“Oh, Minerva, Lorin, good afternoon.”
Professor Flitwick’s tiny frame radiated exhaustion.
Even his usual agile hop onto his chair was visibly sluggish.
Clearly, his morning classes had taken quite a toll on him.
“Good afternoon, Filius.
We’ve only just arrived as well,” Professor McGonagall replied with a nod.
A plate of spaghetti bolognese materialized in front of her.
“Yes, Filius.
We had a rather amusing little incident this morning,” Lorin added.
A plate of black pepper pasta and a very tempting French-style rack of lamb appeared before him.
“Oh?
Did something happen this morning?” Professor Flitwick asked.
Having been fully booked with classes all morning, he hadn’t heard a word about the incident by the One-Eyed Witch statue.
“It’s a long story…” McGonagall began, but she was interrupted by a voice suppressing a chuckle.
“Oh, Mr.
Lorin, you really are a genius!
Haha, Merlin’s beard…”
“I must say, everyone, Lorin’s spell was exceptionally clever!” a gentle female voice added from the side.
This only piqued Professor Flitwick’s curiosity further.
“What on earth happened, Pomona?
A clever spell and an amusing incident?”
“Ah, Filius, you haven’t heard?”
Professor Sprout, her calloused hands brandishing a knife and fork, began slicing into a well-done steak.
“It’s Lorin, of course!
This morning, he kept Fred and George Weasley frozen solid in front of the One-Eyed Witch statue for hours!
I’ve taught those two for three years, and this is the first time I’ve ever seen the Weasley twins get pranked themselves.
Now everyone is calling Lorin…”
“What was it again?”
“The Immobilizer!”
*Pfft—cough, cough!*
Lorin was nearly assassinated by his own pasta.
Despite his years of noble upbringing, his composure shattered instantly.
What kind of ridiculous nickname was that?!
“Cough…
Pomona, I didn’t actually intend to punish the Weasley brothers that harshly,” Lorin explained, trying to rescue his reputation from Professor Flitwick’s amused look and Professor Sprout’s unstoppable chuckles.
“But they refused to listen to my warnings and tried to run.
And once I caught them, they even tried to hit me with a crude dungbomb and a portable swamp…”
“Oh, Merlin!
Lorin, you didn’t mention that!
I thought they had merely talked back to you!” Professor McGonagall’s eyes widened, her expression turning incredibly stern.
A few nearby students quickly grabbed their plates and moved further down the table.
“This is unacceptable.
They cannot be allowed to attack staff members like that.
They must be given detention, Lorin!
You know Hogwarts strictly forbids students from taking aggressive actions against the staff.”
As the Head of Gryffindor, Professor McGonagall did not favor her own house the way Severus Snape did; she was strictly impartial and held every student accountable.
“Calm yourself, Minerva,” Lorin said, attempting to placate her.
“After all, the Weasleys have already paid a suitable price, haven’t they?”
“Still, Gryffindor must be docked—”
“I’ve already docked them forty points, Minerva.”
“Ah.
Oh, I see.”
Professor McGonagall blinked, casting a surprised glance at Lorin before returning to her spaghetti.
“By the way, Filius, I haven’t told you yet, but Lorin’s spell was truly remarkable.” Professor McGonagall steered the conversation back, praising Lorin’s spellcasting.
“You should have seen it!
Lorin managed a seamless combination of five different spells, including Stupefy and the Body-Bind Curse!
Am I correct, Lorin?”
“Entirely correct, Minerva.”
After all, McGonagall had studied the spell for less than ten seconds before knowing the counter-curse, demonstrating her formidable mastery of magic.
Had Lorin not arrived in time, she might have actually broken Fred and George’s binding.
“Is that so?
Mr.
Lorin, may I discuss this with you?” At the mention of spells, Professor Flitwick’s weariness instantly evaporated, replaced by absolute excitement.
“Oh, Filius, you know how my physical condition is…”
“We don’t have to duel, Lorin!
Just a friendly academic exchange!”
“Very well, Filius.
When are you free?”
Finding it impossible to decline, Lorin decided to set a date.
After all, swapping insights would be highly beneficial for improving his own magic.
“How about this Saturday?”
“That works for me, Filius.”
“If it’s this Saturday, may I join as well?
