Chapter 1821: Harvest
Chapter 1821: Harvest
"Good afternoon, Mrs. Pomona."
Alice smiled sweetly at the kind, plump woman. "Mr. Truman said you might need some help here."
"Yes, some of the fruit trees in the orchard have ripened. Qiu plans to take the children over to help."
As she spoke, Mrs. Pomona pushed open the broom shed and took out some old brooms, handing one to each of them.
"Why are you giving us brooms?" Daphne asked, staring at the old broom in her hand, puzzled.
"Of course, to ride the brooms and fly up to pick the plums." Mrs. Pomona replied matter-of-factly.
"Do you always pick fruit by riding brooms?"
"Where’s Hagrid? Has he gone back to Hogwarts?"
Alice remembered that Hagrid loved taking the children to pick fruit. His tall stature always came in handy during these times. She vaguely recalled sitting on his shoulders more than once when she was very young.
"Hagrid has returned to the school. It seems there’s something going on there."
Mrs. Pomona took out her wand and pointed it at the brooms. Several ropes automatically tied all the brooms together, floating beside her.
The three of them left the broom shed and headed to the orchard next to the park, quickly finding the plum trees that were already laden with red fruit.
After setting down the floating brooms, Mrs. Pomona conjured a pile of small baskets woven from vines.
"Is this place...?"
Daphne looked around, her mouth slightly agape. She hadn’t expected Avalon to have such a large orchard.
"Yes, this is all fruit trees. You can find most of the fruits from Britain here." Alice pointed her wand at a branch heavy with red plums, bending it closer.
"Look over there."
Daphne suddenly tapped Alice on the shoulder, pointing in the direction they had come from. A beautiful woman was leading a group of chattering young children toward them, some of whom were waving and calling out.
"It seems we’ve arrived just in time."
Qiu’s gaze lingered on Daphne for a moment before she smiled and greeted Mrs. Pomona. The children gathered around Alice, chattering away and showing curiosity about the unfamiliar woman.
The way they looked at her, like monkeys at a zoo, made Daphne’s lips twitch. Fortunately, after Mrs. Pomona finished chatting with Qiu, she began distributing brooms and baskets, instructing the children to ride the brooms in pairs to pick the plums.
"Here."
Alice handed Daphne a large, red plum.
"This place really has everything!"
Daphne followed Alice’s example, taking out a handkerchief to wipe the plum clean before taking a bite. "It tastes different from what we usually eat. And why are the plums here red?"
"Initially, they were black, but they tasted awful. Later, Father had them plant a batch of red plums." Alice pointed to the edge of the orchard. "As for the blackthorn plums, Father turned them into preserves."
"Perhaps, the legendary utopia is just like this!"
Daphne watched the children picking fruit, recalling the lunch she had at the bar earlier. The thought crossed her mind.
"Truly enviable."
"No wonder you haven’t planned to let other witches settle here. Otherwise, I bet half of Britain’s witches would want to move to Avalon."
"Avalon can’t support too many residents."
Alice understood Daphne’s implication and was surprised. Daphne had never shown much sense of belonging to the magical world.
"I thought you planned to return to the Muggle World after graduation."
"Who doesn't yearn for a utopia?"
In a way, this place is a lot like a replica of Hogwarts.
And who wouldn't love Hogwarts?
"Come on up."
Alice mounted the flying broomstick, and with Daphne on her back, they slowly ascended into the air to join the others in the fun of picking fruit. Daphne, with no prior experience, had a wonderful time all afternoon, though being among a group of children made her look a bit young.
Fortunately, the results were impressive, and Daphne was now carrying a full basket of plums.
"Is Pomona a professor too?"
The kind, plump lady was the only elderly person Daphne had seen in Avalon.
"Yes, Pomona used to be the Herbology professor at Hogwarts. Professor Longbottom, the current Herbology professor, was one of her top students."
Alice understood why Daphne was curious about Pomona.
"After retiring from Hogwarts, Pomona accepted Dad's invitation to live out her days in Avalon, enjoying her life and occasionally teaching the children about Herbology or taking them fruit picking."
"Can she manage on her own?" Daphne was puzzled.
"She's here to enjoy her retirement", Alice explained in a way Daphne could understand. "She currently serves as Avalon's Herbology advisor, with a group of apprentices to help her with the daily tasks."
"Dad says this is a form of passing on knowledge. One day, one of those apprentices will become an excellent Herbologist."
Daphne was increasingly eager to meet the legendary Albert, though she knew the chances were slim. However, her luck was not entirely bad, as she had unexpectedly met a "big shot" from the Ministry of Magic.
Hermione Granger, the current Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
A woman who seemed very authoritative.
Though reportedly in her thirties, Daphne thought she looked like a woman in her twenties.
They had dinner together, discussing Ian's upcoming enrollment and the plan to shop in Diagon Alley the next day.
After dinner, they casually turned the afternoon's plum harvest into preserves.
"Is it really that simple?"
Daphne watched as Hermione used magic to steam and dehydrate the plums, turning them into preserves.
"This is the simplest and most common method. Dad says more complex methods are beyond most people's capabilities."
Alice popped a half-dried plum into Daphne's mouth and then placed the half-finished preserves in a drying tray, preparing to take them out to dry.
"That Granger woman is really too young."
Daphne, most of her body submerged in the bathtub, couldn't help but look at her friend, who was enjoying the bath with her eyes half-closed. "Is the beauty potion really that magical?"
"Beauty potions do have their effects, but their low price means their effectiveness is limited."
Alice glanced at Daphne and reminded her, "Truly powerful beauty potions are expensive and have very limited production."
Daphne opened her mouth in disbelief, looking at Alice. If that were true, then Alice's father must still be quite young, and...
The relationship between Granger and Albert must be more than just acquaintances.
It's not that Daphne enjoyed speculating, but her father had several lovers.
Noticing Daphne's uneasy expression, Alice offered the excuse she had prepared: "Granger is an old friend of Dad's and Sophia's godmother. He always asks her to help look after us, and in return, he gives her an extra beauty potion each year."
(End of Chapter)
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