How About Teaching at Hogwarts?

Josh had only just come up with the idea of having Garen cultivate Battle Qi. Lifespan was something many people could only dream of, but he happened to have no shortage of it. Garen had once lived without a care in the world, but his fate had changed after meeting Josh.

He now had to strive for a way home. Even if he had no idea how long it would take, he was willing to give it a try. However, there was an obvious problem before him: he might grow old and die before finding the way home.

It was a cruel problem, but fortunately, Josh was not stingy. On the contrary, he was very generous toward those he acknowledged as his own. Take his maids, for example. Josh had never forced them to do anything they did not want to do. Of course, if Josh himself had any ideas, they would probably be quite willing.

Among certain nobles, it was common to send maids to warm the beds of other nobles. This practice was widespread in upper-class circles, but Josh found it disgusting. Even if those maids would marry someday, before that, they belonged to him. He had no intention of sharing them with anyone else.

At least for now, Josh trusted Garen and considered him one of his own. As for the future, Josh did not care. There was no conflict of interest between them—their two countries were far too distant. Besides, Josh felt that if Garen truly traveled with him long enough, he might not be willing to remain in Demacia forever.

Just as Garen himself had said, what meaning was there left when his family, friends, and beloved were all dead? Living alone in solitude was more painful than death. So Josh felt that after Garen returned to Demacia and fulfilled the responsibilities and obligations he should bear, he would leave that place. At the very least, time passed slowly there, giving him a chance to return and see them.

Moreover, Garen's talent seemed exceptionally powerful. Their cultivation system relied entirely on the body and willpower to strengthen themselves, yet they could actually reach the ninth tier. Josh did not know whether there were other reasons involved—perhaps runes, perhaps something else—but that did not diminish the achievement of reaching a near-divine level with a mortal body.

Now, Josh intended to give Garen a better environment and see just how far he could go with his talent.

"Maybe he really could become some kind of God King?"

Josh rubbed his chin as he thought. Of course, if that day really came and Josh was not as strong as Garen, he might very well cling to Garen's thigh. Besides, he felt that Garen would not refuse to protect him. He would treat it as an investment in the future.

Shaking his head, Josh stopped thinking about it. Even if he gave Garen the Battle Qi cultivation method now, Garen had no environment in which to cultivate it. He planned to wait until the two of them reached Hogwarts. Then they could find a quiet, secluded place and take things slowly.

Josh took the lead and pushed open the tavern door. The interior was much as he had imagined: crowded, dimly lit, and somewhat messy. Still, Josh let out a sigh of relief. There was no strange odor inside, so it did not seem quite as bad as it looked.

The people in the tavern did not react when Josh and Garen entered. They had great faith in the Muggle-repelling spell here. Even if a Muggle wandered in by accident, a single Obliviate Spell would settle the matter. Besides, there were people specifically checking whether Muggles had entered.

"Oh, it looks like we have new guests." Naturally, the tavern owner noticed the two young men who had entered. One was tall and the other short. Though they looked curious, they did not have that peculiar air about them. More importantly, the faint magical fluctuations coming from the shorter one convinced the owner that they were not Muggles.

Josh and Garen walked up to the owner and glanced at the menu on the table. Their only impression was that it was extremely strange; the names were truly bizarre. Shaking his head, Josh set down the menu and said to the owner, "One Butterbeer each, please. Thank you. Also, we came from abroad. Could you tell us where Knockturn Alley or Diagon Alley is? We would also like to visit Hogwarts, but unfortunately, we do not know the way. We do not know who we should ask for help."

"So you're from abroad. No wonder. But your English is excellent. I can't hear any foreign accent at all." The tavern owner chuckled. "Actually, it's simple. Most people here graduated from Hogwarts. You can just find any young person to help you, especially those preparing to return to school. By the way, are you old enough to drink? I don't want the Ministry of Magic bothering me."

Josh directly stated that he was already an adult, though he was considered an adult on the Muya Continent. It was only natural that his English was excellent. The source of his replicated memories was Hermione, a native-born Englishwoman, whose speech naturally carried an authentic London accent. Josh and Garen had completely mastered the language as well.

Josh even thought that if he returned to the past, he could easily become a top student simply by relying on this magic.

