Bathing Together

In the end, Harry gulped down the entire cup of Seaweed Tea in one go.

It's alright. Apart from being a bit fishy and salty, and having a peculiar taste, there's nothing else wrong with it.

Pabbie held the cup herself, sat cross-legged on the Fur Carpet, and sipped it contentedly, as if it were the most delicious drink in the world.

"It's delicious, isn't it! I've experimented with so many recipes! It's especially cold here at night, this is the best thing to drink!" She turned to Cassandra, her eyes sparkling, "Cass, when the lady bowed to you just now, was that the legendary Deep Sea Salute? I saw an illustration in one of Newt's Manuscript, but the description wasn't complete."

Cassandra looked up, somewhat surprised. "You know that book?"

That obscure book was the kind that few people bothered with, even in the library.

"I know a little bit. Newt only has fragments, and I've always wanted to find the whole book!" Pabbie leaned forward excitedly. "The book says that the ritual requires specific magical adjustments to simulate the silent resonance of the deep sea environment. Is that true? Did you subconsciously adjust your Magic Fluctuation just now?"

This question clearly touched upon Cassandra's area of expertise and also touched upon the core of her dangerous social interaction just now.

She put down her teacup, a fleeting glint of pleasure in her eyes.

"To be precise, it's not a simulation, but rather a reduction in the activity level and slowing down the frequency of magic, presenting a stable state similar to an underwater volcano, avoiding any sharp fluctuations that could be interpreted as provocation or panic."

She paused for a moment, then continued, "The Kraken lives in the deep sea and is most familiar with and at ease with the background sounds in that environment."

"I see!" Pabbie exclaimed in realization, then added with a hint of annoyance, "I was wondering why my friendly gestures were always so inconsistent. Maybe my magic is too lively? I can't help but want to express 'Hi! I'm super friendly!'"

Veratia listened to their conversation with a smile, then interjected, "So, Cass just used magic to tell that troll: I'm just an inconspicuous but safe rock passing by, please don't mind me?"

"Oh, Cass," Pabbie grinned mischievously, "Just like Harry used to say, Cassandra, I hate that you're like a block of wood?"

"No." Cassandra glanced at Pabbie. "That's what I should be saying, not Potter is thinking."

"No?" Harry scratched his head. "How did we end up talking about me again? Weren't we supposed to be talking about Cass's magic?"

"What?" Cassandra raised her head. "You have a problem with that?"

"Alright, alright," Veratia began to smooth things over, trying to get Harry out of the awkward situation, "Speaking of which—"

She looked around the cabin, her gaze settling on the Notebook and specimens. "Pabbie, do you usually live here alone? Doing research?"

"We spend most of our time here," Pabbie nodded. "It's quiet here, close to the Lady and other sea creatures, making it easy to observe and record. Occasionally Newt and Tina come over, or other researchers come to exchange ideas. The only problem is resupplying; we have to go to the nearby wizarding town regularly or use magic to teleport."

As she spoke, she suddenly remembered something and pulled out several items carefully wrapped in seaweed from a box in the corner.

"Oh, right! This is Magic Pearl I found in a crevice of the rocks during low tide a while ago, and a piece of the Umbrella Membrane shed by Moonlight Jellyfish; it emits a soft glow in the dark. I'm giving it to you as a souvenir!"

She distributed the gifts to everyone: Harry received a deep blue pearl with a wave-like luster; Veratia received a Umbrella Membrane as thin as a cicada's wing, cool to the touch, yet automatically emitting a faint moon-white halo; and Cassandra received a Silver Spiral White Shell, which was quite peculiar in appearance.

Pabbie explained, "This is called Echo Shell. It's said that if you whisper into it, your voice will be preserved for a long time, and only magic of a specific frequency can play it again. I think it might be suitable for recording some things you don't want to forget? Or for researching ancient sound magic?"

Upon hearing this, Harry instinctively looked at Veratia and found Veratia grinning mischievously at him.

Well, it seems the experienced driver and the seasoned driver are thinking the same thing.

Cassandra didn't notice the winks and smirks from her friend and boyfriend. She took the Echo Shell and gently traced the spiral patterns on it with her fingertips.

