Struggling to survive at Hogwarts

Chapter 344 Humble Abode

Thea woke up to a rich fragrance.

She sniffed, precisely catching the aromas of grilled sausages, steak, fries, and ketchup in the air.

She slowly opened her eyes, and what came into view was a table of people with their backs to her...?

Who has the guts to do that?

How dare they eat and drink so recklessly in the Riddle mansion?

Thea was puzzled for a moment, but was quickly brought back to her senses by the crowded room.

She scanned the area inch by inch with her eyes: the peeling sofa, the frayed sofa cover, the pitifully small table, and the cluttered yet orderly surface.

The bookshelf next to her was quite eye-catching; after all, Thea was also surprised that someone would buy the complete Lockhart collection and even place it in the most prominent spot on the bookshelf.

Looking into the distance, pots, pans, and utensils were all available, but the various "ingredients" that Thea couldn't recognize were left aside for now.

Looking further to the side, you can see the scene of everyone having a meal.

There weren't many people, only seven at the table, but the plump woman in the middle was very talkative and managed to make a meal for seven people feel like it was for seventy.

"My God, how did you manage to shake off that pack of hyenas? It's unbelievable!"

"George and Fred are on the radio?!"

"Those two brats! Their reason for telling me they were going to open a shop in Diagon Alley was to do it!"

"I should have known that when those two get together, not a single word of truth comes out!"

"That's right, Mom! They even cheated me out of 40 scissors of my allowance!!"

Ginny seized every opportunity to complain, which only fueled Mrs. Weasley's anger, making her sound as if she wanted nothing more than to drag her two troublesome sons home immediately.

"They've finally found something more fun than pranks, you can't expect them to go home and play hide-and-seek with the goblins in the garden, can you?"

This was Hermione's joking advice.

"Speaking of goblins, Hermione, didn't you mention before that there's a potion specifically for driving away goblins?"

Ron chimed in.

"Yes, but I don't quite remember,"

Receiving a wink from Ron, Hermione understood and began to expand the conversation.

"It seems to be a potion from the Diagon Alley potions shop... We even considered using it to mask our scent and shake off those hyenas—"

Hermione's ramblings went further and further, and Mrs. Weasley was successfully drawn in, after all, she had been troubled by the goblins in the garden for many years.

Seeing the lively scene over there, Thea was initially a little uncomfortable, as she had long been accustomed to the solemn atmosphere of dining at the old house, which was comparable to visiting a grave.

But slowly, memories from the depths of my mind suddenly surfaced.

It seems that long ago, she was also a member of a group dining together; and even longer ago, she also dined with her family in this noisy and argumentative manner…

Thea listened to the laughter and chatter of the crowd, but slowly she shrank back into the blanket.

The headache caused by the fever seems to have worsened, and my stomach is starting to cramp in protest from hunger.

Could I have starved to death?

In her drowsy state, Thea seemed to sense someone approaching, and the aroma of mashed potatoes grew stronger at the tip of her nose—

Swish!

Thea suddenly opened her eyes, and even her body tensed up, causing her to flinch the blanket.

Lupin was also startled by Thea's violent movements, but fortunately, he didn't spill what he was holding.

"...Mashed potatoes, would you like some?"

Lupin and Thea looked at each other, and Lupin paused for a moment before speaking.

Upon hearing this, Thea looked at the plate in the other person's hand.

The sticky substance on the plate instantly reminded Thea of ​​her first meal at the orphanage.

"........."

Thea stared at it for a while, then finally took it.

"……Thanks."

The moment she tasted it, Thea felt relieved.

Unlike the low-oil and low-salt meals for orphanage patients, Thea tasted milk, salt, and black pepper in this mashed potato dish.

It's not much, but it's better than nothing.

The word "cherish" was etched into Thea's bones, and she finished the mashed potatoes completely. Perhaps she was so engrossed in eating that she didn't notice that the lively dinner party had quietly quieted down sometime during the moment.

Everyone is looking this way.

Finally realizing something was wrong, Thea slowly looked up, and then: "…………"

After the awkward moment when her toes dug into the ground, Thea slowly wiped her mouth and smiled:

"Nice to meet you, please take care of me."

As Mrs. Weasley, who was the only one observed and greeted by Thea:

"........."

"--Hello,"

Gritting her teeth, Mrs. Weasley finally responded to the greeting, then immediately shifted the focus to her preferred spot: "Would you like another serving of mashed potatoes?"

Now it was Thea's turn to fall silent.

Feeling the stomach cramps gradually subside, and the lingering bland taste on the tip of the tongue, the contrast was striking—

"No need, thank you."

When she was hungry just now, Thea could barely manage to eat a serving of mashed potatoes, but now...

Let's forget about it and wait until she's starving to death.

Seeing that Thea didn't respond, Mrs. Weasley suddenly felt a little awkward. She moved her lips, but in the end, she didn't say anything. She got up and called Ginny and Ron over to help clear the table.

After all, they were eating and drinking for free, and Harry and Hermione had also willingly joined in. As for Lupin—

Thea glanced speechlessly at Lupin, who stood beside her without even blinking.

"Does Sirius know about this?"

Does he know I'm here?

"know."

Lupin was honest, seemingly certain that it wouldn't matter if Thea knew the news.

"Oh."

Thea responded and then lowered her head again, staring blankly at the blanket on her body, seemingly lost in thought.

After tidying up the table, Thea heard about her arrangements.

"Staying in my room?" It was Ron who spoke, his brow furrowing. "Charlie? Percy's?"

“Percy won’t do; he just wrote a few days ago saying he was coming back…”

Mrs. Weasley's eyes lit up with joy; in this situation, this news was the most gratifying for a mother.

"Then Charlie's?"

"...No, the location isn't good."

"Where else?"

Ron was a little discouraged. The twins' room was the first one they ruled out. Who knew how many "goodies" they had hidden in their room? What if they were found?

"attic."

It was Ginny who spoke. Under everyone's gaze, Ginny lowered her head and said, "Uncle Moody has already dealt with that ghoul. I... I've cleaned it up many times too—"

Ginny's voice grew softer and softer until it was almost inaudible.

“Let’s stay in the attic,” Mrs. Weasley decided.