days at Hogwarts

The store signs were lost in the mist of snow and wind; only a few lit up their neon signs, emitting faint red and green lights that slightly dispelled the winter chill.

The light snowflakes fell on the plush collar, like little white flowers, exuding a chilling coldness.

The pores on Slughorn's neck contracted slightly. He looked at the two students' inquiring eyes and fell silent.

This is the bad thing about smart students. Even though they try their best not to mention those things, they still keep asking. It’s so annoying!

Slughorn brushed off the snow on his shoulders and thought for a while. Then he sighed and said, "Well, since we are in school, it's okay to reveal some news to you..."

I knew this professor was well-informed!

Loren and Hermione looked expectant, their eyes slightly shining.

"Remember to keep it a secret."

"We'll try, Professor."

"..."

Slughorn glanced in front of him and confirmed that there were no pedestrians nearby. The nearest store was more than ten meters away. He lowered his guard slightly and lowered his voice: "A new war is about to begin!"

Hermione couldn't help but ask, "Didn't it start a long time ago?"

"It was all a stalemate before this. Whether it was the Death Eaters or the Aurors, it was either a surprise attack or a tentative attack. None of them could be considered a real war..." Slughorn clenched the candied pineapple in his hand. "A real war is when both sides are fully prepared, face to face, with wands against wands and spells against spells... In that kind of environment, even Dumbledore can't guarantee safety."

"Is one party going to take action?"

"I've received news that the dark wizards, werewolves, and Dementors gathered at the edge of the border are preparing to cause a big disturbance. The location is kept secret and the time is set on Halloween Eve!"

"So the Death Eaters are preparing to take action?" Hermione was still confused, "What does this have to do with a full-scale war?"

"Why can't you figure it out?" Slughorn exhaled, secretly thanking himself for being in Hogwarts, where at least his safety was guaranteed. "I can receive news, and so can the Ministry of Magic. Will they let that group of people cause trouble?"

"If I had received the news in advance..."

"Can we ambush and raid?"

Slughorn brushed the snow off his collar and said noncommittally, "You are still too young. If students who haven't graduated yet can think of something, can't those cunning dark wizards think of it?"

Loren reacted: "Is this fake news they deliberately released?"

"Perhaps it's true, perhaps it's false, who knows?" Slughorn shook his head. "I don't know how this war will unfold. I only know that the peaceful stalemate has been broken, and there will always be a number of casualties..."

"..."

The doors of the shops on both sides of the street were half-open, and sporadic laughter came from inside, which was then blown away.

The wind and snow continued to howl.

It's getting colder and colder.

……

The accumulated snow obscured the road signs, but no one would get lost in such weather because the dense footprints on the ground were very directional. Those large and small, deep and shallow marks all pointed to the same place - three brooms.

The orange flames were burning brightly in the fireplace, the heat was baking the entire bar, the moist aroma of wine was wafting everywhere, and the smoke was so thick that it was hard to tell whether it was water vapor or tobacco leaves.

The boy with the scar on his forehead and the red-haired boy were sitting at the back facing the window. One of them was mumbling something about the Quidditch team, while the other was staring at the bartender, looking stupid.

"Katie trained Ginny and Demelza as Chasers and they adapted really well...

“Bats players Perks and Gutt are also getting better and better…

“As long as they can successfully get through the first game next weekend, they will be able to give full play to their strengths on the field. We have a great chance of winning the championship this school year!”

Harry finished speaking in one breath, and drank half a glass of butter beer. When he found no response, he looked at the captain beside him: "Ron, what are you staring at?"

"Huh?" Ron immediately looked away from the bar and shook his head in panic, "Nothing, nothing..."

Suddenly, a hand reached out from the side, pushing his shoulder to turn around, and a familiar, slightly teasing voice sounded: "I'll give you a chance. Go find your "nothing" lady and get us two cups of butter beer."

Harry smiled and greeted, "Loren! Hermione!"

The young couple who had just come in from outside sat down opposite them. Loren cast a teasing look at Ron, which made him quickly flee to the bar. His first few steps were a little flustered, but the rest became impatient, and his steps were light and joyful.

Hermione looked around: "Where's Ginny?"

"She went to visit the Literati Residence with Luna."

"I should have asked her to bring me two stacks of parchment."

Loren took a French fry from the table and bit it off. "Didn't you buy a lot before school started?"

"There is too much homework this semester, and the parchment is consumed too quickly. I want to stock up some more."

"You can save a few inches every time you shave off your paper."

"..." Hermione glanced at him.

"I'll buy it later."

"I think so."

"..."

Harry took a sip of butterbeer and silently made up his mind - he would show off in front of them once he had the chance.

At this time, footsteps were heard behind them. The three turned around and saw Ron walking slowly towards them with a butterbeer in his hand. His steps were steady and his expression was firm. He probably thought that his style was noble, profound and full of charm.

Unfortunately, Miss Rosmerta was concentrating on opening a bottle of fire whiskey and didn't look over here.

Harry couldn't help but laugh and gently pulled him, "Stop pretending to be cool, Ms. Rosmerta isn't looking at you."

"What's so funny? Haven't you done the same thing?" Ron handed over the butterbeer and said resentfully, "This summer, my mother asked you to help catch hens, and you almost got a new scar on your forehead in order to act cool in front of Ginny..."

Harry quickly covered his mouth, his face flushed.

The two people on the opposite side tried hard to hold back their laughter. In the end, Loren took a sip of beer, coughed twice, and interrupted their backstabbing: "Stop joking and talk about business. We just ran into Professor Slughorn on the road."

"What's the big deal? We have four Potions classes a week, we can run into him anytime."

"He revealed some information about Voldemort. Death Eaters and werewolves might cause trouble on Halloween. The Ministry of Magic might organize an ambush..."

After Loren finished telling the old professor all the information, he silently apologized to him. It was just a slip of the tongue due to drinking, and he had originally intended to keep it secret.

"..."

As before, when Harry heard the news, he subconsciously wanted to go back to school and tell Dumbledore, but this time he hesitated.

He looked at his friends around him and was silent for a moment: "Do you think Dumbledore's sudden destruction of the Horcruxes he collected has something to do with this?"

"..."

The door of the tavern was pushed open from time to time by customers entering the store. The cold wind rushed in through the gap in the door, blowing the firewood in the fireplace to crackle and sparks fly.

The weather is getting worse.