Chapter 520 A Relatively Peaceful Holiday

Walking out of the gate of the castle's outer wall, a long and straight stone road stretches along the woods. This is a secluded road. Maybe it was once bustling, but now only ginkgo and some unnamed trees are left, and the road is covered with sunflower seeds. The dried yellow leaves are filled with the rustling sound of broken leaves when stepped on.

Loren and Hermione strolled along the stone path, while Jorkins and Winky remained in the castle, with Wheat looking after them.

The sun was gradually rising, and it seemed that the whole world was left with only the sound of gentle footsteps and the distant chirping of birds. A few birds that had gotten up early and had eaten their fill were standing on the lush branches, tilting their heads to look at the two of them curiously, not afraid at all. people.

Loren was taking in his surroundings.

It seems like a peaceful paradise isolated from the world, far away from the town. The lush woods stretch endlessly. The creek flows through the woods, and the dappled sunlight shines through the treetops on the stone pavement and fallen leaves. It is quiet and peaceful.

Looking back, I can see that the outer wall of Crouch Castle is slightly yellow, and a little green appears in a few stone cracks. Because it has not been cleaned and uninhabited for a long time, unknown seeds are sprouting and will soon grow along the wall. I don’t know how long it will take to spread. It will probably be another vibrant scene.

The previous owner will not come back, there will be new residents.

"call……"

Loren firmly clasped Hermione's slender white fingers, and with his arms, he drew the girl's hand in an arc and raised it high. When the two hands were raised to the highest level, they suddenly released their strength, and the clasped hands were Under the influence of gravity, it fell down and drew an arc, and the two hands shook repeatedly.

Hermione turned her head slightly and rolled her eyes: "Is it fun?"

"Fun."

Feeling the hand squeeze again, Hermione looked helpless. What could she do to him? She couldn't beat him just for waving her hand: "Did you just cure Miss Jorkins' amnesia?"

"It can't be considered a cure..." Loren took a step forward and waved her arms. "For a period of time, she will intermittently dream about the memories sealed by Crouch. When she recalls everything, she will naturally Can break through the shackles of the Forgetting Curse."

"Then...can Lockhart also be treated in this way?"

"Unfortunately, we can't." Loren shook his head. "Lockhart's spell completely damaged his head. Not only did he lose most of his memory, he also lost his normal thinking ability, and Miss Jorkins's injuries Much lighter and able to think normally..."

Listening to his murmuring explanation in her ear, Hermione looked back and sighed quietly in her heart. At least Mr. Crouch did not put himself into an unforgivable situation. She hoped that after Miss Jorkins recalled everything, I can feel relieved to come here to pay homage to him.

The bird on the branch tilted its head and looked at the two people's backs, chirped a few times, then spread its wings and flew up into the blue sky, leaving only a few light feathers falling down.

…

The tall towers seem to reach into the clouds.

Dumbledore stood on the top floor of the tower, his large wizard robe fluttering in the wind, his white beard tied together with a rubber band. He looked calmly into the distance, like an old man with nothing to do, looking at the scenery. Not sure what exactly I'm looking at, or maybe everything.

Just looking at his beard and face, no one would have thought that this was the greatest wizard in the magic world today. No one would have thought that he had fought with the Dark Lord a few nights ago, and now he has broken with the Minister of Magic. Being attacked from both sides.

The old wizard didn't look worried at all. His peaceful eyes reflected the Black Lake Forbidden Forest, the path stretching outward from the castle, and the blue sky.

Snape stood behind him expressionlessly, reporting the recent intelligence in a voice without any ripples: "... He believed that the accident that night was related to the prophecy, and repeatedly asked me about the details of the prophecy, but I didn't know the complete details. prophecy."

At this point, Snape paused, and his rigid expression finally changed: "He has learned that all prophecies will be stored in the Department of Mysteries of the Ministry of Magic, and has sent spies within the Ministry to steal them."

"Don't worry, Severus..." Dumbledore said calmly, seeming to be delighted by the silver fish jumping out of the water in the Black Lake, "I have already gone to see it with Alastor. In fact, the magic ball that stores prophecies is It can only be taken out by people related to the prophecy.”

Snape's face slowly darkened and his voice was cold: "In other words, it's just him and Harry..."