The owner's answer gave him a hint. He really could find a Hogwarts student. Though it was currently holiday, if the price was right, some students probably would not mind giving them a lift. Josh and Garen had pounds sterling, exchanged from the gold coins they had brought with them, but the existence of Gringotts, the magical bank, could solve that problem perfectly.

Nodding, Josh downed the entire mug of Butterbeer in one gulp, only to choke immediately afterward. What the hell was this stuff? The bizarre taste made Josh want to vomit, but he forced himself to swallow it and put on an expression as though it were delicious.

As though savoring the wonderful flavor, Josh waited a moment before turning to Garen with a smile. "This tastes really good. I think you should savor it properly."

"Really?" Garen did not think much of it. He picked up his full mug of Butterbeer and gulped it down in one go. The next moment, he heard Josh's voice—yeah, right.

Sure enough, Garen reacted much like Josh had. The Butterbeer made him choke badly, and he did not even have a chance to stop. Still, Garen was a warrior. Since Josh, a mage, could drink it, Garen did not believe he could not. So he gritted his teeth and forced down the large mug of Butterbeer, then glared at Josh with reddened eyes.

"Hahaha." Before long, both of them burst into laughter. The drink really did taste awful, but watching each other make fools of themselves was a fine seasoning. After that mug of beer, they could clearly feel that their relationship had improved.

It was difficult to imagine that someone who had once deeply hated magic could become companions and friends with a mage. It was also difficult to imagine that someone who was somewhat petty could become companions and friends with a man who had attacked him. All one could say was that the world was full of strange things, and they were quite interesting.

The two did not stay in the tavern for long. After Josh paid the bill, they left. Naturally, Josh paid in pounds sterling, but the tavern owner did not mind. He even enthusiastically found them a guide. In his words, helping a wizard from another country was an honor. Josh thanked him sincerely, then followed the guide to Diagon Alley.

Perhaps because the school term had not yet begun, Diagon Alley was mostly filled with adults. Still, Josh could see some Young Wizards in wizard robes and pointed hats curiously looking around the alley. He found it interesting. Since he had learned magic without attending an academy, he basically had no classmates. He had only seen scenes like this in movies before.

"It'll be school time again soon. I wonder how many people will enter Hufflepuff this year. By the way, sir, which school did you attend before?"

Their guide was a young student, about Josh's age. His name was Crouch Edward, and he was a fifth-year Hufflepuff student. Josh did not seem to remember hearing of him, but he did not care. There were so many characters in those movies that he could not possibly remember them all.

"Me? I suppose I received family instruction. I never attended any magic academy."

Josh answered casually, but it was true enough. He did not think there was any need to lie about it. What he found interesting was that Hogwarts lasted seven years. Crouch was already in his fifth year, making him an upper-year student, but Josh felt that this upper-year student was only around the level of an intermediate Magic Apprentice.

In Josh's view, that was simply too weak. A Magic Apprentice did not even count as a mage. As for the term intermediate Magic Apprentice, Josh had invented it himself, because he felt that Crouch was still some distance away from becoming a first-level mage.

Perhaps I could teach at Hogwarts? Train some students for myself, then bring them back?

Josh quietly thought to himself. After encountering these so-called wizards, he seemed to feel that this world really was not very strong, just as he had expected. But there was one thing Josh was still unsure of: just how strong was Albus Dumbledore, the man hailed as the greatest white wizard?

"That's truly a pity. I think you missed out on the most wonderful period of life. But you still seem quite young. Perhaps you could consider entering around Hogwarts' fifth year and properly experience the joys of being a student."

Crouch did not notice that Josh was deep in thought and simply voiced his own feelings. In his view, never experiencing the joys of student life at an academy was a great regret. Besides, Josh was not very old, so entering Hogwarts would not be a problem at all. Not to mention that he was a noble.

Well, Josh's bearing was indeed exceptionally conspicuous. Coupled with Garen, who looked like a guard, it was perfectly normal for others to notice.

"I do intend to visit Hogwarts, though it will probably be before the term begins. Of course, if you have time, I hope you can show us the way. That would make things much easier. By the way, Mr. Edward, I heard Diagon Alley has a place that sells wands. Could you take us there?"

"Of course. It would be my pleasure."