days at Hogwarts

Chapter 738 Confirmation of itinerary
Hampstead, a suburb of London.

A slight trembling sound of the air broke the silence of the house. Bates, who had been lying in bed early but had not fallen asleep, immediately got up and walked to the bedroom door, put his ear against the door, and eavesdropped on the noise outside.

If there was one benefit that decades of werewolf disease had given Bates, it was his still-sharp hearing despite his age.

All lights and electrical appliances in the detached house had been turned off, and the whole house was quiet. The solid wood floor was left by the previous owner, and the interior was a bit aging. A man who would be seventeen in a few days was walking on it, and the footsteps were particularly obvious in such a quiet room.

Bates held his breath, his eyes a little complicated, relieved but also a little disappointed.

The fact that they didn't stay out all night means that the young couple didn't do anything extreme.

There was only the sound of Loren's footsteps, indicating that little Hermione did not come here to spend the night.

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

Bates's cloudy eyes flickered with light, and he couldn't help but hesitate. Eating late at night would interfere with sleep, be bad for the digestive system, and affect blood sugar and blood pressure. Besides, he had already brushed his teeth...

All the reasons point to giving up midnight snacks and embracing sleep, but when you think about the little one's cooking skills, these reasons don't seem so sufficient.

After a hard struggle, Bates finally made his choice, turned the bolt, pulled the door open, and walked out, making creaking footsteps on the solid wood floor, as he walked towards the kitchen downstairs.

There were no lights on in the corridor and the dining room. Only the white light behind the kitchen door was on. Although the door was closed, the aroma of the salty and spicy meat sauce still wafted out, slightly choking. Coupled with the gurgling sound of boiling water, Bates knew that the midnight snack would be noodles with meat sauce without even walking into the kitchen.

This is a dish that Loren improved based on spaghetti bolognese. The kid doesn't like the bulk pasta in supermarkets, so he ferments and kneads his own noodles with flour at home during holidays. Sometimes they are thinner than shoelaces, and sometimes thicker than belts. The bolognese sauce is also an improved one, with both pork, beef and mutton, and the taste is slightly different, but generally salty and spicy.

Thinking of the taste of spaghetti bolognese, Bates couldn't help but salivate. Hearing the sound of boiling water weaken, he knew that noodles were being put in. Bates quickly cleared his throat: "Loren, Loren, cook me one too!"

"Squeak-"

The metal hinges made a slightly harsh friction sound, the kitchen door opened a crack, and when I looked down, a strange gray-green head popped out.

He was skinny like a stunted primitive tribal child, with bat ears on both sides of his head, bulging eyes like golf balls, and a flat but oddly long nose. In comparison, the mouth was the only normal-looking thing on his face.

Bates stared at the head of what could perhaps be called a humanoid creature and blinked.

Xiaomai looked at the elderly man and blinked.

"..."

Half an hour later, on the dining table.

The fried scallion oil and sauce dyed the noodles brown. Bates rolled up the last handful of noodles with a fork, carefully coated them with the remaining meat sauce on the plate, swallowed them down, and let out a sincere and satisfied sigh. His whole body felt comfortable from the inside out.

He rubbed his bloated belly and glanced at Loren opposite him: "I understand. The living Horcrux is a key clue. This clue is related to the fugitive wizard Voldemort. You and your classmates found this clue. It is hidden in a magic school in Massachusetts, USA. You passed the clue to Principal Dumbledore who was on a business trip in Ilvermorny. Is that right?"

"..."

Loren hesitated for a moment and nodded.

As soon as the Mirror of Erised confirmed the sound, he contacted the headmaster on the top of Greylock Mountain through the communicator, confirming that Dumbledore and Professor Snape were checking the condition of the snake tree at the time. The other two slightly unfamiliar voices were Mr. Newt Scamander and Gilbert Fontana of Ilvermorny. Harry and the scene provided by the magic mirror combined with the headmaster's field investigation immediately confirmed that the living Horcrux must be near the snake tree. The rest of the matter was taken over by Headmaster Dumbledore, and I believe that the relevant investigation work will be carried out soon.

To sum up, although this summary is a little wrong, the main content is correct and Grandpa Bates understood it thoroughly.

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

Loren nodded again.

After confirming Voldemort's whereabouts, the family's security alarm was temporarily lifted. They also found clues to the living Horcrux. Hermione and he were both curious and prepared to go and take a look. Dumbledore agreed.

"Then I have another question."

Bates turned his gaze to the elf who was eating noodles beside him, "What does this have to do with Mr. Wheat?"

The house-elf looked up and wanted to explain something, but was choked by the spicy meat sauce. His upbringing as a house-elf made him suppress the urge to cough, causing his entire gray-green face to turn red.

Loren extended his index finger and lightly touched the back of his neck. A trace of magic was revealed, and he rescued the elf who almost became the first elf in history to choke himself to death. "Two reasons. First, there is a main culprit in the criminal gang whose whereabouts are unknown. I am worried that she may attack you or Hermione's parents, so I let Xiaomai stay at home. If anything unexpected happens, he will ask the Order of the Phoenix for help as soon as possible and notify Hermione and me. The second reason is that Xiaomai needs to understand the more real Muggle society. Here he can access a lot of video materials and complete his... research?"

Xiaomai quietly looked at the old Muggle man, Mr. Morgan's elder.

Scout Bates had already figured out the character of this little wheat man, so he stopped paying attention to him and looked at his own child: "How are you and Hermione going to America?"

"The wizard's way."

"Smuggling?"

"..."

Loren thought about it and couldn't refute it.

"I'll contact Hunter to arrange two plane tickets for you so that you can go there by the right route and avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble."

"It's so late..." Loren wanted to refuse, but when he thought of Grandpa Bates's current financial situation, he wisely chose to accept. "Principal Dumbledore said he has contacted the people from Ilvermorny to pick him up. I will notify him directly to go to the airport."

"Are your classmates coming with you? Do you need to ask for a few more tickets?"

"No, Professor McGonagall will probably arrange Harry's trip. Ron and the others probably won't be able to convince their parents, so they won't be able to go anywhere."

"Oh, a couple's trip, huh? I see." Grandpa Bates nodded, and suddenly remembered something else: "Did you celebrate your birthday there?"

"It should be."

"Don't bully Hermione on her birthday."

"?"

(End of this chapter)