Days at Hogwarts

Chapter 139 Bates and Lockhart?!

Hermione sniffed, put the bedding back in its original place, and then brought out several large boxes of handicrafts from the attic, intending to restore the room to its original state.

Clay figurines are placed by the door, watercolor paintings are displayed against the wall, and fabric scraps are used to create patchwork dolls...

As Hermione walked along the row of bottles, she spotted a neatly arranged row of Coke bottles in one corner.

This person has been hiding the Coke bottle in their bedroom all along?!

Hermione chuckled, pouting as she scolded, "Sloppy, lazy, and with a terrible temper..."

After listing 20 of Loren's flaws, Hermione pressed the back of her hand against her red nose, feeling much better and no longer as upset as before.

She went to the courtyard and practiced the Guardian Charm, the silvery light illuminating the verdant leaves. She secluded herself in the study, flipping through the manuscripts and books she had brought from school, previewing the next semester's lessons.

Busy figures appeared throughout the house until the golden afterglow of the setting sun shone into the room. Hermione closed her book, stepped out of the room, and sat quietly on the sofa, waiting for her parents to come home...

After saying goodbye to the Grangers, Loren left the villa and got into the passenger seat in Bates' car.

The separation was only temporary; they would meet again. With Bates by his side, Loren's suppressed emotions gradually eased.

"I bought a house in London, and we're going to settle down here!" Bates turned the steering wheel and drove out of Hampstead Gardens.

Loren sat comfortably in the car, letting Bates lead the way: "What about the mountain ranch? Are we going back?"

Bates, his eyes fixed on the road and traffic, laughed heartily, "I'm not going back. Is there anyone you're reluctant to leave behind?"

For decades, Bates had lived a solitary life on the mountain, with no contact with anyone else and no attachment to the people of that town.

Loren shook his head; he didn't have any either.

The two drove into the city and bought a lot of household goods at the supermarket. Bates even ordered a freshly slaughtered lamb.

"Didn't we agree to have roast lamb? Come on, let's go home and roast lamb." Bates put a whole lamb in the trunk, closed the trunk lid, and walked around back to the driver's seat.

Loren got into the passenger seat, holding a cone of ice cream, licking it little by little, enjoying its cool, refreshing taste. So sweet, Loren squinted his eyes in enjoyment.

He asked with a relaxed air, "I see you bought a lot of other groceries. There are only two of us, are we sure we can finish them all?"

"If you can't finish it, eat it slowly." Bates started the engine and drove back to their new home.

Bates learned to drive in the military and drives very easily. "How were your few days off at Hermione's house?"

"Very good. Wendell took us camping in Dean Forest and also visited the Queen's hunting lodge." Loren watched as the ice cream started to melt and quickened his licking.

"I really don't understand what you young people are thinking. What's so fun about camping and sleeping in the wild?" When Bates was young, he often camped in the wild with the army and didn't think it was an interesting activity.

"That's the generation gap!" Loren was focused on finishing his running ice cream without looking up. "Camping alone adds to the expenses, and they have to take care of me. The Grangers are very good to me."

Although Bates didn't understand the joys of camping, he was very grateful to the Grangers for taking such good care of Loren.

He patted the steering wheel and said regretfully, "How rude of me, I didn't bring a gift when I went to visit someone yesterday."

Loren finished the ice cream puffs on the cone and started biting into the crispy outer shell. "Let's send Wendell a fishing rod. I think he likes fishing."

Bates nodded and asked, "And Mrs. Granger and Hermione, what do they like?"

Loren was stumped by the question and fell into deep thought.

The scenery along the road kept passing by as they gradually left the city. The greenery outside the window increased, while the tall buildings and houses decreased, and they returned to the suburbs.

Loren wasn't familiar with London's routes and terrain. He hadn't left the house during the few days he'd been with the Grangers, and seeing familiar scenery, he assumed all the suburbs around London looked the same and didn't think much of it. He only vaguely sensed that the surrounding houses resembled Hermione's.

Before he could even take a good look at his surroundings, the car drove along the road into a family garage with a courtyard.

Bates got out of the car, went to the trunk, opened the lid, picked up a whole lamb in one hand and a large bag of household items in the other, and walked into the house. "Come on, let's see our new home."

Loren followed behind him happily, swinging his arms and looking around.

"I took over this house from someone else. The furniture is all there; we just need to clean and decorate it a bit." Bates walked ahead, heading to the living room, placing household items on the sofa, and putting the lamb in the kitchen.

