Chapter 329 Memory Ball and Camera

"Loren, Hermione! We are going to go out for a walk. Do you want to come together?"

Harry squeezed out of the crowd and came to the two of them, panting heavily and asking inarticulately.

Loren's expression was a little weird. He gave him a strange look and asked curiously: "Honeydukes Candy Shop, haven't you been looking forward to it for a long time? Why are you leaving now?"

Ron squeezed over just in time to hear his question. He opened his mouth sadly and sobbed a few times, and said sadly: "Not for the Animagus, for the Mandrake blades, you also saw Lee Jordan It’s so miserable, if we continue to stay here, the ceremony will be declared a failure on the first day.”

"Yeah, yeah..." Harry couldn't help but nodded, hissed, and swallowed the saliva he was greedy for from the candy.

"I think Ron is right..." Hermione whispered, then glared at someone fiercely, "Unlike you, you want to feed me strange-flavored beans."

"Didn't I stop in time in the end... It should be okay to avoid those magic candies and try ordinary desserts..." Loren muttered in a low voice, but still held Hermione's hand and squeezed out of the crowded candy store. .

Outside the store, the golden sun has dispersed the morning fog, and colorful streamers are flying on the street. Next to it is the Fengya Wizard Clothing Store, which Loren and Hermione did not visit last time.

"This is a big chain store with branches in London and Paris. It is said that the clothes they make are very popular with some pure-blood wizards." Ron introduced happily, "But my mother always said that their clothes are very weird. , no normal wizard would wear it now..."

These words aroused the curiosity of several people, and without much hesitation they decided to go in and take a look.

The clothes displayed on the counter shelves are indeed very weird, even a little scary:

The dress has weird colors, deep purple, rich green, red as black as dried blood...

A cloak like a dementor, a tights like a mummy's bandage...

A pointed wizard hat that is as sharp as a sword, with horrifying animal statues standing on the brim, a skinny parrot, a coiled poisonous snake...

"Merlin..." Ron trembled and shuddered, "Who can tell me whether those animal sculptures are real and why I saw the venomous snake's eyes moving?"

Harry grinned and told him various hearsay ghost stories, making Ron look even more nervous:

"I heard that there are some weird dark wizards who open wax museums and doll shops... Customers who come to the store will be made into merchandise... Ron, look, is that wooden doll smiling at you? ?”

Even though Ron knew he was trying to scare him, he still couldn't help but murmur in his heart.

"Like the first time Professor McGonagall took us to the Leaky Cauldron, the customers there were wearing these clothes." Hermione said in a low voice.

Loren nodded: "I saw Neville's grandma wearing that kind of wizard hat, maybe it was a traditional wizard style."

Fortunately, the clerk in the clothing store was not a dark wizard who would turn people into wax figures. He led them inside and displayed many normal clothes, even popular Muggle styles.

After Harry bought a pair of odd-style socks as a gift for Dobby, Loren also bought some weird socks, a scarf with mottled and strange colors, and an exaggerated felt hat... …

There didn't seem to be a bookstore in Hogsmeade, but there was a quill shop. Hermione led a few others in with gleaming eyes, and the girl wandered excitedly among the various quills.

Looking at the various automatic sketching quills and cheating quills... Harry and Ron had meaningful smiles on their faces.

But thinking that they might be imprisoned by Professor McGonagall, they gave up their bold ideas.

Compared to a year ago, the sign of the Quidditch supply store has changed somewhat, but the scene in front of the store remains the same.

There was a large group of little wizards surrounding the display window at the entrance of the store. They stared wide-eyed and leaned on the glass window to look at the broomsticks inside.

The bearded middle-aged boss and the young clerk stood nearby, chatting with the little wizards with a smile, and from time to time they gave out a few candies from the candy shop next door.

"If I could have a nimbus..."

"The Firebolt is the fastest now!"

"What's the use of hurrying, Quidditch is not a flying game!"

"You're right!" The unshaven middle-aged boss took the opportunity to intervene in the discussion, "Just being fast is useless. I remember when I was studying at Hogwarts, although the broomsticks of the Slytherin team were faster than us... …”

When the middle-aged boss gets excited, the young clerk seizes the opportunity to sell the store's valuable merchandise.

