It was August 16, 1991. Evening was just beginning to set in.
In this era, in that ancient country across the ocean, there was still a popular sentiment that "the moon in foreign lands is rounder."
As for Britain, while it was debatable whether the moon over London—the capital of the Muggle world—was particularly round, it was certainly less clear than the moonshine in the Wizarding World under the same sky.
Ares transported himself from the Charing Cross station in Westminster to the outskirts of this international metropolis via the Muggle Underground. The entire process went smoothly; nothing set his backside on fire.
Cough, cough.
However, after that, he had to endure London's terrible air quality. He navigated through the acrid smog for several blocks until he reached the house he occupied in the Muggle world.
Due to its proximity to the industrial district, visibility here was even lower. The woman who had been waiting at his door for quite some time didn't even spot Ares until he was nearly in front of her.
"It's Sunday, isn't it? Where have you been running off to?"
The harsh question didn't displease Ares. On the contrary, it made him blurt out the truth subconsciously.
"Serving time—uh, I mean, working overtime feels like serving time."
Ares blinked, staring at the tall, sturdy middle-aged woman before him. Her rigid features radiated seriousness in every line.
"Aunt Lowitz? Why are you at my door—and?"
Ares turned his gaze to the girl standing amidst a pile of luggage next to the woman. Her build was closer to Ares's, but unfortunately, her features hadn't escaped her mother's genetics.
"Chris?"
"What a silly question."
The middle-aged woman's tone was dissatisfied, but as she reached up to pinch Ares's gaunt cheek, her eyes revealed a deep affection.
"It's your birthday today, isn't it? Unless you forgot?"
"Oh, birthday—right. Of course I wouldn't forget..."
Ares nodded, though he still looked a bit confused.
"Happy twentieth birthday, cousin!"
The girl, who seemed a bit weary from the long journey, tried to muster some energy. She waved at Ares with a grin.
"Of course, we have other business here as well," Aunt Lowitz said, turning to her daughter with a stern yet satisfied nod.
"Chris was inspired by you and got into a university in London. So, I came to drop her off for school."
"Oh, congratulations!"
Ares's confusion cleared up, and his tone regained its lightness.
"What about Uncle Howe? Why didn't he come along?"
"Howe received an invitation to join an academic expedition organized by his school. He's going to be in Greece for a while."
Mentioning her husband, Aunt Lowitz's hard features softened slightly.
"So it's just me—speaking of which, why are we standing in the doorway chatting, Ares? Unless you don't welcome us?"
"Of course not," Ares said warmly and decisively. He fished his house key from his pocket and squeezed past the mountain of luggage to open the door.
"I'll handle the groceries—do me a favor, Ares, help Chris with some of the luggage. Oh, if it's too heavy, just let Chris do it herself. Honestly, you look like you have less strength than your cousin."
Humiliated, Ares had to put down a suitcase half as tall as a person just to turn on the lights.
Aunt Lowitz stood in the foyer, twitching her nose at the house.
She clearly wasn't pleased with the smell of cold dust in the air. When she moved to the kitchen and found a cauldron on the floor filled with a black liquid bubbling over an alcohol burner, the dissatisfaction between her brows turned into worry.
"Are those irregular intermittent spasms of yours still bothering you, Ares?"
"Oh, the frequency has decreased a lot compared to before," Ares said. He realized what Aunt Lowitz had found, so he quickly stepped into the kitchen and carried out the potion, which still needed a bit more brewing time.
"Then you should go to a professional hospital for scientific treatment, Ares," Aunt Lowitz said, seeing through Ares's evasion. She glared at his back. "Instead of messing around on your own... What do you even call that—brewing Chinese herbal medicine?"
"I promise I'll go, Aunt Lowitz—Oh! Don't touch that plant in the pot, Chris! It might strangle you!... Go watch some TV in the living room, okay? Though I'm not sure if I paid the cable bill."
After securing his potion, Ares quickly moved his Devil's Snare pot under Chris's sulky gaze.
It was inevitable that tidying up the house would be a frantic affair.
After all, with two extra people suddenly in the house, Ares couldn't exactly have the mop perform a Thomas flair on the floor while cleaning itself in front of them.
Aunt Lowitz watched all of this.
"You need a reliable woman in your life, Ares," she said.
"Remember that pretty girl back home with the two thick pigtails? The one named Cathy? Remember her? She still asks about you!"
"You'd better tell her to forget me, Aunt Lowitz," Ares said, struggling with a stubborn stain on the floor. "When she was twelve, she could lift a stone mill with one hand and throw it onto the roof."
"A girl like that is reliable, isn't she? She can protect you."
Aunt Lowitz glared fiercely at Chris, who was curled up on the sofa giggling at their conversation.
When her gaze returned to Ares, her lips moved as if she wanted to add something more. But a memory suddenly jumped into her mind, filling her eyes with pity as she looked at his back. In the end, she said nothing and ducked into the kitchen.
Under the bright lights, the dining table was soon filled with plates of delicious food.
"Care for a drink, Aunt Lowitz? To ease the fatigue of the journey?"
Ares stood in front of his liquor cabinet, gesturing to a collection of aged bottles. "Whiskey, sherry, or red wine?"
"Just a little whiskey, Ares," Aunt Lowitz said as she took off her apron. "At home, Howe and I always have a drink before dinner—Oh, not you, Chris. Did you forget? You don't turn eighteen until next February!"
The underage girl pouted, looking unhappy again.
"Don't be discouraged, Chris," Ares smiled at his cousin. Besides the whiskey, he took a bottle of amber liquid from the cabinet.
"I have something good to share with you—Butterbeer. It tastes quite good, though for adults, the flavor might be a bit 'light.'"
After filling a glass with the bubbling beer, the girl tasted it eagerly, then squinted with satisfaction.
"I like this! But I've never seen this kind of drink before... Where can I buy more, Ares?"
"I hope you spend the few pennies in your pocket on something more valuable, Chris. Don't think you can just let loose because you're in London."
Aunt Lowitz's stern warning made Chris's expression turn gloomy again.
Finally, after all the hustle and bustle, the three of them sat down at the dining table.
High above in the pitch-black sky, the clouds scattered and the wind died down. For a moment, clear moonlight shone through the dining room window, illuminating the side of Ares's face and softening the sharp angles of his overly handsome features. He raised his glass.
"I must say..."
"Wait a moment, Ares."
Aunt Lowitz spoke up. Her gaze lingered on the empty side of the square dining table for a moment. Then, blinking her eyes which had lost some of their brightness, her loud voice lowered.
"For a family reunion like this, it wouldn't be right not to invite your father. You have a photo of him here, don't you? Could you invite him to join us?"