"We just passed Old Dutton's Clinic."
"Shut up! You were the one who said that getting a tooth pulled by Old Dutton was like being slaughtered like a sheep."
Watson Wick immediately became highly alert when he saw his wife driving.
After they passed Old Dutton's dental clinic, he instinctively covered his pocket.
Mrs. Wick looked visibly annoyed, a stark contrast to her usual composed demeanor.
Watson felt something uncomfortable in his seat. Reaching beneath him, he pulled out a fashion magazine.
It featured a new product launch from Louis Vuitton, and Watson's face fell immediately.
Getting his tooth pulled was a minor issue; buying a handbag was a major one.
The car finally stopped on Oxford Street, and Watson knew that his wallet was destined to suffer today.
Gulp!
His wife, who had been adamant about taking him to get his tooth pulled, suddenly hopped out of the car, heels clicking away, leaving the father and son staring at each other in bewilderment.
"Maybe we should find another clinic to get your tooth pulled," John suggested, watching his dad struggle to shift from the passenger seat to the driver's side. He had his doubts.
"You are in pain.. Are you sure you can drive?"
"Or would you rather do it? Can your magic help me with a tooth extraction?"
Watson thought to himself, "I might not be able to control my wife, but I can certainly handle you, my son."
John shrugged, wondering how long the bank statement would be tomorrow.
The father and son drove around London, circling here and there, and eventually arrived at a dental clinic.
"Oh! Granger? Same last name as Hermione's."
John glanced at the name, thinking it was quite a coincidence. If he had a phone, he would definitely snap a picture and send it to Hermione.
Entering the clinic, they found it to be quite small, with a clean and simple waiting area where a few kids and adults were seated.
Europeans spend a lot of money on dental care each year, and one of the kids was crying in pain, which was getting on everyone's nerves.
John and Watson sat down to wait. A woman sitting alone noticed Watson's successful and composed demeanor, and her eyes lit up.
She tried to strike up a conversation with Watson, deliberately leaning closer and saying, "Your child is very handsome. Too many sweets?"
She had just gone through a divorce and was in her prime, unwilling to remain alone.
Watson had the classic look of an English gentleman, a very appealing appearance. His calm demeanor made the woman bat her eyes flirtatiously.
Her eyes seemed to be full of sparks, and seeing that Watson wasn't responding, she quickly shifted her attention, ready to try a different tactic with John.
"Hey, handsome boy, looks like your dad isn't in a good mood today."
John glanced at her and replied coolly, "If you had a toothache, you wouldn't be able to talk either."
The woman was a bit confused.
At that moment, someone walked into the waiting area.
When the person saw the woman, he immediately showed a look of exasperation. Then, noticing John sitting nearby, he seemed a bit surprised.
"I remember you... John, right? Do you still remember me? I'm Hermione's dad."
Mr. Granger quickly walked over. Unlike most middle-aged men in the country with ridiculously high hairlines, his thick hair made it clear to John where Hermione got hers.
"Are you here to see Hermione?"
Mr. Granger thought John was there to see Hermione. John smiled, gave a slight bow, and said, "Hello, Mr. Granger. Is this your clinic? I'm not here to see Hermione. It's my dad—he has a cavity."
John pointed to his father, Watson, who was sitting there with a stern expression, looking quite unhappy.
In reality, his tooth was aching, and every time he opened his mouth, it felt like a woodpecker was pecking at his teeth.
As they say, it's good to know people. Mr. Granger warmly escorted the two inside. From his expression, though, it seemed more like he was trying to make a quick escape.
The woman in the waiting area watched the two good men leave with a look of longing.
Tsk* These days, all the good men seem to belong to someone else.
It's no wonder why a woman might look for a married man, in these times, good gentle and rich men were almost extinct.
Why not kill two birds with one stone? Get a son and a mature rich and handsome man at the same time—why not?
Inside the clinic, Mr. Granger let out a sigh of relief.
He smiled wryly and said, "She comes to the clinic every day to flirt with me."
After saying that, he looked around nervously and whispered, "Don't tell my wife. She's very sensitive about these things."
Watson immediately gave him a knowing look, patted Mr. Granger on the shoulder, and said empathetically, "What can you do? Sometimes being too outstanding as a man is just a burden."
This statement made the two of them feel a sense of camaraderie and they quickly became good friends.
John glanced at the two older men, clearly amused. "Seriously? Full of yourselves much?"
"Doesn't your tooth hurt anymore, Dad?"
Unable to bear the budding bromance between the two older men, John reminded his father.
Watson clutched his cheek again—"yes, it hurts, it hurt a lot."
While Mr. Granger treated Watson's tooth, John wandered aimlessly around the clinic.
He picked up a newspaper and saw an article about the issues in the Russian territory.
Once the undisputed big brother of the world, now, after experiencing a split, it's already in a precarious state.
John muttered to himself, "Looks like Grandpa got caught up in this stuff too."
He remembered that his grandfather had some influence locally, possibly because the government wanted to enlist his help in stabilizing the situation there.
