Let's Go Take a Look

Jack Smith looked to be in his sixties, somewhat resembling Sean Connery. When he ran for council, nearly all the female voters over 45 in his constituency cast their ballots for him.

As he walked into the living room, he saw Dumbledore, dressed in robes and with a long beard, but he wasn't surprised. He asked, "Which theater troupe do you belong to, sir?"

Dumbledore, accustomed to such questions, replied kindly, "Hello, Mr. Smith. I am Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I've come to invite Charles Smith to study at Hogwarts."

"Perhaps you don't know, but Charles is a wizard. Not a magician who performs tricks, but a true wizard who can wield magic."

Jack sat down next to Charles and said with an unchanged expression, "Charles is a bright child. He's always been at the top of Dragon Primary School in Oxfordshire. I think he could attend Eton College, Harrow School, or Westminster School instead of becoming an actor."

"There are many crossroads in life. Just because we elders think one path is right doesn't mean it's suitable for young people."

"If Charles himself wishes to pursue a career in acting, I will support his choice."

Seeing that he still thought he was an actor, Dumbledore took out his wand and said with a smile, "Would you care for some tea?"

With a wave of the wand, a clean teacup and saucer flew from the cupboard onto the table. The teapot then flew over and poured tea into the cup, which then, carried by the saucer, flew to Jack.

Jack stared at the teacup for a long time. He reached out and felt around, finding no strings. Astonished, he exclaimed, "Is there really magic in this world?"

At this point, Charles piped up, "This gentleman was just talking about a Dark Lord named Vold... what was his name? This person apparently killed Mrs. Dursley's sister, Harry's mother."

Old Jack's brow furrowed upon hearing this. He immediately fired off a series of questions: "Is that so? Are the Dursleys also... wizards? Will that demon from Africa come seeking revenge? Should we call the police?"

Dumbledore, experienced with such questions, patiently explained in terms Muggles could understand. The Dursleys were not wizards, but Petunia's sister and nephew were. The Dark Lord wasn't Black; his ancestors for eighteen generations were British. Dark Lord meant a lord who used dark magic. He had died ten years ago. Calling the police wouldn't help; wizards had their own Aurors, who served a similar function to police.

He then explained what Hogwarts was, waving his wand and transforming the teacup Petunia had used earlier into a pigeon that fluttered around the living room.

After listening, Jack took a sip of tea and asked old Dumbledore, "How many people did that Dark Lord you mentioned kill?"

Dumbledore replied, "Over a hundred."

Jack continued, "In one morning?"

Dumbledore quickly shook his head. "That's the total."

"Only that many?" Jack finally asked, "How much is the tuition?"

Dumbledore blinked in surprise and replied, "Hogwarts is funded by the board of governors, so students don't pay tuition. They only need to buy their own robes, textbooks, and some classroom supplies."

Jack was silent for a moment, then turned to Charles and asked, "What do you think?"

Charles hesitated. He didn't have grand ambitions and had already planned his future: graduate from university here, then return to his home country to work as a foreign language teacher, buy a house, buy a house, buy a house. Wouldn't his future days be blissful?

But it was Hogwarts. It would be a shame not to see it.

Finally, Charles said, "Okay, I'll go."

Dumbledore smiled and extended his right hand to Charles. "On behalf of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, I welcome you. I believe you will have a wonderful time at Hogwarts."

Charles also extended his hand to shake Dumbledore's, releasing it after half a second. He seemed very afraid of him.

Dumbledore left. He still had to visit the next Muggle-born family to explain things, but he ignored the Dursleys next door.

After confirming Dumbledore had left, Charles sat on the sofa and said to the smiling Jack, "If you went into movies, you'd definitely win an Oscar."

Jack snapped his fingers and then said, "Go turn off the water and electricity. We're leaving soon."

As he spoke, several suitcases floated down the stairs and stopped behind the front door.

Charles asked curiously, "Where are we going?"

"The Seaside Villa," Jack said seriously. "The real Hogwarts is very dangerous. You could lose your life with one wrong step. The carriage I rode in the first time I went to school was attacked by a dragon, and you have to take down at least eight people on the way to class."

"While there's still time, I'm going to teach you some defensive magic."

Charles's eyes lit up. He immediately asked, "Are you going to buy me a wand?"

Jack's reply made him very depressed: "Use mine for now."

Charles tried to struggle a bit more and said, "Isn't it inconvenient for you not to have a wand?"

Jack stood up, waved his hand, and the tea set on the table, the watermelon, and the watermelon knife disappeared. He calmly said, "A wand isn't such an inconvenient thing."

Charles had nothing more to say.

Old Jack, having lived for over a hundred years, had no experience raising children. When he found Charles, he had used Legilimency on him to figure out if he was hungry or needed to relieve himself. As a result, he saw some of Charles's memories and later started making memes.

Charles was angry about this for a long time. Eventually, Old Jack promised to teach him magic, and Charles calmed down.

The two pretended to load the suitcases into the Rolls-Royce, and Jack drove.

Halfway there, Charles noticed the car's destination seemed wrong and asked in confusion, "Aren't we going to the Seaside Villa? Why are we entering London?"

Jack retorted, "Did you forget what day it is today?"

Charles was completely bewildered. He couldn't recall. When he went to France recently, the old man seemed to have arranged the itinerary based on something he needed to do today.

"You forgot?" Jack said calmly. "Today is the day you go to the dentist."

Cold sweat broke out on Charles's forehead. He hurriedly said, "I brush my teeth properly every day, I don't need to go to the dentist!"

Jack said to him very seriously, "I heard from several ladies that drinking Happy Water often harms your teeth. You drink so much, you need a thorough check-up."

"Besides, your classmate will be very happy to see you. Won't you be just as happy to see her?"

"By the way, do you have feelings for her?"

Charles's face went blank. "Stop messing around. Those kinds of words can cause trouble for girls. She and I are just pure classmates. You should know I like girls with really good figures."

Jack said indifferently, "So what if my physique isn't good? It's just a matter of Human Transfiguration."

"Alright, I'll buy you a new computer. You can use it when you come back for the holidays. Haven't you always said that being a wizard is not as good as enjoying blessings?"

"I never thought that Jack by West Lake could accomplish such great things later on."

"Alas... the wizarding world has fallen behind."

As he spoke the last sentence, he looked somewhat dejected.

It was the first time Charles had seen him like this, so he asked, "When... did you start thinking the wizarding world was falling behind?"

"July 21, 1969," Jack replied in a low voice. "The day Muggles first landed on the moon. Twenty-two years have passed in the blink of an eye."

Charles then asked him, "It wouldn't be difficult for you to go to the moon using Apparition or a Portkey, would it?"

Jack didn't answer, merely saying, "You'll know when you learn."

"If you can master those few spells I taught you before you go to Hogwarts, I'll show you my memories from Hogwarts. Then we'll be even."

Seeing that he had changed the subject, Charles didn't dwell on the matter of using magic to go to the moon. He pouted and said, "I'd rather see your memories of traveling the world."

Jack said, "The world is so big, go see it for yourself if you want to."

As they spoke, the two arrived in front of the dental clinic.

Good news, the clinic was closed, with a sign saying "Temporarily Out of Business."