A Sport That Warms You Up and Is Very Fun

Chapter 39: A Sport That Warms You Up and Is a Lot of Fun. Dumbledore was highly efficient.

That very evening, An An was dispatched to Brook's side.

"Mr. Lott, An An reports for duty." An An gave Brook a deep bow.

"Headmaster Dumbledore instructed that from now on, I only need to follow your orders and no longer handle other work at Hogwarts."

It adored Brook.

At Hogwarts, it had to compete with other house-elves for every task.

But with Brook, an endless stream of work awaited.

This was truly a house-elf's paradise.

Brook had grown accustomed to An An during their time together and naturally held a high opinion of it.

"An An, I'll take you somewhere."

An An nodded excitedly, its blood boiling, ready to dive into new work.

Brook placed a hand on An An's shoulder and brought it into the Ring Space.

He pointed to the nearly hundred-acre farm and said with a smile, "This is where you'll work from now on. The entire farm is your responsibility."

An An: (✧◡✧).

"Wow, so much work, so much work..."

It trembled with excitement.

"An An is truly blessed. Thank you, Mr. Lott."

As it spoke, it bowed deeply again.

Though Brook was used to An An's reactions, he still felt his old face flush.

Making someone work without pay, and even receiving their gratitude—where was the logic in that?

"Dumbledore gave me a few house-elf slots. An An, looking at all this work, do you need me to find a few more elves to help?"

An An's eyes instantly reddened, tears welling up.

"Mr. Lott, do you not trust An An? Do you think An An can't handle all this work?"

Brook felt his brain had rusted—how had he forgotten this?

House-elves' obsession with work and pride was almost twisted to the point of madness.

If he'd thought of it sooner, he'd have just found a few more himself.

"An An, of course I know you're incredibly capable. There's nothing on this farm you can't do. But look, the work is really too much. Besides taking care of the farm, you have to deliver fruits and vegetables to the Hogwarts kitchen, and you still cook for me. I'm worried you'll be overwhelmed alone."

"An An can do it!" An An immediately puffed out its chest.

The tears still swirled in its eyes.

It had the look of "If you say no, I'll cry right here."

"Fine! I trust you. But if I see you're too tired, I'll still add more people."

Brook crouched down and gently patted An An's thin shoulder.

"It's not that I don't trust you. I genuinely don't want you to overwork. I'm hoping you'll serve me for many years. If you wear yourself out, where would I find another elf as good as you?"

An An's already large eyes widened even more, and its ginger-yellow skin flushed faintly.

"Mr. Lott, you're so good to An An. An An wants to work for you forever."

Even Brook, with a face thicker than a city wall, felt a bit overwhelmed.

"An An, start by pruning the fruit trees. The cabbages, lettuce, cauliflower, kale, oranges, and Chinese Winter Jujubes are almost ripe. Please help harvest them these days."

"At once." An An replied loudly.

Like a soldier heading to battle, it charged toward the farm with high spirits.

After Herbology class, Sprout called Brook over.

"Brook, I heard you have quite a lot of vegetables and fruits and want to sell them to Hogwarts. Is that right?"

"Yes, Professor. You know, I really love growing plants, so I've planted a lot of crops. But since I'm always studying at Hogwarts, I can't sell them to Muggles. If they stay on the farm, they'll just rot over time—such a waste."

Brook was much more sincere in his attitude toward Sprout.

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"Child, why didn't you say so earlier?" Sprout hated seeing food go to waste.

"I was a bit embarrassed to trouble you, and my farm really has a lot of stuff."

"What's there to be embarrassed about with me?" Sprout chided gently.

"If Hogwarts can't use it all, I'll help you sell it in Hogsmeade."

Brook listened to Professor Sprout's words and couldn't help feeling moved.

They had only known each other for two months, yet Sprout was already helping him so unreservedly.

This kindness was too precious.

"Thank you, Professor."

"There's nothing to thank me for. You're my student—helping you is only right!"

Sprout's smile grew even warmer. "Once the vegetables are ripe, I'll have the House Elves send them to the kitchen. They all know the Preservation Charm, so there's no worry about spoilage. And with me around, you won't lose out on the price."

"I trust you completely, Professor."

What else could Brook say? He could only etch this kindness firmly into his heart.

If he ever found any rare herbs in the future, he would be sure to send them to Sprout.

"Oh, and take a pot of Devil's Snare with you. It's actually great for cold salads."

Sprout finished with a playful wink.

It seemed his secret about growing herbs for eating was out.

"Professor, I wanted to hide it from you because I was afraid you wouldn't agree if I told you."

Brook explained a little sheepishly.

Sprout leaned in close to Brook and whispered mysteriously.

"I'll let you in on a secret—I started growing herbs for the same reason: to eat them. And I've tasted most of them."

Brook's eyes lit up instantly, as if he had found a kindred spirit.

"Professor, do you have time tonight? I'd like to treat you to dinner."

"Not tonight, child." Professor Sprout shook her head regretfully.

"I've already made plans with Minerva and the others. How about in a few days? There's something good that's almost ready to harvest—I'll bring it along, and we'll call Hermione, Hagrid, and everyone. We'll have a proper feast together."

"Alright, Professor."

Since Sprout wanted to keep it a surprise, Brook wasn't in a hurry. He'd just wait to eat.

The November wind swept silently over Hogwarts.

The surrounding mountains were draped in a pure white blanket.

The Black Lake had frozen solid in the cold season, like a giant sapphire.

Brook strolled leisurely along the lake's edge with Hermione, who was bundled up tightly.

"Brook, aren't you really cold?"

Hermione felt cold just looking at him, still wearing only that thin Wizard Robe.

She was already fully armed.

She had on two layers of thermal underwear alone.

Thick woolen gloves and a fluffy hat wrapped her up airtight.

Brook flexed his hands and feet. "I'm really not cold."

Hermione watched him standing in the freezing snow as if nothing was wrong, full of envy.

She shrank her neck and pulled herself tighter.

Brook noticed her little movements. "Hermione, maybe we should head back."

"No, I want to stay outside for a while," she said stubbornly.

"Then how about we do some exercise?"

"Exercise?"

"Something that'll warm you up and is a lot of fun."

Hermione: (っﾟДﾟ)っ ⁄(⁄⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄⁄)⁄

She glared at him fiercely, her eyes saying, "Say it and I'll kill you."