The days at Hogwarts

He ate something and waited quietly for the night to come...

Chapter 5 The Past of Werewolf Bates

As the night deepened, a round white moon rose in the sky, and the silvery moonlight sprinkled on the white snow. The mountains, trees, and earth were reflected by the moonlight and snow, creating a beautiful and peaceful scene.

The white fur blanket was warm, but Loren was a little bored in the shelter made of branches.

The quiet world was broken by a roar.

"Ugh..."

"what!"

Bates's suppressed and painful voice came from the cave. It was a little low, like the sound of someone rolling on the ground in pain.

"what!"

The cries of pain became higher and hoarser, and seemed to carry some kind of relief.

It was quiet for a while.

"Ow~"

The sharp howls of wolves penetrated the rocks and reached the wilderness, echoing between mountains.

Loren's face suddenly turned pale.

Creak~

There was the sound of claws scratching rocks, and the werewolf inside was scratching again and again. Then there was a dull collision sound, and the werewolf was banging its body against the rock wall, trying to find a way out.

Loren took a deep breath, controlled his trembling body, and decided to leave first. No one knew whether Grandpa Bates, who had lost his mind, could come out.

After packing his bags, he quickly returned to the cabin under the bright moonlight.

His pace became faster and faster, and he gradually ran through the mountains and fields. When he got home, he found that the windproof tarpaulin had a big tear.

Loren opened the door, scooped up a handful of snow and put it in the stove, lighting a fire to melt it. As the room gradually warmed up, he took a sip of water to moisten his throat and began to sort out his thoughts.

Grandpa Bates is a werewolf. He transforms uncontrollably every month when the moon is full. He has to go to the mountains to spend the full moon night every month, and then he will have a period of weakness.

That would explain Bates's strange habits.

The strange rumors in the town were intended to keep the residents away from Bates. They might have been spread by someone with inside information or by Bates himself.

As one puzzle is solved, more puzzles arise.

Why would Bates be willing to raise a burden? He is obviously more comfortable when he is alone.

Are they really related? If not, what was the purpose of the church and government at that time in sending him here?

Is this world really the Britain of the 80s that he knew before?

If there are werewolves, will there be vampires? What roles do the Church and the government play?

One question follows another, one doubt follows another.

And most recently, the occult knowledge in those two books, is alchemy really just a story? What is the purpose of that weird bookseller?

Most importantly, should he escape from Bates?

The complicated thoughts led to no result, but what was certain was that it was impossible for an underage child to travel far.

Grandpa Bates' wrinkled face appeared in Loren's mind, the smiling face when he said he would achieve great success, the scolding when he saw him playing in the snow in just one piece of clothing, and the weakness he felt after returning from the mountain every month.

So much time had passed without him noticing. He decided to wait a while, thinking that Grandpa Bates was worthy of his trust.

Loren fell into a deep sleep on the small bed.

The next day.

It was already bright when Loren woke up. He went to the sheepfold to squeeze out fresh goat milk, boiled it, and cooled it. A mouthful of it made him feel refreshed.

Putting aside all the confusion from last night, Loren decided to just let it go. No matter how complicated the matter was, he couldn't handle it at the moment.

Grandpa Bates is still his Grandpa Bates. No matter what, during these years on the ranch, Bates always treated him as a family member.

After thinking this through, Loren was no longer troubled.

The sky emits a clear light, which is reflected on the white snow, making people's hearts clear.

This is an interesting world! Maybe he will come into contact with extraordinary people and things in the future, and become an extraordinary person himself.

The plot in Loren's mind transitioned from vampire hunters to DC Marvel, and his mood became more cheerful.

In the afternoon, Bates dragged his tired body down from the mountain.

"Grandpa, you're back!" Loren saw him from a distance.

"Ah."

Bates looked at the man in front of him who was already a grown-up kid, sighed and lamented, all kinds of strange emotions suddenly surged up and blocked his mouth.

Bates recalled that when the child first came, he was like a kitten, but now he is ten years old and can go up the mountain by himself.

When he walked out of the cave, he saw the traces left by Loren. The shelter was built properly, but they didn't know how to make a fire.

Bates was somewhat relieved, yet somewhat worried, and he had no idea how much had been discovered.

There were some things Bates wanted to take to his grave, but he underestimated the wisdom of children. He was wondering how to start and where to start.

"I cooked lamb stew with potatoes and macaroni." Loren didn't care about Bates' unusual expression.

Bates sighed with relief: "What a hard-working young man."

He planned to enjoy the meal first, after all, he was still very weak.

……

After swallowing the last piece of lamb chop, Bates sighed with satisfaction, "Even if it's the same dish, your cooking skills are always much better than mine."

Loren raised his eyebrows. “That’s a talent.”

The two chatted and laughed, put away the dishes, and sat on the steps at the door, looking at the moonlight pouring down from the mountains, covering the white snow-covered mountains with a layer of silver gauze.

"Are you interested in listening to an old man tell a story?" There was a sense of relief in the old man's voice.

"Experience is wisdom," Loren replied.

"Forty years ago, when I was a young man..."

Bates participated in World War II when he was young. Although it was not a frontal battlefield, it was equally dangerous.

When they were escorting supplies back, they encountered a small group of elite enemy troops in the mountains.

A squadron chased them everywhere, and finally Bates's squad was separated from the main force. They went deeper and deeper into the mountains along the general direction of their return, and the pace of the pursuers was getting closer and closer.

"We broke into a mountain cabin, which was a bit similar to ours, but much bigger." Bates looked back at his own house and for a moment seemed to see the squad of recruits from forty years ago.

