On the suspension bridge of a cargo ship at the dock, Hoffa let go of Miranda's wrist.
Miranda turned her head away from him. "Sorry, I lost my composure," she said calmly, without a trace of embarrassment on her face.
"I'm sorry I didn't contact you, but I had no choice." Hoffa said earnestly, "I've made too many enemies, and each of them is crazier than the last."
"Excuses." Miranda's lips moved.
"You're my best friend, I can't …" He sighed and shook his head. "You don't understand, fate is unpredictable."
Miranda closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, the lines on her face had softened. She grabbed Hoffa's wrist. "If that's really the case, do you think I'll be afraid? Or do you think I'll drag you down because I'm not strong enough?
"You're not afraid, but I'm afraid. I won't take any risks, so whatever you say is useless." Hoffa looked at the flashing lighthouse in the distance. "I'll definitely leave England."
Miranda stopped talking and lowered her head.
Hoffa saw that she was a little sad, and his heart was pained. They hadn't seen each other for a year, and they were about to part when they saw each other.
He touched Miranda's chestnut hair and smiled. "Don't talk about me all the time, you haven't told me why you're in London."
"My grandfather is back." Miranda shook off his hand and said indifferently.
Hoffa raised an eyebrow and said in surprise, "Professor Adebayor is back?"
"Yes, he was transferred to the Ministry of Magic this year as the director of the Department of Defense of Dark Magic," Miranda said expressionlessly. "He arranged for me to be an intern in London, and I'm patrolling every corner of London every day to catch Dark Wizards, but most of the time I can only catch thieves."
"That's not bad."
"Is it?"
Miranda looked up and exhaled a cloud of white mist in the cold night sky. She shook her head. "Most of the other Ravenclaw's missions are more important than mine, but the one I envy the most is you, you have more freedom than me."
Even I have people envious of me, damn it. Hoffa thought to himself that if he had randomly picked someone with a weaker mental fortitude, they would have gone crazy long ago.
"Forget it. If you really want to leave, I won't keep you. However, you should at least stay after Christmas," she suggested again. "It's only a few days. If you don't go to school, come to my house. There's only me and Grandpa at home."
"After Christmas …"
Hoffa looked at the flickering lights on the other side of the River Thames and fell into deep thought. Norbert's invitation was indeed not in a hurry. If he could go to Miranda's house, he could use the owl to write a few letters to her. He could also determine the exact location. Perhaps that would save him a lot of trouble.
After weighing the pros and cons, Hoffa nodded. "Okay, I promise to spend Christmas with you."
Miranda smiled and handed her hand to Hoffa. "Take me down. I can't use Mirage Transfiguration for the time being."
"As you wish, Miss Ghoshak."
Hoffa bowed exaggeratedly. He took her hand, carried her horizontally, and then jumped directly from the suspension bridge to the ground. At night, this height was about the same as three steps to him.
"You're capable!" After landing, Miranda looked up and recovered from the state of weightlessness. She pushed him. "Hey, don't hug me like that. I'm not familiar with you anymore."
Hoffa laughed. After making the decision to spend Christmas with his friends in England, he was inexplicably in a better mood. He let go of Miranda and asked, "How are you going to take me back, Ghoshak?"
"Wait and see, Bach. It's definitely something new that you haven't seen before." Miranda stretched lazily, turned her head, and knocked on his head in an extremely dashing manner. "Come with me ~"
Hoffa covered his head and followed behind Miranda with an uncontrollable smile on his face. When he saw anyone outside, he felt that they were plotting against him. He was almost paranoid. Only when he was with his old friends could he completely relax.
At the intersection of the two of them, he saw a black Royal Enfield motorcycle parked near the fire hydrant at the corner of the street. It had a single cylinder with side valves, a black seat, round bright lights, and silver painted ears. It looked quite British.
"I thought you would come here on a flying broom."
The moment he saw the vehicle, Hoffa laughed. "I haven't seen you in a year. You've become so punk?"
"Ah, what punk?"
Miranda looked at him in confusion.
"Forget it." Hoffa waved his hand. "Pretend I didn't say anything."
