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Chapter 8 The Moon Over London

Now that Aunt Lovetz and Chris have come to visit, Ares has no reason to leave them out.

Aunt Lovitz clearly didn't want their arrival to affect his work and life, but Ares still claimed that he had applied for half a month of annual leave from his company and accompanied them to explore the streets and alleys of London.

"I'd love to spend more time with you all, and I also need to rest myself."

When faced with his aunt Lovetz's eighth urging for him to get back to work as soon as possible, Ares smiled and said...

For him, the two weeks in Azkaban felt more like a vacation than shopping with two energetic women.

The wind howled, and dazzling thunder snaked through the clouds as torrential rain blanketed London on the last Friday of August.

"Toiletries? Your sketchbook? Winter fleece pants? Did you bring everything?"

"Then get in—Ares, you and Chris squeeze in the back—oh, London taxis are so stingy, they can't even fit me in this little bit!"

The last sentence was spoken by Aunt Lovitz to the taxi driver, who looked haggard as he carried three heavy suitcases in the pouring rain.

After all that fuss, no one was completely dry.

"Mom, I think I left a bag of thick socks under the bed!"

After frantically checking her luggage, Chris shouted under the driver's 'desperate' gaze.

"Honestly, I've told you at least five times, Chris, watch your stuff!"

Aunt Lovetz shouted angrily, but then she snatched the house key from Ares's hand and rushed into the rain.

"It's just a bag of socks!"

Chris shouted angrily.

"Don't talk to your mother like that, Chris—"

Ares struggled to pull his hand out from under the two bundles of clothes and gently tapped Chris's forehead with his fingers. He glanced out the window to make sure Aunt Lovetz had rushed into the house, then turned back to Chris.

"I packed some local specialties in your big red suitcase—a box of ginger salamander biscuits. Eating some can help prevent colds."

"Oh, thank you~"

Chris slumped against the backrest, listless.

"There's still £5000 left in the cookie box."

Ares said gently.

bass!

Chris straightened up abruptly, shaking her head as she stared in horror at Ares, who was standing right in front of her.

"I can't give this money directly to Aunt Lovetz, you understand? She'd rather die than accept it."

Chris's reaction was not unexpected. Ares said calmly,

"You can use part of this money for your own living expenses, and send some back to Aunt Lovetz so she can use it to deal with the loan."

"I can't take your money, Ares. If she finds out, she'll throw me onto the roof with one hand! Or she'll just hang me from the beam!"

Chris still looked terrified, and she gasped as she spoke.

Just say you earned it by working part-time during your spare time.

Ares stared into Chris's reddened eyes and delivered the words he had prepared beforehand.

"Don't be ashamed, Chris. Everyone has awkward moments. When I first came out of school, I also made do in a tent for a while."

And this money isn't a gift, it's just a loan... Oh, and of course, it's interest-free, provided you pass every final exam in university.

Chris's eyes grew redder and redder, and then she suddenly hugged Ares.

"What's wrong?!"

Aunt Lovitz returned in a hurry and looked at her daughter with surprise.

"Oh, it's nothing—"

Ares ruffled Chris's hair and said with a smile,

"I'm just a little reluctant to part ways."

"Honestly, they've finally come to their senses—"

Aunt Lovetz muttered something, her tone softer than ever before. She tossed the socks into Chris's lap, then turned to look at the driver.

"Let's go, let's go!"

The taxi crawled along in the pouring rain for half a day before finally getting Chris to her destination. But the mother and daughter didn't have much time for a sad farewell, because Aunt Lovetz's return trip was also on the same day.

Outside King's Cross Station, the aunt and niece were saying their final goodbyes.

"Are you really not going to stay with me a little longer, Aunt Lovetz?"

"We've already caused you enough trouble, dear child, you really can't stay any longer—"

Aunt Lovetz effortlessly lifted the suitcase that could bend a grown male Muggle over, patting Ares on the shoulder with one hand.

"Besides, the crops in the fields won't wait for anyone!"

Ares nodded.

"I will try my best to go back to see you for Christmas."

"Don't put too much pressure on yourself; just write letters regularly."

Aunt Lovetz looked at Ares kindly and ruffled his wet hair.

"Also, I put some money behind that photo of you and your father. You can use this money to go to a proper hospital to get yourself checked out... Don't blindly believe in those folk remedies!"

Ares' lips moved, but in the end he simply nodded.

Just as he was determined to slip Chris some money, he couldn't return the money his Aunt Lovetz had secretly left him.

Ares did not refuse, which pleased Aunt Lovetz greatly, but then her expression showed a rare moment of hesitation.

"I know this might not be pleasant to hear, Ares, but I'll say it anyway—"

After a long pause, Aunt Lovetz took a deep breath.

"Your mother's sudden departure from you and your father when you were very young may have left you with some trauma..."

Ares blinked, about to say something, but was forcefully interrupted by Aunt Lovetz.

"—I hope you understand, Ares, abandoning her husband and children was a foolish thing that woman did, but that doesn't mean all women are like that."

Aunt Lovetz patted Ares on the shoulder again, heavily.

"I hope you can bring a girl with you next time you go back to your hometown, okay?"

"Hmm—"

Ares blinked.

"Does it have to be a girl, Aunt? Can't we be less rigid about gender?"

A few jokes dispelled the heavy atmosphere of parting.

Ares smiled as he watched his Aunt Lovetz walk into the station, her robust figure disappearing into the bustling crowd.

The sky was still overcast, and the rain was still falling, but not a single drop of rain could touch Ares's body anymore.

In the rain that had turned into a mist, a tangible heat gradually rose around Ares, evaporating the dampness from his body.

He himself, like mist floating in the breeze, was gradually covered and enveloped by the hazy and distorted space, turning into nothingness and disappearing into the Muggle world.