Chapter 545 Romantic Journey

The time has come to February 2th, Valentine's Day, and also the second time Hogwarts opens its doors to Hogsmeade this school year.

Xie Ling took a deep breath and pushed open the door of the auditorium. He immediately felt a lot of eyes on him. Yesterday, he received five Valentine's Day invitations one after another, and his response was - all of them agreed.

"Morning, Sherin."

The first person to appear was Astoria Greengrass. She was wearing a light blue cashmere coat and a white scarf around her neck, looking softer than usual. She smiled and took Sherin's arm, her green eyes teasing, "I heard you're busy today?"

Xie Lin smiled slightly, but before he could respond, another calm voice interrupted: "It's indeed very busy."

He tilted his head to look, and saw Daphne Greengrass leaning elegantly against a pillar, with her arms folded and a hint of a smile on her lips. She had never been a fan of these extravagant festivals, but today she had changed into a black turtleneck sweater and a slim-fitting coat, and her long blond hair was pinned up with a silver hairpin, revealing a bit of capable beauty.

"Since we're all here, let's go together, shall we?" Xie Lin said calmly, as if he didn't notice the shocked looks from the students around him. His tone was matter-of-fact, as if this was a perfectly normal arrangement.

"I don't want you to leave me behind."

Murray McDougal walked in from the side door with a smile. The hem of her plaid coat fluttered in the wind, and her light blue eyes sparkled with an intellectual luster behind her black-framed glasses. She nodded to Daphne and Astoria, then gently patted Sherin on the shoulder: "How is your schedule? Do you want me to help you plan it?"

Xie Lin smiled and said, "No, I know what I am doing."

At this moment, a clear voice sounded from behind him: "Ah, I really came just in time."

Zhang Qiu came over with a book in her arms, smiling. She was wearing a red cape today, her long black hair draped softly over her shoulders, and her face was lightly pink, looking very festive. She didn't seem to mind that she was not the only one with her, but instead looked at the other three with interest.

Finally, Luna Lovegood came in humming softly, holding a bunch of strange lavender flowers in her hands. Her silver eyes moved between the people, and then handed the flowers to Sherin: "This is a kind of flower that will automatically bloom on Valentine's Day. They will only bloom to those who like them."

Xie Ling took the flower, and the petals immediately opened gently, emitting a soft fragrance.

Five girls, five completely different styles, but at this moment, they all stood quietly beside Xie Lin, waiting for him to make a decision.

Xie Ling looked at them and a smile appeared on his face.

"Then let's go together."

……

Walking on the streets of Hogsmeade, Sherin attracted countless people's attention. Five girls surrounded him, each with a completely different temperament, but not out of place.

They first went to Honeydukes and bought some chocolates and sweets.

Next, they went to the Three Broomsticks, which was more crowded than usual, but Sherin had already arranged a private room.

Daphne leaned back in her chair and looked at Sherin: "Did you make a reservation in advance?"

Xie Lin shrugged: "Of course, since we are going to spend Valentine's Day together, we can't stand on the street, right?"

Luna held a glass of butterbeer and shook it gently: "If you stand on the street, you may even see a flying love fairy."

"What is that?" Astoria asked curiously.

"Dad said that it is a creature that only appears on Valentine's Day. It will bring people together who are destined to be together." Luna answered seriously.

Daphne sighed helplessly, "I hope it won't lead to any more clues for Mr. Malfoy."

Everyone couldn't help laughing.

……

As the sun set, Sherin led the five people to a small hill outside Hogsmeade Village, from where they could overlook the scenery of the entire town. The snow reflected the afterglow of the setting sun, and the sky was dyed with a light pink and orange color. The scenery was as beautiful as a painting.

The five girls stood in different positions, quietly appreciating the scenery.

"I've had a great day today," Astoria said softly.

"Indeed, it's more pleasant than I thought." Zhang Qiu nodded with a smile.

"Sherin, you will always remember this day, right?" Murray asked half-jokingly.

"Of course." Xie Lin looked at them, his tone calm but full of confidence, "This is not only your Valentine's Day, but also mine."

The five of them were stunned for a moment, and then they all laughed at the same time.

Xie Lin stood on the hill, looked back at the five girls beside him, and smiled softly: "Let's go, we should go back."

The five of them looked at each other, as if waiting for who would make the first move. Finally, the youngest, Astoria Greengrass, stepped forward first, stood on tiptoe, and gently kissed Sherin on the cheek. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, but she still maintained her unique innocence and agility.

"I'm very happy today." She whispered, her voice like falling snowflakes.

Murray McDougal stood by, looking at Sherin with a smile, and then stretched out her arms without hesitation and gave him a firm hug. Her hug was not as shy as other girls, but generous and natural. "If there is such an arrangement in the future, don't forget to call me again." She raised her eyebrows, with a bit of teasing in her tone.

Before Xie Lin responded, Zhang Qiu had already walked up to him gently with the reserved tenderness of an oriental girl. She did not kiss Xie Lin directly, but slowly stretched out her fingers, gently brushed his cheek, then smiled and leaned closer to his forehead.

"Thank you." She said softly, with a look in her eyes that revealed a lot of unsaid meaning.