Only then did he remember that punk was something that would only happen a few decades later. Miranda definitely didn't know about it. However, during the one year that they hadn't met, this girl had indeed changed a lot. Not only did she learn how to put on makeup, she even knew how to drive a motorcycle.
Miranda got on the motorcycle and stepped on the accelerator. Then she took out two motorcycle hats from the back of the motorcycle. She put one on herself and handed the other to Hoffa.
Huo Fa was speechless as he took over the retro-styled motorcycle helmet with a pair of windproof glasses. After putting it on, he sat behind Miranda.
Then, the orange lights of the motorcycle lit up and made a pleasant vibration sound. The two of them sped through the streets of London.
The wind blew past Hoffa's ears. The iron buckle of the motorcycle hat kept slapping his cheeks. The speed wasn't fast, only about 60 miles per hour. Miranda didn't look like the kind of person who would drive fast for excitement. However, looking at the buildings and cars flashing by, Hoffa suddenly couldn't help but laugh. The more he laughed, the happier he was.
"What are you laughing at?"
Miranda, who was driving the motorcycle, asked in confusion.
"Hahaha …"
Hoffa didn't answer. He just kept laughing behind her. In fact, he didn't know why he was laughing, but he really wanted to laugh at the moment.
"What are you laughing at!?"
Miranda, who was driving, asked with a smile.
"Hahahaha …"
"Hahahaha …"
"Hahahaha …"
In the end, he laughed until Miranda was a little annoyed. She turned the motorcycle around fiercely and narrowly missed a black Jaguar. She almost knocked off the ear of the other car.
"Are you an idiot?" Miranda hit the back of her head on Hoffa's motorcycle hat. "Don't laugh!"
"Hahahahaha …!"
Hoffa laughed louder and louder. He even reached his hand under her armpit and scratched. After scratching, he took advantage of her struggle and reached his hand in front of her to take off her glasses.
"Are you crazy!!"
The motorcycle twisted left and right without any pattern on the street. Mixed with the girl's angry roar, it attracted the attention of countless passersby.
Finally, when the motorcycle stopped below an apartment near Downing Street and Big Ben, Miranda angrily got off the motorcycle like a drunkard. She pulled off Hoffa's motorcycle hat and angrily kicked his leg.
"Go out and hurt your brain!" She angrily accused.
Hoffa had never seen such an expression on Miranda's face. In the past, when they were together, she would only give some evil ideas or bury her head in a book and ignore everyone.
"Where did you learn to drive from? Did you get a hooligan boyfriend in the year I wasn't around? "Hoffa couldn't help but ask as he sat on the back of the motorcycle.
"That's right. Not just one, but more than ten. One every month!" She looked at Hoffa angrily and took out a bunch of keys from her pocket. "Come with me."
They got off the motorcycle and walked to a row of old apartment buildings nearby. They stopped in front of a row of palm wood doors covered by spider plants and green wisteria, similar to the ones in 221B Baker Street.
"Is Professor Ghoshak home?"
Hoffa looked at the 24-hour convenience store on the side of the road. If he wanted to see his old director, he should at least buy some fruit or something.
"Don't bother." Miranda saw through Hoffa's thoughts at a glance. "He's been working overtime for the past few days. He won't be back until Christmas Eve."
"That late!?" Hoffa was shocked.
"Don't worry about him." Miranda opened the door with the key. "There are three secretaries in the department for him to order around."
Miranda opened the door and turned on the corridor light. She took Hoffa's shoes and shouted, "Pettie."
Almost as soon as she finished speaking, a pair of pink slippers ran over from a distance. On the pink slippers was a pair of thighs that were only as thick as Hoffa's wrist.
"Oh, Miss, you have a friend."
It was a house elf wearing a maid's dress. It was Zizi, but it was so nervous that it was a little nervous. It rushed to Miranda's side and snatched the slippers from her hand like a whirlwind. It put it in front of Hoffa, then looked up and made a sound.
"Ah!!"
