start acting up again in less than five minutes.

Loren was tickling Hermione's palm while stealing glances at her expression. It was as if she didn't have a tickle in her palm; no matter how much he tickled her, she didn't change her expression. So he turned to prying open her knuckles, her slender, fair fingers, and pressed them against the back of her hand.

Boom!

The sound was crisp and clear.

Hearing Hermione's words, Loren looked up at her expression. "What's wrong? Are you not full?"

"..."

Hermione grabbed his hand and cracked his knuckles one by one, only letting go with satisfaction after cracking eight out of ten fingers. "Where's my birthday present?"

"Oh right, a birthday present."

Loren withdrew his hand with a satisfied expression, then cracked his remaining two fingers as well. Although it hurt a little, he felt relieved.

He took out Goblin Silver Coin from his pocket and handed it over. "Here, a birthday present."

Hermione pursed her lips and silently accepted the silver coin.

"I've modified your original design and added some features. Now it can indicate the location of another silver coin, display the time, and even be used as Sneakoscope. It will get slightly warm when it detects malicious intent from people nearby."

"Here, take this one. And give me yours too. I'll fix it and keep it with me."

Hermione's fingers, gripping the silver coin tightly, turned slightly white. She stared intently at Loren, her eyes gleaming.

"..."

What are you doing?

Hermione paused for a moment, then put away the silver coins. "Anything else?"

Loren blinked innocently. "What else?"

Hermione's cheeks flushed slightly, and her embarrassment made her completely let go of her inhibitions. She simply asked directly, "Where's my dress? Where's my dress? Don't tell me you bought it from Twilfitt and Tatting's for yourself?"

"Oh..." Loren smiled knowingly. "No wonder you weren't curious on the train. Did you think I bought the dress as a birthday present for you?"

"Isn't that so?"

"Of course not."

Hermione's eyes widened, a suspicion forming in her mind. Though she knew it was impossible, her voice still trembled with a hint of grievance as she asked, "The dress... you bought it for someone else?"

No, not exactly.

Loren glanced at Hermione; the girl's pitiful look was enough to make his heart itch. He deliberately put on a serious face and said, "Didn't I buy two sets? One of them is for you..."

"So the other set was bought for someone else?"

Hermione's eyes immediately reddened, brimming with tears, and her voice trembled with sobs.

The grievances in her heart flowed like a burst dam, and tears streamed down her face. She sobbed and accused, "Who was it? I didn't know... I was planning to wear it for you before the day ended, sob sob..."

"The other set is for you too."

"What?"

Hermione stared blankly at Loren, her shock abruptly interrupting her feelings of grievance, and the girl couldn't help but burp.

Loren chuckled as he wiped the corner of her eye and the glistening water from the tip of her nose, then pulled the girl into his arms. "I bought two dresses, one for you and the other for you too."

"You!"

"Who knew my Hermione would be so anxious? She burst into tears before I even finished speaking."

Hermione was both angry and embarrassed. In her anger, she grabbed the collar of his robe, wiped her nose on it, and muttered, "You're just teasing me!"

Loren didn't refute, he just hugged the girl and chuckled.

"Don't laugh." Hermione punched him in the chest and demanded, "Why did you buy two dresses?"

"I think you'll like one set, and I think the other set looks good."

Is there any difference?

"Of course I have one set to please you, and one set to please myself."

Bang.

Hermione punched him again.

"Alright." Loren released his embrace, looking into the girl's eyes, his gaze not entirely innocent. "It's time for the traditional birthday ritual."

"What traditional project—"

The girl had just cried, and her face was flushed with emotion. Her lips were fuller and warmer, making the kiss feel warm and hot. Her hot breath hit his nose and burned deep into his heart.

Fifteen minutes later, Loren escorted Hermione to the bottom of the escalator leading to the girls' dormitory. Seeing the lingering blush on her cheeks, he couldn't resist pinching them; they were still a little hot and felt wonderful to the touch.

"The roast meat inside the pendant is still warm. Take it back and share it with your roommates, okay?"

"Oh."

Hermione tried her best to keep a calm and indifferent expression, silently reciting the Memory Charm spell several times in her mind, but she still couldn't help herself and punched him again.

She turned and ran away without looking back, and Hermione only gradually calmed down when she reached the dormitory entrance.

