Before Departure

Loren didn't know when the event ended last night, but he could still hear the Explosion Charm outside as he fell asleep.

It was early morning in an ordinary dormitory room in Gryffindor.

"Waaah..."

Seamus's sobs drew the others out of bed, who were already awake.

"What's wrong? What's wrong?" Ron was very excited; he hadn't been able to calm down since the start of the holiday.

Others also peered out, curiously looking at Seamus.

"My hands look like pig's trotters!" Seamus sobbed, stretching his hands out from under the covers.

The flesh on this right hand was inflated like a balloon, the palm was red and swollen, and it was shaking uncontrollably, making it look very comical.

"I can't exert any force at all; I can't close my fingers or open them." Seamus's fingers twitched slightly, the movement almost imperceptible.

"Hahahaha!" Ron didn't care about saving face at all and was the first to burst out laughing.

This isn't a big problem for the wizard; he can just have it dealt with by Madam Pomfrey later.

"You're still laughing? I can't even wear my clothes anymore," Seamus said, sounding very aggrieved.

His teasing woke Loren and the others up with a series of laughs. They slowly got dressed, and, suppressing their laughter, helped Seamus get dressed while watching Seamus comical antics.

After struggling for a while, he still couldn't get the jacket on, so he could only drape it over Seamus's shoulders.

Loren looked at the swollen pig's trotters and couldn't help but poke them a few times.

"It hurts, it hurts!"

Seamus quickly pulled his hand back and used half of his body to block Loren.

Ron found it amusing and poked him a few more times from the other side. Seamus quickly changed direction to block Ron, but then Loren poked him again.

After several attempts, Seamus gave up. He lay dejectedly on the bed, no longer struggling, tears welling in his eyes, his voice full of grievance. "Do whatever you want, I'm tired."

"How late did you guys finish playing last night?" Loren asked.

Speaking of this, Seamus composed himself and became proud, "I, Seamus Finnigan, am invincible in Gryffindor!"

Harry exposed him, "Someone cried last night saying they didn't want to play anymore, but I won't say who it was."

Ron laughed again; he had been there too.

As the group helped Seamus to the Great Hall for breakfast, laughter filled the air. They occasionally encountered other Gryffindor students, who would burst into laughter at the sight of Seamus's hands.

Seamus's face flushed red as he kept saying things like "the winner takes all" and "you guys are just jealous."

There was even more laughter...

On the Gryffindor table.

Seamus rested his elbows on the table, his right hand clenched into a fist, barely holding the fork. He shakily picked up a piece of jam-filled bread and tried to put it in his mouth, but when it was still two fists' distance from his mouth, he couldn't lift it up.

The bread kept dangling in front of him, but he just couldn't put it in his mouth.

The Twins brothers were sitting right next to him; they were the ones who had been playing Exploding Snap with Seamus all night.

Are you going to shake the jam off completely?

"Would you like some bread without jam?"

The Weasley twins each said a line, teasing Seamus.

"Hahahaha!" Loren and the others watched from the side.

"Snort!"

Seamus hardened his stance, arched his back, stretched his neck forward, raised his chin, opened his mouth, and swallowed the bread in one gulp. "This can't stump me, Seamus!"

Another burst of cheerful laughter followed.

After breakfast, the group accompanied Seamus to the Hospital Wing where he received a scolding from Madam Pomfrey. By the time they returned, it was nearly noon.

In the lounge, Hermione sat next to a large suitcase, reading to pass the time.

Seamus spotted the large black box immediately and exclaimed, "Oh no! I haven't packed my luggage yet, and the train is about to leave!"

Students going home usually pack their luggage in the morning, and the Hogwarts Express departs around 11:00 AM, giving them plenty of time.

Seamus played cards all night last night and spent the whole morning in the Hospital Wing, so he didn't clean anything.

Seamus rushed into the bedroom and busied himself. At least his hand was alright, and he packed his things efficiently.

