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Chapter 54: Heart to Heart
🕑 Added 2025-02-24 13:51:28 +0000 UTC
For an entire day, Ms. Haifin stayed in Noah's room, and they talked about many things.
They discussed Noah’s life at Hogwarts, his friendships, and various experiences, allowing Ms. Haifin to gain a comprehensive understanding of his world.
Noah, in turn, shared everything he could and was willing to say. To him, since she already knew so much, he might as well tell her everything he should.
What surprised him the most, however, was that Ms. Haifin also opened up about her own life.
Noah had known this woman for twelve years, yet, to be honest, he knew next to nothing about her aside from her name—Ms. Haifin—and the fact that her family was well-connected and relatively wealthy.
But after this conversation, he finally understood the story behind this seemingly strong woman.
Ms. Haifin’s full name was Avril Haifin Hall. Avril was her given name, Haifin was her mother’s surname, and Hall was her father’s family name.
The surname Hall was not uncommon in the UK, but it carried the meaning of an auditorium, and Ms. Haifin’s family was, indeed, of noble descent.
Avril had a relatively happy childhood, thanks in large part to her older brother, who always looked out for her.
She excelled academically—whether in primary school, secondary school, or university.
However, upon returning home after graduating from university, she received news that infuriated her—her father, old Carl, wanted her to marry a man named Sir Chambers.
For Avril, who had received a higher education and had dreams of building her own future, this was completely unacceptable. At that moment, she wished she were a witch from a novel, capable of freeing herself from this fate!
Then, a scandalous turn of events unfolded.
Sir Chambers wasn’t a playboy, nor was he some rich wastrel living off his family’s fortune. He had his own career—and his own love.
As a result, both he and Avril rebelled against their families, refusing the arranged marriage outright!
Their defiance embarrassed both families, and the consequences were severe.
The expected marriage was scrapped, but the punishment was harsh—both of them were disowned and stripped of their families' protection.
Sir Chambers didn’t care. He had his own career and could thrive without his family’s influence.
But Avril was different. Her stubborn, rigid father had cut off almost all her financial support, leaving her with virtually no income.
If not for her older brother, who had always cared for her, and her own financial acumen, she might have ended up homeless on the streets.
As for why she started an orphanage? Initially, she had been assisting her brother with charity work.
But when her family’s business ran into trouble, and Avril realized she had grown attached to the children, she decided to take over the orphanage and run it herself.
Her trip to Los Angeles this time was primarily to explore potential investment opportunities.
Since taking full responsibility for the orphanage, she had been covering all expenses on her own.
Money was crucial. Without her brother’s financial support, she had to find a way to sustain it herself. Unfortunately, this trip hadn't yielded much success.
“So… should I call you Ms. Avril, Ms. Haifin, or Ms. Hall?” Noah asked, scratching his head.
“Call me whatever you like. Does it even matter?” Avril replied, giving him a strange look. Then, with a hint of envy in her voice, she added, “I always thought magic was just fantasy… Now, I know it’s real.”
“Please! I am not a witch! That’s an important distinction!” Noah exclaimed, exasperated. “And secondly, a lot of things in this world are real, just hidden from ordinary people. Lastly, I think I should do something to help.”
“No need! I said no! Noah, you focus on your studies. That’s the most important thing. I’ll figure out the money issue myself.”
“But I have to think about my own future,” Noah countered. “No matter what, I’ll most likely end up living in the wizarding world. Don’t you want to see it? Besides, the kind of danger regular people face is nothing compared to what I deal with. Do you really think it’s difficult for me?”
“But—”
Avril hesitated, unable to argue.
Truthfully, she was curious about the magical world. She wished Noah happiness there, and she had to admit—she wanted to see it for herself.
Moreover, if the level of danger Noah spoke of was no worse than what they had encountered today, then… maybe he really wasn’t in much danger at all.
She vividly remembered how effortlessly Noah handled the situation earlier. It was as if he were dealing with a mere child.
“But… will the Ministry of Magic allow it?” Avril asked hesitantly.
“That’s something to consider,” Noah admitted. “But I could probably apply for a subsidy… maybe even get an Exorcist license. I doubt Professor Dumbledore would make it too difficult for me. Though, Professor Flitwick might. He’d probably rather just give me the money than have me pay it back.”
“…Let’s talk about this later, Noah.”
“Fair enough. We’ll have to wait until we’re back to sort things out.”
Noah nodded. This wasn’t something to rush, and being impatient wouldn’t help.
Besides, he already had enough on his plate. What puzzled him, however, was why the Aurors from the American Ministry of Magic hadn’t shown up yet.
Considering everything he had done, they should have confronted him by now.
He knew for a fact that they had been watching him since he got off the plane—so why no response yet?
These unanswered questions left him uneasy. If anything, Noah was half-tempted to march straight to the American Ministry of Magic and turn himself in.
The only problem?
He had no idea where it was.
And since he didn’t have the authority to register or use the American Floo Network, he had no means of contacting them.
But soon, Noah decided to stop worrying about it.
If they weren’t coming to him, then fine. He was here on a trip, after all. If he happened to stumble into something “unusual,” then of course, he would step in. At worst, he could explain everything to the British Ministry of Magic when he got back.
With that mindset, Noah stopped overthinking things and simply focused on enjoying his time in Los Angeles.
Over the next few days, he and Avril explored the city together. The break helped ease Avril’s mood significantly.
But just when Noah thought things had settled down—
As they returned to their hotel, they suddenly spotted a man and a woman standing at the entrance.
And the man was—
Constantine.
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