Loren tilted his head and looked around. On the first floor, besides the usual living room, kitchen, and dining room, there were several other rooms. He examined the walls and the location of the stairs, feeling that the similarities between the two rooms were too striking.

Bates took out his cleaning tools and prepared to start tidying up the new house. Loren stopped looking around and followed to help.

"Living in London will be very convenient for your studies. So, are you satisfied with this house?" Bates said with a big smile.

Loren nodded, his tone somewhat puzzled: "The house is nice, but why is its layout so similar to Hermione's?"

Bates' eyes darted away as he replied dismissively, "Maybe all the houses here are like this, and maybe they were all built by the same architectural firm and designer."

"is that so?"

"Of course, life is pretty much the same for everyone in the city, and so are the houses."

The two worked until noon before they finally finished cleaning. After a quick and easy lunch, they collapsed onto the sofa, exhausted.

"Why won't you let me use magic?" Loren asked weakly.

Although she was exhausted and didn't want to move a single finger, Bates gritted her teeth and answered firmly, "This is the first time our house has been cleaned, so of course we should do it ourselves. It has a different meaning."

Loren couldn't figure out what was different, but he didn't want to argue with Bates anymore, so he lay down on the sofa to regain his strength.

An old man and a young boy lay quietly, but neither of them felt sleepy. The sun was shining brightly outside, but it wasn't hot inside.

On the clock face of the wall, three hands chased each other, making a ticking sound. Time passed both slowly and quickly. Loren saw the minute hand overtake the hour hand, and after a full circle, it overtook it again.

"How was your trip? Why did it take so long?" Loren asked leisurely, enjoying the quiet moment.

Grandpa Bates began to recount his journey:

"I went to see my farm in Scotland, which was rented by a company I don't know what they do. Anyway, they regularly deposit money into my account, and when I asked for a higher price, they readily agreed."

"I went to the place where those comrades sacrificed their lives. Over the decades, I feel that I have not let down any of my comrades, so I don't feel uneasy or afraid when I go there again."

"Deep in the mountains, where there are still few people, I easily found the wooden hut where I first encountered the werewolf. It had been there for decades, and was now dilapidated from the wind and rain, with the remains inside being carried away by animals."

Loren listened as Bates recounted his turbulent story in a calm tone. He didn't know how complicated Bates' grandfather's emotions were, but he was an excellent listener.

Bates sat up as he finished speaking, his tone becoming excited: "I also met a wizard."

Upon hearing this, Loren's eyes widened suddenly, and he asked, "Who? Did he discover you're a werewolf?"

Bates showed no sign of nervousness or surprise, and said with a smile, "He found out that I spent a full moon in the mountains. Perhaps he saw a werewolf roasting potatoes and took the initiative to come out and talk to me."

"He knows I'm a Muggle, oh, that's what you wizards call ordinary people, right?" Bates said with a smile.

"Tell me what happened next!" Loren pressed anxiously.

Many materials from werewolves can be used for alchemy and potions, and dark wizards also imprison werewolves for wicked experiments. If the dark wizards knew of this Muggle werewolf, Bates would be in grave danger.

"Don't worry, I'm perfectly fine," Bates said slowly. "As a veteran, I have plenty of vigilance."

Loren looked at Grandpa Bates, whose hands and feet were intact, and his anxiety eased slightly.

"However, he might actually be a good person. I spent a few days with him, and he had none of the airs of a wizard. He personally helped me find firewood, boil water, and roast potatoes. Unlike you, who thinks of using magic to accomplish everything."

Bates had a lot of complaints about Loren's previous behavior. A month before Loren started school, he used magic to take over all the housework, leaving Bates with nothing to do but sit and stare blankly all day.

"He was very interested in my experience and asked me about the detailed process of becoming a werewolf, my feelings, and why I was able to remain rational."

Bates raised his eyebrows smugly: "Ha, how could I possibly tell him I have a wizard grandson who sends me wolfsbane every month? I'm a veteran, I lied to him and said I don't know how it happens, but I just wake up on the night of the full moon."

As a parent who didn't want to cause any harm to her child, Bates didn't reveal any information about Loren, even though she believed the other party was innocent.

"He wants to see me transform during the full moon one more time, hehe!"

Bates laughed twice. "I took the wolfsbane potion a week in advance when he wasn't looking. He really thought I could keep my senses. He even said he planned to write me into his book. He introduced himself as a bestselling author in the wizarding world."

