Days at Hogwarts

Chapter 738 Confirming the Itinerary

Hampstead, a suburb of London.

A slight humming sound broke the tranquility of the house. Bates, who had been lying in bed for a long time but had not fallen asleep, immediately got up and went to the bedroom door, pressing his ear against the door to eavesdrop on the sounds outside.

If there's any benefit that decades of werewolf disease have brought Bates, it's his still-sensitive hearing despite his advanced age.

The detached house had all its lights and appliances turned off, and the whole house was quiet. The solid wood floor was left by the previous owner and was a bit old. The footsteps of the boy who would turn seventeen in a few days were particularly noticeable in the quiet room.

Bates held his breath, his eyes filled with mixed emotions, a sense of relief mixed with disappointment.

The fact that the couple didn't stay out all night suggests they didn't engage in any extreme behavior.

The fact that only Loren's footsteps were heard indicated that Hermione had not stayed overnight.

Bates heard footsteps coming down the stairs, followed by the opening and closing of the refrigerator door and the slight rustling of kitchen utensils, indicating that this guy was preparing to make himself a midnight snack.

A glint of light flickered in Bates' somewhat cloudy eyes as he hesitated. Eating late at night would disrupt his sleep, be bad for his digestion, and affect his blood sugar and blood pressure. Besides, he had already brushed his teeth…

All the reasons point to giving up late-night snacks and embracing sleep, but when you think about the little guy's cooking skills, these reasons don't seem so compelling anymore.

After a difficult struggle, Bates finally made his choice, turned the bolt, pulled the door open, and stepped out, his footsteps creaking on the hardwood floor as he walked downstairs to the kitchen.

The hallway and dining room were dark, only the kitchen door was lit by a bright white light. Although the door was closed, the aroma of salty and spicy meat sauce still wafted out, slightly pungent, along with the bubbling sound of boiling water. Bates knew without even going into the kitchen that this late-night snack was meat sauce noodles.

This is a dish that Loren modified from spaghetti bolognese. This kid doesn't like supermarket-bought spaghetti, so he makes his own noodles at home during the holidays by fermenting and kneading flour. Sometimes the noodles are thinner than shoelaces, and sometimes they are thicker than belts. The meat sauce is also a modified version, with both pork and beef and lamb. The flavors are slightly different, but overall they are salty and spicy.

Just thinking about the taste of that meat sauce noodles made Bates's mouth water. Hearing the boiling water slow down, knowing they were adding noodles, Bates quickly cleared his throat: "Loren, Loren, cook me one too!"

"Squeak—"

The metal hinges made a slightly harsh scraping sound. The kitchen door opened a crack, and as my gaze shifted downwards, a strange, grayish-green head popped out—

He was skinny and bony, like a child from a primitive tribe with developmental delays. He had bat ears on the sides of his head, protruding eyes like golf balls, and a flat but unusually long nose. In comparison, only his mouth was barely normal on his face.

Bates stared at the head that could perhaps be described as humanoid and blinked.

Wheat looked at the elderly man and blinked.

"..."

Half an hour later, on the dining table.

The fried shallot oil and sauce turned the noodles brown. Bates picked up the last strand of noodles with his fork, carefully coated it with the remaining meat sauce on the plate, and slurped it down. He let out a sincere and satisfied sigh, feeling completely relaxed from the inside out.

He rubbed his bloated belly and glanced at Loren across from him: "I understand. The living Horcrux is a key clue, and this clue is related to the fugitive wizard Voldemort. You and your classmates found this clue; it's hidden in a magic school in Massachusetts, USA. You passed the clue to Headmaster Dumbledore, who was on a business trip in Ivermorny, is that right?"

"..."

Loren hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

The moment Harry confirmed the voices through the Mirror of Erised, he contacted the Headmaster at the top of Greylock Mountain via communicator. He confirmed that Dumbledore and Professor Snape were inspecting the Snake Tree, and the other two slightly unfamiliar voices were those of Mr. Newt Scamander and Gilbert Fontana of Ilfamori. Combining the images provided by the Mirror with the Headmaster's on-site investigation, Harry immediately confirmed that the living Horcrux was definitely near the Snake Tree.

The rest will be handled by Headmaster Dumbledore, and I believe the investigation will begin soon.

In conclusion, although this summary is somewhat flawed, its main points are correct, and Grandpa Bates understood it very well.

Grandpa Bates continued, "And you and Hermione have already discussed it and plan to leave for that magic school tomorrow to help hunt down the wanted criminal Voldemort."

Loren nodded again.

Having confirmed Voldemort's whereabouts, the family's safety alarm was temporarily lifted. Having found a clue to a living Horcrux, Hermione and he were both getting impatient and decided to go take a look, and Dumbledore agreed.

"I have one more question."

Bates glanced at the little elf beside him, who was engrossed in eating noodles. "What does this have to do with Mr. Wheat?"

The house-elf looked up as if to explain something, but was choked by the spicy meat sauce. His house-elf manners made him forcefully suppress the urge to cough, causing his grayish-green face to turn red.

Loren gently touched the back of his neck with his index finger, releasing a wisp of magic that saved the little elf who had almost become the first in history to choke to death: "Two reasons. First, one of the ringleaders of the criminal gang is still missing, and I'm worried she might attack your or Hermione's parents, so I had Wheat stay home. If anything happens, he'll immediately contact the Order of the Phoenix and notify Hermione and me. Second, Wheat needs to understand more of the real Muggle society. Here, he can access a lot of video footage to complete his...research?"

Wheat quietly observed the Muggle old man, Mr. Morgan's elder.

Scout Bates, having figured out Wheat's personality, stopped paying attention to him and instead looked at his own children: "How are you and Hermione going to America?"

"The Wizard's Method"

"Smuggling?"

"..."

Loren pondered for a moment, but found himself unable to refute it.

"I'll contact Hunter to arrange two plane tickets for you, so you can go through the proper channels and avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble."

"It's so late..." Loren wanted to refuse, but remembering Grandpa Bates' current financial situation, he wisely chose to accept. "Headmaster Dumbledore said he contacted Ilfamoni's people to pick me up, so I told him to go directly to the airport."

"Are your classmates traveling with you? Do you need to get a few more plane tickets?"

"No need. Harry's itinerary will probably be arranged by Professor McGonagall. Ron and the others probably can't convince their parents, so they can't go anywhere."

"Oh, a couples' trip, I see." Grandpa Bates nodded, then suddenly remembered something else: "Did you spend your birthday there?"

"It should be."

"Don't bully Hermione on her birthday."

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