Luna Lovegood, who was standing nearby, tilted her head, looked at the others, and raised a mysterious smile. She took a step forward and kissed Sherin lightly on the corner of his mouth without warning, her movements as light as a nightingale flying across the lake.

"The stars are very bright tonight." She smiled slightly and pointed to the night sky, her silver eyes full of reflections of stars.

Finally, Daphne Greengrass slowly walked up to Sherin. She didn't say anything, but just stared at him quietly, as if she wanted to engrave everything about this night in her memory. After a moment, she sighed softly, put her hand around Sherin's collar, pulled him close, and kissed him on the lips without hesitation.

This kiss was more direct than any other, carrying the pride and possessiveness unique to the Greengrass family, as well as a hint of determination that refused to show weakness.

After a long time, she slowly let go, a smile appeared on the corner of her mouth, and she said softly: "Don't forget, you owe us next time."

Xie Lin raised the corner of his mouth slightly, and swept his eyes between the five people. There was no panic in his heart, but instead a sense of satisfaction.

"Of course." He said calmly, "Then, go back."

……

After the trip to Hogsmeade, Sherin's relationship with several girls rapidly heated up.

Since the summer vacation, the romantic Xie Ling first got engaged to Eleanor in Germany, and then publicly confirmed his relationship with Fleur in France. After returning to England, he has been busy with various affairs of the Sleeping Dragon Society and even failed to spend Christmas with them. He cannot deny that he has indeed neglected his girlfriends.

Now that the ownership of the three major commercial districts of Knockturn Alley, Hogsmeade Village and Diagon Alley has been settled, Shaylin can finally spend more time with his girlfriends.

Another thing to be thankful for is that Zhang Qiu seems to have integrated into this dangerous Shura field and has been accepted by other girls. This really made Xie Lin secretly relieved.

He was most afraid of a fire in the harem, which could be more difficult to deal with than Voldemort's.

There was nothing worth mentioning after that. In the Potions class, Shaylin was still working with Daphne to prepare potions; in the Herbology class, Shaylin was helping Murray deal with the Gnawing Ivy that kept dodging and screaming.

In the spell club, Xie Ling patiently taught Zhang Qiu the key points of casting spells; when he had no classes, Xie Ling would help Astoria and Luna with their homework in the library.

Xie Ling found that his state of mind seemed to be changing quietly again. A warm and gentle force filled his heart, and his heart seemed to be pulled by two forces, one was "love" and the other was "desire".

As the power of "love" slowly grows, one's own desires seem to fade away invisibly.

In fact, Xie Ling didn’t really understand what this meant.

Fast forward to Saturday, February 2st.

This day is the second Quidditch match of the school year, with Gryffindor playing against Hufflepuff. Unlike in the book, Cedric is still alive, so Charby has no chance to play.

The wind was cold and the match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff kicked off in an atmosphere of anticipation and tension. However, just as the match began, the cheers from the Gryffindor audience were gradually replaced by sighs, complaints, and face-covering.

"Oh, Ron--!" Hermione couldn't help but scream and covered her face with her hands, as if this could reduce the disaster she saw.

Ron Weasley had just tried to catch the Quaffle by waving his arms in the air in a weird "dog-paw" motion, only to flutter about like a vulture that had lost its balance, and then watch the Quaffle slip through his fingers - for the fourteenth time!
There were some laughters coming from the audience, and the Slytherin team was laughing even louder. Draco laughed so hard that he fell backwards and shouted at the court, "Hey, Ron, you're here to be the goalkeeper, not to swim!"

At the same time, Sloper seemed to be too focused on the flight trajectory of the Bludger, and he didn't hit the Bludger, but instead hit Angelina Johnson's mouth with a stick. Angelina screamed in pain, holding the broom in the air with one hand, and cursed incoherently: "Sloper, do you want me to swallow my teeth?!"

An even more embarrassing scene happened to Gryffindor's Beater Kirk. When Zacharias Smith rushed towards him with the Quaffle, Kirk actually screamed and fell off his broom like a frightened cat. Fortunately, the spell on the ground protected him from serious injury, but this scene still shocked the audience.

Just when everyone thought the game would continue in a breathtakingly funny way, the Golden Snitch appeared!

Hufflepuff Seeker Cedric Diggory had already locked onto the direction of the Golden Snitch and was ready to dive, but just as he was about to sprint -

"Ah - sneeze!"

A sudden sneeze disrupted his rhythm, the broom in his hand shook, and he missed the best time to dive.

At the same time, Ginny Weasley had already dived down at full speed. With amazing reaction speed and precise control, her fingers suddenly closed when the Golden Snitch was less than an inch away from her palm.

"She caught it! Ginny Weasley, she caught the Golden Snitch!"

Lee Jordan's broadcast voice cut through the sky, and the Gryffindor audience instantly erupted into deafening cheers. Everyone jumped up, waving flags, and screaming.

Ginny held the Golden Snitch high with a victorious smile on her face, while Cedric covered his nose and looked at her helplessly.

In the end, Gryffindor defeated Hufflepuff by a narrow margin of 180 to 170. (End of this chapter)