Upon hearing this, Loren had a thought: Had Grandpa Bates run into Lockhart?

He was worried that Lockhart had used the Oblivion Charm on Grandpa Bates, but there was nothing to steal from Grandpa Bates's past, and it didn't show any heroic image. Besides, Lockhart wasn't even born when Grandpa Bates became a werewolf.

Most importantly, Grandpa Bates was clear-headed and logical, showing no signs of being affected by the Forgetfulness Curse.

"We spent some time together to gather material. I introduced him to the Muggle world, and he taught me how to dress myself. No matter what kind of wizard he is, he's really good at this."

As Bates spoke, he flashed a bright smile, his lips curving upwards to reveal only his upper teeth, a truly dazzling display.

Loren has seen this smile before. There's a high-resolution GIF of Lockhart's smile in "Wandering with the Werewolf," and it's quite an eyesore.

He stepped back slightly, looking disdainful, and tentatively asked, "Grandpa Bates, do you still remember the night you turned into a werewolf? Have you become forgetful or absent-minded since?"

Bates's bright smile faded, and she glanced at him. "Although I'm almost 80 years old, I'm mentally sharp and have no mental problems. These aren't my fantasies."

He didn't want to talk to Loren anymore, so he got up and went to the kitchen to prepare the mutton.

Loren guessed that it might be because Grandpa Bates was a Muggle, and Lockhart's alteration of his past wouldn't be detected, so the Oblivion Charm wasn't used.

His thoughts wandered aimlessly. What did Lockhart want to write this time? "Wandering with Werewolves 2"? Or wandering the Muggle world again? He knew without a doubt it would be another bestseller…

Bates sat back down in front of Loren, who was lost in thought, and looked at him expressionlessly.

Loren snapped out of his daze, startled. "What are you doing?"

"Go roast the lamb," Bates said quietly.

Why?

Bates asked softly, "Would you like some of my roast lamb?"

Loren fell silent. Grandpa Bates' cooking skills weren't bad, but after decades of living in the mountains, he only knew how to cook simple dishes with a little oil, salt, and sugar.

Whether the food tastes good or not depends entirely on the flavor of the ingredients themselves. Giving him the task of making roast lamb would be a waste of the ingredients.

For the sake of his tongue and stomach, Loren reluctantly got up and went into the kitchen, resigned to his fate, to prepare roast lamb.

With limited kitchen space, Loren prepared the sauces and marinated the ingredients for a while before moving them to the backyard.

The courtyard was completely bare, devoid of any greenery, and surrounded only by a brick wall, giving it a somewhat desolate appearance.

"Perfect for an outdoor barbecue." Loren rolled up his sleeves and grabbed his wand.

First, he used Transfiguration to set up the grill rack and secured the marinated lamb to it. Loren gripped the handle next to him and turned it a few times, causing the linked rack to rotate the lamb effortlessly on the grill.

Loren clapped his hands in satisfaction, "Transformation is perfect, and mechanical design is also perfect."

After lighting the charcoal under the grill, Loren let it sit for a while, waiting for the lamb to heat up before starting to brush it with oil while turning it.

The tedious and monotonous work lasted less than five minutes before Loren waved his wand, directing the brushes to apply oil and the lamb to rotate on its own. The surface of the lamb gradually turned golden brown, emitting an irresistible aroma.

Loren frowned. "So what's the point of this barbecue grill? Why don't I just use a levitation spell to make the lamb fly?"

Amidst exclamations of "What a blunder!", the sun gradually set in the west, casting its golden rays upon the golden surface of the mutton. The mutton's own fat melted under the heat of the flames, and the flavor of the marinade gradually seeped into the meat, making the enticing aroma increasingly intense.

Bates, who was standing nearby, kept swallowing. "I think it's about time. I feel like we can eat now."

Loren cut off a piece of roasted meat with a knife and handed it over.

Ignoring the scalding temperature, Bates swallowed the food in a few bites and then eagerly awaited the next piece.

Without a word of praise, Loren missed Hermione a little; Hermione was always generous with her compliments on food, and such diners were the most popular with chefs.

"Almost done, it'll be almost done once I sprinkle the seasoning on," he said.

Looking at the rising flames, Loren couldn't help but wonder if Hermione would like the ice cream he ate during the day, or if she would like his roasted meat...

(End of this chapter)