Hogwarts: My Yorozuya has no taboos!

Chapter 6 The Moon Over London

August 16, 1991, night was just beginning to fall.

In such an era, that ancient Eastern country across the ocean was still under the prevailing ideology that "the moon is rounder in foreign countries."

In Britain, while it's hard to say whether the moon in London, the capital of the Muggle world, is rounder, it's clear that its moonlight is far less clear than that of the magical world under the same sky.

Ares used the Muggle subway to transport himself from Charing Cross Station in Westminster to the outskirts of this international metropolis, and the whole process went very smoothly, with nothing igniting his backside.

cough cough—

But then he had to endure London’s terrible air quality, walking through several blocks in the acrid fog to get to his house in the Muggle world.

Thanks to its proximity to the industrial area, visibility was even lower, so much so that it took the woman who had been waiting at the door for a long time to spot Ares when she got closer.

"It's Sunday today, isn't it? Where have you been?!"

The stern questioning didn't displease Ares; on the contrary, it made him instinctively blurt out the truth.

"Being in jail—well, I mean, working overtime feels like being in jail."

Ares said he blinked and stared at the tall, muscular, middle-aged woman in front of him, whose stern features were all very serious.

"Aunt Lovetz? What are you doing at my doorstep—and what?"

Ares's gaze shifted to the girl standing amidst a pile of luggage next to the middle-aged woman. Her physique was more similar to Ares's, but unfortunately, her facial features hadn't escaped her mother's genes.

"Chris?"

"That's a really stupid question."

The middle-aged woman's tone revealed dissatisfaction, but when she raised her hand to pinch Ares's thin cheek, her eyes showed heartache.

"Isn't today your birthday? Unless you forgot?"

"Oh, my birthday—yes, of course I wouldn't forget..."

Ares's nodding gesture still seemed somewhat confused.

Happy 20th birthday, cousin!

At this moment, the girl, who seemed to be in poor condition due to the long journey, also tried to cheer up and waved to Ares with a smile to congratulate him.

"Of course, we have other business to attend to on this trip—"

Aunt Lovetz turned to her daughter and nodded sternly but with satisfaction.

"Chris was inspired by you and got into a university in London, so I've come to see her off to school."

"Oh, congratulations!"

Ares resolved all his confusion, and his tone returned to its cheerful tone.

"Where's my uncle? Why didn't he come along?"

"Hove received an invitation to join a study tour organized by his school to spend some time in Greece—"

When her husband was mentioned, Aunt Lovitz's stern features softened somewhat.

"So it's just me—and speaking of which, why are we even talking in the doorway, Ares, unless you don't welcome us?"

"Of course not."

Ares said kindly yet decisively, as he pulled his house key from his pocket and squeezed through a pile of luggage to open the door.

"I can get these groceries—excuse me, Ares, could you help Chris with some of her luggage? Oh, if it's too much trouble, Chris can do it herself. Honestly, you don't look as strong as your cousin."

Feeling deeply humiliated, Ares had no choice but to put down his half-person-high suitcase to turn on the light.

Aunt Lovitz stood in the foyer and twitched her nostrils towards the house.

She was clearly unhappy with the cold, dusty smell in the air, but when she went to the kitchen and saw the crucible on the floor, filled with bubbling black liquid under the heat of an alcohol lamp, her displeasure turned into worry.

"Hasn't your irregular, intermittent tics gotten better yet, Ares?"

"Oh, the frequency has decreased a lot compared to before."

Ares said. He knew what Aunt Lovetz had discovered, so he quickly went into the kitchen and brought out the potion that still needed a little more time to brew.

"Then you should go to a professional hospital for scientific treatment, Ares—"

Aunt Lovetz saw through Ares's evasiveness; she glared at his retreating figure.

"Instead of messing around with it yourself... What do you call that stuff—decocting Chinese medicine?"

"I promise I'll go, Aunt Lovetz—oh, don't touch that plant in my flowerpot, Chris, it might strangle you!...How about we go watch some TV in the living room, though I'm not entirely sure if I renewed the cable TV subscription—"

After settling his potion, Ares quickly moved his devil's net under Chris's sullen gaze.

It's inevitable to feel flustered and disorganized when tidying up a house.

After all, there were suddenly two more people in the house, and Ares certainly not going to let the mop do Thomas spins while cleaning the floor in front of them.

Aunt Lovetz saw it all—

"You need a reliable woman in your life, Ares."

she says,

"Do you remember that pretty girl from our hometown who always wore two thick ponytails, Ares, the one named Cassie? Remember her? She still can't forget you!"

"You should just tell her to forget me, Aunt Lovetz—"

Ares said as he struggled with a dirty object on the floor.

"When she was twelve, she could lift a millstone with one hand and throw it onto the roof."

"Isn't that the kind of girl who's reliable? She can protect you."

Aunt Lovetz glared at Chris, who was curled up on the sofa, chuckling as she listened to their conversation.

When her gaze returned to Ares, she opened her mouth as if she wanted to add something more, but the memories that suddenly popped into her mind filled her eyes with pity as she looked at Ares's back. In the end, she said nothing and went back into the kitchen.

Under the bright lights, the dining table was soon filled with plates of delicious dishes.

"Would you like a drink, Aunt Lovetz, to help ease the fatigue of your journey?"

Ares stood in front of his wine cabinet, pointing to a pile of vintage wines.

"Whiskey, sherry, or red wine?"

"How about some whiskey, Ares?"

Aunt Lovitz said as she took off her apron.

"When we're at home, Howe and I always have a drink before meals—oh, you can't, Chris, have you forgotten, you don't turn eighteen until next February!"

The underage girl pouted, looking unhappy again.

"Don't be discouraged, Chris—"

Ares smiled at his cousin. Besides the whiskey, he also took a bottle of a yellow beverage from the liquor cabinet.

"I have something good to share with you—butter beer. It tastes pretty good, but it might be a bit 'light' for adults."

After the glass of bubbling beer was full, the little girl couldn't wait to take a taste, then squinted her eyes in satisfaction.

"I like this, but I've never seen this kind of drink before... Where can I buy more, Ares?"

"I hope you can spend your meager savings more wisely, Chris. Don't think that coming to London means you can do whatever you want."

Aunt Lovetz's stern admonitions made Chris's expression darken again.

So, after all that fuss, the three of them finally sat down at the dining table.

The clouds dispersed and the wind blew across the dark sky, and for a moment, the clear moonlight shone through the restaurant window, illuminating Ares's profile and softening the sharp angles of his overly handsome face. He raised his glass.

"I have to say..."

"Wait a minute, Ares."

Aunt Lovetz said her gaze lingered for a moment on the empty side of the square dining table, then she blinked her less bright eyes, and her loud voice lowered.

"It would be a real shame not to invite your father to a family gathering—you have a picture of him here, right? Why don't you invite him over?"