John shook his head as he continued reading the newspaper.
A bushy brown-haired head came into view, and when she saw John, her face lit up with delight.
"John!"
John turned around to see Hermione running over, clutching a ridiculously thick book. She dropped the book on the table, and it landed with a heavy thud.
"What are you doing here? You should have told me."
Hermione's initial joy turned into a slight scold. She had invited a few friends to her house before, but it seemed that the Muggle world held no attraction for wizards—they had never come over.
She was a bit envious of the Weasleys' Burrow, which seemed far more interesting.
John pointed to his dad, who was in the middle of a tooth extraction, and said helplessly, "My dad ate too much chocolate and ended up with a cavity. If you have a Damocles Belby wizard card, it'd be best if you could give him one."
"Uh..." Hermione blinked. Sometimes, she really wondered how Mr. Wick could have a son like John.
"Anyway, let's not talk about that. Are you planning to study next year's textbooks in advance?"
Miss Know-It-All only set aside her studies when she was on an adventure. Hermione's eyes sparkled, convinced that John must have also been studying ahead.
"Ehm" John wiped the sweat from his forehead and coughed awkwardly. "Actually, some things don't need to be, um, rushed so much."
Even with his enhancements, John couldn't endure reading for eighteen hours a day.
Gryffindor's reigning academic champ—Hermione—was truly terrifying.
Hermione thought for a moment and then looked disappointed. "That's true for you; you're so smart."
"No, no, no," John quickly waved his hand, trying to explain. "Knowledge is interconnected. Once you understand the Levitation Charm, you'll be able to grasp the Summoning Charm more quickly."
As John spoke, he demonstrated by taking out a somewhat droopy lily from a vase.
He infused the lily with magic, causing the flower to bloom again and the petals to regain their vitality.
Handing the lily to Hermione, he smiled and said, "Magic is the source. We need to understand it. Once you grasp these concepts, you'll find everything becomes simpler."
Hermione took the lily, hesitating for a moment before slyly asking, "Does that apply to the History of Magic too?"
"Ugh... Probably not."
'Little girl, you're making this conversation very difficult.'
Seeing Hermione's sneaky smile, John realized she was joking.
He ground his back teeth together, realizing he had just been played by a little girl.
Watson Wick came out after his tooth extraction, and his rapport with Mr. Granger had rapidly developed.
The two seemed so close that one might suspect these two old men were experiencing a second youth.
"John, I told you not all dentists are scumbags—Ehm* What I mean is, we won't return to Little Whinging. I'm thinking of staying in London for a few days. Wendell just invited me to play golf," Watson said.
Watson was already on a first-name basis with Mr. Granger, which made John increasingly suspicious. Could these two old men really be developing some kind of passionate connection?
People always joked about how the UK was a "rotten" country, but surely not, right?
Still, staying in London had its advantages—it saved John some effort. He needed to go to Knockturn Alley anyway, so this aligned well with his plans.
...
Johnny Silverhand 's Specialty Shop.
This store, which suddenly appeared last year, had quickly grown to replace Borgin and Burkes as the leading shop within just one year.
Mundungus Fletcher always thought he was indispensable, even more so than the elusive Silverhand himself, who had never shown up.
With this mindset, Mundungus was full of energy, and he gradually started to think of himself as the real boss.
"Shelby, you lousy git, you'd better get out of there!" Mundungus shouted.
What Mundungus disliked most was Tommy Shelby, the guy who had been parachuted in as head of security and never gave Mundungus any respect.
This made Mundungus extremely upset, even to the point of wanting to drive Tommy away.
Tommy gave Mundungus a cold glance. This shady thief dared to shout at him?
Foolish man, didn't he realize that Johnny Silverhand's success was entirely due to the connections of that mysterious benefactor?
Otherwise, a big prize like this wouldn't be overlooked by the big shots at the Ministry of Magic and the pureblood families.
Unfortunately, Mundungus Fletcher seemed oblivious to this fact.
His shouting and yelling made him look like a monkey in a suit.
At that moment, someone walked in from outside. Mundungus, still fuming, turned and glared fiercely at the newcomer.
A silver mask came into view, adorned with elaborate trim on a green robe. The figure had a slender body, dressed in a fitted waistcoat and suit.
On the clothing, there was a gold watch chain, elegant yet exuding a noble air.
Mundungus stared at the newcomer. In Knockturn Alley, mysterious people like this were not uncommon. He grumbled irritably, "What do you want?"
"What do I want?"
The expression beneath the silver mask was unclear, but Mundungus could hear the casual indifference and slight disdain in the tone.
This made Mundungus furious. He shouted, "If you're not here to buy anything, get out of my shop!"
"Your shop? Mundungus, you seem to have forgotten whose place this is."
The voice sounded somewhat familiar. Mundungus thought for a moment, his beady eyes widening as he shrieked, "You... You're Lord Johnny Silverhand?"
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Read 12 Chapters ahead of WN-
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