The little wizards who were surrounding the store entrance just now were frightened. They dispersed in a swarm and ran into the crowd on the street, laughing and running towards the next store.

The middle-aged boss was so angry that he puffed his beard and glared, chased the young clerk back and forth, and finally kicked him out.

Loren and Hermione looked on with smiles on their faces. Although it had only been a year, the feeling of encountering a familiar scene after a long separation felt like a reunion after a long separation.

Someone is accompanying you all the way through these days... Thinking of this, both of them felt full of peace in their hearts.

Harry thought for a moment, walked up, and patted the middle-aged boss: "Sir, I want to buy a windproof goggles. It always rains during Quidditch training in the winter, which affects my vision."

"Windproof eye mask..." The middle-aged boss was stunned for a moment, and his face that was full of anger just now softened instantly, "Oh, of course, of course, windproof eye mask."

Hermione blinked and felt strange: "Isn't there a waterproof spell?"

"Although the glasses can prevent rain, the wind will blow the rain into the eyes." Ron nodded thoughtfully and followed quickly, "I have to buy one too, after all, I am about to take over as the captain of the team. people……"

Loren and Hermione looked at each other and said nothing in tacit agreement.

In order to protect the mandrake blades in their mouths, when passing by Zog's Joke Shop, Harry and Ron walked straight over with great perseverance, with painful expressions and stiff limbs——

Pass through the door without entering.

The same scene happened to Loren and Hermione. When passing Mrs. Puddifu's Teahouse, they wanted to say goodbye to Harry and Ron, but under the reproachful gazes of their two friends, they were unable to say it out.

…

After walking and shopping all the way, when we reached the end of the road, it was almost noon.

In order to protect the mandrake blades in their mouths and to avoid the temptations of Hogsmeade, they decided to spend the remaining half of the day in the Three Broomsticks pub.

It was a hot, messy, smoky little bar. A curvaceous woman with an iconic appearance was greeting a group of noisy wizards in front of the bar.

Not just wizards, but also strange creatures shrouded in black cloaks. Judging from the various colors of skin and sharp or rough nails exposed when they hold wine glasses, they are not human beings.

When Harry and Ron came here for the first time, they immediately saw Ms. Rosmerta in front of the bar. She was wearing a close-fitting sarong. The soft fabric was close to her skin, showing her graceful curves, like a ripe peach. .

When Loren took them to the front desk to get drinks and snacks and came back, Ron's face was a little red. After that, he took over the work of getting drinks and snacks, saying that he wanted to get familiar with the place.

Harry was confused.

Butterbeer, lemonade, cherry juice, hot mead…

They tried all kinds of strange-tasting drinks until their heads were dizzy and their stomachs were bloated.

They stayed up late last night due to excitement, but got up early to gather together today. The sleepy little wizards swayed their heads and lay on the table unconsciously.

They seemed to be asleep, but not completely asleep. When someone passed by them, they would sit up with their heads swaying.

Not only them, after lunch time, several waves of tired little wizards came here and found an empty table in the corner to rest.

For half the day, there was a lot of noise in the bar, and it was only quiet for a short time in the afternoon.

Ms. Rosmerta was cleaning the wine glasses at the bar, looking at the excited and tired little wizards from a distance, with a heartfelt smile on her lips. This was a rare moment of relaxation for her, even if these little wizards occupied the empty seats in the bar.

When the sun set in the west and the golden and red brilliant afterglow shone in from the window, the small bar became noisy again, and the little wizards who had eaten countless fish and chips gradually woke up.

"Loren! Harry! You're here too!"

Hearing Neville's delighted voice, Loren blinked his eyelashes a few times, opened his eyes, and pulled out his arm that was so numb that he was about to lose consciousness from under Hermione's head. Loren shook his head and slowly came back to his senses.

Several other people also slowly woke up.

"Neville? What a coincidence, you're here too." Loren rubbed his arms and noticed from the corner of his eye Hannah who was talking to Ms. Rosmerta at the bar. He smiled and joked, "I thought you were with Hannah would go to Mrs. Puddy's Teahouse."

