The days of hanging out at Hogwarts

In early August, a normal late summer morning came.

In a kitchen on the edge of a rural town called Ottery St. Catchpole, south of the Stoat Mountains, the most eye-catching thing is a large black oven. Looking out the window, there is also a large table in the garden behind the kitchen. Long table.

Today's display was a little too solemn for the Burrow.

Busy in the kitchen was a woman with red hair like a dancing flame in a fireplace, a pair of cloth shoes on her feet, and a plaid apron over a thin summer sweater. Years of housework have left traces on her body. There are some wrinkles on her forehead and corners of her eyes. Her eyes are not as bright as when she was young, but her cheeks still have some squeamishness, indicating that she still has a love for life.

She was a little short and fat, but very flexible. She was holding a slender wooden stick in her hand and swung it like a musician. Flour, eggs, butter and sugar...the various materials prepared the day before jumped into the basin. , Gululu rolled together.

"Oh, I just said the techniques in that book are very useful..."

Molly shouted happily, turning her head slightly to glance at the clear sky, the satisfaction on her face became more obvious: "Today is a good weather to make fruit cake!"

She said this to people outside. In the living room outside the kitchen, Loren, Harry and Ron were clearing away the dishes left from breakfast. They all seemed to be working hard, but everyone was taking a break.

Arthur and Percy went out to work and wouldn't be back until evening. Bill and Charlie were setting the table outside, George and Fred were tinkering with things upstairs, and Hermione and Ginny were doing homework on ancient runes in the shed. There are only three of them here.

Ron piled the knives and forks together, and the sound of metal collision was clear and sweet. He glanced at the kitchen and said very cautiously: "It's best not to disturb her now, otherwise mom will blame you for the failure of the cake. , rather than the problem of the housework magic book..."

Loren flipped through a housework magic book called "The Magic of Baking Cake" in his hand. According to the preface, this book, "The Magic of Baking Bread" and "The Magic of Baking Pie" are a series of books, known as One of the top ten must-read series of books for wizard housewives in the 20th century.

"Actually, I think this book is quite well written." Loren turned the pages with interest.

Harry came over with interest and happened to see the illustrations in the book. The flour, eggs, butter and juice were added to the crucible like potions. The smiling young blond witch kept stirring the crucible. The next illustration I posted the finished fruit cake.

Harry: "..."

Is this brewing a potion or making a cake?

"Today is a good day to make fruit cake. I knew it before I even got up..." Molly's joyful voice came from the kitchen. "The rooster's crow was very loud, and there were also the sounds of other birds. Oh, Luo Lun, your birthday comes at a good time."

"I have to say it's all thanks to you, Mrs. Weasley." Lauren replied loudly.

Yes, Molly found out about his birthday from somewhere. She announced the news in public at the dinner table yesterday and proposed a grand birthday party for him, which received the support of all the Weasleys.

"I'm not polite to you, Loren..." Molly said with a smile, "I plan to make a few more cakes. During the day, we will test the taste first, and we can improve whether it is good or not, and then save the ingredients for a big cake. , leaving Arthur and Percy to come back and enjoy it at dinner..."

"Do you need help?"

"Oh, no, you little guys are just helping by staying calm."

"..."

In the shed next to the Burrow, the two girls stared closely at the silver coins placed in front of them and the red-hot mithril in the copper crucible.

Unconsciously, a thin layer of sweat broke out on Hermione's face, and a few strands of hair stuck to her skin, but she didn't notice it at all. She worked hard to dip her brush into the thick mithril, and drew dense lines on the goblin silver coins. Rune symbols.

"What will these two silver coins be made of?" Ginny couldn't help but ask.

The roommate had been working on the silver coins a few days ago, and accidentally connected several symbols together in the process. An error occurred in the magic circuit and caused an explosion, which almost shattered their bedroom window.

Because of this, they had to hide in their father's shed to continue the unfinished part.

Hermione smoothed away two or three strands of hair sticking to the corners of her eyes, lowered her forehead and wiped a thin layer of sweat on her sleeves: "According to my design, all the symbols will be integrated into the lower layer of the silver coin after completion, so they will still be in their original positions."

