269 ​​Chapter 69, Apartment

On the drawbridge atop a freighter at the dock, Hoffa let go of Miranda's wrist.

Miranda turned her head away from him: "I'm sorry I lost my composure." She said lightly, without any sign of embarrassment on her face.

"I'm sorry for not contacting you, but it's a last resort." Hoffa said earnestly: "I have made too many enemies, and each of those people is more maddened than the other."

"Excuses." Miranda's lips twitched.

"You are my best friend, I can't." He sighed and shook his head: "You don't understand, fate is impermanent."

Miranda closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, the lines on her face had softened. She grabbed Hoffa's wrist: "If this is the case, do you think I will be afraid? Or do you think I'm not strong enough to hold you back?" Hind legs?

"You are not afraid of me, I will not take any risks, so no matter what you say, it is useless." Hoffa looked at the flashing lighthouse in the distance: "I will definitely leave England."

Miranda stopped talking, she bowed her head.

Seeing her sad appearance, Hoffa felt very painful in his heart. He hadn't seen her for a year, and he was about to break up when they met. The helplessness of the war years is not enough for outsiders to understand.

He stroked Miranda's chestnut hair and said with a smile, "Don't keep talking about me, you haven't told me why you're in London yet."

"My grandpa is back." Miranda said calmly, shaking his palm.

Hoffa raised his brows and asked in surprise, "Professor Adebe is back?"

"Yes, he was transferred to the Ministry of Magic this year as the Director of the Department of Defense Against the Dark Arts," Miranda said blankly, "I also arranged for an internship in London, patrolling every corner of London every day, saying that he was catching dark wizards." , but most of the time only thieves are caught.”

"That's not bad, either."

"Is it?"

Miranda raised her head noncommittally, spit out a cloud of white mist in the cold night sky, and shook her head: "Most other Ravenclaw tasks are heavier than mine, but you are the one I envy the most. You are freer than me."

I am envied by others, hell. Hoffa thought to himself, if he just picked someone with poor psychological endurance in his own experience, he would have gone crazy long ago.

"Forget it, you really want to leave, and I won't keep you, but you should go after Christmas anyway," she suggested again: "It's only a few days, if you don't go to school, go to my house, my house Just me and grandpa."

"After Christmas"

Hoffa looked at the flickering lights on the other side of the Thames and fell into deep thought. Norber's invitation was indeed not in a hurry for a day or two. If you can go to Miranda's house, write him some letters by owl. You can also determine a specific location, maybe that will save trouble.

After weighing the trade-offs, Hoffa nodded: "Okay, I promise you, I will spend Christmas with you."

There was a smile on Miranda's face, and she handed Hoffa her hand: "Take me down, I can't apparate for the time being."

"As you wish, Miss Goshawk."

Hoffa bowed exaggeratedly. He took her palm, lifted her up horizontally, and then jumped directly from the hundreds of meters of suspension bridge to the ground. At night, this height seemed to him like three steps.

"It's amazing!" After landing, Miranda looked at the high place, recovered from the weightlessness, and pushed him: "Hey, don't hug me like this, I'm not familiar with you anymore."

Hoffa laughed. After making the decision to spend Christmas with friends in England, he felt inexplicably better. He let go of Miranda and asked, "How are you going to take me back, Goshack?"

"Just wait and see, Bach, it must be something new you haven't seen before." Miranda stretched her waist, turned her head and knocked on his head in a very chic way: "Come with me~"

When Hoffa covered his head and followed Miranda with an uncontrollable smile on his face, when he saw anyone outside, he felt that others were trying to plot him, and he almost became persecution paranoia. Only when he is with old friends can he relax completely,

The two walked to the intersection, and he saw a Royal Enfield motorcycle painted black parked near the fire hydrant at the corner, with a side valve single cylinder, black seats, round and bright lights, and The silver-painted ears look quite British.

"I thought you'd come here on a broomstick."

