A month later.
London, Westminster City, Strand Street.
The sky was still dark at four in the morning. Fog rose above the river, and a long, narrow wooden boat slowly sailed past.
The white halo light at the bow of the boat flickered and illuminated the dark waterway. The hull slapped against the water, making a rhythmic rustling sound. Two men sat on the wooden boat, drowsy.
One of them was tall and thin, and he was napping on the cargo. The other was slightly plump, and he was driving the ship while smoking his pipe.
At this moment, the roar of an airplane swept past the sky. The plump man driving the boat was shocked and immediately docked the boat under a mansion on the shore.
Along the riverbank, tall churches and mansions were arranged in rows. Most of the owners were high-ranking British officials, but most of them had already evacuated. Only a few empty abandoned houses and the watergate leading to the Thames River were left.
With the roar of the airplane, an oval-shaped beam of light swept across the river like a spotlight on a black stage. The light spots stuck to the river and swept past the surrounding buildings before quickly returning to silence.
Seeing the airplane disappear into the sky, the man lying on the goods breathed a sigh of relief. "Are we almost there, Weasley?"
"Almost." The plump man put out his pipe.
"Really, so tight security," the tall and thin man muttered.
"These Muggles are making it look like they're searching for Jews in Germany. We should install a flight network for the safe house. That way, it'll be easier to get the goods."
"Install a flight network?" The man snorted. "Then how are you going to pay the taxes, and how are you going to explain that a group of wizards opened a Muggle restaurant? Merlin Beard above, I don't want to deal with people from the Ministry of Magic."
"Oh …"
The tall and thin man clearly had nothing to say. After a moment of silence, he suddenly asked, "Is the boss awake?"
"He hasn't woken up after five," the plump man said.
"That's amazing. I couldn't have been like this when I was young."
The man looked at the goods on the boat and complained again. "We've only earned twenty pounds this month, and the ingredients are getting more expensive. God knows how long this shop can stay open. If the boss still insists on checking the free food, we really might not be able to last much longer. "
"These days, it doesn't matter how much money you have. It's good enough to survive. I think the boss is quite creative. A wizard opening a shop for Muggles. How many people would dare to do that? "
"He's really bold." The lanky man said, "If the Ministry of Magic finds out that we brought Muggle Mirage to another country, I reckon everyone in our shop will have to go to Azkaban for four or five years."
"What are you afraid of? Keep your hands and feet clean. Every time you sneak in, use the Amnesia Spell. Who will find out?"
The chubby man said indifferently, "Besides, the boss opened the shop out of interest. If you don't like it, you can leave at any time."
"Hey, forget it." The lanky man immediately denied. "I'm just saying. The boss is a nice guy … "
While speaking, the boat stopped beside a small church on the riverbank. Piles of rubble were piled high here. It was obvious that this was a place that had unfortunately been bombed.
Two Magi carried goods and stepped on the wooden bridge, making thumping noises.
After entering the church, the chubby man took out his wand and muttered a few incantations. The dilapidated stone wall in front of him split into two.
This was the basement of the church. It was dark outside, but the basement of the church was brightly lit. There were a few tables scattered on the ground. There was a burning fireplace flame in the corner. There were a dozen deep doorways in the wall, leading to different rooms.
There were many scaffolding at the door of each room. A few Magi climbed up and down between them, using their wands to repair the places that had been bombed by Muggle planes.
Under a decapitated statue in the middle of the basement of the church, there was a wide wooden counter. A young man sat behind the counter, writing and drawing in front of a few large books with parchment.
He had gray hair, pale golden eyes, and a thin figure. He wore a very ordinary shirt and overalls, and was dressed no different from an ordinary masonry worker at a construction site.
Joseph stepped forward and said to Hoffa, who was sitting behind the counter, "Boss, I've bought the things."
The young man looked up and saw the two of them. He smiled and said hello, "Hey, Joseph, Leon, you've worked hard."
The young man was Hoffa. After returning from Helzburg, he was questioned more than a dozen times by the Ministry of Magic. He had no job and no source of income. He only had 50 Garons left from last year.
However, he had a few more subordinates for no reason. Perhaps it was wrong to call them subordinates. Perhaps they should be called followers or friends.
Among the Magi he saved in Helzburg, five of them did not go elsewhere. Instead, they stayed by his side and could not be driven away. Especially the salesman from the Weasley family, who wanted to stay by his side no matter what.
As for why, in Joseph's words, he felt "safe" with him.
At first, Hoffa was speechless. No matter where he went in London, he was followed by a few big men, which made him feel ashamed.
But gradually, he got used to it. He did not know Mirage, and there was no good place to go. He accepted them and formed a group of Magi in the form of a wandering rock band.
A group of people had to eat together. Due to the outbreak of war, food outside was extremely expensive. In order to solve the problem of food, the group found an abandoned church that was bombed in London and settled down temporarily.
As Hoffa worked at the Broken Cauldron Bar last year as a waiter, he had some understanding of the restaurant's operations. He also had some Garons with him, so he proposed to open a restaurant.
At first, his idea was simple. Since there was a shortage of food, he would open a restaurant. After all, it was still food for himself. Cooking for others was the same. He could earn some money.
Unexpectedly, due to the war, nine out of ten restaurants in London closed down. Although Hoffa's restaurant was not in a good environment, it unexpectedly survived. Not only did it survive, it even opened up a lodging business and became an underground hotel.