Neville's face turned slightly red and he said unnaturally: "It's not what you think. Hannah wants to come and see the Three Broomsticks. She is related to Tom, the owner of the Leaky Cauldron."

Loren didn't answer, just smiled.

Harry and Ron, who had just woken up, looked at Neville and then at Hannah at the bar, their eyes full of surprise.

"Neville! Hannah!"

"When did this happen?"

"Tell me quickly..."

Accompanied by laughter and feeble excuses, the group got out of the three broomsticks and headed back to the castle along the street.

The other young wizards also returned at about the same time. Amidst the laughter and noise, wizards in twos and threes walked together with people they knew well, telling each other about the novel experiences during the day.

"I'll tell you a sad thing..." Seamus said with a heavy tone, attracting everyone's attention, "The mandrake blades of Dean and I were broken in Zorg's Joke Shop."

"I'm sorry to hear this sad news..." Ron nodded solemnly, and his tone suddenly became lighter: "But our leaves are still fine, hahaha..."

So they chased and fought on the spacious road, laughing and cursing all the way without stopping for a moment.

The sky was getting dark, and Harry frowned tightly, as if he was worried about something.

"What's wrong with you?" Ron asked.

"I feel like I've forgotten something, but I can't remember..." Harry replied absently.

"Oh, then this should be helpful to you." Neville dug in his pocket and took out a small transparent ball and handed it to him.

As soon as Harry took the ball into his hand, the transparent ball immediately turned red and bright.

Neville thoughtfully reminded: "This is to remind you that you have indeed forgotten something important."

"I also know that I forgot something important." Harry's tooth hurt from looking at it, "But the question is, what exactly did I forget?"

"The memory ball doesn't know either, it can only remind you." Neville shook his head.

Loren and others on the side couldn't help laughing. They had seen similar scenes many times, but this time the person involved was Harry instead of Neville.

At the corner of the main road in Hogsmeade is a dirty bar. Compared with the Three Broomsticks, it looks like an abandoned shop. The exposed door frames and windows are covered with thick dirt, and the light is almost transparent. Without going in, a faint candle light shines from the crack in the door, and the surrounding air is filled with a strong smell that may be mutton.

The smell was overwhelming, and the little wizards avoided this small bar with vigilance.

Harry, who was holding the memory ball, suddenly stopped and exclaimed: "I remembered it!"

The group of people looked at him in confusion. Harry put his hand into his coat pocket and took out a brand new camera from the storage scale: "Colin gave me the camera and asked me to take some interesting photos for him. But I forgot all about it as soon as I came out of the candy store!”

At this time, the sun was slowly setting, and the sky was a cloudy dusk that is rare to see in late autumn. The golden and dark red afterglow hung down like a flat piece of cloth, covering the entire street.

Loren stepped forward and patted the regretful Harry, grinning: "How about taking a group photo here? It's like those old photos in Principal Dumbledore's office. Decades later, when we see this When I take a photo, I will remember the day when I came to Hogsmeade for the first time in third grade. Isn’t it cool?”

The eyes of several people around him lit up. They didn't understand the rotation of time that Loren described, and they simply thought that it was really cool.

"Okay, okay, let's find a cooler place."

"How about the entrance to Honeydukes Candy Store?"

"Turn back now?"

"It's too late, the sun is setting."

"..."

Hermione did not participate in the discussion. She followed Loren quietly, tilted her head and looked at the arm she had been resting on all afternoon, and tugged on his sleeve: "Does your hand still hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt at all, just a little numb..."

After a few minutes, they finally decided to take the photo at the entrance to Hogsmeade, and Harry roped in a Hufflepuff senior to take their photo.

On the left is Hannah with a bright smile, tugging on Neville's sleeve to remind him to look at the camera. Moving over, Harry and Ron stood in the middle with awkward expressions and uncomfortable smiles, while Seamus and Dean smiled with bright gums. Loren and Hermione stood on the right, with identical gentle eyebrows.

Some other third-grade students saw them taking photos and joined in playfully, clustering around the six of them and smiling crookedly.

Under the afterglow of the setting sun, the scene is frozen.