Then it rushed back like a whirlwind. In the blink of an eye, it came back with several neatly stacked Zizi rags. Its eyes were as round as copper bells as it stared at Hoffa's clothes, as if it was facing a great enemy.
"Is it troublesome, sir? If it's not troublesome, you can let Pettie help you wipe it first. It'll be done soon!"
She spoke very quickly, politely but firmly.
Hoffa stood at the door awkwardly.
"Don't bother, Pettie. He's a wild man. He's used to being wild. You go and make him a cup of tea. " Miranda took the rags from the house elf and pushed it to the kitchen. "Green tea is good. Use the oriental one."
"Ah! Wild man! It's the 20th century! "
The elf was pushed forward, but its desperate eyes were still staring at the stains on Hoffa's clothes. "The wild man is also going to evolve."
Miranda said, "He can't evolve. Don't yell. The primitive man can't understand English."
The elf was desperate. "Really …"
After sending the house elf away, Miranda returned to the cloakroom with a smile. "Come in, do you need me to help you?"
Hoffa rolled his eyes, changed his shoes, and walked into the living room.
He had been to another friend's house before. He still remembered that he was shocked by the amazing castle. However, Miranda's house was much more ordinary, similar to that of an ordinary working class.
The square living room was about 60 square meters. There were not many decorations. There were a few rows of knitted cushions on the simple European-style sofa. Applewood was burning in the fireplace. It was very quiet. The dining room was slightly smaller than the kitchen. There were a few magic chandeliers floating on the lacquered wooden table. Under the chandeliers was a pot of blue hydrangea. It seemed that the house did not have many social gatherings. There were only four chairs.
In the kitchen, the house elf was busy picking in front of the cabinet. It looked at Hoffa from time to time, its ears flapping.
"Adebay brought it here from his hometown." Miranda hugged the back of a chair and sat at the table. She said helplessly, "Except for being a bit of a neat freak and a little neurotic, everything else is fine."
"The servant will be very similar to the master." Hoffa looked at the back of the busy elf and smiled. "How about your brother? How is he?"
"You want to see him?" Miranda smiled and reached for her glasses. "Didn't you take off my glasses in the car?"
"Okay." Hoffa hooked his finger teasingly. "Come, let me see Mille and see if he has improved."
Miranda pursed her lips and pushed her glasses. "Forget it. If you live for a long time, you will naturally see him. As for now, forget it."
At this time, the house elf came to the living room with a cup of tea and a cup of coffee. One cup was placed in front of Miranda, and the other was placed half a meter away from Hoffa.
"Thank you."
Hoffa took the tea and chatted with a friend he had not seen for a long time. "I remember, don't you live in … that county?"
"Devonshire." Miranda took a sip of coffee. "Adebayor is working at the Ministry of Magic this year. He rented an apartment nearby. When his term is over, we will have to move back. "
After a pause, she said, "But if his term is over and I graduate, I can consider renewing the lease for a few years. The environment here is actually not bad."
"Of course."
Hoffa stood at the window and looked into the distance. He could see the bright lights of Downing Street in the distance. That was the residence of the current British Prime Minister, Churchill.
He put down the curtains.
"If you ask me, you should just buy this house. Now that there are wars everywhere and the land is cheap, in a few years, the price of this area will rise to the point where you won't have to worry about food."
"Are you so sure that we can win? This place was bombed by Germany a month ago. Even the Muggle Prime Minister's official residence was blown up. "
"Of course, I am still quite optimistic. If I were you, I would buy this neighborhood while others are not optimistic. "
As Hoffa spoke, he suddenly felt that his face was quite Manse. He touched his nose a little awkwardly.
"That's easy for you to say. I don't have that much money."
Miranda sat at the dining table and looked at Hoffa with her chin in her hand. She smiled and said, "Even during wartime, the land price here is more than 500 gold coins per square meter. If we really win, I'm afraid that I won't even be able to afford the attic of this house after working for ten years."
"That's too realistic."
Hoffa laughed like a pig. It was really the same no matter what era it was.