Ginny knelt down close to her, put her eyes close to the silver coin, and looked at it carefully: "Is there any strange magic in it?"

"A rudimentary cell phone."

"What?"

“It’s just something that can convey information to each other.”

"Oh..." Ginny nodded in understanding. She had some ideas about ancient runes before, but now she has no idea at all.

She saw Hermione rest for a while and continue to focus on the silver coins. Ginny glanced at her and said a little embarrassed: "I'm sorry, Hermione, it's my fault for telling my mother that today is Loren's birthday...otherwise you don't have to Such a rush."

"I don't blame you. Harry and Ron also know Loren's birthday, and..." Hermione shook her head and smiled, "I think it's worth being happy to have Mrs. Weasley celebrating Loren's birthday." Something like this has never happened before.”

Ginny breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good, that's good..."

On the surface of the flaming mithril, I don't know if it was the flames or the mithril that made a faint sound like thunder. The square-shaped metal block a few days ago has only a layer thicker than half a fingernail left. The pattern on the fairy silver coin is visible to the naked eye. The speed is covered with crooked symbols.

Ginny roughly estimated that with Hermione's current speed, she should be able to finish it before dark.

…

"The cake is ready!"

Molly saw the cake embryos taking on an attractive golden color in the oven, and they were very plump. Just by looking at them, she could imagine the soft and sweet texture.

This is the dough she mixed according to the instructions in the book, only reducing the amount of materials in proportion. It was originally less than half the height of the mold, but unexpectedly it was quite big when it puffed up. It looked very successful.

When the baking time came, Molly saw cracks starting to appear on the flat surface of the cake. She thought she had over-baked it, so she quickly opened the oven and took out the cake.

Unexpectedly, as soon as the oven was turned on, the originally fluffy and plump cake embryo collapsed quickly like a deflated balloon, and turned ugly in the blink of an eye.

The three Lorens who happened to hear the call at this time squeezed into the kitchen to witness this scene, and were silent for a while.

Fortunately, it just collapsed, and there was nothing wrong with the cake elsewhere. The overflowing sweet aroma proved that it seemed to taste pretty good. Molly opened it with a spoon and took a look. The golden cake inside was filled with many honeycomb bubbles of different sizes. With her experience, she probably understood what the problem was.

"Try it."

After Molly confirmed that it was not hot, she broke off a piece and handed it to Loren and the others.

Even Crookshanks, who was walking around under the feet of several people, probably has the blood of the magical animal cat Nives. Crookshanks has a good stomach and can basically eat anything that humans can eat. There is no need to worry about poisoning. Or can't digest it.

Loren took a bite. It didn't taste bad, but it wasn't particularly delicious either.

The taste of the cake embryo is basically the same. It mainly depends on the taste. The taste of the baked cake is good or bad.

Harry and Ron exchanged silent glances. They felt that the food was not as delicious as the Hogwarts house elves' food, but they certainly couldn't say that, so they had to remain silent.

"Well..." Molly tasted it, "The egg whites have not been beaten well, and the bubbles in them have not been eliminated. In addition to fruits, something rich in texture needs to be added..."

She put the cake on the counter: "The walnuts on the mountain should be partially ripe. Go pick some and put them in the cake. Call Bill and Charlie. They know the location."

"Okay, Mom."

"Okay, Mrs. Weasley."

The three of them turned around and slipped out.

…

Squeak——

The old iron door was pushed open by Loren from the outside.

Hermione stopped what she was doing when she heard footsteps, and pulled Ginny in front of the console so that the person pushing the door could not see what was on the counter. The two stood side by side, tilting their heads together. Look towards the door.

Loren looked at the two of them doubtfully: "Aren't you done yet? Why is your rune homework so complicated?"

Harry and Ron poked their heads out from behind Loren, and Ron patted his chest with some fear: "Even Hermione had such a hard time, if it were us... Fortunately, we didn't choose ancient runes. "

Harry nodded in deep understanding.

Hermione pursed her lips: "The homework is not difficult, but I want to explain the basic knowledge of ancient runes to Ginny. She is very interested in ancient runes."

Ginny's eyes suddenly widened.