"Thank you," she said softly, "It looks very special."

Inside the small wooden cabin, the stove crackled, and wisps of steam rose from the Seaweed Tea.

Outside the window, dusk deepened over North Sea, and the sound of the waves became the eternal background noise.

Pabbie then unearthed some more treasures she had collected throughout Northern Europe—a stone that changes color with temperature, a Thunderbird Feather said to bring good luck, and even a small bottle of Elf Tear Dew.

Veratia sniffed it suspiciously and said it was the Alpine Flower Distillate.

As night deepened, Pabbie decided to stay a little longer, so they left first.

As she said goodbye, Pabbie stood at the entrance of her Bird's Nest and waved vigorously. "Come again next time! Maybe in winter to see the Aurora, or in spring to see the baby seals! Take care!"

It was late at night when I returned to Grimmauld Place, Number 13.

Cassandra hung up her Windproof Cloak and headed straight for the study, seemingly wanting to immerse herself in books and process what she had learned that day.

"Cass," Harry called after her, still clutching the pearl in his hand, "Won't you take a hot bath first? The sea breeze is sticky."

Cassandra paused, but didn't turn around.

"The study has silencing and temperature-regulating spells. And," she said casually, "I need to consult some comparative literature on Modern Research on North Sea Magical Creatures."

"You can take the book to the Living Room to read," Veratia suggested casually, having already retrieved a few bubbling Butterbeer from the Kitchen's Magic Freezer. "Or, why not read it in the bathroom? I remember you have a really cozy reading nook in your Private Bathroom."

As she spoke, she winked mischievously at Harry.

Cassandra's ears turned red at a visible speed. She finally turned around, glaring at Veratia, then glancing at the innocent-looking Harry.

"Nonsense!"

She left those words behind and quickened her pace toward the stairs, but her direction seemed to deviate from the study and instead head towards the second-floor bedroom area.

Harry and Veratia exchanged a smile.

Veratia lowered her voice. "Looks like the suggestion worked. Look, she seems interested."

"I'll go take a look." Harry casually placed the pearl on the coffee table and stealthily followed them like a thief.

Cassandra did not enter the study, but went directly to the door of her private bathroom.

Hearing footsteps, she stopped, placed her hand on the doorknob, turned her head, and spoke in a harsh tone.

"Is something the matter?"

Harry walked over to her and naturally wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder. He could smell the lingering sea breeze in her hair mixed with her own unique cool fragrance.

"Shall we shower together?"

He asked directly, and his smile was somewhat lewd.

Cassandra's body visibly stiffened, and her neck flushed slightly.

"Potter! You—you—you've done absolutely—outrageous! Let go!"

She struggled, but not with much force; it was more of a symbolic protest.

It was less of a protest and more of a display of affection.

"The bathtub is big, and it saves water." Harry remained unmoved, instead hugging her tighter and whispering in her ear, "Besides, we can talk about the Echo Shell — Veratia seems to have some ideas about its special uses."

Upon hearing the Echo Shell, Cassandra stopped struggling, a hint of confusion flashing across her face. Then, as if recalling the knowing, mischievous grin Harry and Veratia had exchanged in the cabin, she instantly understood, her cheeks burning even hotter.

"You! --- Your thoughts are filthy! You have no shame!" she said, both ashamed and angry.

"I didn't think of anything," Harry said honestly. "It was Veratia who thought of it. But now that I think about it, it doesn't seem so bad?"

He deliberately dragged out his words, his expression quite mischievous.

"You—!" Cassandra was speechless with anger, not knowing how to retort for a moment, only feeling an astonishing burning sensation as his breath brushed against her earlobe.

Just then, Veratia's voice drifted down from the stairwell. "The water's ready, you two. If you dawdle any longer, it'll get cold. Or—"

She paused deliberately for a moment.

"Would you like me to invite our esteemed Miss Malfoy to take a bath?"

Cassandra took a deep breath, knowing that she couldn't escape the combined efforts of these two shameless scoundrels tonight.

She closed her eyes briefly, as if she had made up her mind, or perhaps given up resisting; her voice was barely audible.

"Let go. I'll walk by myself."

Harry readily let go of her hand, but then took her hand in his, their fingers intertwined.