Miranda said, "You, on the other hand, have you made any money in the past year? You don't really pick up garbage every day to survive, do you? "
"It's none of your business." Hoffa held his teacup and rolled his eyes in annoyance.
Miranda said, "Of course I have to care. You came out so many years earlier than me. If I don't have enough to eat after graduation, I can borrow money from you."
Hoffa said, "Look at me dressed so shabbily. Do I look like a rich person?"
Miranda laughed so hard that she rocked back and forth. After laughing, she took a sip of coffee. "Why, you sent the granddaughter of the richest alchemist in history back from the dangerous France. Didn't he reward you with tens of thousands of gold coins?"
Hoffa was taken aback and the smile on his face slowly disappeared. "How do you know so much?"
Miranda seemed to be a little embarrassed. Under Hoffa's gaze, she raised her cup and drank for a long time. When she put it down, her expression was back to normal. "Forget it, let's not talk about this nonsense. You must be exhausted. Let me show you your room."
She put down the coffee cup and walked up the stairs. The house elf in the kitchen seemed to have been waiting for this moment. After Hoffa went upstairs, she picked up a broom and chased after him in her slippers.
The second floor was cozier than the first floor. Perhaps Miranda stayed here often and took care of it herself. The four rooms were surrounded by a circular corridor. There were bird-shaped wind chimes hanging every few meters in the corridor. In the middle of the corridor was a lounge for reading. In the middle of the lounge was an open spell book that was thicker than Hoffa's head.
Pushing open a door, Miranda said, "You can stay as long as you want. Just treat it as your own home."
"Okay, okay."
He glanced at the neatly arranged guest room and seemed a little disinterested. The neatly arranged bed sheets, the neatly arranged quilt covers, and the radio and desk that had been wiped clean. Even the pickiest hotel sleeper would not be able to find anything wrong with it. However, after experiencing so many strange adventures and strange scenes, he was no longer interested in this kind of daily residence.
If it were not for the ten assassins hiding under the bed, he would not be able to sleep comfortably. He thought so and felt that he was really a wretch.
At this time, the room next door with the English door sign of Miranda attracted his attention. Hoffa looked inside and felt a strange itch in his heart.
"You want to go into my room and take a look?" Miranda asked with a smile.
"Of course," Hoffa said honestly.
"I don't know you that well," Miranda said with a smile.
"Don't say that we don't know each other. We stayed in the same room when we were in second grade," Hoffa joked.
"How old were you? I was only 12 years old then. "Miranda stuck out her tongue and made a face, but still opened the door for him.
The room was much more creepy than Hoffa imagined. The color scheme was only black and white. Black sheets, white walls, a black desk, and white chairs. There were a few human anatomy manuscripts nailed to the wall, as well as a photo of herself. He was not sure if the photo was of her or Mille, because she was not wearing glasses in the photo. Other than that, there was nothing else. There were even less things in the room than in the room just now.
"Disappointed?" Miranda laughed.
"Not bad. You have quite a personality." Hoffa did not comment. "Why? Didn't you collect a clipping book about me? It is full of clippings from newspapers about all kinds of news about my adventures outside …"
Miranda was stunned for a second, then she laughed angrily and elbowed him in the chest. "Forget it. You are so shameless. Clipping books? Are you too narcissistic or am I too perverted?"
"Maybe both. Tell me, are you hiding them in the drawer?"
"Get out, get out."
"Haha ~"
Hoffa dodged the elbow, dodged his friend's fist, and ran toward Miranda's desk with a smile.
"Okay, okay, okay. You look, you look. If you find a newspaper, it's my loss." Miranda had no choice. She put her hands on her hips and said disdainfully behind him.
"Hmph, don't talk big. Under my electric eyes, even if you use a concealment spell …"
His voice stopped abruptly. He saw a group photo on Miranda's desk. It should have been taken at the end of second grade. There were three people in the photo. The one in the middle was himself lying on the hospital bed. A girl on the left was pressing his head, and another girl on the right was excitedly holding a bottle and pouring a kind of medicine into his mouth.
Hoffa just glanced at the group photo and immediately looked away, the smile on his face disappearing like the ebbing tide.
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