The Holidays Are Here

"Don't think you can win me over with just a pear."

Malfoy reached out and took the Frozen Pear, feeling flustered and caught off guard, his words sounding somewhat fierce but actually weak.

If Loren were like Ron, and they clashed and fought to the bitter end, Ron would have plenty of vicious words to use against Loren.

"Mudblood," "country bumpkin"—any of those words could make these people furious and jump up in anger. Malfoy would watch with a sense of accomplishment as others became angry.

On the contrary, now Malfoy felt as if his swear words were blocked by something.

Malfoy kept his head down, not daring to look at the Gryffindor. He was somewhat embarrassed and annoyed, yet he couldn't bring himself to be angry with Loren.

These pears taste pretty good. When we get back, I'll have Dobby a few hundred. We can bring the ones we can't finish to school so that Loren can see the wealth of the Malfoy family.

"I'll let them go this time, "Malfoy thought to himself as he ate a pear.

"Giving it to Malfoy is a complete waste," Ron, still somewhat indignant.

"Eat your pear."

Loren didn't pay much attention; he was just a kid trying to get attention. Malfoy wasn't exactly a good person, but he wasn't completely bad either. He held onto the ideas his parents instilled in him, but he couldn't fully accept them. He was going to have a hard time later on.

Hermione ate the pear in small bites; it was sweet.

She disliked Malfoy and found arguing boring. Loren's way of defusing conflict made her realize that Loren was different from others.

At the High Table, Dumbledore watched the scene unfold and smiled gently. Loren had surprised him even more than he had expected.

I wonder what black pears taste like; even this old man like me wants to try them.

After the dinner party ended, the Gryffindor Common Room became lively.

Tomorrow is the start of the holiday, and the place is packed with excited little wizards who don't plan to go to bed so early; some of them don't even plan to sleep tonight.

Students staying on campus were excited because they wouldn't have to attend classes, while those going home were overjoyed at the prospect of seeing their long-lost relatives.

Harry and Ron were sitting around a table, surrounded by many young wizards.

The Weasley twins twins are demonstrating how to play Exploding Snap, a card game for up to five players where the cards are special magical items that can explode at any time during gameplay.

Seamus was very interested in this card game; in fact, he had heard of it before.

But his mother warned him that if he dared to play at home, she would shove the Exploding Snap up his nostrils until they exploded.

Everyone thought that Seamus's mother did the right thing; she was thinking about the safety of her family.

Loren and Neville stood in front of the window, discussing how the black pears were frozen.

Loren felt that the Frozen Pear this time were not quite right. Although they tasted good, they were far from the taste he remembered. Perhaps he didn't have enough time. Loren planned to freeze another batch during the holiday.

Neville loved the taste and texture of Frozen Pear, and he was always exceptionally patient with herbs and food.

Neville is going home for the Christmas holidays, and he plans to try making some of these at home for his grandmother, who is quite old and for whom soft foods are perfect.

"Perhaps we should freeze it, then thaw it, and repeat this process several times." Loren reached out and opened the window, pulling out the last Frozen Pear from the snowdrift. This pear was one that Loren had specifically set aside, and it was still frozen.

Can other fruits be treated this way too?

"I don't know, but you can try frozen peaches or apples, they might taste even better."

Loren put the pears into a paper bag, picked up the bag, and climbed out of the lounge.

Go down the stairs to the basement and walk along the gloomy corridor. Even though other places are decorated with Christmas decorations, this place is still gloomy.

Loren wasn't sure if the old bat would eat Frozen Pear, but thinking about Snape slurping up pear juice made Loren chuckle.

It was Snape himself who opened the door for Loren. Loren noticed a letter on the seat; Snape was probably reading it or replying to something.

"Frozen Pear, a food from the East." Loren walked in and casually placed the paper bag on the table.

The pears had thawed a bit, and some water seeped out of the paper bag, leaving marks on the table.

Snape frowned as he looked at the watermark. "No need to flatter me, Loren. Just focus on making Potions to pay off your debts."

Loren ignored Snape's words. Snape had changed his address at some point and hadn't called him Mr. Morgan in a long time; that old bat was quite arrogant.

"Do we have class today?" Loren didn't answer him; he was in a hurry to go back to the lounge to learn how to play the Exploding Snap.

"No need, you don't need to come during the holidays either."

"Merry Christmas, Professor! Goodbye!" Loren said goodbye to Snape, anxious to see if Seamus had blown up the lounge.

Snap!

Loren politely closed the door behind him when he left.

Snape stared at the door for a long time, feeling that Loren was becoming increasingly presumptuous in front of him. He thought he should teach him some manners when the holidays were over.

He returned to his seat and continued writing, his eyes constantly drifting to the Frozen Pear in the paper bag.

Snape stared at the water stains on the paper bag for a while, then put the letter away. He couldn't write anymore; it was just an eyesore.

He waved to the cabinet next to him, and the cabinet door opened by itself, a set of tableware flew out, and landed neatly on the table with a clatter.

Five minutes later, Snape took out a handkerchief and wiped his mouth. "Well, this Frozen Pear is just so-so."

When Loren returned to the lounge, Seamus had already drawn the Exploding Snap.

Harry, Ron, and Dean were sitting around him; the Exploding Snap could be played by up to five people at a time. A group of young wizards were gathered around to watch.

Lee Jordan is passionately commentating on the game. "Seamus is currently leading by a large margin. I dare say that in terms of explosive talent, Seamus is unparalleled."

Harry quickly threw out a card, afraid it would blow up his hand.

"Harry played his card, can he score? No! Harry's luck isn't good." Lee Jordan said regretfully.

Harry felt very lucky; he hoped he wouldn't get bombed more than he would get a score.

The other three players were always on edge when playing their cards, worried that their hand would explode.

Seamus is different. Seamus's cards are always explosive. His hands are already numb from all the explosions, but he still plays cards with trembling hands.

"Congratulations to Seamus! As the winner, he can stay at the table for the next game!" Lee Jordan exclaimed excitedly.

"No, I don't want to play anymore!" Seamus struggled to escape.

The Twins each gripped one of Seamus's shoulders tightly, each saying:

"You think you can just run away after winning?"

"There is no such rule!"

"Hahahaha!" The young wizards watching burst into joyful laughter.

Loren watched for a while and decided not to participate. He figured that even if Seamus fried his hands into pig's trotters today, he wouldn't be able to leave the field.

That was horrific!