Let's go.

The bathroom was filled with the warmth of a heated tub, and the spacious, classic bathtub was indeed large enough to accommodate three people without feeling crowded.

Veratia had already changed into a silk bathrobe and was sprinkling some soothing bath salts into the water. When she saw them come in hand in hand, she gave them a knowing smile.

The rest of the time was spent in a righteous two-on-one battle.

Cassandra was initially extremely reserved, tightly wrapped in her bathrobe and huddled in a corner, but as Harry and Veratia chatted casually and she soaked in the warm pool water, she gradually relaxed and even occasionally offered a brief comment.

Harry played with the Deep Sea Pearl, which appeared even more lustrous in the moisture.

"Pabbie is really good at finding things. I have to admit, sometimes I think she's a lot like the Niffler."

"She has a natural talent for it," Veratia said, leaning against the poolside, her long, wet hair pulled back. "But you're not wrong, she really is a lot like Niffler, both in her treasure hunting and in that fatalistic nature."

After saying that, she looked at Cassandra: "Cass, how's your research on that Echo Shell coming along?"

Cassandra, who was resting with her eyes closed, slowly opened them upon hearing this.

"It's an interesting thing, but I think it's more appropriate to use this kind of thing for private purposes."

"For personal use—" Veratia drawled, glancing meaningfully at Harry.

Harry coughed lightly and quickly changed the subject. "Are you done soaking? I'm a little dizzy."

Emerging from the bathroom, all three were dressed in comfortable pajamas, their hair magically dried.

Cassandra's cheeks were flushed from the heat, and she looked less cold and more gentle and tired.

She didn't mention going to the study again, but instead followed Harry and Veratia into the master bedroom naturally.

The room was dimly lit. Cassandra stood by the bed, seemingly hesitating for a moment, but seeing that Harry had already lain down and Veratia had naturally taken the other side, she pursed her lips, then lifted the covers and lay down in the space left in the middle, deliberately turning her back to Harry.

Harry reached out and turned off the last light. In the darkness, he could hear the steady breathing of the two people beside him.

After a moment of silence, Veratia's voice rang out in the darkness.

"Thank you all for coming with me to see the Kraken today, especially you, Cass."

"I came here of my own accord," Cassandra's muffled voice came from behind Harry.

"But you still came," Veratia said softly. "It feels good."

Harry grinned mischievously in the darkness, reaching out to first grasp Veratia's hand as she reached out from the other side, then cautiously placing his other hand lightly on Cassandra's waist.

Sneaky, let's try to probe.

Cassandra held her breath and began to play the ostrich.

Harry didn't move, he just maintained contact.

Time seemed to stretch out in the silence, with only the quiet chirping of insects in the garden.

Then, Cassandra's tense back relaxed very slowly, just a little bit.

It's not that they're pandering, it's just that they've simply given up resisting.

She remained with her back to Harry, neither turning around nor pushing his hand away, simply remaining silent and tacitly accepting his lack of effort.

Veratia seemed to chuckle softly in the darkness, her breath gentle. She shifted, adjusting to a more comfortable position, and the fingertip Harry was holding lightly scratched his palm, the meaning simple: well done.

Good boy.

Harry grew a little bolder. His hand, which was on Cassandra's side, began to move very slowly, tracing the beautiful curve of her side, moving up an inch until it stopped just below her ribs.

He could feel Cassandra holding her breath again, but this time, the tension lasted much shorter.

"Cass," Harry called softly, his voice unusually clear and gentle in the quiet bedroom.

"----What are you doing?" Cassandra's muffled voice came from under the pillow, carrying an effort to maintain indifference, but her voice still trembled slightly.

"Nothing," Harry said, his finger tracing meaningless circles very lightly on the fabric of her pajamas. "Just calling your name."

Cassandra paused for a moment, then slowly spoke.

"Boring," she said softly.

"See, I'm praising you and you still say I'm boring." Harry pinched her slender waist. "How about we do something more interesting now?"

Cassandra sat up abruptly, placing one hand on the pillow next to Harry's head, her eyes filled with resentment.

"Potter!" Her voice trembled slightly with barely suppressed anger, "Are you happy?"