Why didn't she think more about it then? Why didn't she see his wicked smile? It was clearly a very clumsy prank, so why did she feel so wronged that she burst into tears when she thought about how the dress was meant for another girl?

Damn it, I should have used Memory Charm on him back then!

I'll give myself a shot too!

Taking a deep breath, Hermione pushed open the bedroom door.

Her roommates were still awake. Parvati was standing in front of the vanity mirror, applying a red dot to her forehead. Lavender was holding "Unfogging the Future." Her fortune prediction last week had gone too smoothly, so she only got an average grade on her assignment.

She said Trelawney was a fraud, a fraud with a twisted sense of humor, that those who seriously studied Divination only got average grades, while some people who made up stories of bad luck and copied medical records actually got excellent grades.

Hearing Hermione open the door, everyone turned to look at him. Lavender cheered, threw his book aside, jumped out of bed, and ran over. "Happy birthday, Hermione! How was the party Loren skipped class to prepare for you?"

"Skipping class?" Hermione blinked.

Parvati finished applying the small red dot between his eyebrows, clapped his hands, and walked over. "You don't know, he slipped away before the Divination Class was over. Several people wanted to slip away with him, but none of them were as bold as him."

"Never mind that!" Lavender excitedly leaned over. "You're back so late, did you two go on a date...? Hehe, so, what birthday present did Loren give you?"

"A birthday present?"

Hermione's expression froze as she thought of the silver coins in her pocket.

Where's my dress?

September 22, Thursday, cloudy.

When Loren woke up early in the morning, his roommates were still asleep. He gently pushed open the glass window of the dormitory and saw that the gray sky was tinged with dark gray clouds. As the autumn wind gathered and dispersed, the light and shadow flickered. The sun tried its best to show its brilliance, shining brightly in the distant sky where the dark clouds could not cover it.

"What a fine autumn day."

Loren muttered something under his breath.

I quickly tidied up the bed, washed up, and changed my clothes.

Today we only had two classes, but it wasn't easy. For some reason, Professor McGonagall Transfiguration, was being exceptionally strict with them this semester, constantly saying that they had reached a crucial year.

Please, next year is exam year.

The afternoon Defence Against the Dark Arts. Last time, Harry drew their fire for them; I wonder how it will go this time...

Loren found a new set of magic robes to change into, and before leaving, he called Neville to get up. When he arrived in the corridor, he leaned on the railing and glanced down at the Common Room. The neatly dressed girl was already waiting there.

The girl wore a neatly ironed magic robe, slightly loose, and a pleated skirt that went past her knees, with black stockings extending from the skirt, outlining the perfect curves of her calves.

Hermione was unfolding a letter, her beautiful eyebrows slightly furrowed, looking thoughtful.

He and Hermione had just sent their letter home, Hānhan hadn't returned yet, so this letter must be Mr. Weasley's reply to Winky's current situation.

"The weather is already getting cooler, why are you still wearing a skirt?"

Loren reached out and casually touched the stockings, twisting them as if testing their thickness.

"I'm not cold..."

Hermione looked at his somewhat innocuous eyes, paused for a moment, and for some inexplicable reason, did not push his hand away. "Mr. Weasley has replied."

"What did Mr. Weasley say? How is Winky?"

"It has been confirmed that it is unrelated to the Dark Mark, and it has been released without charge."

"Um..."

Hermione put the letter away and sighed, "Mr. Weasley said that Winky wanted to go back to Mr. Crouch, but Mr. Crouch scolded her in front of many people and kicked her out in a tough manner."

"Don't worry too much," Loren said half-heartedly.

Hermione rolled her eyes, slapped away the hand that was trying to stick to her calf, picked up her Transfiguration textbook, and got up to walk towards the Great Hall.

Loren chuckled, got up and followed him. "I was just worried you'd be cold."

Thank you.

"You're welcome."

Where is my dress?

"Oh, don't rush."

"..."

They went down to the first floor and found a large group of young wizards crowded at the bottom of the Marble Staircase, looking at the newly posted notice from the night before. Lee Jordan, with his booming voice, read it aloud to those outside:

"A History of Magic Course - On September 20, 1994, Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas of Gryffindor openly skipped class. After Professor Binns took attendance, the two of them walked out of the classroom right in front of Professor Binns, forty minutes before the end of class, and never returned."

