A Sport That Warms You Up and Is Very Fun

Dumbledore was highly efficient.

That very night, An An was sent to Brook's side.

"Mr. Lott, An An is reporting for duty." An An bowed deeply to Brook.

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

It liked Brook far too much.

At Hogwarts, it even had to compete with other House Elves for work.

But by Brook's side, endless tasks would be waiting for it.

This was practically paradise for a House Elf.

After spending so much time with An An, Brook had long since grown used to it and naturally thought highly of it.

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

An An nodded excitedly. Its blood was boiling now, and it was ready to throw itself into new work at any moment.

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

Brook pointed at the nearly hundred-acre farm and said to An An with a smile,

"This is where you'll be working from now on. The entire farm will be your responsibility."

An An: (✧◡✧).

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

Its body trembled slightly with excitement.

"An An is so happy. Thank you, Mr. Lott."

As it spoke, it bowed deeply again.

Although Brook was used to An An's reactions, he still could not help blushing.

He was making someone work without paying them, and they were thanking him for it.

Where was the sense in that?

"Dumbledore gave me spots for several House Elves. An An, looking at all this work, do you think we need to find a few more House Elves to help?"

An An's eyes immediately reddened, and tears welled up inside them.

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

Brook felt like his brain had rusted over. How had he forgotten that?

House Elves' devotion to work and sense of pride were practically twisted to a frightening degree.

If he had remembered sooner, he could have simply found a few more himself.

"An An, of course I know you're very capable. There's nothing on this farm you can't handle. But look, there's just too much work. Besides taking care of the farm, you also need to deliver fruits and vegetables to the Hogwarts kitchens, and you have to cook for me too. I'm afraid you'll be too busy alone."

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

The tears in its eyes still swirled.

It looked as though it were saying, "If you don't agree, I'll cry for you."

"Alright! I believe you. But if I see that you're too tired, I'll still add more help."

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

"It's not that I don't trust you. I truly don't want you to exhaust yourself. I'm hoping you can serve me for many more years. If you wear yourself out, where am I going to find such a good House Elf again?"

An An's already huge eyes widened even further, and a faint blush spread across its ginger-colored skin.

"Mr. Lott, you're so good to An An. An An wants to work for you for the rest of its life."

Even Brook, whose skin was thicker than a city wall, felt he could barely take it.

"An An, go prune the fruit trees first. The cabbages, lettuce, cauliflower, Chinese kale, oranges, and Chinese Winter Jujubes are nearly ripe too. Please work hard and harvest them over the next few days."

"Yes, sir." An An replied loudly.

Like a warrior about to charge into battle, it ran toward the farm full of fighting spirit.

After Herbology class, Professor Sprout stopped Brook.

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

"Yes, Professor. You know I especially enjoy growing plants, so I planted a great deal of produce. But I've been studying at Hogwarts the whole time and simply have no way to sell it in the Muggle world. If I leave it on the farm too long, it'll only rot away. That would be such a waste."

Brook was far more sincere in his attitude toward Sprout.

"You child, why didn't you tell me earlier?" Sprout hated seeing food go to waste for nothing.

"I was just a little embarrassed to trouble you, and there's really quite a lot of produce on my farm."

"What is there to be embarrassed about with me?" Sprout reproached him fondly.

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

Hearing Sprout's words, Brook could not help feeling touched.

They had only known each other for two months, yet Sprout was willing to help him so wholeheartedly.

That kind of friendship was far too precious.

"Thank you, Professor."

"What's there to thank me for? You're my student. Helping you is only natural!"

The smile on Sprout's face grew even kinder. "Once the vegetables ripen, have the House Elves send them to the kitchens. They all know the Preservation Charm, so you don't have to worry about anything spoiling. And with me here, I definitely won't let you get shortchanged on the price."

"I absolutely trust you, Professor."

What else could Brook say? He could only firmly remember this kindness in his heart.

If he found any rare herbs in the future, he would definitely bring them to Sprout.

"Oh, right. Take a pot of Devil's Snare with you. This stuff is actually perfect for a cold salad."

After saying that, Sprout even gave him a mischievous wink.

It seemed that the fact he grew herbs to eat could no longer be hidden.

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

Brook explained somewhat sheepishly.

Sprout leaned closer to Brook and said mysteriously,

"I'll tell you a secret. I first started liking to grow herbs because I wanted to eat them too. And I've eaten most herbs."

Brook's eyes lit up at once, as though he had found a kindred spirit.

"Professor, are you free tonight? I'd like to treat you to dinner."

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

"I already have plans with Minerva and the others. Another day! Something good will be ripe soon. When the time comes, I'll bring it over, invite Hermione, Hagrid, and the others, and we can have a proper feast together."

"Alright, Professor."

Since Sprout wanted to keep him in suspense, Brook was in no rush. He could simply wait to eat it.

The cold winds of November quietly swept across Hogwarts.

The surrounding mountains were draped in a white blanket.

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

Brook and Hermione, wrapped up tightly, strolled leisurely beside Black Lake.

"Brook, are you really not cold?"

Just looking at Brook, who still wore only that thin Wizard Robe, made Hermione feel cold.

She was fully armed now.

She had put on two layers of thermal underwear alone.

Thick woolen gloves and a fluffy hat wrapped her up so tightly that not a draft could get through.

Brook moved his arms and legs. "I'm really not cold."

Hermione looked at Brook, who seemed completely unaffected by the icy weather, her heart full of envy.

She shrank her neck and wrapped herself even tighter.

Brook noticed Hermione's small movement. "Hermione, how about we go back?"

"No, I want to walk around outside." Hermione replied stubbornly.

"Then how about we do some exercise?"

"Exercise?"

"A sport that'll warm you up and is also very fun."

Hermione: っﾟДﾟ)っ⁄(⁄⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄⁄)⁄

She glared fiercely at Brook, her eyes seeming to say, "Say it, and I'll beat you to death."