The housewives living on Oak Road in the Ealing District of West London have recently become exceptionally busy, tirelessly immersing themselves in a series of lively community tea parties.
The focal point of the heated discussions at these tea parties was the mysterious gentleman who had just moved into No. 13 Oak Road—Mr. Burke.
It was said that Mr. Burke was already thirty-eight years old this year, but time seemed to have left few marks on his face; his well-defined, deep-featured face, as if meticulously carved by a master sculptor, exuded the unique charm of a mature man.
Although he was nearly forty, he had yet to enter the halls of marriage, and they had also discovered that he was a high-achieving graduate from a prestigious university, which undoubtedly added an academic star aura to his nearly perfect image.
As for his profession and income, no one currently knew for certain.
But simply seeing that he could successfully move into a detached house in the Ealing District of West London was enough to infer that his family background must be above the middle class.
Even more amazing was that this "diamond bachelor," Mr. Burke, not only possessed an outstanding appearance but his inner qualities were equally admirable.
He was highly responsible—since his sister and brother-in-law worked overseas long-term and could not personally care for their lovely daughter who had just started primary school, they had entrusted this heavy responsibility entirely to Mr. Burke.
To ensure his young niece could enjoy a higher quality of education, Mr. Burke resolutely left his country manor and moved to London, which possesses the world's top educational resources.
—
September 1, 1984. It was a rare sunny day in London.
Not long after the sun rose, soft sunlight spilled into the room through the gaps in the curtains.
The hour hand pointed to seven o'clock, and Adelaide squirmed on the bed, as if being pulled by an invisible force, struggling to slowly climb out of her warm covers.
She was bleary-eyed and looked exhausted, muttering some unintelligible words, clearly not yet fully awake.
However, reality would not allow her to keep lounging in bed.
Today was an important day—the Junior School of Notting Hill High School for Girls was officially opening!
Adelaide forced herself to perk up, reaching out with a pained expression to pick up the dark blue suit school uniform placed by the bed and slowly putting it on.
Every move she made seemed so heavy and slow, as if this uniform weighed a thousand pounds.
After finally getting dressed, Adelaide dragged her tired feet into the bathroom and hurriedly finished washing up.
Then, she quickly went downstairs to the dining room on the first floor.
There sat a figure at the dining table—it was "Uncle" Edward, who looked as if he were about to crumble.
He sat there listlessly, with two large dark circles hanging under his eyes, looking very haggard.
Since moving to Oak Road, Edward had spent every day in utter agony.
This Muggle World was simply a nightmare for him; all sorts of strange and messy things kept him overwhelmed.
He not only had to quickly adapt to the lifestyle here but also had to cautiously hide his identity as a Wizard, not showing the slightest flaw—heaven knows how many Confundo charms he had cast this week to cover up those small details that might arouse suspicion!
Even more terrifying was that every time he stepped out of the house, he would always encounter various overly enthusiastic neighbors!
Especially those gossiping busybodies; as soon as they saw him, they would immediately surround him, starting their incessant chatter with that eternal opening line: "The weather is nice/terrible today."
Poor Edward had no way to escape and could only grit his teeth and deal with this endless small talk.
In the end, there was really no other way, so he had to cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself before going out, so he could leave the house with peace of mind.
Looking at Adelaide devouring her breakfast in front of him, Edward sighed deeply.
Finally, finally, the day for Adelaide to go to school had arrived!
As long as he drove Adelaide to school in the morning, until school let out in the evening, he could escape the Muggle World and return to the embrace of the Wizarding World!
Previously, Dumbledore had written a recommendation letter to the Ministry of Magic, and Minister Millicent Bagnold had graciously arranged for him to work in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, specifically in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, becoming a direct subordinate of Director Arthur Weasley.
Although Edward felt that being placed in such a marginal department was a bit beneath his talents, considering his main task was to look after Adelaide's daily life—having a boss who was one of their own to cover for him, making it convenient for him to be late or leave early to pick up and drop off the child, was very important.
Thinking that today was his first day working at the Ministry of Magic, Edward took a deep breath and tried to cheer himself up.
With a smile and a gentle tone, he looked at Adelaide across the table and said softly, "My dear Miss Adelaide, have you finished your breakfast? If you're ready, let's head off to school! After all, today is the first day of term; arriving early might leave a very good first impression on the teachers and classmates."
Adelaide nodded in agreement.
Although she was a new student in KS1 Year 1, the fact was that prestigious private schools like this one began admitting students from the age of four.
Compared to those students who had already enrolled last year and spent a year in Reception, Adelaide was considered a transfer student.
She knew very well that keeping a low profile and not being late on the first day of school was the wisest choice for a peaceful time in a Muggle primary school.
Edward sat nervously in the driver's seat like any novice who had just gotten their license, carefully starting the engine and attempting to back his newly purchased magnificent sports car out of the narrow garage.
The morning sun shone on the ground in front of the garage, reflecting off the silver Aston Martin V8 Vantage, making it glisten.
This was a vehicle Dumbledore had specifically commissioned a friend in the Muggle World to pick out for him; he heard its popularity in the Muggle World was comparable to the Nimbus 1500 in the Wizarding World.
It was a very beautiful car, but Adelaide, sitting in the passenger seat, could not bring herself to be happy.
Would going to school in such a luxury car make her seem too high-profile?
This worry quickly vanished when they arrived at the school gates.
The spacious school entrance looked as if it were hosting a luxury car show, with limousines, handsome large jeeps, and many different models of cool sports cars, each more dazzling than the last.
Edward's new car felt no sense of mismatch in this scene of luxury and fashion, blending in perfectly like a fish in water.
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