"Harry is in a safe place and I have Mundungus Fletcher at his side."

"That shady businessman?" Snape sneered weakly, "Albus, do you really think he is trustworthy?"

"Well...I also arranged for someone else."

"What about him? How do you know he won't go to the Ministry of Magic to get it himself?"

"I understand him. He lacks the necessary courage, especially when seeing those who have died in front of him..." Dumbledore comforted him gently, "I assure you, Severus, he does not Dare to take risks yourself.”

Snape looked at him deeply, his irritated eyes seeming to be piercing his back.

"By the way, how is Harry doing with Occlumency?"

"His brain is so empty that you can hear the echo, and it is enough for a hippogriff to gallop freely in it, flying to a place where its wings are so weak that it can't even find a place to rest." Snape snorted, "I have never seen such a stupid person before. student."

"Being willing to open your heart to others is a rare quality." Dumbledore said with a smile, "Give him a chance to practice, and he will show his talent."

……

Bates sat upright in front of the dining table, his back straight. He had just finished washing his face and brushing his teeth, and he hadn't had time to take care of his gray hair.

His eyes swept over the breakfast in front of him. The nearly perfect round fried egg, the slightly browned yolk was just in the center of the egg white, the fresh bread just out of the oven exuded an intoxicating wheat aroma, the fried sausages were shiny and tempting, and paired with several blanched green leafy vegetables, it can be said to be nutritionally balanced and rich in dishes.

He couldn't help but frown slightly, thinking about a question that Loren had been thinking about since he was 8 years old: Who is the parent?

Whose child has mastered superb cooking skills since childhood?

Whose child went home during the holidays and let his parents have a luxurious breakfast?

Why don't you sleep in during the summer vacation? Why get up so early? I stayed up late last night to write a letter, repeatedly deleted and revised it, and it was not until dawn that I copied a letter without spelling errors. Unknowingly, I overslept and missed the opportunity to make breakfast for him.

Speaking of getting up early, Loren went out before he got up, and it seemed that he was with Hermione. I don’t know what he went to do? He left without leaving a note.

"Ah..."

Bates sighed melancholy and slowly enjoyed the breakfast in front of him.

The warm milk went down the last bite of bread, Bates burped comfortably, and then heard the sound of the door opening outside. Looking up and seeing Loren coming in to change his shoes, Bates coughed twice and asked, "Where did you go in the morning?"

"To maintain fairness and justice in the wizarding world."

"Speak human language!"

Loren sighed, no one believed him when he told the truth, shook his head, put on his slippers and walked in: "The air is fresh in the morning, accompany Hermione to the river for a walk."

"That's right..." Bates muttered, "Treat Hermione well, don't always tease girls, sometimes it's okay to be bullied by her..."

"You haven't been in love, what do you know?"

"I don't... understand..." Bates Bates was so angry that he blew his beard and glared, "You little brat, you've never been beaten in school, right?"

"Is there something wrong with what I said?"

"I'm just not married, not that I've never been in love!"

"Really? Tell me about it?"

Bates snorted, "When I didn't join the army, I was a star in the school..."

"..."

Loren glanced at Grandpa Bates, who was gray-haired but still strong, and a slight smile appeared on his lips. After moving from the alpine pasture to the city, he no longer had to endure the torture of werewolf disease, and Grandpa Bates was visibly relieved.

"Last month, I attended the charity gala organized by the bank. I, an old man, was in the spotlight. Many beautiful women rushed to dance with me..."

"Well, ah, right...what are we having for lunch?"

Bates glanced at him and couldn't help but suspect that he was trying to change the subject. He hadn't said enough, but with the food in front of him, he smacked his lips with satisfaction: "What to eat...I love everything you cook. How about roast lamb?"

"It's probably too late today. Roast lamb needs to be marinated in advance to be tasty."

"Then eat it tomorrow. I'll buy it in the afternoon!"

"Okay, I'll cook it for you when I get it back." Loren thought about it, "I'll make tomato shrimp pasta for lunch, buy lamb and some beef brisket in the afternoon, stew a pot of tomato beef brisket in the evening, and then use the marinade to make some stir-fried dishes. How about calling the neighbors next door to eat together."

"Okay, okay..."

