Chapter 4 Kind Lies

After two years, Tewell finally tasted his father's cooking again. It's quite bizarre, considering that his father, the head of one of the 28 pure-blood families, actually runs a French restaurant in the Muggle world! Fortunately, the Welfare family is discreet enough, rarely interacting with other wizards, so it hasn't leaked out. But even if it did, it wouldn't have much impact on the family.

"Now that you've graduated, have you thought about what you want to do?" Brenda suddenly asked.

"How about helping out at my restaurant? Or opening a Chinese cuisine restaurant nearby?" Miles suggested.

"I've applied for a teaching assistant position at Hogwarts," Tewell said cautiously, avoiding mentioning that he applied for Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"Why do you suddenly want to go to Hogwarts?" Brenda was surprised, even forgetting to put down her fork. "Initially, it was you who insisted on going to Durmstrang."

"Durmstrang is too extreme. I want to take this opportunity to learn more diverse magic," Tewell had prepared this explanation in advance.

Miles paused for a moment, not recalling the position of a teaching assistant. "Well, that's not bad. But a teaching assistant? When did Hogwarts add that position?"

Both Miles and Brenda are Hogwarts graduates. Initially, Tewell strongly insisted on not going to Hogwarts, which troubled them for a while.

"I applied specifically. Otherwise, Hogwarts wouldn't let a recent graduate teach young wizards."

In reality, Tewell suspected that Hogwarts wanted to share the curse of the Defense Against the Dark Arts, which is why they agreed to the application of a recent Durmstrang graduate.

"Hogwarts does indeed need an additional teaching assistant, or else the professors will be overworked," Miles nodded approvingly at his son's choice. "Which subject will you be assisting with?"

Uh-oh, Tewell swallowed hard, his words speeding up to the point where he couldn't even hear himself clearly. "Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"What?!" Brenda stood up suddenly, her chair falling to the ground as she pushed it forcefully. "I won't allow you to have anything to do with Defense Against the Dark Arts!"

"Seriously, you could hear that clearly?!" Tewell's jaw dropped.

"Of course, I'm your mother. Anything that vague definitely spells trouble with the course!" Brenda said, hands on her hips, her eyes red with anger.

"I absolutely won't allow you to touch this subject. I went through seven Defense Against the Dark Arts professors in my seven years at school, and the worst one lost a hand!"

Miles quickly interjected, "Tewell knows more about curses than we do. There must be a reason for choosing this course. Let's hear his explanation."

If it were anyone else, Tewell wouldn't even have the interest to explain. But in front of him were his parents, who had supported him for many years. He needed a well-prepared reason.

"Do you remember what happened when I was eleven?" Tewell decided to comfort his parents with a kind lie.

"The truth is, I was under the same curse, but don't worry, the teachers at school helped me lift it over the years."

"You know, the teachers and Headmaster Dumbledore have some unknown history, so he asked me to try and lift the curse on this course."

"Even if I can't, it doesn't matter. After all, it's just a teaching assistant position, and the curse won't stick to me."

Tewell had told his parents about the teachers before, and initially they were doubtful. Fortunately, he had always been able to dispel their worries by demonstrating the Patronus Charm.

But Brenda's focus was seven years ago.

"So, during that time you were weak, were you on the brink of death? Why didn't you tell us about such an important matter? I'm your mother, after all."

Brenda became more and more upset as she spoke. For a mother, the safety of her child is her top concern. As for the matters concerning Grindelwald and Dumbledore, she didn't really care...

Well, she did care, but that was more about gossip.

"I was afraid you would worry back then," Tewell stepped forward quickly, embracing his mother, "And now I'm fine, perfectly healthy."

Miles also approached, gently releasing Tewell's hand and embracing his wife, whispering words of comfort.

"Tewell isn't impulsive. Even if there's danger, with Dumbledore at Hogwarts, he wouldn't stand by and watch Tewell get hurt."

"Besides, the Welfare family has connections. It's possible to seek help from some knowledgeable wizards."

The two continued their intimate discussion, ignoring Tewell's embarrassed glance at Jeff.

"If you need it, I can give you a hug, but please hurry up, I still have to clean up the dishes," Jeff joked.

"...Thank you."

Later, Brenda and Miles agreed to Tewell's decision.

"But it's only as a teaching assistant. If I find out you want to become a professor of this subject, I'll lock you in the cupboard for life!" Brenda emphasized.

This relieved him. His parents were his greatest comfort, and gaining their approval was his primary reason for coming home so soon.

Sometimes he wondered, compared to other travelers who were alone, walking in a strange world with caring parents who loved him might not be such a bad thing after all.

Before going for his interview at Hogwarts, Tewell stayed at the manor.

Even though two years had passed, there were no changes in the arrangement inside. Jeff cleaned his room every day, so it was still tidy.

But the bedding was new, as Brenda put it, it was time to turn over a new leaf after graduation.

Life at the manor was simple. When his father had time, he worked as a chef at the restaurant in London, and when he didn't, he was with Brenda. As for Brenda, her life was even simpler.

Shopping and watching movies were her main pursuits, not at all like a witch, more like a carefree lady of leisure.

Tewell spent his days at home. Compared to the militarized management of Durmstrang, life at the manor seemed more relaxed. But he wasn't uncomfortable at all, in fact, he felt even more at ease, at least there weren't any bothersome wizards coming to challenge him. He wasn't fond of wandering outside; on the contrary, his greatest hobby was reading in his room.

He spent several days organizing his collection of books. If he became a teaching assistant at Hogwarts, he would undoubtedly stay in the castle.

But that wouldn't happen until September 1st, the start of the school year.

He could tidy up then. However, if Malfoy saw these books, he'd probably have him arrested without a second thought. Because the titles of these books didn't look very legitimate.

Titles like "Principles of Dark Magic - How to Properly Cast Dark Magic"" Control of Beliefs - Enhancing the Power of Your Dark Magic""Origin of Curse Magic" and so on. Just the titles alone would be enough for Tewell to have a permanent room in Azkaban, and it would have to be a VIP room.