Chapter 136: Once Promised, Granger Christmas Family Dinner (Update 1)

Just as the entire British Isles wizarding world was in an uproar over the Lockhart incident, the Christmas holiday arrived as scheduled.

The two-week holiday was like a powerful antipyretic, which put Hogwarts into a short cooling period.

It was also a soothing potion, allowing the young wizards to go home and discuss this hot topic with their families.

This year, Ino signed the list of leaving school as usual.

…

Lily Street, Stone District, Manchester City, London.

A wealthy area above the standard middle class in England.

On Christmas Eve, dusk had just fallen, and warm lights were lit on both sides of the street. Through the windows, busy figures and happy laughter could be seen in the house.

"No. 444 Lily Street!"

Ino stood at the entrance of the block with a suitcase and began to check the house numbers one by one.

Fortunately, his decent dress saved him from being questioned by the patrol police and easily entered this wealthy area.

If it were two years ago, he could only wait until the early morning when everything was quiet before sneaking in.

Taking advantage of the cover of night, he quietly searched for those daily necessities that were 50% new but were discarded as garbage.

And today, the reason why he appeared in the Muggle rich area that he had never expected was because of the library instant mail three weeks ago.

Hermione finally wrote a Christmas invitation in her notebook, and he actually agreed to it. It was incredible to think about it now.

But since he agreed, he had to fulfill his promise.

He bought some cream toffee as a gift at Honeydukes, and took the Knight Bus to the address given by Hermione.

…

The middle section of Lily Street.

A typical Victorian-style building, with ivy all over the red brick walls, and exquisite snowflake stickers on the window frames and doors on the first floor.

After confirming that the house number was correct, Ino knocked on the door.

"Knock! Knock!"

The door was opened by a middle-aged woman with long brown hair, but it seemed to be neglected and a little messy. The long hair was fixed with an inconspicuous black hairpin, simple and practical.

"Hello, who are you looking for?"

Faced with the middle-aged woman's question, Ino also got straight to the point:

"Excuse me, is this the Granger residence? I am Hermione's classmate, and she invited me to attend the Christmas family dinner tonight."

"Are you Mr. Swinburne? Come in, Hermione wrote to us a long time ago!"

The middle-aged woman opened the door with some enthusiasm, and at the same time did not forget to introduce herself: "By the way, I am Hermione's mother, Mia Prewett! If you don't mind, you can call me Aunt Mia."

"Okay! Aunt Mia, you can also call me Ino." Ino responded with a polite smile. After changing into slippers at the entrance, he was led to the living room by the other party.

Sitting on the leather sofa, looking at the modern room, he felt as if he were in another world.

Gorgeous glass chandeliers, at least 23-inch TV screens, thick and heavy video recorders, and neatly arranged boxes of video tapes...

"Ino!" Before seeing the person, a surprised voice sounded at the stairs on the second floor.

Hermione ran down the stairs quickly. Although she was walking, she did not stop talking. She kept talking:

"I have been waiting for you since the afternoon, afraid that you would forget! I almost thought you would not come, and I was also afraid that you could not find the address. It was already evening! Thank God..."

"Merry Christmas! Hermione!" Ino interrupted Hermione's chatter, and then took out the gift that had been prepared long ago from the suitcase, "This is your Christmas gift!"

"What is this?" After Hermione took the gift, she could not wait to start unpacking it. This was not only an expectation for the gift, but also a kind of courtesy.

After all, opening a gift in person is a kind of respect.

"Exquisite gift! It is so beautiful!" Mrs. Granger had quietly stood by the living room, and she exclaimed at the gift in her daughter's hand.

"Mom! It's mine!" Hermione hugged the crystal ball in her arms tightly, as if she was afraid that it would be snatched away.

This is a special crystal ball, inlaid with an exquisite miniature Hogwarts castle. It seems that a constant weather magic has been added, which allows the crystal ball to change the internal weather according to the weather changes outside.

At this moment, night fell, and Hogwarts in the crystal ball was also at night.

"Tsk! I'm just looking, I don't intend to steal your gift!" Mrs. Granger looked at her daughter's nervous look and teased with a smile.

Sitting on the sofa, Ino quietly watched the scene in front of him. He could feel the harmony and warmth in this family.

Obviously, the relationship between Hermione and her mother was very harmonious.

...

Two hours later.

In the restaurant, Ino looked at the table of rich food that had been cooked, but he still didn't see the legendary dentist Mr. Granger.

But he didn't ask rashly about other people's family affairs, so he just sat on the chair in the restaurant with Hermione.

"I'm sorry! There are only three of us tonight!" As she spoke, Mrs. Granger walked in from the living room. Although her face was normal, she couldn't hide the disappointment in her eyes.

"Dad is working overtime again? Did he call just now?" Hearing that there were only three people, Hermione quickly guessed the reason.

"That's right! Your uncle George has acute pulpitis. He just called and said he can't come back tonight. It's really not early or late..."

Midway through her words, Mrs. Granger stopped. She seemed to realize that she shouldn't complain casually in front of her daughter's classmates, and decisively changed the subject:

"Eno, I heard Hermione live in a wizard's community? Can you tell me what it's like there?"

"Of course! Aunt Mia!" Faced with Mrs. Granger's question, Ino agreed.

"Hogsmeade is the only remaining wizarding village in the UK, and the train to Hogwarts also stops nearby..."

As Ino continued to explain, Mrs. Granger also showed a longing look.

"Aunt Mia, I will be there during the Christmas holidays. If possible, I would like to invite you to be my guest, along with Mr. Granger and Hermione of course."

As courtesy, he also extended an invitation to be a guest.

On the other side, Mrs. Granger's eyes showed some movement, but after thinking for a moment, she said with a regretful tone:

"Forget it! All the patients with appointments in the clinic are scheduled until after the New Year!"

When Ino heard that the invitation was rejected, he didn't take it seriously. In the adult world, there is probably no such thing as just leaving.

…

In the following time, the three of them enjoyed a sumptuous dinner while chatting freely.

Time passed quickly, and one hour before midnight, Ino made a request to say goodbye.

He politely declined Mrs. Granger's offer to stay, and after bidding farewell to Hermione, he picked up his suitcase and walked out the door.

Accommodation is not considered at all. After all, Draco, Pansy, Daphne, Neville and others have all been arranged for tomorrow, which is Christmas Day on the 25th.

…

Under the deep blue night.

A black swan soars over England.

As the eighth recorded Animagus registered by the Ministry of Magic this century, although under the instruction of Professor McGonagall, the Ministry of Magic did not publicize it, the registration is real.

Therefore, when Ino uses this magic now, there is no pressure at all.

And the most important thing is that as a special transformation magic, Animagus will not be detected by trace silk.

Probably, the people who set up Tracer didn't expect that a young wizard who hadn't graduated could learn the ceiling's transformation magic.