Harry didn't need to pack anything; Sirius Black would pick him up directly at the school gate, so there was no rush at all.

People were coming and going in the common room. Ron dragged Harry to the Great Hall to play Wizard's Chess, knowing that no one would be playing Wizard's Chess with him for the next month.

What are your plans for the holiday?

Loren sat down next to Hermione, and he could smell the Muggle shampoo in the little Witch's hair.

"I'm not sure yet, but I might go skiing with my parents."

Hermione was feeling down. She was supposed to see her parents soon, but she didn't know where this feeling of sadness came from.

Unable to come up with an answer, Hermione attributed it to the fact that she was about to leave Hogwarts, and she was probably a little reluctant to do so.

Hermione couldn't concentrate on her book, so she simply closed it. "Remember to write to me!"

The girl got angry when she talked about it. Before school started, the two of them went shopping together in Diagon Alley and agreed to exchange magic by writing letters. But by the time school started, they hadn't even seen an owl feather, let alone a letter.

After returning home from Diagon Alley, Hermione proudly boasted to her parents that she and her classmates would communicate by writing letters with owls, just like when she received her acceptance letter.

For over a month, Hermione would check the window every morning to see if there was a mail owl, and would occasionally ask her mother if she had seen one. Thinking back to how silly she had been, her mother must have been secretly laughing at her behind her back.

On the train, this person actually lied to me, saying that owl delivery required training. How despicable! What's even more despicable is that I actually fell for his trick.

The more Hermione thought about it, the angrier she became, and she reached out and tapped Loren on the shoulder.

Loren was unaware that the little Witch's anger had been building up for months. He turned around in confusion, "Why did you hit me when you were just writing a letter?"

"If you dare lie to me again, you're dead," Hermione said angrily, her voice clear and crisp, but without any intimidation.

"Why don't you just take Hānhan back and write to me? I definitely won't forget to write back." Loren said lazily. He could even forget to write to Grandpa Bates, so he really couldn't make any promises.

"It's settled then."

The melodious chimes of a bell drifted in from outside the window; the train was about to depart.

Hermione stood up, put on her scarf and gloves, and prepared to leave. Loren pulled Hermione's suitcase, intending to escort her to the Castle gate.

The corridor was adorned with colorful ribbons that stretched all the way to the Great Hall. The walls were covered with unidentified white flowers, and inside stood the twelve Christmas that Hagrid had brought in, each adorned with glittering icicles. Magic candles floated among the branches and leaves, casting dappled light through the gaps.

Professor Flitwick is using Levitation Charm to hang star ornaments on a tree.

At the long table, Harry was playing chess with Ron, and was being utterly defeated. He didn't want to suffer like this; he wanted to escape, but seeing Ron's gleeful expression, he had no choice but to endure the torment.

Loren and Hermione walked over and just saw Ron's Queen Chess Piece swinging a chair and beating Harry's knight, who was groaning in pain.

It was too tragic. Hermione couldn't bear to look any longer. She instructed Ron, "You must keep an eye on Fluffy's condition. If there are any problems, go to the professor immediately."

"Don't worry, leave the responsibility of protecting the Sorcerer's Stone to me!"

Ron kept his eyes on the chessboard, without looking up, and said, "Checkmate."

This didn't seem very reliable, Hermione shook her head and pulled Loren toward the door.

Hermione pinned her other hopes on Loren, "I know you think Professor Snape is a good person, but whoever it is, you have to keep a close eye on the Sorcerer's Stone."

"I understand." Loren sighed. You're really overthinking it. With Harry not in the Castle, Dumbledore's teaching can't continue, and even if Voldemort causes a ruckus, he won't have a chance to see the Sorcerer's Stone.

Enjoy your Christmas holiday.

As Hermione walked to the door, her gloomy mood lifted again.

A gust of wind carrying fine snow drifted in from outside the door, and Hermione looked up at Loren.