days 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. She probably understood what the problem was because of her experience.

"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.