Volume 4: The Sea and the Ship Heading North Chapter 210: Both the host and the guests are happy
"Durmstrang? I've heard of this school. Although you have hidden the school's location and it is located in a remote part of Northern Europe, I heard that it is the school that accepts the widest range of students among the three magic schools in Europe. I heard that it even accepts children from as far away as Bulgaria?"
There was a rich meal on the table. Jon took Neville and the others to sit at the table and listen to Sir Stoke's compliments and questions about Durmstrang.
Jon smiled and gestured to Luna.
"Say hi to Jazz, Anaya."
Luna nodded slightly toward Lord Stoker.
"Hola, senor."
Sir Stocker showed a slightly surprised expression.
"You also accept students from Spain? I remember when I was in France, all the students there went to study at Beauxbatons."
"Parents always hope that their children can develop better, right?" Jon said calmly, "Compared to Beauxbatons, some parents of children obviously believe in our strength more. Of course, Beauxbatons is also a very good magic school, but we are different in the emphasis on magic."
The old man in front of him said that his family's title was conferred by the Capetian dynasty (a French dynasty), so he should be a Frenchman. French wizards generally graduate from Beauxbatons, so while Jon remained "arrogant" towards Durmstrang, he also gave Beauxbatons some face.
Sir Stock laughed and raised his glass, the red wine in it swaying gently with his movements.
"Of course, what parents want most is that their children can get the best education."
The most important factor in maintaining the atmosphere of a conversation is that everyone involved is willing to continue the meeting.
Jon naturally had a purpose, he was eager to get closer to this Lord Stoke .
It was unknown what Sir Stoke's purpose was, but it was obvious that he wanted to communicate more with John.
They ate and talked until Jon mentioned it seemingly casually.
"The place you live in is a bit too remote. If my friend Richard didn't like traveling on the ocean, he would never have been able to find this place, let alone sit here and enjoy dinner with us today."
"I personally like quietness after all." Sir Stocker said with a smile, "Although this place is remote, it is a good place to observe celestial phenomena and study astronomy, so I chose to move here. It was indeed a coincidence that your friend found this tower. Before him, only 15 years ago did I forget to replace the expired Muggle-Repelling Charm, which allowed a Muggle ship to find me."
Jon raised his glass and frowned slightly.
He couldn't tell whether Stoke was lying or not. If this man had really guessed the purpose of their coming here and was deliberately concealing it, then his acting skills of deceiving people without blinking an eye would be comparable to Jon's.
"I heard that among the three magic schools in Europe, no matter which school it is, the conditions for recruiting professors are extremely strict and demanding. Since Professor Johnson can become the professor of Transfiguration, he must be talented and knowledgeable."
"You're too kind, I was just lucky."
"Then I wonder if Professor Johnson has done any research on ancient magic besides his achievements in Transfiguration?"
His tone was casual, but Jon was keenly aware that this might be the key to his enthusiastic attitude towards his group.
Jon hesitated for a moment, as if he wanted to be humble.
"Due to my personal interest, I have dabbled in magic runes, but I am not proficient in them."
His answer made Sir Stock's eyes light up slightly.
But after that he didn't say anything more about this aspect, and instead turned the conversation to the changes and customs of the magical world in recent years.
When Sir Stocker heard John talk about the pure-blood policy currently implemented in Britain, he was extremely surprised.
His expression was obviously not fake. It seemed as he said, he had never left the tower since moving there, nor had he had more contact with wizards on land. He had no idea what changes had taken place in the British wizarding world today.
After learning in detail from John about Voldemort's bloodline rule in Britain, he showed a disdainful attitude and seemed to disagree or accept it.
In fact, from the fact that he is willing to follow the customs of his ancestors and continue to use the Muggle titles, it can be seen that he does not have much contempt and discrimination towards Muggles and wizards from Muggle families.
This made Jon feel not only unexpected but also a little strange.
He certainly had no doubt that Dumbledore's intelligence was wrong.
The Hogwarts could not have taken the wrong route. Prophecy was the most unreasonable talent in the wizarding world, and the man who could provide Dumbledore with accurate prophecies was called a prophet. He could even predict the appearance and explosion of mushroom bombs at the beginning of World War II, so it was unlikely that he would go wrong on this route.
This was especially confirmed after the diary was found in Azkaban .
But Sir Stocker's attitude and words towards them did not seem like he had any contact with Voldemort at all.
He looked like he had never even heard of who Voldemort was.
Because according to him, when Voldemort had just graduated from Hogwarts, that is, in the 1950s, he had already come to this tower from the mainland. During this period, except for Dumbledore's visit under an alias, he had never seen any other British wizards.
On a few occasions, wizards from Northern Europe had stumbled upon his place, but they had apparently not discussed the rise of a Dark Lord in Britain.
But if Voldemort himself really came here, whether he was plotting to take the tower or something on it, or even Sir Stocker himself, if he showed any sign of non-cooperation, considering that Voldemort had just reabsorbed his Horcrux at that time, John didn't think it was possible for Sir Stocker to survive after he had lost his usefulness.
If he had submitted to Voldemort himself and done something for him, it would only be explained by his pretense.
But this was too convincing, at least Jon didn't find any flaws from beginning to end.
He had doubts in his heart but did not show them, and the dinner ended in this seemingly "enjoyable" atmosphere.
Afterwards, Sir Stoke kindly invited Jon and his students to stay in the tower for a few more days. Few outsiders came here, and he felt that he and Jon got along well, so he wanted to communicate with him more.
Jon seemed a little hesitant. He said that he had other , but it would be a good experience to stay and see the tower for a few days.
So he agreed, but made an excuse that he had to go back to the ship tonight to make arrangements for the students who remained on the ship, and then he did not spend the night in the tower.
