Chapter 734 Nightfall
The round, plump and granular caviar is crushed with a silver table spoon. The broken mucus and sauce draw long brown-black marks on the delicate white porcelain plate, releasing a slight fishy and salty smell.
"Harry, do you think this looks like the dirt collected by Little Hangleton?" Ron asked in a low voice, turned to look at Harry, and pointed to the white plate in front of him with an excited expression——
The traces left on the white porcelain are particularly dazzling.
Harry stared at the long mark and swallowed hard. Facing a table full of delicious food, he suddenly lost his appetite. He couldn't help but regret that he had sat next to this guy when choosing a seat.
When Loren heard their conversation, he couldn't help but smile. He picked up the goblet and raised his voice slightly: "Harry."
"Hmm, huh?"
"Happy birthday."
Everyone raised their glasses together, and the sound of glass bottles clashing together was clear and crisp, which was soon suppressed by the low and melodious violin, and the sound of bows and strings reverberating in every corner of the restaurant.
This restaurant is located on the top floor of a hotel in Mayfair, London. It is said to be a century-old building renovation. There are staggered wooden floors under the feet, neat vertical stripes on the wall coverings, and a dome with a height of nearly thirty feet. , hanging down chandeliers inlaid with bronze metal.
At this moment, the light is dim, and the brightness is stuck at a certain critical point, so that it does not dim people's vision and makes people unable to see the guests at the next table clearly.
The few waiters who were passing the dishes back and forth noticed that only Loren and others in the entire restaurant were dressed casually. The other guests were all in elegant and luxurious dresses. The men were basically in black formal suits with straight collars and straight shirts, and the women were in various long skirts with matching Lace socks, nice but crappy shoes...
Hagrid, who was wearing a homemade leather jacket, swallowed the whole mutton chop, picked up a tissue and wiped his mouth, exhaling a long breath.
It is said that it is a sheep from Suffolk that is less than six months old. Anyway, it feels like this when eating. The tableware provided here are too small, and the portions of the food are also small. It tastes awkward and not enjoyable for him.
A few hours ago they were in the mountain forest dense with snakes and insects, collecting soil stained with corpses' flesh and blood, but now they were sitting in a quiet restaurant, enjoying warm and delicious food. He originally planned to go back to school for dinner, but he rushed to too many places today, and it was getting late when he left Little Hangleton. Loren took the opportunity to suggest finding a restaurant in the city to dine and celebrate Harry's birthday.
Ron was very interested in Muggle restaurants, and no one else objected.
So now they are sitting here, somewhat awkwardly enjoying the services provided by the Muggle restaurant.
The nearest light source is the candlestick lit on the table. The weak candle flame burns quietly, giving the people at the table a faint warm color.
"The Daily Prophet once published news about Mr. Crouch." Hermione said softly, putting a small mouthful of apple mashed cheese into her mouth and waiting for the cream to gradually melt before continuing, "About the division of the Crouch family's property. It caused chaos. Although Crouch had no heir, there were still some distant blood relatives who were fighting fiercely for the inheritance. No one in Gringotts wanted to pay attention to it. They promoted that if no one produced a legal document to inherit the inheritance within fifty years, The treasure in the vault belongs to Gringotts."
"Sounds very much in line with the goblin style." Loren responded casually, while he was concentrating on a piece of Alpine toffee-flavored pumpkin pudding.
"Gringotts——"
"Stop it. Gringotts needs rectification and regulations... If you want to talk to me about this in detail, I suggest you wait until I fall asleep."
Hermione pursed her lips: "I want to say that Mr. Crouch was buried on the bank of the creek outside Crouch House. If the mud stained with flesh and blood has any effect, we can..."
Loren fed a spoonful of pumpkin pudding into her mouth with a somewhat emotional expression.
It turns out that what a wonderful girl she is, she didn’t even want to go out at night, and now she thinks about digging other people’s graves while eating.
At least wait until there is not enough soil before bringing it up.
Or let someone else bring it up.
"..."
Another dish was brought to the table, and as the silver lid was lifted, white smoke flowed out, giving off a faint coolness.
Ginny tugged on Harry's sleeve and asked softly: "What is this cold white smoke? Why is it flowing instead of floating upward? It feels very magical."
"The waiter just now said it's dry ice, which is carbon dioxide in a low-temperature state."
"What is carbon dioxide?" Ginny smoothed her hair from her forehead and tilted her head to look at him, her eyes reflecting the light of the candle.
Harry was distracted for a second, not just because of the girl's beautiful face.
In this candlelit restaurant, the girl he admired asked him a very simple question. He couldn't explain it clearly, but he didn't feel embarrassed or embarrassed. This calmness and calmness come from his entire past, those experiences, those adventures...
He suddenly realized that after tonight, he would be an adult wizard.
…
When the last ray of sunset dissipated in the sky and a slender crescent moon appeared, Loren saw the stars dotted on the deep blue sky.
The street lights on both sides of the road were dim and dim, and the slightly yellowish light illuminated the stone-paved ground and the face of the returning wizard. The heavy footsteps of the hybrid giant filled everyone's hearts with a sense of security.
Ron and Hagrid gathered together, muttering about the restaurant and the food. Even for ordinary people, the portions of the food were too small.
Harry and Ginny were left behind, whispering. Occasionally, they could hear words such as gifts and likes. If there weren't so many people around them, Loren would have suspected that they had kissed under the streetlight.
The boar sculpture on the top of the school gate spreads its wings, and the light casts a large shadow on the road. When Loren and others saw the school gate, they felt an inexplicable feeling in their hearts, and an inaudible voice whispered in their ears. , it’s right to come back here, they still have unfinished business.
Obviously, the effect of the Felixir has not dissipated yet.
Hermione frowned slightly, showing a thoughtful expression, vaguely like Professor McGonagall. She was talking about the things she had collected, and the whole day's itinerary flashed through her mind.
Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Cokeworth Spider's End, Little Hangleton, Gaunt's old house and cemetery... all this is definitely not for practicing Legilimency.
Hagrid opened the door and followed the others into the castle foyer and up the stairs.
"Do you feel it?" Loren stopped at the fork in the stairs on the second floor, put his chin in his hand and turned his eyes to the right, which was the direction of Myrtle's bathroom, "We don't seem to be going to Gryffindor Tower."
No one answered, they already had the answer deep in their hearts: Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets.