After two years, Tver finally tasted his father's cooking again.
Oddly enough, his father, the head of one of the twenty-eight pure-blood families, ran a French restaurant in the Muggle world!
Fortunately, the Fawley family maintained a low profile and rarely interacted with other wizards, so the news hadn't spread.
Even if it did, it wouldn't have had a significant impact on the family.
"Now that you've graduated, have you decided what you want to do?" Belinda asked suddenly.
"How about helping out at my restaurant? Or opening a Chinese restaurant next door?" Miles suggested.
"I've applied for a teaching assistant position at Hogwarts," Tver said cautiously, careful not to mention that it was for Defence Against the Dark Arts.
"Why do you suddenly want to go to Hogwarts?" Belinda asked, surprised, her fork frozen in mid-air. "You were the one who wanted to go to Durmstrang in the first pce."
"Durmstrang is too extreme. I want to take this opportunity to learn more about different kinds of magic," Tver said, reciting the prepared statement.
Miles pondered this, as he did not recall that there was a teaching assistant position, "That's not bad, but a teaching assistant? When did Hogwarts add this position?"
Miles and Belinda were both Hogwarts graduates, and Tver's vehement refusal to attend Hogwarts had caused them much distress.
"I specifically applied for it, otherwise Hogwarts wouldn't let a recent graduate teach young wizards."
In truth, Tver suspected that Hogwarts wanted to share the Defence Against the Dark Arts curse, which was why they had accepted an application from a Durmstrang graduate.
"Hogwarts does need an additional teaching assistant, otherwise the professors will be worked to death," Miles said, nodding in approval. "Which subject will you be assisting with?"
Oh no! Tver swallowed hard, his words coming out so quickly that even he could barely understand them. "Dark... fense... ies."
"What?!" Belinda excimed, jumping to her feet, her chair crashing to the floor. "I forbid you from taking Defence Against the Dark Arts!"
"Seriously? You could understand that?!" Tver was dumbfounded.
"Of course, I'm your mother! Anything that unclear is definitely a problematic subject!" Belinda said, her hands on her hips, her eyes red with anger.
"I absolutely will not allowyou to take that subject. During my seven years at school, we had seven different Defence Against the Dark Arts professors, and the worst one lost an arm!"
Miles quickly intervened. "Tver is more aware of the curse than we are. He must have a good reason for choosing this subject. Let's hear him out."
With anyone else, Tver wouldn't have bothered to expin, let alone offer an excuse.
But these were the parents who had supported him for so many years. He needed a well-rehearsed expnation.
"Do you remember what happened when I was eleven?" Tver asked, preparing to tell a kind lie to reassure his parents.
"I was actually affected by the same curse. But don't worry, the professor has helped me break it over the years."
"You know that our professor and Headmaster Dumbledore have a story, so he asked me to try to break the curse on this subject."
"Even if I can't, it doesn't matter. I'm just a teaching assistant anyway, the curse won't affect me."
Tver had told his parents about the professor. At first, they were skeptical, but he was able to cast a Patronus Charm, which alyed their concerns.
They didn't know that as long as one firmly believed in their ideals, even evil ones, a wizard could cast a Patronus Charm...
However, Belinda's focus was on the events of seven years prior.
"So, the reason you were so weak back then was because you were near death? Why didn't you tell us about something so important? I'm your mother!"
Belinda grew increasingly upset. As a mother, her greatest concern was her child's safety. As for Grindelwald and Dumbledore's issues, she didn't care about them at all...
Alright, she did care, but only from a gossip perspective.
"I didn't want you to worry," Tver said quickly, stepping forward to embrace his mother. "And I'm fine now. I'm healthy."
Miles stepped forward as well, taking Tver's hands and putting his arm around his wife.
"Tver isn't impulsive. Even if there is danger, Dumbledore is at Hogwarts. He wouldn't let Tver get hurt."
"Besides, the Fawley family has connections. We can find some knowledgeable wizards to help."
The two of them held each other, discussing which famous wizards specialized in breaking curses, ignoring Tver and Jeff's awkward gnces.
"I can give you a hug if you need one, but please be quick. I still have to clear the table," Jeff said jokingly.
"...Thanks, but no thanks."
Afterward, Belinda and Miles approved of Tver's decision.
"But only as a teaching assistant. If I find out that you're trying to become a professor for that subject, I'll lock you in the cupboard for life!" Belinda emphasized.
This relieved him. His parents were his greatest source of comfort, and their approval was the reason he had rushed home.
Sometimes, he thought that compared to other lonely transmigrators, having caring parents in this strange world wasn't a bad thing at all.
Before going to Hogwarts for the interview, Tver stayed at the manor.
He had been away for two years, but the interior remained unchanged. Jeff cleaned his room every day, so it was still spotless.
However, the bedding had been repced. As Belinda had said, graduation marked the beginning of a new chapter.
Life at the manor was simple. When his father wasn't busy, he would work as a chef at the restaurant in London. Otherwise, he would spend time with Belinda.
Belinda's life was even simpler.
Shopping and watching movies were her greatest pursuits. She didn't act like a witch at all, and was more like a leisured noblewoman.
Tver spent his days at home. Compared to Durmstrang's military-like management, life at the manor was much more rexing.
He didn't mind it at all, in fact, he even preferred it. At least certain bothersome wizards wouldn't come looking for duels.
He had never enjoyed being on the go. On the contrary, staying in his room and reading was his favorite pastime.
He spent several days organizing his collection of books. If he became a teaching assistant at Hogwarts, he would undoubtedly have to live in the castle.
However, that wouldn't happen until the start of the term on September 1st, so he could sort things out ter.
If the Aurors were to see these books, they would probably arrest him without hesitation.
The titles alone sounded quite incriminating.
Books such as "Principles of Dark Magic: How to Properly Cast Dark Magic," "Belief Control: Making Your Dark Magic More Powerful," and "Origins of Curse Magic" were enough to nd Tver a permanent room in Azkaban, a VIP room at that.