The incident was egregious, greatly offended Professor Binns, and caused serious negative impact on the A History of Magic class.

After discussion between Professor McGonagall and Professor Binns, it was decided that both students would be given a one-month detention, have 60 points deducted from their Gryffindor House, and have their names posted publicly throughout the university. We hope everyone...

After hearing the notice, Hermione glanced at Loren with mixed feelings.

"Why are you looking at me?" Loren said confidently. "It's not like I skipped class and got publicly shamed."

Hermione continued to look at Loren, her eyes filled with a deep, unsettling gaze.

"If you look again, I'll sew your eyes shut."

"..."

At 2 PM, the Defense Against the Dark Arts started on time.

Moody limped into the classroom, his blue magic eyes darting around once, before sitting down next to the podium and not calling roll again.

"Last week, some of you witnessed the Imperius Curse ..."

Loren subtly raised his head and sized up Professor Moody, a thoughtful glint in his eyes. This Professor Moody was a fake; it seemed Dumbledore had other plans...

Moody's rough but loud voice echoed in the classroom, "A dozen or so students, I can say that if they encountered a dark wizard, only Harry Potter would survive a few more minutes... Of course, I'm talking about the kind of dark wizard who just graduated and whose beard hasn't even grown properly yet. Because the Imperius Curse I cast on you only exerted less than a tenth of its power."

"A few minutes..." Seamus subconsciously wanted to complain, but remembering Professor Moody's keen hearing, he silently shut his mouth.

Moody's demonic eyes swept over him quickly, and he sneered, "Don't underestimate a few minutes. Maybe this little bit of time will be enough for you to hold out until reinforcements arrive, until you have a chance to survive!"

"Now, continue the training to break free of the Imperius Curse." Moody slammed his hand on the wooden table, startling some of the young wizards. "Potter, do you want to try again? Your excellent performance deserves this privilege."

Harry was suddenly called out and was a little flustered, "I... I..."

Moody didn't give him time to react, waving his hand impatiently. "Fine, if you don't want to, then forget it. Next, Loren Morgan!"

The whole class turned to look at Loren, who was sitting in the third row. Although Hermione had prepared herself mentally the week before, she still looked at him with some worry.

"Okay, Professor."

Loren calmly replied, stood up and walked to the open space in front of the podium, restraining his scrutinizing and prying gaze.

This was his first close encounter with Professor Moody since the Headmaster's office. The Polyjuice Potion on him had a faint smell, but the scent of Gillyweed mixed with a strong medicinal wine aroma was still discernible.

"I must say, you're very talented, Morgan, after what you showed in the Great Hall." Moody's Magic Eyes stopped darting around and focused on him, his gaze deep and thoughtful. "Actually, I heard about you before I even came to Hogwarts. He said you're very talented and had high hopes for you..."

The young wizards in the front row didn't find anything strange about these words; Loren's achievements were obvious to all, and both the professors and the headmaster had high hopes for him. But these words, when they reached Loren's ears, inevitably carried a different meaning.

"Thank you for the compliment, Professor," Loren replied calmly.

Moody nodded, then pointed his wand at him: "[Soul Possession]"

A faint and strange Magic Power probed into his mind, emanating a hazy, misty aura. A light, pleasant sensation arose. Although he knew it was Dark Arts, the eerie power within the spell forcibly dispelled his guard, allowing him to relax, cast aside his worries, and gradually blur his consciousness.

It's like smelling the aroma of steaming hot beef stew with potatoes when you're about to be late for class in the morning.

Who would like potatoes?

As Loren subconsciously thought about it, a clear, cool, minty scent flooded his mind, dispelling the strange Magic Power.

"Jump onto the table..." Moody casually commanded.

Loren carefully considered his feelings and realized he didn't have a strong urge to jump. After thinking for a moment, he went to a desk, squatted down, bent his knees, and jumped onto it.

If it were something like barking like a dog or crowing like a chicken, maybe he wouldn't pretend anymore, even if it was just jumping onto the table...

Moody watched this scene, frowned, and a strange feeling flashed through his mind. Was this all the little wizard that his master valued?

That's all there is to it.

"Watch your will, concentrate..." Moody casually emphasized, then released the Imperius Curse. "Next, Hermione Granger!"