The moment he saw the vehicle, Hoffa laughed, "I haven't seen you become so punk in a year?"

"Ah, what punk?"

Miranda looked at him confused.

"Forget it," Hoffa waved his hand, "Just pretend I didn't say it."

He didn't realize that punk was decades later. Miranda definitely didn't know about it, but the changes in this girl during the time he hadn't seen each other for a year really made him look sideways. The car will drive.

Miranda stepped on the motorcycle, stepped on the accelerator with a toot, and then took out two motorcycle hats from the bucket, put one on by herself, and handed the other to Hoffa.

Hoffa took over the retro motorcycle hat with windproof glasses, put it on his head, and sat behind Miranda.

Afterwards, the motorcycle turned on its orange lights and made a pleasant vibrating sound, and the two of them sped through the streets of London.

The wind blew past Hoffa's ear, and the iron buckle of the motorcycle cap kept patting his cheek. The speed of the car was not too fast, only about 60 miles, and Miranda didn't seem to be the kind of fast car looking for someone. exciting people. However, looking at the buildings and cars passing by, Hoffa suddenly couldn't help laughing, the more he laughed, the happier he became.

"why are you laughing?"

Miranda, who was driving a motorcycle, asked in confusion.

"Hahaha"

Hoffa didn't answer, just kept laughing behind her. In fact, he didn't know why he was laughing, but he wanted to laugh very much at the moment.

"What are you laughing at!?"

Miranda, who was driving, asked with a speechless smile.

"Ha ha ha ha."

"Ha ha ha ha."

"Ha ha ha ha."

In the end, he laughed until Miranda got a little annoyed. She turned the car around fiercely and narrowly passed a black Jaguar, almost knocking off someone else's ear.

"Are you a fool?" Miranda slammed the back of her head on Hoffa's motorcycle cap: "Don't laugh!"

"Hahahahaha!"

Hoffa laughed louder and louder, and even put his hand under her armpit to scratch, and when she was struggling, he reached in front of her and took off her glasses.

"are you crazy!!"

The locomotive turned left and right irregularly on the street, mixed with the angry roar of the girl, which attracted the attention of countless passers-by.

Finally, when the motorcycle was parked under an apartment building near Downing Street and Big Ben, Miranda stepped off the motorcycle like a drunk. She tore off Hoffa's motorcycle cap, annoyed Kicked him in the shin.

"Go out and spoil your brain!" She accused angrily.

Hoffa had never seen such an expression on Miranda's face before. When they were together before, she would only give some dark ideas or bury her head in a book and ignore no one.

"Who did you learn to drive from? Could it be that you got a gangster boyfriend in the year I was away?" Hoffa couldn't help but asked as he sat on the back of the motorcycle.

"No, more than one, more than a dozen, change one a month!" She looked at Hoffa angrily, and took out a bunch of keys from her pocket, "Follow me."

They got off the motorcycle, walked towards a row of old-fashioned apartment buildings nearby, and stopped in front of a row of brown wooden doors covered with spider plants and green radishes similar to 221B Baker Street.

"Is Professor Goshawk at home?"

Hoffa looked at the 24-hour convenience store on the side of the road, thinking that if he wanted to see his old dean, he would have to buy some fruit or something.

"Don't worry about it," Miranda could see through Hoffa's thoughts at a glance, "He's been working overtime for the past few days, and he won't be back until Christmas Eve."

"So late!?" Hoffa was shocked.

"Don't worry about him." Miranda turned the door with the key: "There are three secretaries in the ministry at his disposal."

Opening the door, Miranda turned on the light in the hallway and called, "Petty," as she fetched Hoffa's shoes.

Almost as soon as her voice fell, a pair of pink slippers ran over from a distance. On the pink slippers were a pair of thighs no bigger than Hoffa's wrist.

"Oh, the lady is here to make friends."

A well-groomed but nervous house-elf in a maid skirt. It rushed to Miranda's side, snatched the slippers from her hand like a whirlwind, and put them in front of Hoffa. Then it looked up and made a sound.

