Chapter 456: Settled
Chapter 456: Settled (Please Subscribe, Favorite, and Vote)
"Tonks is really pitiful", Hermione said on the bus. "Did you know? Lupin has been avoiding her lately. She's been dropping hints left and right, but he hasn't responded at all."
Thinking of herself, Hermione felt a deep sympathy for Tonks. Liam could only defend Lupin by saying, "You have to understand that Lupin is much older, and Tonks is still young. Most importantly, Lupin is a Werewolf, and he believes his love would bring all sorts of trouble to her."
"Ah—" Hermione sighed. "Rationality is good, but Tonks isn't just acting on a whim. I talked to her, and she's thought this through very carefully. In some ways, Lupin is a lot like you; he genuinely wants the best for others. But he's too decisive, never considering the hopes in other people's hearts."
"I'm trying to change, right?" Liam knew what he should do; arguing at this moment would be foolish. "Besides, now that Lupin has found a job, his attitude has softened a lot. I think he'll eventually agree to Tonks. You didn't notice that Tonks wasn't in too bad a mood, did you? Her hair was a cheerful pink earlier."
"I hope so", Hermione smiled.
The traffic was a bit heavy, so by the time they arrived at the Granger family's home, over an hour had passed. When they opened the door, Liam saw his parents and the Grangers sitting in the Great Hall, sipping tea. From their expressions, it was clear they had had a pleasant conversation.
Next came Liam's turn to be scolded. The four parents unanimously criticized him for moving too quickly, for having taken Hermione away at such a young age. In reality, they had noticed the relationship between Liam and Hermione last summer and had no objections to it, believing the two could handle their issues. However, they hadn't expected Liam to propose so soon, thinking it would be a few more years.
This situation highlighted the inequality between men and women. For the next half hour, only Liam had to endure the parents' nagging, while Hermione watched with interest, finding Liam's rare embarrassment amusing.
Finally, after repeatedly confirming that Liam and Hermione were serious and had thought deeply about their engagement, the parents agreed to their plan to get engaged during the summer vacation and marry right after graduation.
Naturally, Liam also promised the Grangers that he would always be good to Hermione. The Grangers seemed quite satisfied with Liam's attitude.
Next, they discussed the details. Since Liam and Hermione were both from the Wizarding School, many things couldn't be known by outsiders. Therefore, both families decided to have a small, private engagement ceremony during the summer vacation when they would be staying in China for a month, which would also serve as a trip to a foreign land.
After all the details were settled, when they returned home, Mr. Lambert asked Liam, "By the way, getting married does cost money. Traditionally, the wedding is paid for by the bride's family, but I think you'll need to prepare a place to live. Of course, if you don't have enough money, we can give you the savings from the building society, along with some additional funds."
"Dad, I do need your help, but not with money", Liam said, looking at his parents sitting across the table. "I've learned from Wizards that I don't lack money, but this money needs to be exchanged to buy other things."
With his parents watching in astonishment, Liam pulled several gold ingots from his dimensional pocket. "I have quite a bit of gold, but the problem is that if I want to buy a house here, I can't use gold."
"Are Wizards—really that rich?" Mother Sally picked up a gold ingot, weighed it in her hand, and then examined it closely. Her tone was one of disbelief.
"Of course not. I just happened to learn about Alchemy by chance." Liam extended a finger and tapped the tin candlestick on the table. A series of red runes flashed, and the dull candlestick suddenly turned silvery bright.
"This is—silver!" After inspecting it, Mr. Lambert said in surprise, "Could it be that the legend of Nicolas Flamel is true? Is it really possible for someone to turn base metals into gold and silver?"
"Rare, but not impossible", Liam said, puffing out his chest. "I'm proud to say that I am one of those few. The greatest Alchemist, Nicolas Flamel, and his wife only passed away a couple of years ago, living for over 600 years."
"My son is truly the best." Mr. Lambert seemed very happy, but he continued, "However, for a human to live that long is—terrifying!"
Liam hadn't expected Mr. Lambert to react so strangely to the news. Noticing his son's puzzled look, Mr. Lambert said nonchalantly, "Your mother and I once said that the happiest thing in life is to live a healthy life with the ones we love until old age, and then to pass away naturally. Living too long isn't a very good thing."
At this point, Mr. Lambert seemed to suddenly realize something and said, "Of course, it's still too early for you to understand this at your age. But you'll come to realize it all in time."
Finally, Mr. Lambert put away the gold and said he had ways to exchange these items for pounds. He told Liam to just let him know which house he wanted to buy.
In any case, today's events were over. Liam felt very fortunate to have parents who were so understanding, and the Grangers were no different.
After staying at home for a day, both families prepared to travel to China as planned. Liam and Hermione were looking forward to this trip, which would temporarily take them away from the oppressive atmosphere of the British Wizarding World. The Chinese Wizarding World, in particular, seemed shrouded in mystery, making it even more intriguing.
Before leaving home, Mr. Lambert solemnly told Liam that his father, Liam's grandfather, was a non-magical member of a traditional Chinese magical family. He had declined the family's support and went abroad to study. After graduating, he stayed in Britain, married, and had children. When Mr. Lambert visited China to see his father, he told him that Liam was a wizard. Upon hearing this, Mr. Lambert's father asked him to tell Liam to visit home when he had the chance.
From his grandfather's words, Liam learned that the Chinese Wizarding World treated Squibs much better than the British Wizarding World. He was also very interested in Chinese magic, making this holiday trip even more exciting.
Especially when Liam recalled his second year when he was an exchange student in Brazil, and Zhang Qiu mentioned that she had seen Liam's grandfather. She noted that he didn't seem surprised when he saw a young Zhang Qiu's magic power cause a glass to levitate. This explained a lot.
"Really looking forward to seeing China!" Liam thought as he sat in the car on the way to Heathrow Airport. He also looked forward to meeting his grandparents. They had been very kind to him when he was young, and now that Liam had the means, he wanted to ensure they had a healthy and happy old age.
(End of Chapter)
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