Muggle Alice and Wizard Old Dodd

White clouds drift lazily across the low-hanging blue sky, and the lazy sun slowly crawls westward. This place is rich in moisture, with frequent rainfall and refreshing air, so the sun doesn't feel harsh at all, and a gentle breeze brings the coolness hidden in the snow-capped High Mountain.

Accustomed to London's heat and dryness, Loren and Hermione felt a bit cold upon arrival and put on an extra jacket.

Sitting at a small table by the tavern door, Alice generously brought out Old Dodd's treasured wines to serve her guests. Alice, a lively and clever girl working temporarily at the tavern, chattered away but was not annoying. She would occasionally tell stories about interesting things that happened at school and in town, and the atmosphere of the conversation was very harmonious.

"Alright, I've told you everything I know. Now it's my turn to ask you questions!" Alice's eyes Winky as she looked at the two of them.

What do you want to know?

Do you have wands?

"Normally, every wizard has a wand."

"May I take a look?"

Loren didn't care much about the Ministry of Magic's Statute of Secrecy. Hermione figured that since she already knew about wizarding matters, if things really came down to it, the two of them definitely wouldn't be the ones to break the law.

Loren pulled his wand from his sleeve and showed it to her, holding it horizontally in his palm. "It's made of Apple Wood, and the core is made of Dragon Nerve. I tried dozens of wands at the wand shop before I found this one."

Hermione glanced at him and showed him her wand. "It's made of Vine Wood, and it's very spiritual. It responded to my Magic Power as soon as I entered the store."

"Wand shop... trial?" Alice frowned in confusion, seemingly unable to understand the two words.

"After receiving their Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry acceptance letters, each young wizard goes to a wand shop to buy a wand that suits them. Generally, we choose from Ollivander's wands, although there are other Wandmaker, but his reputation is the best."

Alice was struck dumb. Her dazed eyes took several seconds to focus, her lips trembled, and she managed to ask with difficulty, "So you all bought your own wands?"

Hermione noticed that something was wrong with her and was unsure whether to answer.

Loren observed her expression and tentatively explained, "Generally speaking, it's like this: after the age of 11, young wizards experience a period of rapid Magic Power growth. Using a wand allows them to better control their Magic Power, making spellcasting more convenient—"

"Stop talking!" A soft shout came from the doorway, interrupting his more detailed explanation.

An elderly man with short white hair and a full beard was carrying a bundle of vegetables and half a steak. He looked flustered and somewhat helpless as he stared at the blonde girl in front of him at the table.

Alice turned her head and looked over, a few tears immediately sliding down her face. She sobbed, "Old Dodd, you liar, you bad guy! Wands aren't issued by the Ministry of Magic after you come of age. I don't have any Magic Power at all, I can't become a wizard..."

"I... I..."

The old man murmured, unable to utter a word of explanation, and even dared not look the girl in the eye.

Loren and Hermione, who had inadvertently exposed the old man's lie, were immediately alarmed. Before they could say anything, the freckled blonde girl wiped her snot and tears, sobbing and hiccuping, and ran out the door, choking on her sobs.

The bearded old man reached out to stop her, but seeing the girl's heartbroken expression, he seemed startled, raised his hand, and then withdrew it. He watched the girl walk away and sighed dejectedly.

Loren and Hermione stood there blankly for a moment, then said hesitantly:

"I'm sorry, sir, we didn't mean to cause trouble."

"We thought she knew about the Wizarding World and spoke without thinking. We're so sorry..."

"It's not your fault. Alice is already in high school and will be 17 next year. Even if you don't tell her, she will find out eventually..." Old Dodd couldn't tell how old he was, but he was over sixty. He had a head of silver-white hair, but a ruddy complexion and a strong body. He could even lift half a beef rib with one hand.

At this moment, however, he seemed somewhat dejected. He casually put down the meat and vegetables he was holding, sat down in frustration, grabbed the wine bottle on the table, and gulped it down until his face turned red before letting out a long sigh.

"When Alice moved here, she was only three years old, a tiny little thing, and her crying was more terrifying than the Banshee... At that time, her father had to work to support the family, and her mother was in poor health and could only barely manage the housework. How could she have the energy to take care of this little girl?"

"It just so happens that my tavern doesn't have much business. I don't have anything else to do besides brewing wine. When her mother is busy, she leaves her here to look after her. I'm just an old man, what do I know about taking care of a child? I can't even touch her, and she can't stop talking to me. Once she starts crying, she just won't stop."

"If I had a choice, I would rather wrestle with a troll."

Old Dodd shook the empty bottle, reached for a bottle of malt whisky from the shelf behind the bar, uncorked it, and drank it down. As he put the bottle down, his eyes became unfocused.

"What can I do... I can only cast some little spells and tell some magic stories to make her happy. As I coaxed her, she grew up. When she grew up, she started clamoring for a wand and wanting to learn magic..."

"This child's parents are both Muggle, how can she learn? I wish I could give her all my Magic Power, so I can only coax and deceive her, tricking her into going to primary school in town, tricking her into going to middle school in the city, to the best high school nearby, saying that only smart people can learn magic and become wizards. I lied to her from age 7 to 11, from 11 to 15. Last year, I even tricked her into participating in a science competition and getting a guaranteed admission to Cambridge ..."

Loren didn't know how much he had drunk, nor did he understand how the old man had lied to him. But when the old man recounted these memories, his eyes were gentle, and a clear smile played on his lips; he was clearly a happy man.

Hermione sat silently to the side, without saying a word.

Although Old Dodd had violated some rules, upon closer examination, Alice could be considered a relative of a wizard, and it was within the rules for her to know some magical information. Therefore, Old Dodd did not violate the Statute of Secrecy.

The tavern doors were wide open, and a chilly mountain breeze blew in.

"Who knew this girl would be so persistent? I couldn't keep up the lie any longer. I was even thinking of waiting until she started the next semester, then closing the bar and running away..."

Old Dodd mumbled drunkenly, shivered, and sobered up a bit. He shook his head and asked Loren, "You guys are still students, right? Have you graduated from Hogwarts? What are you doing here?"

"We're here to find someone."

Looking for someone?

"We have a friend who studies Fantastic Beasts. He heard that Ben Nevis Mountain is home to giants, so he came to investigate. A few days ago, he sent us a message saying he encountered a small problem and asked us to come and help him." Loren replied carefully. "It's not a big problem. He can solve it on his own, but it will take him a little longer... We learned that there is a wizard's tavern nearby, so we thought we'd come and ask for some information."

"To gather information..."

Old Dodd nodded, slowly regaining his senses.

With youthful faces and the ability to use magic outside of school, they are most likely graduates of Hogwarts.

A young wizard who just graduated from school is probably on some kind of graduation trip...

He went through the same thing back then, so there's nothing he doesn't understand.