I was planning a trip down to Hogsmeade anyway,” Professor Sprout piped up.
“Of course, Pomona.
I’ve been meaning to ask you some questions about Mandrakes.”
“Well, if the castle is quiet this weekend, I believe I shall attend as well,” Professor McGonagall added.
“Merlin’s top hat, Minerva, your presence will certainly elevate our little salon.”
…
Just then, the Weasley twins walked into the Great Hall and saw Lorin chatting warmly with the professors.
“Mr.
Montmorency!”
“Ah, Messrs.
Weasley, good afternoon.” Lorin greeted them with a smile, pausing his conversation.
To the professors’ surprise, Fred and George’s attitude wasn’t resentful at all—in fact, they seemed downright delighted!
“Mr.
Montmorency, we…”
Before George could finish, Lorin casually pointed to the wall clock.
“You have exactly one hour and forty minutes before afternoon classes begin.
Don’t you agree, Severus?
You are quite late today.”
Startled by Lorin’s words, Fred and George hurried off to find seats to eat.
“Blast it, Snape’s timing is dreadful,” Fred muttered as he sat down, pouring himself a goblet of pumpkin juice and taking a jacket potato.
“Wait, Fred, we’ve been had!” George stared blankly at the staff table.
There was absolutely no sign of the greasy dungeon bat.
Fred turned around, and the two brothers stared at each other in disbelief.
“George, I think this is the first time we’ve been played like that!”
“Yeah, Fred.
But I’ve got to admit, I’m starting to admire Mr.
Montmorency.”
“Oh?
Really?
Well, I’m not entirely won over yet.”
“Come off it, mate!
You’re far more impressed than I am!”
After finishing his lunch, Lorin bid farewell to Professor Flitwick and the others, setting off to patrol the castle.
Although nearly the entire castle was monitored by his magical eyes, he still wanted to do a physical sweep, fulfilling his duties as a caretaker.
Mind you, it was strictly for security, not to walk off his lunch.
“Good afternoon, Argus.
Haven’t eaten yet?”
Turning a corner on the second floor near the entrance to the girls’ bathroom, Lorin bumped into Filch.
“M-Mr.
Montmorency…”
“I’m not hungry.
I’ll eat later.”
Seeing Filch still sweeping, Lorin had offered a casual word of concern.
Filch looked taken aback.
After all, besides Dumbledore, almost no one at Hogwarts ever showed him any kindness.
“Well, make sure you don’t wait too long.
You wouldn’t want to go bothering the house-elves for a late meal.”
Lorin gave him a friendly wink and continued his stroll…
patrol.
After only a few paces, he stopped outside an empty classroom on the second floor.
“Ah, youth…”
Perhaps Lorin moved too quietly, for the young couple locked in a passionate embrace in the corridor didn’t even notice his arrival.
Not until two minutes later.
“Mmph…”
“!!!”
A girl with an Asian face suddenly patted the boy hugging her, her eyes widening in horror.
“What’s wrong, Cho?”
Cho Chang pointed mutely behind Cedric, refusing to let him kiss her again.
“Ahem.
I have no intention of interrupting, but this does happen to be the only hallway.” Lorin smiled and nodded at the pair.
“Mr.
Diggory, Miss Chang.
We must maintain public order, shouldn’t we?”
“So-Sorry, Mr.
Immob— Mr.
Montmorency, we’ll leave right away…”
Cho Chang’s face burned with embarrassment.
She grabbed Cedric and hurried to leave, seemingly terrified that Lorin might freeze them on the spot.
Cedric, whether startled by Lorin or simply mortified, was equally flushed and stuttered incoherently.
“No need to rush.
If you require privacy, there is an empty classroom on the first floor to the left.
No one usually goes in there.”
“Ah, right.
Thank you, Mr.
Montmorency.”
“You’re very welcome, Mr.
Diggory.”
Lorin waved them off and resumed his patrol.
Yes, patrol.
“Are you trying to get us killed, Cedric?” Cho Chang pinched Cedric’s ear, her face crimson with embarrassment.
“My mistake, darling.” Cedric blushed, his eyes darting around awkwardly.
“But, erm…
should we go to that classroom The Immobilizer mentioned?”
Cho Chang: ???