"ah!!"

Then he rushed back like a whirlwind. And in the blink of an eye, he brought several neatly stacked rags, staring at Hoffa's clothes with eyes as wide as copper bells, as if he was facing a formidable enemy.

"Is it troublesome, sir, if it's not troublesome, you can let Petty wipe it for you first, and it will be fine soon!"

She spoke quickly, politely but firmly.

Hoffa stood awkwardly in the doorway.

"Don't bother, Petty, he's a savage, and he's used to it. You go and make him a cup of tea." Miranda took the rag from the house-elf and pushed it into the kitchen: "Green tea is fine, use oriental tea." .”

"Ah! Savage! This is the twentieth century!"

The little elf was pushed forward, but his desperate eyes were still staring at the stains on Hoffa's body: "The savage is about to evolve."

Miranda: "He can't evolve, don't shout, primitive people can't understand English."

The elf despaired: "Really or not."

After dismissing the house-elf, Miranda returned to the cloakroom with a smile, "Come in, do you want me to help you?"

Hoffa rolled his eyes, changed his shoes and walked into the living room.

He'd been to another friend's house, and he remembered being overwhelmed by the amazing castle, but Miranda's house was much more ordinary, like the average working-class house.

The boxy living room is about 60 square meters, without too many decorations. There are rows of knitted cushions on the simple European-style sofa, and the fireplace is burning apple wood, which is very quiet. The dining room is slightly smaller than the kitchen. There are several magic chandeliers floating on the lacquered wooden table. There is a pot of blue hydrangea under the chandeliers. It seems that they don't often socialize. There are only four chairs.

In the kitchen, the house elf was busy picking and choosing in front of the cabinet, looking at Hoffa from time to time, his ears slapping.

"My elf, Adebe brought it from my hometown," Miranda said helplessly as she sat at the dining table with her arms around the back of a chair, "Except for cleanliness and a little nervousness, everything else is fine. "

"The servant will be very similar to the master." Hoffa looked at the elf's busy back and said with a smile, "Where's your brother, how is it?"

"You want to see him?" Miranda smiled and stretched out her hands to the glasses, "Didn't you still take off my glasses in the car?"

"Okay," Hoffa hooked his fingers provocatively, "Come on, when I meet Kid Miller, see if he has improved."

Miranda curled her lips and pushed her glasses: "Come on, if you live for a long time, you will naturally see him. For now, forget it."

At this time, the house elf came to the living room with a cup of tea and coffee. One cup was placed in front of Miranda, and the other was placed half a meter away from Hoffa.

"Thanks."

Hoffa took the tea, and chatted with a friend he hadn't seen for a long time, "I remember, isn't your family living in that county?"

"Devonshire." Miranda took a sip of coffee: "Adebe is working at the Ministry of Magic this year, and he rented an apartment near here. When his term is over, we have to move back."

After a pause, she continued, "But if I graduate after his term ends, I can consider renewing the lease for a few more years. The environment here is actually pretty good."

"That's not true,"

Hoffa stood at the window and looked into the distance. He could see the bright lights in Downing Street in the distance, which was the residence of the current British Prime Minister Churchill.

Let down the curtains.

"If you want me to say, you can buy this house. Now that there are wars everywhere, the land price is cheap. In a few years, the land will be so high that your grandson will not have to worry about it."

"Are you so sure we can win? This place was bombed by the Germans a month ago, and even the Muggle Prime Minister's residence was blown up."

"No, I'm still quite optimistic. If I were you, I'd have to buy the whole neighborhood when others don't think so."

As Hoffa spoke, he suddenly felt that his face was quite Mance. He touched his nose in embarrassment.

"To put it bluntly, I don't have that much money."

Miranda sat on the dining table, looked at Hoffa with her chin resting on her cheek and said with a smile: "Even during the war, the land price here is more than 500 Galleons per square meter. If we really win, I'm afraid I'll work for ten years. You can’t even afford the attic in this house.”