.....
.....
"Did you get the books?" Hoffa put down his work and looked at Joseph.
"Yes, as you said, I bought second-hand books."
After that, Joseph handed over a bundle of books and said to the tall, thin man next to him, "Leon, go prepare the food. We'll start work soon."
The chef did not leave. He asked proudly, "Boss, do you have anything you want to eat today? I got a piece of lamb chop from the farm."
"No need, I'll eat the same as the others." Hoffa refused.
For the past month, he had been jokingly called Boss. Hoffa thought that the title was embarrassing, but the people around him did not get tired of it. They probably thought that it was fun to call a minor boss.
"Alright then …"
The chef named Leon shrugged and hooked his backpack with his foot. He used a floating spell to float the bag of food and walked down to the second floor.
After sending the chef away, Joseph leaned on the counter and asked softly, "Hoffa, although I'm being nosy, I still want to ask, are you going back to Hogwarts this year?"
"Nonsense, if I'm not going back, I'll ask you to buy books for me."
Huo Fa looked at the old books and didn't raise his head to look at the school notice against the course catalog.
"But our hotel has just started, and you're leaving already?"
"So what? I'm not doing anything here." Hoffa did not look up. "I don't know how to cook, and I don't know how to do accounting. I just paid fifty Garons."
"But you can calm them down," Joseph said confidently.
Hoffa said, "Huh? I can do that. "
Joseph pointed at the wizards on the scaffolding.
"Listen, these people are here to help because you saved them. If you leave, they won't be able to help you." If you leave, the hotel will be gone. "
Hoffa was amused. "Come on, you're the one who saved them, not me. I'm just doing them a favor. "
As he spoke, he packed his luggage and books. Today was the 31st of August, and he was going back to Hogwarts the next day. Speaking of which, he was a little impatient.
This summer vacation was too long. First, he worked in Saint-Mango Hospital, then he was tricked by Aglaia to go on an adventure, and then he was interrogated by the Ministry of Magic nearly ten times. Finally, he opened an underground restaurant in London … In comparison, life in Hogwarts was like a vacation!
But when he was halfway packing, Joseph stopped him again. "Listen, Hoffa, I'm not as legendary as you are. They don't need me."
"What the hell, legendary?" Hoffa laughed. "You read too many novels."
"My son is seventeen years old, and he's still living in St. Catchpole. You're only thirteen years old, but you're able to open an underground hotel in war-torn London. This is incredible. They need you, they need a legend like you …"
Before Joseph could finish his sentence, the gong sounded.
Clang! Clang!
Hearing the gong, the group of wizards who were busy on the scaffolding immediately put away their wands and climbed down the scaffolding. They pretended to be muggles as if nothing had happened.
After a while, a group of people wearing nightgowns came out from the cubicles around the underground restaurant. There were men and women, old and young. The oldest was sixty or seventy years old, and the youngest was less than ten years old.
The kitchen and dining room's doors were opened, and a strong aroma came out.
Everyone rushed to the cupboard where the cutlery was placed. As people came and went, they kept greeting Hoffa.
"Yo, boss, good morning."
"Boss, how did you fix your room so quickly?"
"Don't tell me you know magic."
"Haha …"
"What an amazing young man …"
With an awkward but polite smile, Huo Fa dealt with them one by one.
The guests joked with the cook while scooping food from the steaming big bowls onto individual plates. Then they walked to the long table and found their favorite seat to sit down.
After greeting the guests, Joseph leaned over and said in a low voice, "See, these muggles didn't greet me at all. They were all greeting you. It's nothing strange for a thirty-year-old to open an inn. But it's different for a thirteen-year-old to open one. People in this era need a bit of a legend to make them fantasize and keep them confident. If you leave, our business will at least lose … "
"Fine, fine, fine!!" Hoffa covered his ears and interrupted Joseph's long-winded speech.
"Wow, you're really an insurance salesman. You're so good at flattering people. But I have to go to school. As for the inn, it should be fine with you looking after it. If it really doesn't work, just install a plane network. I'll come back for Christmas. "
After that, Hoffa didn't give Joseph a chance to speak. He closed the box and left the counter. He went to eat breakfast.
Joseph walked around in a circle, sighed, and chased after him.
.....
.....
After breakfast, Hoffa started his last day of work for the summer vacation. His job was simple, not much different from the one in Saint-Mango.
Register the guests. If someone wanted to stay, Hoffa would assign them to different rooms.
This job was easy, but it was a bit boring. Speaking of which, this was all he could do. Although he said he could serve the dishes, Joseph scolded him in private, saying that he didn't know how to be a boss …
The underground inn was bustling with people. Due to the bombing of Germany, there were many refugees in London. Some brought their families here to seek asylum, some wanted to use connections to smuggle to other countries, and some just came here to fill their stomachs.
Hoffa's business didn't charge much. The accommodation was small, and the food was free. He only made a small profit from the rich people who wanted to smuggle to other countries.
Time passed quickly. Unknowingly, Hoffa was busy until nighttime. At this time, the guests in the inn gradually decreased.
He stretched and prepared to rest early so that he could leave for school the next day.
But at this time, the sliding door to the surface opened, and a girl with a backpack walked in.
She wore round-rimmed glasses, a light blue shirt, and a small wooden carving on her chest.
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