Chapter 154

On a cloudy, dark morning, with a nasty little drizzle and a light breeze blowing in and out, I stood at the door inside the just-opened Fortescue Café, fully prepared, as they say, to work and defend myself. There was silence all around. A young waitress was wiping down the tables. Occasionally the clinking of dishes could be heard somewhere in the back of the café, in the kitchen. Tiny raindrops could be heard breaking against the glass. The weather forced me to dress somewhat unusually - black army-style pants with high boots, a white T-shirt, a thick black windbreaker with a deep hood, and an overcoat. The look is not English at all, but what can I do? Gloomy weather dictates its own rules, and only water-repellent spells somewhat smooth out this gloom.

A vortex of spatial anomaly referred to here as "Apparation" appeared instantly and disappeared a few meters from the entrance to the cafe, revealing to the empty street of the Alley the figure of a woman, wrapped in a thick black robe with a hood, from under which was a visible braid of blond hair. The woman stepped quickly, disregarding the sharp gust of wind, to the door and opened it, with a distinctive ringing of the bell. After looking around, she headed toward me, throwing off her hood.

"Lovely weather, Mr. Knight," Delphine smiled.

"It certainly is. It makes you think about the vital."

"Are you ready?"

With a twitch of my shoulder, revealing the strap of my unchanging bag, I nodded affirmatively.

"Then, let's apparate," Delphine headed for the exit of the café. Decent people don't apparate from the premises. Not only is it indecent, but it can throw off various charms, security, or decorative, thereby causing a lot of inconvenience to the owner of the house or establishment. In general, it is not customary.

Just as we were over the threshold, and the wind threw a sheaf of cold little splashes in my face as if mocking me, Delphine held out her hand to me.

"Take my hand and hold on tight."

Rowena, analyze what's happening.

"Already."

Taking Delphine's hand, I almost immediately felt a powerful surge of magic envelop us, and just a moment later, that magic seemed to turn into a drill, instantly screwing into space and pulling us into that vortex. For a brief moment, it was unpleasant, as if you were being twisted, squeezed like a rag and pulled, pulled somewhere far away. But here we are already standing on a stone path near a wooden two-storey house in a typical Norwegian style, and around, a little further away, a dense forest with tall trees. My eye tried to pick out other objects around the house, of which there were quite a few, but the weather here was even worse. The wind was stronger, and the rain was pouring down like a curtain covering the view.

"It's stormy out here sometimes!" echoing the hum of the rain and the forest beneath it, Delphine pulled me by the arm into the house.

Once inside, I immediately felt the warmth and the pleasant, elusive smell of wood. With magic, Delphine tidied us up, dried us completely, and took off her robe, under which was a pantsuit in the manner of a jockey suit, only looser.

From the hallway, a large living room began immediately. I had thought the house was two stories, but now, after taking in what I saw from the outside and comparing it to what I saw inside, I realize that the second floor is a deception. Just a living room, the main hall, from which you can get to the right or left wing of the house, exactly two stories high, and the ceiling is the roof, under which the heads of trophy animals frighteningly hang on the walls. Also there, along the various beams stretched an elaborate Dream Catcher web. All the way up to the damn ceiling!

"So that sleep would always be restful, and even curse-imposed nightmares wouldn't bother me," Delphine, already sitting on one of the couches in the center of the hall, noticed my surprise.

The huge stone fireplace was blazing with pleasant clicks, and the house-elf, unknown to me, was setting breakfast for two right there on the table across from the couches. Walking to the table, I had already taken off my coat and packed it in my bag, and as I sat down across from Delphine, I still surveyed my surroundings. There were furs here and there, all sorts of cozy cushions on the couches, lamps in the corners and overhead, but now only the overcast sky outside the window and the fireplace provided light.

"We'll have breakfast now, and I'll show you your room, and then we'll start training," the manner of the conversation implied a switch to "informal," so I decided to act a little more relaxed.

After a quick breakfast, Delphine introduced me to the house-elf Heini, and she led me to one of the rooms in the left wing of the house. It was a relatively simple room: a curtained window, a large wooden bed against the wall, a closet and a bookcase, a massive desk, and a brown leather armchair. The fur of some huge animal covered almost the entire floor. I quickly put my belongings in their places and followed the house-elf back into the hall.