In addition to normal daily necessities, there was a room that looked like a cage. In the cage lay a middle-aged woman, the door was tightly closed, and there were three or four football-sized iron locks hanging on it, as if the woman was some extremely terrifying beast.

The key was on the ground not far from the cell door. They opened the door and woke the woman up.

The woman told them that she was the legendary werewolf. She would turn into a werewolf every full moon night, lose her mind, and live in the mountains.

Tonight is a full moon, so I locked myself up in advance. After saying this, the woman told them to leave as soon as possible.

The young recruits were full of new ideas: If they turned into werewolves, wouldn't they be able to escape?

Three people in the group agreed with this idea, while the others did not want to abandon their beliefs and fall into the arms of darkness.

Young Bates, with the holy light in his heart, left the cabin with a few people who had firm faith.

The other three wanted to take a gamble, so they sprinkled the woman's saliva on the wounds and waited in the house for the enemy and the arrival of night.

"Next, why did you become a werewolf as well?" Loren asked.

"That's fate. It never develops in the direction people expect." Bates sighed.

The three recruits transformed into werewolves and quickly killed all the pursuing enemy troops, and also followed the scent to catch up with their compatriots.

"I watched the beasts tear my comrades into pieces of flesh. The moonlight that night looked like blood." Bates covered his face and his voice was a little sobbing.

The moon finally set, and Bates was slightly injured but luckily survived.

The three werewolf comrades came to their senses, but could not accept their own behavior and committed suicide by shooting themselves.

Later, Bates noticed the bite marks on his arm while tending to the wound.

"I returned to the UK with their suicide notes, great panic, and their expectations for their families."

After dealing with the funeral of his comrades, Bates wanted to return to his hometown and spend the rest of his life in peace.

When passing through this town, he was about to spend the first full moon night after being bitten. Ignoring the advice of the residents, Bates went up the mountain alone and walked for several hours, going deep into the mountains...

"When I woke up in the morning, I was near the address of this cabin. The forest was a mess by me, and some animals were torn into pieces by me. There was blood everywhere." Bates' old voice slowly narrated the cruel scene.

Loren knew this was the cause of the rumors down the mountain.

Bates settled down here. He didn't dare to marry or go home. His family thought he had died on the battlefield.

Chapter 6: Hogwarts Acceptance Letter

"For decades, what has supported me is the belief of taking care of the relatives and friends of my comrades. I have a farm in Scotland and I share the rent with them every year."

"I always felt that this was my responsibility and the meaning of my life. I was the only one who came back alive, so I should shoulder the responsibility. Year after year, those people I had never met gradually died, but I was still alive."

"The widow of my last comrade-in-arms passed away, and I no longer have any attachment to this world."

"That day, the mayor suddenly came to tell me that I had a distant nephew who needed to be taken care of. It was you. They said you had met with misfortune and needed a shelter."

"I agreed, and they sent you here a few days later. That afternoon, I saw the kid. His clothes were tattered, he was barefoot, and his body was covered in mud."

"You all know what happened next."

Loren listened to Bates's story about his past, and his heart was warmed. But looking at his pale beard and deep wrinkles, he suddenly felt some pity for him.

Because of an accident, this old man has been burdened with sin for his entire life and has lived a life of solitude and seclusion. He should have enjoyed honor, but he has lived a lonely life.

Loren didn't know how to comfort him, so he patted Bates on the shoulder and said, "Thank you."

Bates said nothing more, and the two of them just stared at the wilderness until late at night.

……

In the days that followed, Loren never mentioned werewolves again. He was also very curious about whether werewolves were afraid of silver bullets, whether they were invulnerable to swords and guns, and whether they ate raw meat.

But every time I looked at Bates's beard and wrinkles, I never mentioned it again.

In this way, Bates occasionally taught some fighting and reconnaissance techniques learned in the army, and otherwise lived an ordinary life.

Loren flipped through the two strange books again and again, trying to figure out what kind of world this was. Was it Nicolas Flamel himself who sold him the books, or was it someone else?

After thinking about it more, he felt that the name Nicolas Flamel was somewhat familiar, maybe he had heard of it in his previous life. But there was no answer.

Ordinary days continued until 1991, when Loren turned 11.

The mountains in summer are much cooler than other places, and the grass tastes good. Goats are scattered on the hillside, and Loren is leaning against a rock reading a book.

He had read the travel notes in the latter part of "General Explanation of Pictographic Symbols" many times, but there was no other entertainment during the days in the mountains.

Pete had stopped being a shepherd a long time ago and had gone to the city. At first he said he was going to study, but later I heard that he was learning how to repair cars from his uncle.

The current shepherd is Loren, and Bates said that he would send him to a boarding school in the city to study public school in a few years.

Loren had no other plans and he didn't object to this arrangement.

There was a commotion among the flock, and Loren looked up to see a gray-brown owl flying unsteadily over.

Are there owls in the mountains here?

Loren was a little confused; he had never seen it before.

As it got closer, Loren watched as an owl flew over with a letter in its talons.

This strong sense of déjà vu reminded him of something. His eyes widened as he stared at the owl getting closer and closer.

The owl staggered down in front of him, put the letter in his hand, and then stared at him with its round little eyes.

Loren frantically pulled a piece of cheese out of his bag and handed it over.

The owl fluttered its wings, rubbed Loren's hand with its tiny beak, and held the cheese in its mouth. The pure and fragrant sheep cheese was made by Loren himself.

Loren Morgan swore that he actually saw surprise in the owl's eyes.