Bates thought of the dishes Loren made, and smiled with his eyes narrowed, his face full of happy wrinkles, but he frowned quickly, feeling something was wrong. Why did he feel that he was incompetent as a parent again?

…

July 1, evening.

The day of eating roasted lamb was five days later than Loren expected, mainly because Bates tried to be a responsible parent, strictly controlled the quality of ingredients, and was not satisfied with the selection. It took two days to ask a friend to buy a freshly slaughtered lamb at a high price.

Three parents and two children were eating roasted lamb in the courtyard.

The lamb, which had been marinated for a whole day and roasted for nearly half a day, was attractive in color and rich in meat aroma. The marinade and fat dyed the skin into a charming golden color, and the roasted crust was crispy, and the whole courtyard was fragrant. Dip it in the prepared green plum juice, chili sauce, and crushed mixed dry ingredients, and the gravy overflowed in one bite, and you couldn't wait to suck every bone clean.

Wendell's face was greasy after eating, and he had to sigh that Loren's cooking skills were really superb.

He was so angry when he saw the letter sent by his daughter, and even planned to ignore Loren for half a summer vacation. Unexpectedly, he was confused less than a week after the vacation.

Alas, I can only find an opportunity to show him some power later.

Let's get along well with him this summer vacation. When we have time, take him out fishing and have a serious chat. Then teach him some fishing skills. How can we always use Transfiguration to deal with fishing gear... Bates is right. After all, he is a young and ignorant child. He still needs parents to teach him well.

While muttering in his mind, Wendell picked up a piece of lamb chop and dipped it in the mixed spicy dry ingredients prepared by Loren himself and put it into his mouth. Suddenly, the whole person was on fire from the inside out, sticking out his tongue and hissing. The dentist didn't care about protecting his teeth and self-cultivation, and immediately opened a bottle of ice cola and poured it into his mouth.

Monica was amused and pulled out a stack of tissues and handed it over: "How old are you..."

Hermione tasted it in small bites, but her movements were not slow. There was already a row of lamb bones in front of her.

Bates watched with a smile and sat beside her cutting the lamb.

Loren was tired and rested for a while, holding a copper nut and playing with it in his hand.

"Written to Loren Morgan: I just got home and my mother was the only one at home. I asked her what happened with the mysterious man and she scolded me..."

"To Loren Morgan: Why no reply?"

"To Loren Morgan: Is this thing broken?"

"To Loren Morgan: Out of Distance?"

"..."

"Written to Loren Morgan: My dad came home very late. They thought I was asleep, but I wasn't. I wanted to eavesdrop on their conversation and was discovered by the portrait of my great-grandfather at home... Why do you hang something like this at home! "

"Written to Loren Morgan: My dad left in a hurry after breakfast. He must have gone to meet the mysterious man..."

Draco Malfoy is still a chatterbox, why didn't he see that before?

Loren pondered for a few seconds, then slowly poked the copper nut with one finger.

"To Draco Malfoy: Read."

Ten seconds later, Coppernut continued to vibrate, and faint words continued to appear in the blank space.

"To Loren Morgan: Turns out it's not broken!"

"To Loren Morgan: Why are you taking so long to reply to me now? I was going to write to you via owl!"

"..."

Loren didn't look at the rest carefully. After flipping through it in a hurry, he found that there was no valuable information. He slowly stamped "read", then put the shaking copper nut back into the pendant, and ate the barbecue slowly. .

It seemed that Voldemort did not live in Malfoy Manor, and the Malfoys also consciously prevented Draco from getting involved in the Death Eaters' affairs. He would probably be bored for the whole summer vacation. With Lucius's ability to adapt to the situation, Malfoy's life would not be in danger.

Hermione, whose belly was slightly bloated from eating, sat over at some point, tilted her head to look at him, her eyes stayed on the pendant, and she blinked when she met his gaze.

Loren grabbed a piece of lamb tenderloin, dipped it in salt and pepper, stuffed it into her mouth, and threatened her fiercely: "What are you looking at? If you look at it again, you will gain ten pounds in one summer vacation!"

Hermione thought calmly for a moment, and as she chewed the mutton and swallowed it into her stomach, she realized with horror that this threat was actually possible, and her face gradually became serious.

A proud smile appeared on Loren's face.