When did this happen?

I'm not, I didn't!

"As expected, it's Professor Granger..." Loren muttered, "Would you like to go to the mountains with us to pick walnuts? Mrs. Weasley said some of them ripen early and are ready to be eaten."

Ginny was about to agree, but she felt the corner of her clothes being pulled by Hermione next to her.

"..."

Hermione said calmly: "We won't go. We can still help Mrs. Weasley make cakes at home."

"Yeah yeah……"

Ginny forced a smile, glared hard at Hermione, grinned and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear: "No, you have to help me in the future..."

Hermione nodded with a smile on her face: "You go and play, don't worry about us."

"strange……"

As Harry closed the door, he couldn't help but mutter, "They seem to be hiding something from us, what do you think?"

"Everyone has secrets, and girls are like that."

Loren grinned. He had been acting like a dog a few days ago, and it felt more urgent today. He was not a fool, so how could he not guess it?

Oops, that’s really exciting.

…

The road to the mountains is not easy, especially where the hickory trees grow. There are stinging thorns everywhere. The thorns and thorn trees will catch the clothes and leave faint white marks. Sometimes they will even catch the silk. Clothes were untied, so Bill's dragonhide boots came in handy, while the others had to use mending spells to straighten their trouser legs as they walked.

Crookshanks seems to be well adapted to this environment. He jumps up and down on the soil covered with rusty pine needles, and slips through the gaps between the dense branches. His movements are agile, and his lazy look when basking in the sun cannot be seen at all.

The roadside is dotted with colorful mushrooms and the replaced feathers of birds. Crookshanks seems to be very interested in these novelties. When he sees them, he will pounce on them, as if he is hunting, but when he sees the occasional passing by Birds, on the other hand, do not chase. They are good cats who are only polite.

The path always winds through pools of lemon-colored sunshine and dark vine corridors. There are also small streams in the mountains, which merge into small pools in low-lying areas. Like ponds, they are clear and cold, holding the coolness of the mountains.

"There are so many fish here, I didn't even notice it before."

Ron stuck his head out to look into the pool and kicked down a stone, causing a string of splashes. The frightened freshwater fish would stir up the water, and the very large frogs would pounce away from them.

Seeing this scene, Ron became interested and kicked several stones down one after another, causing the calm pool to suddenly become noisy.

Bill and Charlie looked at each other, somewhat disgusted with their youngest brother.

Crookshanks noticed the big fish swimming around, and Persimmon's face became more interested. He stood cautiously by the pool, stuck his head out to spy on the fish in the water, stretched out his front paws to poke at them, and the cold water stung him. It shuddered, swung its brush-like tail, and turned away.

Loren picked up a flat stone casually, twisted it out of his hand flatly, and bounced on the water a few times before falling into the water. Harry couldn't help but feel itchy hands, so he picked up the stone and gave it a try.

Well, the water splash is quite pretty.

The wizard's method of picking walnuts is very simple. Without harming the walnut tree, use the repelling spell to hit the trunk, or use the floating spell to shake the branches. The ripe walnuts will fall down and smash on the soft soil. Make small holes.

Just after shaking down a piece of fruit, Bill looked at Ron who was bending down to pick up the fruit, his eyes flashed with eagerness, he held the wand and shook it, and suddenly a large piece of walnuts fell down again.

Ron screamed when he was hit, so he picked up the fruit and threw it at him.

Others were soon involved, and what was originally a good time picking walnuts gradually turned into a battle between you and me.

When the disgraced people returned to the Burrow, they were inevitably scolded by Molly and finally were punished by peeling walnuts.

The sweet and shiny ivory-like walnut meat was piled up into a rising hill in the glass bowl. The piglet was the first to come to beg for food. Ron quietly gave it a small piece, followed by Hanhan, Hedwig, Errol, and Hermes. They also fell down one after another.

The cooing of an owl begging for food, the laughter of a little wizard teasing pets, and the angry scolding of a housewife lingered around the weird high house on the edge of the village, echoing for a long time.

Loren scratched Crookshanks' chin and threw a walnut kernel to Hanhan.

This is probably what the life of a wizard is like.