Bernadette hummed in acknowledgment.
"No, no, no," Harry quickly waved his hands. "I'm just a student. I don't teach people."
"I... want you... to help me... read it out loud..." Bernadette added. "I... can hear... but I can't speak."
"Ah?"
You can understand, but you can't speak?
This was the first time Harry had encountered such a situation. He looked at Bernadette again, and it suddenly dawned on him: he almost forgot that this gentleman was a wizard.
Since he couldn't understand, Harry decided to attribute it all to magic.
After thinking for a moment, Harry hesitantly asked, "Sir, may I ask... are you a wizard?"
Bernadette nodded. "Mm." — This kid is certainly no ordinary one.
Hearing this confirmation, Harry excitedly said, "I just received my acceptance letter to Hogwarts a couple of days ago, and I'll be going there soon to study magic. By the way, did you study magic there too?"
So, a wizard in training, no wonder he wasn't affected by the banishment spell.
"Mm."
Harry became even more excited. "This... this is truly incredible. I mean, I didn't expect to meet another wizard so soon." He suddenly remembered something, "Ah, do you know me?"
He remembered back when he was at the Leaky Cauldron, everyone had been looking at him with strange, almost uncomfortable eyes. Hagrid had told him that nearly all wizards in the UK knew him.
"No."
Harry let out a sigh of relief. "That's great."
Although curious about the boy's questions, Bernadette was more concerned with learning English. "Alright... what I just said... can you help?"
"Of course, I'd love to help. I just worry I won't do it well."
"No need... to worry."
After some hesitation, Harry picked up the book, nervously asking, "So, shall we start now?"
"Ding."
At that moment, the microwave made a sharp sound.
Bernadette quickly walked over, bringing out the steaming, aromatic roast, placing it in front of Harry. "Eat... then we can begin."
"Ah?"
Harry quickly tried to refuse. "No, I can't..."
"This is... my thanks... for helping me... Eat."
Harry stared at the delicious-looking roast, swallowing his saliva. He forced himself to look away.
"Eat."
Bernadette picked up the roast with a fork and placed it into his hands.
Harry wanted to be more reserved, but the roast smelled so good, and he was really hungry. So, he lowered his head, ignoring Bernadette, and began eating eagerly.
Bernadette watched quietly, her eyes softening with a smile. When Harry took too big of a bite and started choking, she poured him a cup of water and handed it over.
"Thank you."
Harry eagerly drank it down, managing to catch his breath. He looked up and saw the wizard staring at him, making his face turn slightly red.
He quickly finished the remaining roast and said, "I... I'm done, we can start now."
"First... wash your hands."
"Ah, sorry, sorry."
Harry quickly stood up and ran towards the restroom but soon stopped, turning back to ask, "Sir, may I use the restroom to wash my hands?"
"Sure."
Half a minute later, Harry wiped his damp hands on his clothes, picked up the dictionary, and asked, "So... do I start reading?"
"Mm."
Bernadette walked behind Harry, her eyes moving along with his reading, memorizing the words through her exceptional memory.
Every few words, Harry would stumble. After all, he was just a primary school student, and many of the words were unfamiliar to him. Some of the simpler ones, he could figure out through the definitions.
For the words he couldn't understand, Bernadette would make a mark with her pen and move on.
Occasionally, she would ask him to pause, repeat a few times, or ask questions to help with understanding and memorization.
At first, Harry was quite puzzled. Could this method really teach him English? But as the wizard's words became smoother, Harry transitioned from confusion to awe, then to numbness — magic, after all, makes everything possible.
Time passed quietly. Harry couldn't help but yawn, his eyes growing heavy, but he quickly shook his head to stay awake.
"Alright, time to sleep."
Bernadette closed the book for him, pointing to the guest room door. "You can sleep in there tonight?"
Harry reflexively declined. "No, no need."
"Oh."
She nodded without insisting. "Then, sleep on the sofa."
Before Harry could speak again, she nonchalantly added, "Or, if you prefer... sleep on the street?"
"..."
"Don't worry... I won't be disturbed or inconvenienced..." She patted the dictionary. "Because you... already paid in advance... with your help."
"If possible, I hope you can continue helping me... learn English, and maybe... even have a chance to exchange... magic."
Harry's eyes immediately lit up. Exchange magic?
Does this mean I might get to experience magic before attending magic school?
"What's wrong? Don't want to?"
"I do!" Harry quickly nodded repeatedly, but then scratched his head awkwardly. "But... I haven't started school yet, so I don't know any magic."
Bernadette casually replied, "Oh, who does?"
Harry: "???"
He felt like he must have misunderstood.
After some hesitation, Harry nervously asked in a low voice, "Sir, I know this is very forward, but... could I see you cast some magic? Is... is that possible?"
See magic?
I can't do that.
Bernadette frowned, thought for a moment, then waved her hand. Under Harry's eager gaze, she pressed her finger onto the edge of the coffee table. It was as if she was pinching tofu, and she left a dent in the solid wood.
"Done."
Harry was bewildered. "???"
This "magic"... isn't quite what I imagined.
Ignoring Harry's confused look, Bernadette turned and walked away. "Sleep."
Once she entered the bedroom, she quickly went over the day's learning in her mind. At this pace, in another three to five days, she'd likely be fluent in the language, as if it were her mother tongue.
Her progress was much faster than expected.
It was all thanks to that glasses-wearing boy.
Huh?
By the way, I still don't know his name, do I?
I'll ask tomorrow.
After a day of intense learning, Bernadette was also quite tired. She took off her coat, about to get into bed, when she suddenly remembered she hadn't washed up — though the body wasn't hers, she was the one controlling it now, so if it got dirty, it felt uncomfortable for her.
As she thought this, her mind drifted to another world. I wonder if that man will follow the "rules" I gave him?
She shook her head and got up, walking out of the bedroom.
The lights in the living room were off. The boy with the glasses was curled up on the sofa, already asleep, with his broken glasses resting on the coffee table. His hands were tightly clenched against his chest, looking as though he felt very insecure.
He was sleeping soundly, almost no sound of breathing.
"..."
Staring at Harry for a while, Bernadette went back to her room, grabbed a blanket, and draped it over him. Then, she went into the restroom, splashed some water on her face, and smiled lightly at her reflection in the mirror.
"Goodnight."
Her reflection smiled back in the mirror... a bit too sweetly.
To be continued…