Winter Is for Spring

The wind and snow, carrying a chill, tried to squeeze into the Castle, but the warmth Castle pushed the chill out. Here, the silvery snow met the gray-black stone walls and gates.

Because of the holiday, Loren was listless. Even though he was the one dragging the suitcase, he was leaning against it instead. His eyelids drooped, concealing his Sapphire- like, sparkling eyes.

Hermione looked at him; his eyes were brighter and bluer than when they first met.

This was the first wizard friend I ever made, in Diagon Alley, on the Hogwarts Express, at the Sorting Ceremony, in Transfiguration Class...

Loren is present in every scene; his pranks are both infuriating and relaxing.

With him around, even the most tedious Flying Class became interesting. The school corridors seemed shorter; the walk from the Room of Requirement back to the Gryffindor common room never felt long enough.

With the Christmas holidays lasting over a month, just as she was reluctant to Hogwarts, Hermione suddenly felt a similar sense of reluctance to Loren.

"When we pass by the Owlery later, I'll take Hānhan with me." Hermione stared intently at the boy in front of her.

"Okay! I'll reply." Loren dragged the box back and forth, the wheels making a gurgling sound on the ground, as if he were playing some kind of fun game.

Snowflakes drifted down from the sky, adding another touch of white to the already snow-covered earth. The carriages in the distance were obscured by trees, with only faint glimpses of their red color visible. Steam from the boiler at the front of the train rose gently into the clouds, returning a touch of white to the sky.

Loren wasn't used to this kind of scene; the atmosphere was strange.

The girl looked up at Loren, her eyes sparkling, her eyelashes fluttering, as if she had mustered the courage to do something, and she opened her arms towards Loren.

But her courage only lasted this far; shyness took over again, and Hermione's cheeks flushed crimson. She no longer dared to look at Loren.

She controlled her hands as she reached for the suitcase, pretending that her previous action was just to take the suitcase from her.

Just then, Loren pulled the girl into his arms and patted her back. "Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas!"

Hermione's voice was muffled. She felt that Loren's body temperature was a little hot, and her heart was beating fast. She told herself that this was a simple farewell hug, a simple farewell hug.

The girl quickly grabbed the suitcase handle and walked outside without looking back.

Loren looked at Hermione's hurried footsteps and was a little puzzled. There was still a while before departure, so why was she in such a hurry?

Unable to figure it out, Loren put the question out of his mind and decided to go to the Kitchen to get another basket of pears to freeze.

As Loren walked toward the Kitchen, he glanced at the corridor outside the Hufflepuff Common Room, where the walls and ceiling were covered with colorful decorations, Loren also saw some Muggle world pictures.

Compared to students from other colleges, the badgers showed a much stronger enthusiasm for decorating the Christmas corridor.

From afar, I could see a Twin-tailed Girl carrying a fruit basket in each hand, skipping and hopping out of the Kitchen, humming a cheerful melody.

"Hello, Loren!" Hannah Abbott looked delighted, raising the pitch of each word.

"Hi Hannah, are you staying on campus for Christmas too?"

"Yes, I don't want to spend Christmas in a bar this year."

Hannah's mother always took her to the Leaky Cauldron for Christmas, where the owner, Tom, would host Christmas party every year. Although the food was delicious and she had always wanted to try Butterbeer, she preferred to spend Christmas at Hogwarts this year.

Loren looked at the basket in her hand, which was filled with various fruits, mostly pears.

Since yesterday, several Hufflepuff students have asked him how to make Frozen Pear. These people always have the most sincere and noble enthusiasm for life.

"Oh, I want to try freezing other fruits and see how they taste," Hannah explained readily, noticing Loren's gaze.

"Neville had the same idea, but he went home. Perhaps you two could write to each other and discuss it."

No one knew what Loren was secretly thinking. This was Neville's future wife, and Loren wanted to see how that quiet boy Neville would react when they met beforehand. He was looking forward to it.

"Really? I'll remember that. I'll freeze some delicious fruit and share it with you!" Hannah skipped away.

After saying goodbye to Hannah, Loren flicked his finger at the pear on the picture and went into the Kitchen, listening to the pear's giggling laughter.

Besides preparing lunch and dinner as usual, the House-elf in the Kitchen are also doing some preparations for the Christmas dinner.

You can't imagine this scene: 100 slaughtered turkeys scrubbing each other in a huge wooden tub. Their bathwater is a variety of marinades. The turkeys smear the sauces on every part of their bodies to ensure that the roasted product is flavorful.

Winky and several other unnamed House-elf stood nearby, waving their fingers to direct them; it looked a bit like a concert, with the House-elf as the conductors.

Loren found Winky and asked for some more pears.

"Of course! It's an honor for Winky!" Wheat raised its eyebrows, looking pleased that Loren had enjoyed the pears from last time.

Loren couldn't stand that flattering tone; it gave him goosebumps.

Winky quickly brought Loren a basket full of pears. The pears were crammed together, filling the entire basket, and the outermost ones looked like they might be squeezed out at any moment.

Loren carefully carried the fruit basket, afraid the pears would fall out. He took out a box of Chocolate Frog from his pocket. "It's nothing valuable, just consider it your Christmas present."

It's like when you see a child during a holiday, or a water delivery worker or a food delivery person, you casually give them a small tip or a good review—nothing more than wishing for good luck.

Winky stared blankly at the candy, tears welling up in her eyes, and murmured, "Christmas present, Christmas present from Mr. Morgan to Winky."

"Oh my gosh, Winky has a Christmas present!" the House-elf exclaimed.

This House-elf went crazy, running around the Kitchen with the Chocolate Frog in its arms, shouting things that were impossible to understand.

Exclamations of surprise rippled through the other House-elf, as if this were some momentous event.

Loren was wondering if he should slip away now. He knew before that House-elf might have psychological problems, but he didn't expect them to be this serious.

Winky ran a few laps and returned to Loren, staring intently at him.

"Kind, kind, and great Mr. Morgan, Winky will always be loyal to you!"

"Even if you graduate from Hogwarts, Winky will always be your servant, as long as you wish."

"Hiss! "Loren gasped. What was this? A single piece of candy was enough to trick someone into becoming a free laborer. How heartless must Dumbledore, that capitalist?

But he didn't think that way. No one in modern society could accept such a thing. He felt uncomfortable both times he came into contact with the House-elf. If he accepted it, he would probably have goosebumps all the time.

He quickly explained, "No need, no need, it's not anything valuable."

Winky stared stubbornly at Loren. "This is Winky's promise. In Winky's eyes, there is nothing more precious in the world than this."

This guy is so stubborn! Seeing that he couldn't be persuaded, Loren figured he might as well avoid him if he couldn't afford to mess with him, so he picked up the pears and ran away.

Next time you need to get food from the Kitchen, ask another House-elf for help. No, next time just ask another wizard for help.