The Wind and the Wings of Hogwarts

But he immediately stopped and said to Emilia with a hint of helplessness, "Milly, this is my classmate and roommate, Milton Grevis."

He emphasized the word "roommate".

Emilia asked with a strange expression, "Is your school co-ed?"

"..."

Scott was speechless.

“Hello, Mrs. Trollope,” Milton said softly. “You’ve got the wrong idea, I’m a man.”

"boy?"

Emilia looked at him again, then turned to Scott and said, "Oh, darling, whatever choice you make, I will support you!"

"Thank you, Millie. But I'm heterosexual."

Scott was even more frustrated.

"As for Milton..."

He turned to Milton and said, "Why do I feel like you're asexual?"

Milton quickly grasped the meaning of the term "asexual".

"Maybe?" he said uncertainly, "I've never been attracted to any girl or boy."

"That's it."

Scott spread his hands to Emilia.

"Is that so?" Emilia still seemed disappointed.

"That's it."

Scott looked at her and said.

"Ok."

Emilia still warmly welcomed Milton.

Since Milton seemed uncomfortable and preoccupied, Scott decided to take him out for a walk.

Finally, they arrived at the seaside and stood on the top of the cliff, feeling the cold wind.

"What happened?" Scott asked. "If nothing had happened, you wouldn't have come here, given your usual tendency to avoid causing trouble for anyone."

Milton sat crouching on a rock, staring blankly at the surging, deep sea below the cliff.

"I'm sorry," he said softly again.

“I don’t want to hear apologies,” Scott said. “Just tell me what’s wrong and let’s see if we can find a solution.”

“I ran away from home,” Milton said.

"...Is this your rebellious phase?"

To be honest, Scott was quite surprised.

Milton wasn't the kind of rebellious boy who would run away from home.

Milton shook his head.

“My mother has left,” he said. “My father will probably remarry soon.”

Scott was even more surprised.

He walked over and sat down next to Milton, patting him on the shoulder.

“Mom finally ran away,” Milton added.

Escape? They even used the word "escape"?

Scott didn't know what to say.

Milton continued, "I think they must have been in love at first, didn't they? After all, a wizard marrying a Muggle woman must have been very much in love."

Scott knew he was just venting, so he just listened in silence.

"Perhaps my father didn't think clearly about what marrying a Muggle woman meant to him before he got married."

Milton's voice was low, sometimes heard and sometimes not heard in the wind.

"After suffering setback after setback, he would sometimes think, 'If I had married a witch...would my life have been easier...?'"

Scott wrapped his coat tighter around himself.

And so, he listened silently to Milton's parents' melodramatic love story in the biting cold wind.

……

Chapter 104 finally said those words.

What do you want to do?

Scott asked Milton.

"I mean, did you run away from home because you wanted to find your mother?"

Milton shook his head.

"No, she finally mustered up the courage to escape the life she still couldn't adapt to after 15 years, and I should support her."

He suddenly laughed into the wind.

“You know, it wasn’t until I saw the letter she left me that I truly understood her situation all these years…”

“She never offered any opinion on my education, not because she lacked her own opinions, but because my grandfather told her to keep quiet about it.”

"It turns out that she was a cellist before she got married, and had even been accepted into the London Philharmonic Orchestra."

“When I showed my love for music from a young age, she couldn’t give me even a word of encouragement.”

“My dad had difficulty getting promoted at the Ministry of Magic, but they didn’t think it was a problem with his abilities. They thought it was my mom’s presence that was holding him back, because his boss hated Muggles…”

"After a while, even Dad himself started to believe it..."

"Some time ago, he started dating a widow of pure blood..."

"Mom finally couldn't take this kind of life anymore... She suddenly realized that she had lost herself in this love and marriage..."

"...In her letter she said she would leave England, perhaps to Italy, to France, or perhaps to Austria... She decided to find herself and her dreams."

Milton suddenly stood up.

The wind tousled his hair, and he squinted.

"Scott!"

He turned to look at Scott.

"I've given up music!"

He said loudly.

"I gave up music so that she could have a better life in that family!"

The tears in his eyes were blown away by the wind as they rolled down his cheeks.

"I think if I could become a wizard with better magic, her situation would be better..."

His expression showed he was very unwilling.

"But she ran away first! In her letter, she told me... she hoped that I could do what I love, live for myself, not change myself for anyone, and never give up on my dreams!"

Scott remained seated, watching him silently.

“She’s right!” he said softly.

“You know what, Scott,” he raised his voice, “I understand… I understand that her decision was right, and what she said to me was absolutely correct… but I still can’t help being angry, I’m really unwilling to accept it!”

He suddenly squatted down and burst into tears.

Milton used to cry easily, but it was mostly out of melancholy.

Scott seemed to have never seen him lose his composure like this before.

"...I'm really not reconciled..."

He kept repeating this as he cried.

"What is this..."

Scott remained silent.

He understood that Milton wasn't looking for comfort or advice; he just wanted to vent and needed a quiet listener.

Milton cried for a long time.

Scott didn't stop crying until he felt like he was freezing.

“I’m sorry, Scott.”

He said in a hoarse voice.

"Besides you, I don't know who else to talk to about this. Even Roger and Eddie wouldn't understand how much resolve it took for me to give up music..."

"I know."

Scott looked at the handkerchief in his hand, which was a mess of snot and tears, and took out his own handkerchief and handed it to him.

"Wipe again, otherwise your tears will freeze on your face."

"Thank you."

Milton took the handkerchief and began to wipe his face.

“So what’s your choice?” Scott asked him. “Can your music… be changed back?”

"I do not know."

Milton shook his head.

“But I will try my best,” he said earnestly.

Scott said, "If it were me... I'd probably value magic more."