"It's so real."

Hoffa laughed like a pig, it's really the same in any age.

Miranda: "It's you, have you made money outside this year? You don't really pick up trash every day, do you?"

"I want you to take care of it." Hoffa rolled his eyes angrily while holding the teacup.

Miranda: "Of course I have to take care of it. You came out so many years earlier than me. If I have nothing to eat after graduation, I can ask you to borrow money."

Hoffa: "Do you think I look like a rich man in such shabby clothes?"

Miranda laughed, and after she finished laughing, she took a sip of coffee: "Why, you sent the granddaughter of the richest alchemist in history back from dangerous France, and they didn't reward you with tens of thousands of Galleons?"

Hoffa was taken aback, the smile on his face slowly disappeared, "How do you know so much?"

Miranda seemed a little embarrassed. Under Hoffa's gaze, she raised the glass to drink for a long time, and when she put it down, her expression was normal. "Forget it, let's not talk about these things, you must be exhausted, I will take you to see your room."

She put down her coffee cup and walked up the stairs with a bang. The house elves in the kitchen seemed to have been waiting for this moment. up.

The second floor is warmer than the first floor. Maybe Miranda stays here often and takes care of himself more. The four rooms surround a circular corridor. Bird-shaped wind chimes are hung every few meters in the corridor. In the middle of the corridor is a space for reading. In the lounge, there is a book of spells spread out in the center of the lounge, which is thicker than Hoffa's head.

Pushing open a door, Miranda said, "You can stay as long as you want, and treat it as your own home."

"Fine."

He glanced at the tidy guest room, and seemed a little uninterested. Neat gray sheets, neat gray quilt covers, radios and desks that had been wiped clean. Even the pickiest of hotel sleepers can't fault it. But after experiencing so many strange adventures and strange scenes, he was not interested in this kind of daily residence.

If there weren't ten killers hiding under the bed, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to sleep comfortably, he thought so, and felt that he was such a bitch.

At this moment, the room next door marked with Miranda's English house number attracted his attention, and Hoffa took a look inside, feeling very itchy.

"You want to come into my room?" Miranda asked with a smile.

"That's not true." Hoffa said honestly.

"I don't know you well," Miranda said with a smile.

"Don't be unfamiliar, we lived in the same room when we were in the second grade." Hoffa joked.

"How old is that? I was only 12 years old at that time." Miranda stuck out her tongue and made a face, but still opened the room for him.

The room is much more austere than Hoffa imagined, the color scheme is only black and white, black sheets, white walls, black desk, white chair, a few manuscripts marked with human anatomy are nailed to the wall, and her own photos are not sure. Was the photo hers or Miller's, because she wasn't wearing glasses in the photo. Other than that, there is nothing else, not even as much as the room just now.

"Disappointed?" Miranda laughed.

"Very good, quite individual." Hoffa was noncommittal, "Why, you didn't collect a clipping book about me, it was full of clippings from newspapers, all kinds of news about my adventures outside .”

Miranda was stunned for a second, then laughed angrily, and poked his elbow on his chest: "Pull you down, it's really shameless to cut the book, are you too narcissistic or am I too perverted?"

"Maybe there are all of them, say, are they hidden in a drawer?"

"Get out, get out of here."

"Haha~"

Hoffa dodged the elbow, dodged his friend's fist, and ran toward Miranda's desk, laughing.

"All right, all right, look for it, look for it, I'll lose if I find a newspaper." Miranda said disdainfully behind him with her hips akimbo.

"Hmph, don't talk big, under my electric eyes, even if you use the concealment spell"

The conversation stopped abruptly, and he saw a group photo of Miranda's desk, which should have been taken at the end of the second grade. There are three people in the photo, the one in the middle is himself lying on the hospital bed, a girl on the left is pressing his head, and another girl on the right is holding a bottle with great interest 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 disappeared like the tide.